Spy Balloon!

[DIY-HP-LED]

We don't have liberal democratic rule. We are a constitutional republic.

Republicans seem to have a lot of trouble sticking to that constitution. America is defined as a liberal democracy. It is a representative government which is democratically elected and passes laws by democratic, majority votes. Kinda like a shit sandwich, with democracy as the bread and the representatives as the filler, as in the current GOP house.

Liberal means free, are you saying America is not a free country?
Doesn't America democratically elect it's representatives?
Most votes wins, except if you are a republican, but that is fascism and treason to the constitution.

 

[schuylaar]

Looks like they went through Trump's old PDBs to see what he missed. A lot, since he hardly ever listened to them and never read them.

Chinese spy balloons under Trump not discovered until after Biden took office

The transiting of three suspected Chinese spy balloons over the continental US during the Trump administration was only discovered after President Joe Biden took office, a senior administration official told CNN on Sunday.

www.cnn.com

Chinese spy balloons under Trump not discovered until after Biden took office

The transiting of three suspected Chinese spy balloons over the continental US during the Trump administration was only discovered after President Joe Biden took office, a senior administration official told CNN on Sunday.

The official did not say how or when those incidents were discovered.

The official said that the intelligence community is prepared to offer briefings to key Trump administration officials about the Chinese surveillance program, which the Biden administration believes has been deployed in countries across five continents over the last several years.

After the Biden administration disclosed last week that a suspected Chinese spy balloon was hovering over Montana, the Pentagon said that similar balloon incidents had occurred during the Trump administration. In response, former Trump administration Defense Secretary Mark Esper told CNN on Friday that he was “surprised” by that statement.

“I don’t ever recall somebody coming into my office or reading anything that the Chinese had a surveillance balloon above the United States,” he said.

Former President Donald Trump also said on Truth Social this week that reports of Chinese balloons transiting the US during his administration were “fake disinformation.”

The Biden administration official now says the incidents were not discovered until after the Trump administration had already left. But the official did not say how those incidents were discovered or when.

CNN reported on Sunday that the Pentagon had briefed Congress of previous Chinese surveillance balloons during the Trump administration that flew near Texas and Florida.

Rep. Michael Waltz confirmed in a statement to CNN that “currently, we understand there were incursions near Florida and Texas, but we don’t have clarity on what kind of systems were on these balloons or if these incursions occurred in territorial waters or overflew land.”

Another Chinese spy balloon also transited the continental US briefly at the beginning of the Biden administration, the senior administration official said. But the balloon that was shot down by the US military on Saturday was unique in both the path it took, down from Alaska and Canada into the US, and the length of time it spent loitering over sensitive missile sites in Montana, officials said.

The senior administration official said that with regard to the balloon shot down on Saturday, the analysis into its capabilities is ongoing. But, the official added, “closely observing the balloon in flight has allowed us to better understand this Chinese program and further confirmed its mission was surveillance.”

Republicans have criticized the Biden administration for not shooting the balloon down earlier after it was first noticed over Alaska on January 28. House Republicans are weighing the passage of a resolution this week condemning the Biden administration for its handling the balloon, CNN reported Sunday.

Doesn't the 'fake' in 'fake disinformation' render it true? That's the whole point of disinformation is that it is weaponized misinformation. English Majors? Is this correct?

 

[DIY-HP-LED]

That's how they were brainwashing us in the 70's. I used to have nightmares about holes in the ozone layer going to burn the world up because the teachers were pounding that into our little heads. They do the same now with CRT, climate change, and transvestites

Apparently the teachers never pounded enough, or the skulls were thick and numb.

 

[Herb & Suds]

We don't have liberal democratic rule. We are a constitutional republic.

I’ll give you that if you acknowledge
A well regulated militia for the second amendment rights

 

[sweetisland2009]

RECALL: The non-negotiable withdraw for Afghanistan was brokered by Trump. I hope you don't mind Fact Check as cite.

Timeline of U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan - FactCheck.org

We lay out many of the key diplomatic decisions, military actions, presidential pronouncements and expert assessments of the withdrawal agreement that ended the U.S. military's 20-year war in Afghanistan.

www.factcheck.org

The Trump administration in February 2020 negotiated a withdrawal agreement with the Taliban that excluded the Afghan government, freed 5,000 imprisoned Taliban soldiers and set a date certain of May 1, 2021, for the final withdrawal.

And the Trump administration kept to the pact, reducing U.S. troop levels from about 13,000 to 2,500, even though the Taliban continued to attack Afghan government forces and welcomed al-Qaeda terrorists into the Taliban leadership.

Except what exactly do you think the Taliban would have done/could have done if Trump said we’re taking another month to bring all our equipment home?

Not to mention the exit wouldn’t have happened in the shit show that Biden allowed if Trump was facilitating it. Period. Trumps ego is way too big to have allowed it any other way. Biden has no ego because he’s forgotten it.

The fact of the matter is it was Biden’s actions or lack of action that created the nightmare it was and still is. Hell if he was actually a strong POTUS he himself could have contacted the taliban and told them “we’re taking another month to get out shit and our people I didn’t prepare for this properly, my bad. Don’t mess with our movements or we will retaliate tenfold.”

 

[printer]

China accuses US of ‘indiscriminate use of force’ in downing of balloon
China is accusing the U.S. of an “indiscriminate use of force” after President Biden directed the military to shoot down a Chinese surveillance balloon spotted traveling for days through U.S. airspace and floating over sensitive military sites.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng said he formally complained to the U.S. Embassy on Sunday over what he called a “U.S. attack on a Chinese civilian unmanned airship by military force.” China has insisted that the aircraft was a civilian weather balloon blown off course.

“However, the United States turned a deaf ear and insisted on indiscriminate use of force against the civilian airship that was about to leave the United States airspace, obviously overreacted and seriously violated the spirit of international law and international practice,” Xie said.

The U.S. shot down the balloon off the coast of the Carolinas on Saturday, after it spent days traversing the country at 60,000 feet, making its way from Alaska and Idaho in the northwest down toward the southeast

Pentagon officials evaluated that the balloon was “clearly crossing over sensitive sites” in its flightpath.

Biden waited to give the order until the aircraft was over water to avoid debris crashing down onto civilians over land. Pentagon officials said Sunday that the wreckage recovered and subsequently studied has been “of intelligence value” to learning “technical things about this balloon and its surveillance capabilities.”

China has said the balloon’s downing “seriously impacted and damaged both sides’ efforts and progress” in stabilizing U.S.-China relations as tensions between the two world powers rise.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken called off a planned trip to Beijing at the last minute amid concerns about the balloon.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that “this is completely an isolated and accidental accident … but the U.S. still hyped up the incident on purpose and even used force to attack,” calling the balloon’s downing an “unacceptable and irresponsible action.”

U.S. officials revealed over the weekend that the latest sighting isn’t the first time such aircraft have traversed the country’s airspace.

Chinese surveillance balloons were reportedly sighted at least three times during the Trump administration and once earlier in the Biden administration. Officials have indicated this is the first time any parts of a balloon have been recovered.

Several other balloons have been spotted over other countries in the last few years, with recent sightings in Central and South America.

A U.S. defense official said Sunday that the aircraft are all part of a Chinese “fleet of balloons” that were “developed to conduct surveillance operations” on the U.S. and elsewhere.

China accuses US of ‘indiscriminate use of force’ in downing of balloon

China is accusing the U.S. of an “indiscriminate use of force” after President Biden directed the military to shoot down a Chinese surveillance balloon spotted traveling for days through U.S. airsp…

thehill.com

If it was off course then it was of no use to the Chinese.

 

[bam0813]

I’ll give you that if you acknowledge
A well regulated militia for the second amendment rights

What is a militia? At the time of the American Revolutionary War, militias were groups of able-bodied men who protected their towns, colonies, and eventually states. "[When the Constitution was drafted], the militia was a state-based institution," says Rakove. "States were responsible for organizing this."

Militia (United States) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Herb & Suds]

What is a militia? At the time of the American Revolutionary War, militias were groups of able-bodied men who protected their towns, colonies, and eventually states. "[When the Constitution was drafted], the militia was a state-based institution," says Rakove. "States were responsible for organizing this."

Militia (United States) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

You apparently didn’t like the well regulated part

 

[bam0813]

The phrase "well-regulated" was in common use long before 1789, and remained so for a century thereafter. It referred to the property of something being in proper working order. Something that was well-regulated was calibrated correctly, functioning as expected.

https://www.constitution.org › cons
Loved it

 

[cannabineer]

I’ll give you that if you acknowledge
A well regulated militia for the second amendment rights

part of the problem is trying to find 21st-century solutions to 18th-century ideas. The well-regulated militia concept is obsolete. For over a century we have had a standing, professional military whose weapons skills are trained up in-house. My being handy with a Winchester means nothing when it’s time to learn how to use an antiair radar.

The amendment is a fossil of a bygone society. We need to start from that basic premise. The massive resistance to doing so amounts to religion. There is striking congruence between Constitutional originalism and toxic Biblical interpretation. This makes a democratic solution to a problem that should no longer be one … hard to obtain. Red states would stand in the way of rewriting the amendment to bring it in line with modern reality.

 

[Sickofitall420247]

 

[Fogdog]

View attachment 5257042

Well regulated militia.

Its argued over by gun nuts because if one took those words at face value, we'd have better gun laws in place.

 

[Budzbuddha]

Up up and away ( XI’s Beautiful Balloon )

 

[cannabineer]

Up up and away ( XI’s Beautiful Balloon )

the last time I heard singing like that was from William Shatner!

 

[Fogdog]

the last time I heard singing like that was from William Shatner!

oh the pain.

 

[sunni]

Not enough to vote there apparently, however you should be able to vote in Canada...

yes i can vote aboard since im still canadian, i wont ever renounce my cit and i dont plan ongetting american citizenship just a perm resident

 

[sunni]

you’re well on your way. My wife has her citizenship test this year and can’t wait to vote.

• Apply for citizenship.
• Pass the citizenship and English test.
• Complete the oath of allegiance to the United States.

i have no fucking intention of applying for citizenship i hail from canada. Perm residency isjust fine for me

 

[Budzbuddha]

I still say this is a good response to the china balloon problem… Flying ball sack

 

[Fogdog]

part of the problem is trying to find 21st-century solutions to 18th-century ideas. The well-regulated militia concept is obsolete. For over a century we have had a standing, professional military whose weapons skills are trained up in-house. My being handy with a Winchester means nothing when it’s time to learn how to use an antiair radar.

The amendment is a fossil of a bygone society. We need to start from that basic premise. The massive resistance to doing so amounts to religion. There is striking congruence between Constitutional originalism and toxic Biblical interpretation. This makes a democratic solution to a problem that should no longer be one … hard to obtain. Red states would stand in the way of rewriting the amendment to bring it in line with modern reality.

Looking at what's happening in Oregon. The pro gun side have given up trying to provide a good reason for virtually unregulated gun sales. They are taking a legalistic argument and aren't even trying to give a good reason why things like banning large capacity magazines are a bad idea. The public sees through this. We saw that they can't offer a good reason why and a majority voted for measure 114. It's tied up in the courts over a legal argument but the democratic process will eventually win. Without a good reason for maintaining the 2A in modern America, it's not a matter of if but when this issue is solved through the ballot box. Maybe we need to pass a new amendment. Maybe we need new judges. Maybe we will find a way to pass new laws that are acceptable to the courts. I don't know which avenue will prevail. But with a growing majority of people who are opposed unregulated gun ownership and sales, it will happen.

 

[PJ Diaz]

am I a real American yet?!

Have you perfected the body slam yet?