Post ASfycMmZ1aof7N4fZo by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
(DIR) More posts by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
(DIR) Post #ASfycMmZ1aof7N4fZo by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
2023-02-14T16:43:38Z
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So the U.S. is saying that (1) three objects shot down may never be recovered (2) they don't know what they were (3) they are not considered harmful militarily or any other way (4) that they don't know if they were commercial, research, amateur, or state-launched (5) they're unsure if they have photos of them (6) taking down one of them took TWO sidewinder missiles at $400K each, and (my own entry): (7) they're behaving like absolute idiots.
(DIR) Post #ASfyjyNjd3PRl35VPE by johnmu@mastodon.social
2023-02-14T16:44:48Z
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@lauren SANTA CLAUS BETTER NOT BE COMING TO TOWN ANYTIME SOON.
(DIR) Post #ASfyti1zH8tpwVYfMe by dadbod@pdx.social
2023-02-14T16:46:35Z
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@lauren if you think they’re telling the truth, I have a bridge to sell you. 😄
(DIR) Post #ASfyxhTrGQxNOTUubA by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
2023-02-14T16:47:25Z
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@dadbod In this particular case I think they're just humiliated and want this all to go away.
(DIR) Post #ASfyzborHdruPmELiK by dbc3@mastodon.world
2023-02-14T16:47:28Z
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@lauren and i say they know exactly what they were and feel the public should not know.
(DIR) Post #ASfz1ZTox5WxjrKGrQ by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
2023-02-14T16:48:00Z
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@dbc3 No. They were nothing, and they don't want to admit they blew a couple of million dollars on nothing.
(DIR) Post #ASfzJeMTXcjY5hVjXs by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
2023-02-14T16:51:25Z
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@dbc3 They don't want the public to know they behaved like idiots. Too late.
(DIR) Post #ASfzYcqhRmJNkAmyUi by dbc3@mastodon.world
2023-02-14T16:54:06Z
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@lauren something drifting along at 40k feet is not nothing.
(DIR) Post #ASfzcfzvgJpmfU2OEC by srtcd424@mas.to
2023-02-14T16:54:51Z
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@lauren if nothing else, I can't help thinking that if you actually wanted to know what something was, firing that much high explosive at it may not be the way to go, however fond you might be of really difficult jigsaw puzzles...
(DIR) Post #ASfziiZJ2MMANVSvIG by lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org
2023-02-14T16:56:00Z
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@dbc3 The sky is full of stuff. To get to higher altitudes, they have to pass through lower ones, and eventually come back down. 1600 meteorological balloons launched DAILY. Innumerable private and corporate instrumentation packages. NOTHING NEW except the politics!
(DIR) Post #ASg1wvfdJvy2yZKTKa by PJ_Evans@mastodon.social
2023-02-14T17:20:56Z
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@lauren And the idjits in congress who are demanding shootdowns know approximately zero about balloons, kites, and the like.
(DIR) Post #ASg2qWWbzvtlCmcRKi by dadbod@pdx.social
2023-02-14T17:30:59Z
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@lauren That is very likely a factor.
(DIR) Post #ASgGhq57JglCbvVmJk by cazabon@mindly.social
2023-02-14T20:06:10Z
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@lauren The choice of Sidewinder missiles struck me as odd, particularly in the first big balloon case.A 20-story-high balloon should be easy to hit, and bring down in a controlled manner, with any fighter's cannon. The payload will be damaged when it hits the ground, but it will all be in one place.Blowing the thing into a million shreds at altitude with a Sidewinder seemed like it was specifically chosen to ensure as little of the wreckage as possible would be recovered.#Panic #china