Eye-Spy Balloon

Chinese Spy Balloon spotted over Billings, Montana. Say that aloud a few times and tell me it doesn’t sound like a plot from a Hollywood B-Movie. Unfortunately, in 2023, such a blurb is suddenly non-fiction.

Unless you live under a rock or off-grid [which is highly underrated IMO], a Chinese Surveillance Balloon was caught on video earlier this week. The image was blasted over the airwaves and left most Americans feeling confused and bewildered.

What is a Spy Balloon and its main purpose? Furthermore, why was the device permitted to fly above American airspace with no response from our military?

Lastly, what sort of ramifications can we expect after the shocking discovery?

ICY RELATIONS

For a frame of reference, it is important to understand the growing tension between the US and China. The two are the remaining superpowers in the world, and for much of this century, both have jockeyed for supremacy and influence around the globe.

The US and China are engaged in a proxy way – “a war fought between groups of smaller countries that represent the interests of other larger powers, and may have help and support from these”.

Many pundits believe it is a matter of when, not if, a full-scale war erupts between the rivals. Where once the Soviet Union / Russia was the US’ ideological enemy, China has taken its place.

With respect to the Spy Balloon itself, many political analysts believe it is a clear sign China is preparing its citizens for war. Furthermore, America’s reluctance to initially intervene has millions questioning the strength of a previously unmistakable global force.

The Biden Administration dropped the ball in terms of how they handled this powderkeg. It will be interesting to hear what the President will say about the matter when he delivers his State of the Union address on Tuesday.

Nonetheless, what are China’s motives and how can we better prognosticate what lies ahead?

REPORTS

“Unknown balloon was seen Feb. 1st  above Billings International Airport while a military exercise grounded all planes in the area for over an hour.”

“The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now”.

“The Department of Defense says the high altitude balloon over Montana yesterday was a spy balloon from China.”

These were only a few statements released over the airwaves in real-time when the balloon was initially spotted. Needless to say, it sent shockwaves throughout The Union. We live in a post-9/11 world where anything seems possible. The world is full of evildoers with deep, ideological hate toward the West.

Decades of reckless foreign policy and senseless wars have turned much of the world against America. Where the US was once seen as a template for democracy and freedom, it is now largely seen as a constant aggressor in the eyes of the world – the proverbial schoolyard bully.

When a spy balloon flies over the continental United States, fear and hysteria enter the fray. Moreover, the information age has created a world where news travels within seconds from Hawaii to Somalia; all one really needs is a cellular phone and access to the internet.

With endless channels of information, it is finally possible to amass varying opinions concerning a world event. The Chinese Surveillance Balloon was no exception.

SUPER WEAPON

Many alternative media outlets offered up their own contentions pertaining to the event. One such source was the controversial platform InfoWars – founded and run by the polarizing Alex Jones.

Jones’s theory contends that the Spy Balloon was not on a standard surveillance operation like so many media talking heads reported. According to Jones, the spy balloon was on a test run of sorts, carrying a payload the size of three school buses. The payload itself – an EMP [Electromagnetic Pulse].

An EMP is the new super weapon in the 21st century. It has the capability to send an industrial nation back into the Stone Age. 

We are not just talking about electricity; the stock market and economy itself would cease to exist with enough EMPs hitting their target. Is this mere clickbait by Jones, or could this be the new face of terror as we wade through the 21st century? Time will be the answer. One thing is certain; the rocky relationship between the US and China seems to be at an all-time low.

AMERICAN RESPONSE

This past weekend, the United States finally responded by shooting down said Spy Balloon off the South Carolina coast.

Biden was largely criticized for his inability to act with strength at the outset of this event. It was only after public outcry that the President finally decided to do something. His initial reluctance left thousands of Americans questioning his allegiance to the country.

The controversy surrounding Biden’s son Hunter and his dealings with China’s CPP – slush funds, corruption,  a missing laptop – could only be the tip of the iceberg. What if, and this is pure speculation, President Biden is compromised and works in the interest of a foreign power?  Could you imagine the ramifications if this were true?

As I type this, news broke of another Chinese Spy Balloon spotted somewhere over Latin America [I kid you not]. When questioned, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the aircraft had deviated from its route, having been blown off course.

Is this a case of Occam’s Razor – all things being equal, explanations that posit fewer entities are to be preferred to explanations that posit more, AKA the simplest answer is usually right, or are there motives far eviler in play?

Again, time will be the judge but one thing is certain; increasing tensions between the world’s two superpowers spells for volatile times. Stocking up on supplies, and firearms, and having access to an off-grid shelter seems like a prudent course of action.

When conspiracy theorists with tin foil hats are correct time and again, a new moniker is in order; conspiracy realists. Weeks after the 2020 Coronavirus outbreak, they called BS. They were the first to warn the public about the imminent threat to our civil liberties. It was like they had a crystal ball. Three years later, these same individuals are warning us again.