Chinese “Weather Balloon” Enters US Air Space

[hanselthecaretaker]

Alleged spy balloon over US is weather device - China - BBC News

China says a suspected spy balloon is actually a wayward "civilian airship" used for weather monitoring.

www.bbc.com

The object flew over Alaska's Aleutian Islands and through Canada before appearing over the city of Billings in Montana on Wednesday, according to officials.

Montana is home to some of the US's nuclear missile silos.


Hmmmm.

 

[tippy2k2]

I am curious how many dum dums have been trying to shoot at it...

 

[SilentPony]

It flew over St. Louis around 3pm yesterday! Hope it got a great look at not much of anything.

 

[XsjadoBlayde]

Attack of the balloons.

 

[Buyetyen]

I am curious how many dum dums have been trying to shoot at it...

Several Republicans have encouraged their constituents to shoot it down already.

 

[tippy2k2]

Several Republicans have encouraged their constituents to shoot it down already.

Yup

I've seen plenty of posts of people saying they were going to shoot at it or people encouraging people to shoot at it like a bullet doesn't have to obey the laws of physics and could possibly get anywhere even NEAR that balloon...

I haven't heard/seen of anyone actually taking shots at it but it does feel like it's just a matter of time before some "DON'T TREAD ON ME" 2nd Amendment Dipshit who demonstrates they have no right to own a gun gives it a...shot

On the plus side, someone that incredibly stupid will almost certainly post it on social media for the police to see

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

Several Republicans have encouraged their constituents to shoot it down already.

Mysterious instances of bullets falling out of the sky from nowhere and killing people, sorry we have no idea how that happened, you can't sue us in 3, 2, 1....

 

[SilentPony]

Mysterious instances of bullets falling out of the sky from nowhere and killing people, sorry we have no idea how that happened, you can't sue us in 3, 2, 1....

Stray bullets are considered a weather phenomenon in the US.

 

[Baffle]

Fair's fair, I just googled the weather in China and it's there for all to see (-4C!). It doesn't seem unreasonable that China should be able to do the same.

 

[Absent]

Mysterious instances of bullets falling out of the sky from nowhere and killing people, sorry we have no idea how that happened,

but it wouldn't happen if we had more guns to defend ourselves.

 

[SilentPony]

Spoiler: An accurate depiction of the "weather" balloon now.

 

[Kwak]

Is it still technically their property once it's invaded another country's airspace?
Can't US just legally take ownership of it now?

 

[Baffle]

Weather balloon go boom.

 

[Seanchaidh]

I am curious how many dum dums have been trying to shoot at it...

one of them finally hit it. oh well.

 

[Kwak]

 

[Silvanus]

On the one hand: I'm 100% certain it's not a meteorological observatory balloon, and that its there to spy on infrastructure/ military shit.

On the other (more important) hand: this kind of spying is not unusual. This particular vehicle might be unusual, but... to pretend spying on infrastructure/military capabilities is some red line being crossed? Its not. The US, China, and Russia do it all the time (as do quite a few other powers, but those three are by a long way the biggest culprits). For the US to act as if some red line is being crossed, while they're actively spying on the equivalent forces in dozens of other countries, is moronic.

 

[tippy2k2]

 

[tippy2k2]

one of them finally hit it. oh well.

TBF, if any dum dum IS going to take a shot at the balloon, I'd rather it be the government dum dums instead of some yokel who thinks that his 9mm pistol will get anywhere even close to the thing

 

[Gergar12]

F-22 scores first A2A kill.

 

[Alienware]

Nice to see that it managed to cross the ENTIRE United States from the Pacific ocean to the Atlantic Ocean before it was shot down.