Don't k ow who you are responding to, but the party balloon was a tactical decision on the local level spotted and downed in minutes

If the Chinese balloon was downed the second it hit the ADIZ, it would have been tactical. But it drifted for weeks, the whole world knew it was there, and the highest levels of the Administration did diddly squat

Definitely Aliens

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-15554045/video-mysterious-craft-El-Paso-Trump-balloon.html

Pylon Cam said:

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They seriously thought a balloon was a drone…most incompetent administration of all time. This is the kind of **** that happens when you appoint Fox News hosts, conspiracy theorists, and maga loyalists who are not competent or qualified for their roles.

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Tailgate88 said:

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Fdsa said:

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You are my point exactly…to think that any president really affects many things at the tactical level is ignorance. "That administration"…"this administration." You realize it's 99% the same tactical military members, right? Yes, the balloon should have been recognized way sooner and shot down in Alaska. Yes, Pedro's party balloon should not have been shot down. In both circumstances, I believe better situational awareness at the tactical level could have changed things.

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To add a little levity to the situation... imagine poor Pedro at his backyard birthday party, surrounded by all his little friends and pointing excitedly at the sky where his party balloon is getting smaller and smaller... and then watching in horror as is zapped by a giant laser and plummets back to Earth, engulfed in flames.

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You serious? My young self would have thought that was the best thing ever. Like a front row seat to a Star Wars battle

Who has a party for their kid at 3 Am?

Fdsa said:

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I don't understand why NORTHCOM would think a cartel operated drone would be their issue to deal with. A cartel drone would typically be conducting criminal activity. That's DHS.

If the drone had a weapon targeting something on US soil, I can see NORTHCOM getting involved.

They probably need to tabletop this out a bit.

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You don't understand why an invasion by a declared foreign terrorist organization wouldn't be in USNORTHCOM's wheelhouse? Really?

Party balloons never sleep. They wait...

Y'all are missing something though - we detected and downed a PARTY BALLOON. What if that was the point all along? Show our enemies that we have the technology to detect and destroy something as small as a balloon

atmtws said:

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Who has a party for their kid at 3 Am?

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Havent been around a lot of Mexicans have you?

K2-HMFIC said:

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atmtws said:

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Who has a party for their kid at 3 Am?

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Havent been around a lot of Mexicans have you?

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I have Mexican next door neighbors, nice enough people, they came by my house to let me know they were throwing a birthday party for their 3 or 4 year old and there might be some noise.


That party easily went until 2-3am and from what I can tell it was all a bunch of drunk adults partying in the backyard when the kids had been asleep since 9-10pm.

Wildmen03 said:

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K2-HMFIC said:

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atmtws said:

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Who has a party for their kid at 3 Am?

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Havent been around a lot of Mexicans have you?

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I have Mexican next door neighbors, nice enough people, they came by my house to let me know they were throwing a birthday party for their 3 or 4 year old and there might be some noise.


That party easily went until 2-3am and from what I can tell it was all a bunch of drunk adults partying in the backyard when the kids had been asleep since 9-10pm.

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Had similar neighbors at a previous home. They had a big shindig with a mariachi band and the works every Mother's Day of all things. They invited us, we went with a 5-month old baby and we're done by sunset. We had a blast.

So there's that.

What are we talking about again?

Jock 07 said:

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Fdsa said:

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I don't understand why NORTHCOM would think a cartel operated drone would be their issue to deal with. A cartel drone would typically be conducting criminal activity. That's DHS.

If the drone had a weapon targeting something on US soil, I can see NORTHCOM getting involved.

They probably need to tabletop this out a bit.

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You don't understand why an invasion by a declared foreign terrorist organization wouldn't be in USNORTHCOM's wheelhouse? Really?

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It depends on what the cartels balloons were doing...they typically smuggle things. Not tracking if they have ever kinetically attacked our soil.

From someone who knows:

Ft Bliss is home to ARMY ADA. They have gotten a bunch of new "toys" to include anti-drone lasers. ARMY wanted to test the new system and asked FAA to close the range airspace for 6 hours. For reasons unknown, FAA was being uncooperative. ARMY asked again and FAA refused, so the ARMY went ahead and closed the range airspace. The FAA got pissed and closed ALL the airspace for reasons unknown other than spite. The ARMY launched its target balloon. shot it down and reopened the range airspace well within the 6 hour window requested. FAA followed suit not too long later.

FWIW. <shrug> People will believe what they want to......

I don't doubt this happened, but I don't understand how the cartel became part of the story.

Fdsa said:

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I don't doubt this happened, but I don't understand how the cartel became part of the story.

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Because some people automatically associate anything happening near the border with cartels.

I believe the transportation secretary passed this story. At that level, you try to have good facts.

USA*** said:

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From someone who knows:

Ft Bliss is home to ARMY ADA. They have gotten a bunch of new "toys" to include anti-drone lasers. ARMY wanted to test the new system and asked FAA to close the range airspace for 6 hours. For reasons unknown, FAA was being uncooperative. ARMY asked again and FAA refused, so the ARMY went ahead and closed the range airspace. The FAA got pissed and closed ALL the airspace for reasons unknown other than spite. The ARMY launched its target balloon. shot it down and reopened the range airspace well within the 6 hour window requested. FAA followed suit not too long later.

FWIW. <shrug> People will believe what they want to......

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Damn. The alien angle was so much more fun. Actual truth sucks.

Back in the dyslexic town of El Paso, I fell in love with a Mexican grill.

IIIHorn said:

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Back in the dyslexic town of El Paso, I fell in love with a Mexican grill.

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Nice...


BUT...

"I have to make it to Rosa's back door"...


Nobody discusses how risque this line was in the song...

This may lead to a ban on party balloons filled with Helium. I for one would support the ban. There is better use for our limited supply of Helium gas.

Pretty tame compared to Bad Bunny lyrics.

doubledog said:

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This may lead to a ban on party balloons filled with Helium. I for one would support the ban. There is better use for our limited supply of Helium gas.

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Inflation.

Fdsa said:

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I believe the transportation secretary passed this story. At that level, you try to have good facts.

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One would think that, but the stupidity in Washington never ceases to amaze me, even at the Cabinet level.