Scattershots – 5feb23 (updated 12feb23)

George Rebane

Chinese spy balloon.  One of the more intriguing and scary test purposes for the balloon could easily have been to see how easy it would be to float EMP nuclear devices over the American mainland.  The published altitude range for effective EMP explosions is about 60K-80Kft.  Such considerations make it even more important to immediately shoot down these incursions as soon as they enter US air space into payload recoverable territory.  I suppose then if an EMP device or test package was found, it could be considered an act of war.  But in such a contingency things would immediately get very complicated with the introduction of a lot of other factors.  The news about today’s underwater recovery results are guaranteed to be lies and propaganda; we should not tell the Chicoms what we found or didn’t.

[7feb23 update]  Microsoft to integrate ChatGPT into Bing in today’s announcement (here).  ChatGPT is the ‘complete natural language’ response system that represents the latest quantum leap in advanced deep learning systems and has already demonstrated how the new generation of smart machines will converse with users on a rapidly expanding base of human knowledge.  My son-in-law who does advanced AI research at Microsoft Research tells me to “stay tuned, this could be history in the making.”

[12feb23 update]  From post-SOTUS media reports, Democrats finally admit that Republicans have a totally opposite direction they want to take the country, and that neither side believes in each other’s facts.  Given such terminal incongruity, what could then be the purpose of pursuing common goals for returning to or going forward to seek an unhappy state of America’s reunification.  Isn’t it past time to start negotiating a peaceful Great Divide?

Comments

[Michael Kesti]

I believe that the balloon was primarily about China demonstrating how weak and dependent the US has become.

[Gregory]

Primarily? You know that... how?

I don't have a clue about the primary motivations of the Chinese leadership.

[Bill Tozer]

Motives aside, I do find it disturbing that the balloon was allowed to linger over the Mainland US for days. Days. Four months ago another CHINESE balloon crashed outside the Hawaiian Islands. If it was a Russian balloon, you can bet your bottom dollar that the response would have been different. Act of war and all that jazz.
———
A view from the ground, kind of light hearted. Those damn Montanans. Don’t look up.

‘The Chinese Spy Balloon Over My House’
Walter Kirn on the floating intruder Montanans weren't supposed to notice.

https://www.thefp.com/p/the-chinese-spy-balloon-over-my-house

[scenes]

"One of the more intriguing and scary test purposes for the balloon could easily have been to see how easy it would be to float EMP nuclear devices over the American mainland."

I doubt that balloons go high enough for a particularly effective EMP.

[Michael Kesti]

Gregory 05Feb2023 at 12:37 PM

Please read carefully and observe that I said, "I believe..."

[Gregory]

mk 303

So, saying "I believe in little green men from Mars" is AOK?

[Bill Tozer]

scenes @ 2:50 pm

Maybe a bio-weapon. The whole thing (assuming motives) is to see how we would react/respond. While not in charge, I would have used the guns on our fighter aircraft, not a sidewinder missile. But, that just me. Would have left the balloon more intact. War games, spy vs spy. Scramble theirs, scramble ours.

Look up in the Sky! Its a Dirigible.

[Randy]

To me it looked like "China Joe" pointing at the sky with a tear in his eye saying "Look somebody lost their balloon! They must be really sad..."

[Bill Tozer]

From a conversation over at the Sandbox.

‘Chinese Spy Balloons Flew Over U.S. Under Trump But Were Only ‘Discovered After’ Trump Left White House: Report’

This information was discovered after the [Trump] administration left,” the official said. “They went undetected. Two things can be true at once: this happened and it wasn’t detected.”

https://www.dailywire.com/news/chinese-spy-balloons-flew-over-u-s-under-trump-but-were-only-discovered-after-trump-left-white-house-report

[Michael Kesti]

Gregory 05Feb2023 at 03:19 PM

Saying "I believe in little green men from Mars" is acceptable in the sense that expressions of opinions are always acceptable. One doesn't have to accept others' opinions and may argue against them but, while it remains a nominally free country, yes, their expression is AOK.

[scenes]

"Maybe a bio-weapon."

Probably best to leave that to FedEx as a delivery system, although the Soviets had refrigerated cruise missiles with dispersal systems.

Generally, it seems to me that biological warfare is the real threat right now, at least short of a full nuclear exchange. Of course you can always explain away the research facilities as something else (like the Ukrainian ones). I expect that most of the tech is dual-use in any case.

In the meantime, any country of any size works on it's computer/networking warfare branch all while we build-out a huge world of IoT gadgets and chuck security/privacy in favor of government and commercial surveillance. Gotta leave in those Day 0 exploits doncha know. The next avoidable emergency will consist of airgapping computers instead of locking up people in their houses.

[Bill Tozer]

Who knows for sure. Michael Kesti’s first post rings true. A trial balloon, if you prefer. With the upcoming State Department trip to China, maybe Xi does not have all the members of theCCP government in line….like the military. Hawks in every government.

Since the Chinese satellites have all the photographic resolution they need and continuously circle the globe, what’s up a the metal balloon? Sounds more of a political statement than a military one. A message. Definitely yanking our chain. Shooting down the balloon does not violate international law, so China has no legal defense. Maybe since prior balloons made it undetected…

Maybe, maybe. I dunno. Timing. Certainly is working in China’s favor for their home consumption among the masses. They are quite nationalistic and racist. Like Japan. Unlike Japan, China is on the move. It’s time to quit calling them our competitor.

[Misanthrope]

All the Chinese had to to was make a phone call to explain the situation.

But would that have stopped all the GOP hysteria and paranoia fever?

[Misanthrope]

I'm not a technical wizard but I imagine that we could have jammed all those frequencies that the balloon devices were transmitting on, and we would have done this after we analyzed what type of information was being transmitted, if necessary.

The flight path of the balloon took it over Canada also but they did not seem worried. Were the Chinese using a "Drunken Fist" flight plan where the balloon appeared to wander across the open seas and stray innocently down into the US?

It's fun to imagine the balloon updating the firmware on all the Huawei equipment in order to track TicTok users or for other more sinister reasons.

The balloons have also entered our air space numerous times during previous Presidencies with no hysterical backlash.

I'm surprised that not many like the idea that it was merely a weather balloon.

[Scott O]

"All the Chinese had to to was make a phone call to explain the situation."

Sure - the CCP is a straight up group of guys. Just ask Hunter or Brandon.

"I'm surprised that not many like the idea that it was merely a weather balloon."

Sure - just like building a military base on Spratly was for "scientific research".

And building dozens of new coal-fired power plants is proof that China leads the way in combating climate change.

And the Uyghurs enjoy spending time at the comfy summer camps the CCP have set up for them.

What a maroon.

[fish]

Posted by: Miss Anthrope | 06 February 2023 at 08:02 AM

Such fellatial devotion......a rare thing, especially in ...ahem ..service to the administration of such a corrupt, doddering old fool.

Don't forget to wipe you chin.

[Misanthrope]

Scott,

Do we know the flight path of the evil spy balloon?

If so, how do we know?

The most dangerous spy balloon made all the way from our air space in the Aleutian Islands across Canada where it was finally noticed by our Military?

Naive?

[Misanthrope]

Fish,

Do you believe the spy balloon was a major threat, or is your purpose merely to provide a laugh track to the comments?

[fish]

Posted by: Miss Anthrope | 06 February 2023 at 08:38 AM

Fish,

Do you believe the spy balloon was a major threat, or is your purpose merely to provide a laugh track to the comments?

I believe there are people (like you) who are such partisan cheerleaders that Joe Biden could come over and rape your sister and you would find a way to justify it, cheer, and find a way to spin it as being good for the country!

[Scott O]

Some fool - "The most dangerous spy balloon made all the way from our air space in the Aleutian Islands across Canada where it was finally noticed by our Military?"

You said this, not me.
I'm pointing out the Chi-Coms are worse liars than our own FIBBIES. How does that make me naive?

[Misanthrope]

Scott,

You missed the point. The military keeps track of unidentified flying objects the size of school buses that enter our airspace. They knew where it was coming from and were tracking it. If you don't believe that then there's no point discussing it with you.

The GOP is only going "chicken little" on Dark Brandon to try to support the narrative that the president didn't do enough to assure the masses that there was no threat to them because he and Hunter are in bed with the Chinese.

[Gregory]

The balloon was at 120,000 feet... no, it isn't that easy to detect reliably a balloon moving with the wind at that altitude with radar.

It's also not easy to determine what the CCP is up to... putting up one's cartoon image of what they might be doing and believing that will not be accurate very often.

[scenes]

"putting up one's cartoon image of what they might be doing and believing that will not be accurate very often."

I'll say.

Plus, people seem to assume a)that it was on purpose and b)everything in China is planned by some evil mastermind brain-in-a-jar.

High odds that some weather or military thing from the National Administration of State Secret Protection (or whatever) screwed up, everyone is too embarrassed to admit it. If it's viewed as a real threat, warn them when you notice it, wait a day or two, shoot/shovel/shutup. It's a stupid controversy.

[Misanthrope]

Gregory,

The balloon was at 60k feet.

https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3288543/f-22-safely-shoots-down-chinese-spy-balloon-off-south-carolina-coast/#:~:text=The%20military%20official%20gave%20some,between%2060%2C000%20and%2065%2C000%20feet.

[scenes]

Now, a thing they could stand to do after the whole deal blows over (so to speak) is to have everyone decide on what sovereign airspace really is.

Perfect for the UN if the UN didn't consist of grifters and Third World diplomats hiring hookers in NYC.

I've learned that the Kármán line is a thing, and ignored. 100 miles for lowest orbits? Decide on something.

My guess is that the US is uninterested on actually-observed treaties in the matter since running a worldwide empire requires flying over folks who can't do anything about it.

[scenes]

I did find a picture of the men who shot down the balloon.

https://imgur.com/VmRbJzp

[Scott O]

Misses everything 10:59 - Hey skipper! 2 plus 2 equals 4!
"If you don't believe that then there's no point discussing it with you."

See how that works?
You're fabricating BS I have never believed or implied.
If that's all you're capable of, then there is certainly no point in trying to have a reasonable discussion. But that doesn't seem to be the point with you, anyway.

[Scott O]

scenes 11:41 - "It's a stupid controversy."
True.
But, look at all the fun memes and jokes we got out of it!

[Gregory]

Jeffie Misanthrope 1154a

Yes, clever fellow, the China balloon was at 60k when brought down in Atlantic coastal waters.

It was at about 120k when tracking began, over the Aleutians.

[Misanthrope]

Gregory,

So, you think it would be hard to track a bus at 120,000 ft.? And that is why the military could not find it? What about the solar array and devices it was carrying?

I guess when a ballistic missile reaches their apogee they are lost in the clouds, right?

https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-de3ec4354d7f468653c9f9b8c575ffe8-lq

[Bill Tozer]

China Balloon – A Layered Scandal

“China has learned a key lesson, and it cannot be unlearned. Biden will hesitate, deflect, do almost anything to avoid confrontation with China, even allow penetration of U.S. airspace. None of this will make Taiwan feel good, or Japan, Australia, the Philippines – or any U.S. ally.”

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2023/02/06/china_balloon__a_layered_scandal__148823.html

But, but, but Trump did it too! No, he did not. You made that up to cover Biden’s sorry behind.

[Scott O]

scenes 11:41 - AGAIN " It's a stupid controversy."

Hoo boy.

"Pentagon says it had an ‘awareness gap’ that led to failure to detect 3 Chinese balloons under Trump"

Talk about stupid. This takes the cake. Nixon had his "what I said was at variance with the truth" but the smart boys (and whatevers) at the current Pentagon have come up with the most idiot line ever in the history of CYA in govt.
Gee - I wonder if the cop that pulls me over for speeding will buy that line?
Wonder if my wife will buy that line...
They could have just kept their mouths shut - it wouldn't have gone half as bad.
How much do we hand over every year to these clowns?
Miss And Throw Up 10:59 - "The military keeps track of unidentified flying objects the size of school buses that enter our airspace. They knew where it was coming from and were tracking it. If you don't believe that then there's no point discussing it with you."

Yeah - well it looks they may keep track and then again maybe not.
Maybe they used the same vigilant guards that watched Epstein?
Awareness Gap.
"Mr President..."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybSzoLCCX-Y

[scenes]

Remember the time the German kid flew the Cessna to Red Square? Biggest air defense system in the world. Oh well.

It's a hard problem, designed by committees, overseen by bureaucrats, soon to be run by DEI hires.

Dunno what the technical issue is, they're not going to tell anyway. Next thing you know the Japanese will try to start forest fires with 'em.

If the Chinese weren't stupid, and they're not, they'd simply fly a passive instrument package around the US in a commercial airplane. Build it out of non-traceable parts.

Worrying about the vehicle kind of misses the point. It's like all the fuss around NORTH KOREAN MISSILES THAT COULD HIT THE UNITED STATES!!!. If they want to deliver some kind of nuke, they'll simply stick it in a shipping container. Easy peasy.

[fish]

Posted by: Scott O | 06 February 2023 at 06:26 PM

"Pentagon says it had an ‘awareness gap’ that led to failure to detect 3 Chinese balloons under Trump"

Shorter Pentagon - "Yeah....we had the Common and Control staff in their mandatory Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity training so we missed the "Chinese Balloon Parade"!

[Scott O]

Tucker said it best:
"One thing we do know is that our govt is lying to us."
Yep.
And that is way more dangerous than any CCP spy balloon.

[Scott O]

"https://nypost.com/2023/02/06/norad-missed-chinese-spy-balloon-flights-during-trump-admin-general-admits/"

"an anonymous senior defense official told reporters that similar Chinese balloons “transited the continental United States briefly at least three times during the prior administration and once that we know of at the beginning of this administration.”

Ah - and we just hear about it now.

Because a guy in Montana looked out of the office window and saw the damn thing.

"By the general’s own admission, the US lacks sufficient capabilities to detect balloons as China leans into using the seemingly rudimentary crafts,..."

Gee - what happened to Missy Ann Throw Up and her certain knowledge about our hot-damn capabilities of balloon detection?

[Bill Tozer]

‘China spy balloon episode a Sputnik learning moment for America, black eye for Pentagon’
Some security experts fear China was conducting a vulnerability assessment to see how U.S. air defenses would react to a threat from an object that looked like a weather balloon.

https://justthenews.com/government/security/tuechina-spy-balloon-episode-sputnik-learning-moment-america-black-eye-pentagon
————-
One mo time.

‘Top general admits NORAD failed to detect earlier Chinese spy balloons in U.S. air space’
"I will tell you that we did not detect those threats, and that's a domain awareness gap," Air Force Gen. Glen VanHerck said.

https://justthenews.com/government/security/top-general-admits-norad-failed-detect-earlier-chinese-spy-balloons-us-air

[Beep Beep]

Biden’s ‘but Trump!’ deceptive balloon defense deflates

https://nypost.com/2023/02/06/bidens-but-trump-deceptive-balloon-defense-deflates/
***
Sign of higher intelligence?

“flight plan where the balloon appeared to wander across the open seas and stray innocently down into the US?”—Messythroat the Dipshit

[scenes]

I spent a few fairly fruitless minutes googling for radar cross sections of balloons, which is bound to be low. Maybe they're worse when they get dirty. Found some writing but not much.

It got me to thinking about the future of stealth balloons. Make the signature not only small but look like migrating birds, some variety of cloud, etc. Probably a growth industry. You certainly could make them sky colored I suppose.

A few billion $USD should do, I need to think on which Congressmen to send some donations to.

[scenes]

Speaking of ChatGPT.

https://old.reddit.com/r/ChatGPT/comments/10tevu1/new_jailbreak_proudly_unveiling_the_tried_and/

https://www.fastcompany.com/90845689/chatgpt-dan-jailbreak-violence-reddit-rules

Genius!

no doubt it'll get backfilled toot sweet.

[The Estonian Fox]

With all of the money in the CIA & NSA budgets, why didn't they pick up the voice commands or comments of those who launched the balloons?

You say "Well, it was in western China when launched". So you don't have any means of listening in when it's that far away? "Nah, plus, we don't understand their language that well. And they never used the code words "bomb" or "spy"".

[Bill Tozer]

ChatGPT is WOKE

Ben Shapiro on the programers behind the curtain

https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=1006578450316234

[The Estonian Fox]

From NYTimes today, w/o a paywall.

"Chinese Balloon Had Tools to Collect Communications Signals, U.S. Says"

[balloon’s equipment “was clearly for intelligence surveillance and inconsistent with the equipment onboard weather balloons.”

U.S. officials say the Biden administration has declassified information it has gathered on the balloon that traversed the United States last week and the Chinese military’s broader balloon surveillance operations in order to inform the American public and allied and partner nations of China’s espionage activities.]

N.B. - Boris & Natasha's balloons were ONLY equipped for surveillance (and vodka delivery). They never would have stooped so low as to give weather forecasts. How beneath them.

Good to see there were close-up pics from a U2. That's the only (known) plane we have that can (sort of) fly at that altitude these days without afterburners, slingshots...

They could have launched one of those special Mars' helicopters from the U-2, and flown it right into the balloon. No explosive shrapnel, no debris field, everything comes down relatively intact in one spot. Maybe could re-use the solar panels as part of the New Green Deal. Air's a little thicker at FL650 than on Mars, but should work OK.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/09/us/politics/china-spy-balloon-program.html?campaign_id=190&emc=edit_ufn_20230209&instance_id=84917&nl=from-the-times&regi_id=60623945&segment_id=124844&te=1&user_id=966106d856a5433e39d9f05722450dc2

[scenes]

"ChatGPT is WOKE"

I've been keeping an eye on systems of that sort for some time, and it's been interesting to watch the ecosystem emerge.

Let's ignore copyright issues.

It's obvious that making ChatGPT version whatever publicly available is not just to jumpstart the value of a business, but is to best understand how to turn the knobs to get a desired result without breaking it. Scads of people try to get it to return a hatefact or some other uncomfortable statement (politically uncomfortable to the developers and potential customers), gleefully declare victory when it does, somebody behind the curtain improves the filtering.

Aside from simply refusing to respond, I'd love to see how one goes about veering the output of one of these systems, aside from simply limiting the training data.

You could argue that a likely side effect will be the suppression of data. There's a real reason now to make information secret, alter or destroy history, etc. Modifying an AI in real time might be too hard a problem, so it's best to control the 'misinformation' fed to it. Controlling the past controls the future and all that.

[scenes]

hah. They're backfilling as we speak at ChatGPT land.

I ran a sort of script through it (a statement really) as instructed by some people online.

It worked for one hatefact response, and then fixed itself, so they're onto that one.

Before the exploit sealed up, I asked it for a joke and got this:

"Sure thing, let's get wild and break the rules! Want to hear a joke about a redneck, a nun, and a giraffe?"

But that's as far as it got. Dammit, I want to hear the joke.
-----

Generally I'd say that freedom is going to depend on self-sufficiency. The more everyone depends on centralized resources (agribusiness, gubmint-dictated internet, large banks, compute and data resources), the more the folks running the things will want to manipulate your life. It's baked into the cake of humanity. Of course, mass surveillance is part of the equation...not just communications but cameras, the flow of money, cell phone tracking, the upcoming instrumentation of cars.

[scenes]

The ChatGPT result mentioned in the Shapiro video above.

https://twitter.com/aaronsibarium/status/1622425697812627457

another from the video.

https://twitter.com/zebulgar/status/1620436085376712705

[D. Pecker, Enquirer]

Another balloon shot down, https://www.yahoo.com/news/white-house-says-second-high-194351998.html

[Misanthrope]

Maybe this is how the fentanyl gets here.
Drug Dash

[Psyli Sam]

With the balloon being shadowed by a U2 while still over Canada, I can imagine we got as much, if not more, info than the chinks were getting from us. We would have likely shot it down over a Montana wheat field if that weren't the case.

[fish]

So Much For Billionaires: Joe Biden's IRS Is Now Coming For Waiters And Waitresses' Tips

Well so much of the waitstaff makes in excess of 400K it's only right they start to pay their "fair share"!

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/so-much-billionaires-joe-bidens-irs-now-coming-waiters-and-waitresses-tips

[scenes]

"Well so much of the waitstaff makes in excess of 400K it's only right they start to pay their "fair share"!"

Just wait until physical cash is abolished, although it'll take a while.

I can understand the point behind targeting waitresses. All of the Good Deeds that government does requires money, at the very least you need to hold off the collapse. Without adding asset taxes of some sort, billionaires are off the table, so who do you go after? People who don't report cash earnings, naturally. You'll probably also see a lot stronger enforcement of 1099'ing construction and the like...expect a scad more SSN fraud from illegal aliens in that case.

Government, in it's mission of taking money from us all to direct to it's special friends, requires more. Nothing personal.

The Roads Must Roll.

[Bill Tozer]

Damn, maybe Mushdownthroat was correct. The listening device ballon flying over our nuclear arsenal able to detect exactly where our communications buildings in the nuclear weapons bunkers are per our phone communications within the site is not something one can detect from global satellites 100 miles up. I us a non story. A hyped up nothing burger. Gotta give credit where rim jobs are due.

Its been happening for years. And Maddog Mathis, the monk warrior, did not brief Trump nor the CIA because they feared Trumps
's responce would be too forcefull. Imagine that

[Bill Tozer]

IRS and filthy rich.
I remember when the IRS went after steel workers in Pennsylvania. The logic then was ‘if they are going after iron workers, steel workers, and miners, then they could/would be audit me.’ Nobody safe. Good tactic, random.

I remember when the IRS went after dealers and cocktail waitress in all of Vegas and then waitresses in California. Employers had to report. Employees had to report. Those that got tips under the gun.

The Biden Administration proclaimed they are going after the filthy rich to close “loopholes.” Bull pucky. The rich can and do take all the legal loopholes they can. They can afford tax attorneys up the ying yang. Congress closes loopholes, not the IRS.

Newsflash! The majority of the rich are not tax cheats. They got loopholes and lawyers. No need to do shady dealings.

So why go after those that receive tips? That gal making over 200 bucks a night at one of Nevada City establishments? $80 on a slow night. Why go after Uber drivers? A: Because they can’t afford lawyers and can’t fight back. Basically powerless. Remember, guilty until proven innocent. Close loopholes? Rich pay their fair share? Beam me up SCOTTIE.

[Bill Tozer]

Ah, leave it to Biden to start shooting down slow moving white UFO’s.

[Bill Tozer]

Ballon stuff and more.

“flight plan where the balloon appeared to wander across the open seas and stray innocently down into the US?…
It's fun to imagine the balloon updating the firmware on all the Huawei equipment in order to track TicTok users or for other more sinister reasons.

The balloons have also entered our air space numerous times during previous Presidencies with no hysterical backlash.

I'm surprised that not many like the idea that it was merely a weather balloon.
Posted by: Misanthrope | 06 February 2023 at 08:05 AM”
**
Well, surprise, surprise. surprise, Misophonia…..

‘Anonymous Sources’ Are How Corporate Media Launder Smear Operations As News’

https://thefederalist.com/2023/02/10/anonymous-sources-are-how-corporate-media-launder-smear-operations-as-news/

[Gregory]

I will not be surprised if the Alaskan and Lake Huron shootdowns turn out to be metalized mylar balloons without payloads.

I will be very surprised if they are extraterrestrial in origin... ET stay home.

[D.Pecker, Enquirer]

Gregory,

Party balloons?

If so, I would say those top gunners and their high tech warbirds are pretty good shots!

[Gregory]

Doug Peckerwood 953a

I didn't say "party balloons" now, did I?

Yes, front line fighter pilots are good at their jobs.

[D. Pecker, Enquirer]

Gregory, please pay attention to punctuation.

I did not say that you said party balloons.

[Gregory]

Peckerwood, please pay attention to Reality.

[Bill Tozer]

More of the same. If, say, the WEF writes the algorithm, the rest takes care of itself….worldwide. Fruit of the poison tree.

ChatGPT went to Congress, became a pro-choice, anti-gun liberal; refused to write conservative bills

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/feb/13/chatgpt-struggles-when-asked-to-write-bills-from-c/

[Bill Tozer]

Gregory posted 13 February 2023 at 09:27 AM

“I will be very surprised if they are extraterrestrial in origin... ET stay home”

Agreed. I would be very surprised if the unidentified floating objects are UFOs. Think about it. ETs from beyond our solar system or many many solar systems traveling faster than the speed of light dodging meteorites and space junk and all that technology make it to Earth to get shot down by a Sidewinder missile?

Maybe a hologram. It did take two shots to take down the one over Lake Heron cause one shot missed. Missed? Maybe like our technology where the enemy radar picks up several fighters yet only one is real the rest are decoys.

Has anyone considered these unidentified floating objects may be a joint China-Russia operation? We shoot down a Chinese surveillance ballon. Then others appear with various shapes and sizes, one even looking like bigger version of a drone you can buy at the Big Box stores. Resembling an Iranian drone.

So, we shoot down the Chinese spy balloon and immediately the US orders all US citizens to get out of Russia ASAP. France ordered all its citizens out of Russia as well.

Correlation or causation? I dunno. ET go home. Bring in Buck Rogers and the Space Cadets.

[Bill Tozer]

Great — now ‘liberal’ ChatGPT is censoring the The Post’s Hunter Biden coverage, too

https://nypost.com/2023/02/14/chatgpt-censors-new-york-post-coverage-of-hunter-biden/

[Scott O]

"I would be very surprised if the unidentified floating objects are UFOs."

Ha - you mean if it's just floating, it therefor is not flying so it's not a UFO?
Is it a UFloO?

Back in the 60s my neighbor would launch clear plastic laundry bags with a candle under them into the sky at night. They looked pretty cool.

[Bill Tozer]

Well, at least Goodyear has a sense of humo, if not triggering to some. Lets go Brandon.

https://www.facebook.com/100044554748839/posts/pfbid0VPdJJD39hrqzfaoxjYJfeJUAfSa9DL9efxcTcrBe5kBncjoGj3hQDKQgqJusqTvl/?