Eric Allie for February 07, 2023

Best cartoon of the day!

Well… taking a while to shoot it down is better than not doing anything for the three balloons that went across America under Trump’s watch.

There is a lot of benefit to waiting and shooting it down later. There is a lot of intelligence to gather. What is it transmitting? Is a satellite listening, or straight back to China? What are the cameras or antenna capable of? (Those are blocked while it flies over the US.) Can it be steered? Does it retain information (The movie Ice Station Zebra) or is all of it transmitted? Then there is the question of what information will be released to the public. Released information tells our enemies what our analysis capabilities are. How fast can we figure things out? How thorough is the reverse engineering? If China doesn’t know we can do it we can learn a lot. Look at code breaking!

Has any damage been demonstrated?

The pentagon is on record that there was no serious threat, and recommended to Biden tho wait until it was over water to shoot it down.

Are you saying that the pentagon is part of some conspiracy?

We’ve had satellites for decades that monitor China’ air space. We knew when the balloon, like all the rest – and anything else – , was launched. We tracked it and then, when it entered our air space, blocked any signals via satellite it could send. Those who monitor the satellites inform the appropriate agencies, military, intel, Homeland Security, etc. The White House is also informed. POTUS is usually only briefed if the object demonstrates a threat, whether physical or an attempted transmission of any data. A decision is made and implemented.

The media is sometimes not very bright, some have an agenda. But particularly those in the Senate and House who do know better and have attempted to make something more of the balloon than it was, are lying to the American Public, again.

As usual, Allie is clueless.

The only flames were when a missile was fired at a balloon.

Also much more likely to recover equipment intact and not just mangled junk.

I don’t get al the fuss over the balloon(s). It’s already been pointed out that their spy satellites could gather all the data (and then some) that the balloons could.

There isn’t any intelligence that the balloon could gather that isn’t already being gathered through other methods by the Chinese. China launched four modern spy satellites last year alone. Therefore, the purpose of the balloon must be for some other reason. Monitoring the balloon, instead of blowing it out of the sky immediately, was the correct course of action. Despite all the arm-chair quarterbacking.

Some have said the balloon could be maneuvered, yet of the closeup pictures I have seen, there was not any apparatus to direct its flight.

Yep. Wait until the spy mission is complete before getting permission from the CCP to shoot it down.

Great strategy.

And this is the team we’re counting on to keep us out of Nuclear War with Russia.

And unlike the “shoot first, ask questions later” NRA party, President Biden considered possible injury to people and damage to property plus less damage to the balloon thus learning more about it. As soon as it was over water, it was shot down.

So, what you’re saying then is that Biden should have disregarded the advice of the Pentagon. Is that what you’re telling us? I prefer presidents that heed the advice of our military leadership. We don’t need no cowboys.

Of course, if Biden had ordered the balloon to be shot down while it was over land and somebody got hit (and hurt) then the same people who scream that he delayed doing anything would scream that he put U.S. civilians in danger…

The house fire is a metaphor for the damage done by a spy balloon. In fact, the damage appears to be total destruction of the structure, our country. So… where’s the destruction, Eric?

I’m not sure much would’ve been gained by shooting it down sooner.

And do we want a 200 ft balloon falling anywhere over land?

what wasnt shown was the republicans refusing to turn on the water!

This cartoon is doing more damage than any Chinese ballon could do.

Well if the burning house was depicted floating over population centers you might have an accxurate portrayal.

Oh this is a new one on me, I didn’t even know about this guy.

Sorry all the tech to track the balloons was developed in the last year!

https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/10/politics/us-balloon-tracking-method/index.html

And it is coming from CNN. HA.