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‘ But the Pentagon decided the risk of falling debris would be a safety hazard “to people on the ground,”’
In Montana? Pretty much everyone there has an personalised ZIP code.
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My back of envelope makes it 35ish too.
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It was being tracked by the defense department long before it reached the United States. The only reason its in the news is A) slow news cycle right now; and B) folks spotted it and posted it on social media. Most of the time these things go unnoticed, and the United States has used them extensively to spy on other nations.
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Weird that the US has been sabre-rattling over China for several years, both in the media and the halls of government, and China sends a balloon to keep tabs. It’s almost like hearing for ages that the US can’t wait to attack them, having US planes buzz their borders then feign surprise that they scramble jets, sending spyplanes over their airspace, seeing the US characterize them as monsters based on the paper-thin evidence of propagandists trying to manufacture consent for said war, etc, makes them understandably wary. And that’s assuming that it even is theirs rather than yet another piece of propaganda in the case being made for a destructive, costly war the US can ill afford to wage based on hubris and the desire the US has to attack anybody who invests in their own people & country and for surpassing them in any number of ways; they say they’ve been tracking it for some time but who knows really how true that actually is considering the constant lies and demagoguery the US engages in where China is concerned, and primarily from a place of jealousy over its economic prospects; the US doesn’t try to rise to meet countries it regards as rivals, but instead tries to drag everybody else down to their level- nobody better have anything too nice, and certainly not without an undying near-religious commitment to capitalism & the enrichment of the richest among us at the expense of the poorest. So either China is understandably concerned about the constant hawkishness of the US toward them, or it’s yet more manufactured propaganda meant to prime Americans for war. Neither would be a huge shock.
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Unless it crashes in Roswell…
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Oh shit! Number 6 made it all the way off the island.
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… truly everything bad in the world is America’s fault, as it is a uniquely evil place inhabited by a tainted people who literally worship Satan 
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So - you’re saying that Biden should have shot it down?
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I’m saying the US probably shouldn’t act so surprised about it when they take every opportunity to spoil for war; why wouldn’t China be interested in keeping an eye out? If a country spent all its time talking about how much it wanted to destroy the US, what do you suppose the US would do? And why would that be more justified, because it’s the great and holy United States?
ETA- I live in the US, hence why I see the endless sabre-rattling that occurs whenever China is brought up. Hell, I live on the buckle of the Bible Belt. Nothing I’ve said is being fed to me in any way, it’s all pretty easily observable. I haven’t said anything about “everybody being well provided for”, those are words being put into my mouth. Countries are countries and all of them, China very much included, have serious problems. I’m simply pointing out that if you spoil for war in the media, you can’t really fault the people you wish to attack for trying to stay abreast of developments if you’re being intellectually honest about it.
As for my avatar, it’s a character from a now-departed game called Glitch by Tiny Speck (originators of Slack), a game I got into from this site quite some time ago now, actually (nice attempt at deflection, though).
***I edited this bcz conveniently, I am barred from further replying to any other replies.
… we eat babies too, don’t leave that out
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So - you’re saying Biden made the correct decision in not shooting it down?
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I think that you’re overreacting a bit here. This kind of surveillance is standard practice, and I don’t see anyone expressing much surprise or concern about it here.
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Welcome to Boing Boing!
That was… a lot. Very interesting. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. You might consider your own biases and the propaganda you’re sharing that’s coming from the Chinese government point of view. I’m pretty sure wealth inequality as a result of an adoption of capitalism is worse in China, and not all their citizens are being “well taken care of.” Maybe we should ask the Uyghurs if they are?
No government is perfect. Criticizing the United States is something we love to do here and support. There’s a hell of a lot to criticize, both historic and current, and we believe strongly in holding our government’s feet to the fire to act ethically and morally and with respect for all. But you fail to interrogate the government you’re promoting, one that literally once starved millions of its own citizens for fun as it changed government forms, and ran over young protestors with tanks not that long ago. Among other atrocities. One that dearly would love to invade Taiwan and has brutally clamped down on protestors in Hong Kong. It has, actually “endlessly pushed at its borders.”
And I would be remiss in pointing out that the icon your using to represent you looks at first glance like a caricature of racist tropes. I suspect it’s a “dark elf” or something given the pointed ears, but I gently recommend you consider changing it to something more clear.
EDIT: And please note this is the only comment I’ll have in response to yours. If you want to endlessly tilt at windmills about the terrors of the United States versus the glory of the Chinese government, have at it. Propaganda is propaganda, no matter which side spews it.
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Saw a retired US aerospace expert last night saying the problem with shooting it down could be that it’s what China wants. Above earth there’s low orbit satellite space that every nation but China considers international. China claims the space above them is Chinese as well. The theory is that if we shot this down they could use that as a reason to shoot down our satellites when they pass above China.
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I don’t remember saying anything about your avatar. Or frankly; several other things you’re laying at my doorstep.
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I think our new member has not quite mastered how the BBS / Discourse works. Their added comments there were a reply to @cepheus42’s comments, it would seem.
@phoenix_issuant you may have tried the wrong reply button on the wrong post and then clicked ‘edit’ anyway.
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