Balloon Wars 2023!!!

[thermal guy]

How does that work if it's explosive when it comes down? If there's a biological contaminant? Etc?

Then there's the other issue of trying to preserve and analyze it.

It flew literally over the least populated area in the US. They could have brought it down anytime and it would not of hit a thing. My guess is we were getting information off it while in the air.

 

[chillinn]

We showed that when Japan bombed the, wait for it, the, the, the, Phillippines. They occupied our soil for 3 years, costing 500,000+ lives, and we did nothing.

Very sorrry to be pedantic, but it was Imperial Japan, the extinct Empire of Japan, not our friend and ally Japan, est. 1947, that occupied Philippines, 1942-1945. We wouldn't say that Russia captured Berlin in 1945. It was the Red Army, the CCCP (USSR). Right? Italy didn't conquer the known world between 200BC and 14AD. It was the Republic of Rome and the Empire of Rome that did it.

 

[turbodog]

It flew literally over the least populated area in the US. They could have brought it down anytime and it would not of hit a thing. My guess is we were getting information off it while in the air.

Think you missed the point there a bit. Hitting the ground is a 'thing'. Landing in water (stream, creek, etc) is a thing.

Given the surveillance BOTH countries are doing... it's really a moot point to a large degree.

 

[thermal guy]

Yes but now we have it. Now we have it. Now we can get information about it. Now we can prove it was a spy balloon. I think we were collecting information from it, but only so much we can get while it's in the air. The damn thing should have never been allowed to cross US soil. And I'm pretty sure that's the general consensus In America

 

[chillinn]

We're not at war with PRC. Germany spies on us, too. France? Don't doubt it. We sort of already "invaded" the Mainland with capitalism. A lot of the People have a taste of it, and it tastes good. I'm pretty sure Xi Jingping will be the last dictator, and he's 70yo. Relax. It won't be long. The Chinese love us. The bigger problems come after, when we're true allies in democracy, and China keeps getting richer and richer, and the US keeps falling apart because of conservatism and anti-education, anti-government, anti-economic growth does us in. Stop voting to keep the richest the richest if you are not rich. Vote for your economic interests, which if you make less than $200K/yr, suck it up, you'll never economically advance under a conservative administration. It's impossible. Economic growth requires spending, it makes the economy move. All that matters is economics, so for the love of God stop obsessing about guns. No one will ever ever take them. Period. Vote for your wallet, not for the billionaires' wallets. It is that simple. It really is.

 

[Stress_Test]

*sigh*

Before I involve myself in political arguments (or most arguments for that matter) regarding who or what is better, I try to remember to ask myself the question:

"Is my input really going to persuade anyone? Is anything I say likely to make someone think 'My gosh that guy's right and I'm wrong!' and change their mind?"

The answer is NO. Literally no one is going to change their view because of anything I say. Not when they can turn around and find a few million other people who see things the way they do.

I frequently forget to run this self-check before plunging head-long into a debate, but I'm trying to get better!

 

[Poppy]

Reminds me of a saying... "A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still!"

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

We showed that when Japan bombed the, wait for it, the, the, the, Phillippines. They occupied our soil for 3 years, costing 500,000+ lives, and we did nothing.

Mr. Peabody fired up the Way Back machine for that trip.

 

[chillinn]

Before I involve myself in political arguments

Vote for your own money, not for some rich guy's money, is not a political argument. It is an economic argument, fwiw. But fundamentlly, it is the only way we ever beat China in the future, after PRC transistions into an actual and legitimate republic. Because they're definitely going to be voting for their own money, tolerance, freedoms, education, and economic growth, and if we keep letting a dwindling minority gum up our works and slowly dismantle government with their anarchistic agenda, there won't be a USA anymore. We'll be splitered. We'll probably devolve into warlord states or something, like scifi writers have predictied the form our own little apacolyse will take. I like roads. I like schools. I don't and will not have children, but I think paying for everyone to go to school and get a high school education is essential. I don't want anyone to go hungry in ignorance, when the power to pull themselves up can be afforded to them, Most of the deluded tribal folks don't want to pay for someone else's kids to get a high school education, don't care that people go hungry, and feel entitled to use roads without having to pay for the privilege. It's the little things that matter. We are an advanced society and we should act like it rather than trying to dismantle it to save 50 bucks at the end of the year. It's economics to say, the better everyone is doing, the better I will do, but it is the opposite to think what's best for me is best for everyone. That is psychological egoism and parasitic.

 

[Stress_Test]

Vote for your own money, not for some rich guy's money, is not a political argument. It is an economic argument, fwiw.

Makes me want to watch the Monty Python argument sketch again.

"This isn't an argument, it's just contradiction!"

"No it isn't!"

"Yes it IS!"

"NO it ISN'T!!"


lol

Reminds me of a saying... "A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still!"

I haven't heard that before but I like it!

 

[chillinn]

Reminds me of a saying... "A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still!"

That sounds to me like the antithesis
of a verse in Matthew 13: He who has eyes to see, let him see, and he who has ears to hear, let him hear.

 

[turbodog]

Mr. Peabody fired up the Way Back machine for that trip.

It's called reading.

How to Hide an Empire

Named one of the ten best books of the year by the Chicago TribuneA Publishers Weekly best book of 2019 | A 2019 NPR Staff PickA pathbreaking history of the ...

us.macmillan.com

 

[turbodog]

Very sorrry to be pedantic, but it was Imperial Japan, the extinct Empire of Japan, not our friend and ally Japan, est. 1947, that occupied Philippines, 1942-1945. We wouldn't say that Russia captured Berlin in 1945. It was the Red Army, the CCCP (USSR). Right? Italy didn't conquer the known world between 200BC and 14AD. It was the Republic of Rome and the Empire of Rome that did it.

Really doesn't matter if it was Canada. Numerous bombing runs were made, unlike the PH attack. They occupied the land for ~3 years. We did nothing. Most people don't even know about it.

 

[Toulouse42]

Oh bykfixer - so right. My wife said days ago that this balloon thing was probably a cover for, as we say over here, burying bad news. Then lo and behold, we discover a "low key" train derailing in Ohio a week ago. That is said to have affected the drinking water of 5 million people so maybe not so low key. We know very little here as its not being reported. Do you guys know more?

 

[chillinn]

It's called reading.

Easier said than done. Anything worth reading has been sealed up tight as a drum and hidden away in books.

Really doesn't matter if it was Canada. Numerous bombing runs were made, unlike the PH attack. They occupied the land for ~3 years. We did nothing. Most people don't even know about it.

Agreed, so long as accuracy doesn't matter.

 

[bykfixer]

Oh bykfixer - so right. My wife said days ago that this balloon thing was probably a cover for, as we say over here, burying bad news. Then lo and behold, we discover a "low key" train derailing in Ohio a week ago. That is said to have affected the drinking water of 5 million people so maybe not so low key. We know very little here as its not being reported. Do you guys know more?

Meanwhile the wheels on the bus still go round and round as 'the smart people' continue to blame the other side. Don't matter which side is the other side because in the end they're both the same swamp dweller.

It seems Warren Buffett, you know the billionaire that says he should pay more in taxes then doesn't, he owns a big chunk of stock in the company who's train derailed in Ohio. Hmmm, perhaps Mayor Pete can shine some light on the subject when he's not flying on private jets to climate change events designed to convince the populice their doomed in 12, no 10, wait, isn't it 8 years now?

And if not for an actual journalist cough, I mean trouble maker in Montana we'd not even known of balloon 1.

 

[chillinn]

Warren Buffett and Bill Gates are interesting, and as liberals, rare as hens teeth among billionaires. They both recognize the status quo of the richest 1% having more wealth than the rest of the world combined is unsustainable, and we are headed for big, big problems* unless that is somehow rebalanced. Vote conservative to keep the status quo.

Strangely, as CPF seems to always be up on current events, I haven't seen mentioned there are tens of thousands homeless and injured and 37K dead and counting in Türkye and Syria. Maybe it's just too horrible to mention and too difficult to get the head around. There, but for the grace of God... and construction standards... though


* Real wrath-of-God-type stuff. Fire and brimstone coming from the sky! Rivers and seas boiling! Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes! Volcanoes! The dead rising from the grave! Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria! But seriously, they mean higher rates of health and social problems, lower rates of social goods, a lower population-wide satisfaction and happiness and even a lower level of economic growth, which ultimately ends in wide-spread revolution and the poor tearing the rich to pieces. And LEO and military won't stop it, they'll be contributing, because technically, they're incredibly poor, too. Very nearly everyone is poor compared to anyone with even a billion dollars (visualized), and there are more than 3.3K worldwide with at least that, but only about 10 with $100B or more. Only about 15K have $100M or more. And they're all getting richer, faster than you could if you somehow maximized your earning potential working 24/7/365 and invested everything you earned. You can't get there from here.

 

[bykfixer]

What does any of that have to do with balloon wars?

 

[bykfixer]

I just heard a fellow on the radio talk about the objects shot down recently. He started out saying if a vehicle from another universe were capable of making it to earth it would most likely not be a balloon. So common sense would dictate it aint those little green men.

That the nation that sent the first one may have sent a few at various elevations in order to test the American know-how while collecting much more details of things like silos or bases in a slow, methodical process of data collection versus a few minutes with satelites. And since America can predict the movements of satelites they can "hide" what they want to hide at those times. With a "weather balloon" meandering overhead why hide stuff?

So they potentially launch a series of objects in succession and see what works.

Apparently the US and Canadian folks knew balloon 1 was over their territories long before the citizenry did. They just chose not to react.

 

[chillinn]

What does any of that have to do with balloon wars?

Ah, the inevitable loaded question. I don't believe you'd seriously debate the relevancy of a response to your comment, which makes mine topically relevant even if yours was not. As much as you're desperate to distance yourself, we're in it together.

Apparently the US and Canadian folks knew balloon 1 was over their territories long before the citizenry did. They just chose not to react.

Someone seemed to have doubted this above, but I'm not sure why.