Politico will write what you want them to write for enough cash. The analysis of Arizona is wrong. It was Maricopa County election malfeasance and the abortion issue that put the worthless liberal Katie Hobbs over Kari Lake. Sure Lake was polarizing to some, but the establishment never-Trumper Uniparty GOP are really just Democrats in different clothing. Trump destroyed 8 of 10 GOP never-Trumpers in the primaries. Many MAGA and MAGA-lite candidates did well in other elections. The Democrats spent like crazy in AZ, and revved up the upset female vote. So in the end, it was the conservative Christian right that gave AZ to the Dems.
Unfortunately the Chinese spy balloon is actually a huge deal and not to be taken lightly. What the devices on board can collect is not significant. What is hugely significant is the US’s reaction to their penetration of US airspace. The balloon was first detected in Montana over our nuclear Minutemen missile sites. Consider for a moment what could happen if this balloon was carrying a nuclear bomb. And not just what damage it might be able to do to our silos. The electro-magnetic pulse alone would destroy every un-shielded electronic device for hundreds of miles around, depending on the size of the device. Our electric grid is not shielded, and we would lose power. Our vehicles are not shielded. And if the balloon was inserted just prior to a Chinese attack on the US, it could destroy any Minutemen missiles we attempted to launch. What will we do if next time there are a dozen, or a hundred balloons that appear over our major cities? The world just got a lot more dangerous.
Good point. When was it noticed? In WW2 the Japanese used incendiary bombs in balloons to start fires in the western states. I think that if they got reports that they worked, then they would have send more filled with biological weapons.
Another option they could use. Another advantage is that bio weapons could be dispersed in a manner that is not immediately noticeable. They key issue here is Biden’s hesitation. Afghanistan and Ukraine have exposed that weakness. The Chinese are now testing the limits of that hesitation. Biden has shown that he will allow them in.
Politico will write what you want them to write for enough cash. The analysis of Arizona is wrong. It was Maricopa County election malfeasance and the abortion issue that put the worthless liberal Katie Hobbs over Kari Lake. Sure Lake was polarizing to some, but the establishment never-Trumper Uniparty GOP are really just Democrats in different clothing. Trump destroyed 8 of 10 GOP never-Trumpers in the primaries. Many MAGA and MAGA-lite candidates did well in other elections. The Democrats spent like crazy in AZ, and revved up the upset female vote. So in the end, it was the conservative Christian right that gave AZ to the Dems.
Unfortunately the Chinese spy balloon is actually a huge deal and not to be taken lightly. What the devices on board can collect is not significant. What is hugely significant is the US’s reaction to their penetration of US airspace. The balloon was first detected in Montana over our nuclear Minutemen missile sites. Consider for a moment what could happen if this balloon was carrying a nuclear bomb. And not just what damage it might be able to do to our silos. The electro-magnetic pulse alone would destroy every un-shielded electronic device for hundreds of miles around, depending on the size of the device. Our electric grid is not shielded, and we would lose power. Our vehicles are not shielded. And if the balloon was inserted just prior to a Chinese attack on the US, it could destroy any Minutemen missiles we attempted to launch. What will we do if next time there are a dozen, or a hundred balloons that appear over our major cities? The world just got a lot more dangerous.
I am happy Joe Biden canceled Secretary of State Antony Blinken's trip to Beijing over this. That is something.
I agree, the response has been anticlimactic. It's not an act of war, but for the Chinese all war is deception.
***Edit***
A second balloon?!!
How the F did we not know about it before it entered our air space and destroy it?
Good point. When was it noticed? In WW2 the Japanese used incendiary bombs in balloons to start fires in the western states. I think that if they got reports that they worked, then they would have send more filled with biological weapons.
Another option they could use. Another advantage is that bio weapons could be dispersed in a manner that is not immediately noticeable. They key issue here is Biden’s hesitation. Afghanistan and Ukraine have exposed that weakness. The Chinese are now testing the limits of that hesitation. Biden has shown that he will allow them in.