Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley told CBS News today that the so-called Chinese spy balloon that flew over the U.S. seven months ago wasn’t spying at all. (www.cbsnews.com)

submitted 1 year ago by yogthos@lemmygrad.ml to c/usa@lemmy.ml

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cross-posted from: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/1886024

“The intelligence community, their assessment – and it's a high-confidence assessment – [is] that there was no intelligence collection by that balloon,” Milley said, confirming China’s assertion that the balloon was blown off course.

U.S. handwringing over the balloon brought China ties to a new low, and exposed the warmongering lust of the neocon 🤡 show steering Washington’s foreign policy.

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[-] cecinestpasunbot@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 year ago

It’s amazing to be that anyone credulously believed that China was trying to secretly spy on the US using such a comically large balloon. It would be hilarious if it weren’t for the fact that the media frenzy surrounding it echos the claims that Iraq had WMDs. The US press didn’t question the military’s narrative then and it isn’t questioning it now.

[-] autotldr@lemmings.world 3 points 1 year ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:

Now, seven months later, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, tells "CBS News Sunday Morning" the balloon wasn't spying.

The balloon floated over Alaska and Canada, and then down over the lower 48, to Billings, Montana, where photographer Chase Doak, who had studied photojournalism in college, recorded it from his driveway.

As a U-2 spy plane tracked the 200-foot balloon, Secretary of State Antony Blinken called off a crucial trip to China.

On February 3 he called China's decision to fly a surveillance balloon over the Continental United States "both unacceptable and irresponsible."

After the Navy raised the wreckage from the bottom of the Atlantic, technical experts discovered the balloon's sensors had never been activated while over the Continental United States.

On May 21, President Biden remarked, "This silly balloon that was carrying two freight cars' worth of spying equipment was flying over the United States, and it got shot down, and everything changed in terms of talking to one another."

The original article contains 642 words, the summary contains 165 words. Saved 74%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

[+] flying_monkies@kbin.social -8 points 1 year ago

"So called spy balloon"

Since OP can't apparently read their own article

Milley replied, "I would say it was a spy balloon that we know with high degree of certainty got no intelligence, and didn't transmit any intelligence back to China."

China (poorly) performed an act of espionage and lemmygrad thinks the US government overreacted. I'm shocked.

[-] yogthos@lemmygrad.ml 13 points 1 year ago

A spy balloon that US military concluded didn't do any intelligence collection. You are very intelligent.

[+] flying_monkies@kbin.social -10 points 1 year ago

You are very intelligent

I'm sorry if you can't read the stories you post, understand what they say or can't be slanted to fit your justification for bad behavior.

The additional thing I found hilarious about the whole escapade was China not being able to use the self-destruct function. It's almost like the balloon had all signals capabilities jammed from the moment it started drifting into US airspace... Weird.

[-] yogthos@lemmygrad.ml 9 points 1 year ago

I'm very sorry that you aren't able to understand what the stories I post actually say in black and white. Just to emphasize the point once again, US has produced ZERO evidence to substantiate the conspiracy theory that this was a spy balloon. US military has now admitted that the balloon did not collect any data or send anything to China. Yet, we still have people like you running around trying to pretend that this was a spy balloon.

I understand it's hard to accept that you've guzzled propaganda and now it makes you feel stupid to admit that you've been had so easily.

[+] flying_monkies@kbin.social -10 points 1 year ago

It's ok, I understand english is hard for you. It's confusing where the author of the article states their thought (it wasn't spying) and the chairman of the JCS says "it was a spy balloon, it just couldn't gather any data" is hard to follow.

The fact that the Chinese spy balloon couldn't collect any data just shows the quality of manufacturing I guess. That or they need to work on their ability to steal technology to get it to work for them. Who knows. What it doesn't make it is "a so called spy balloon".

I'd say the person who can't actually digest the article which boils down to:

It was a spy balloon
That couldn't actually do its' job
And apparently couldn't be controlled

would be the one "guzzling propaganda"

[-] yogthos@lemmygrad.ml 9 points 1 year ago

The fact that the Chinese spy balloon couldn’t collect any data just shows the quality of manufacturing I guess. That or they need to work on their ability to steal technology to get it to work for them. Who knows. What it doesn’t make it is “a so called spy balloon”.

Or you know the obvious answer that it wasn't actually a spy balloon and you're easily convinced of nonsense because it fits with your racist views. It's easier for you to accept that China can't manufacture a spy device because of that. Also, this may shock you, but China has spy satellites and doesn't need to use balloons. The fact that you even think this story is plausible further highlights your view that Chinese are some primitive barbarians using balloons for spying.

The most hilarious part here is how you just keep doubling down on this acting all smug. Once again, there is zero evidence for your conspiracy theory, but you keep on digging there.

[+] flying_monkies@kbin.social -9 points 1 year ago

It's funny how you always jump to everyone being racist. Project much? You should be better than that.

The fact that you even think this story is plausible further highlights your view that Chinese are some primitive barbarians using balloons for spying.

The fact you consider the Chinese primitive barbarians is pretty telling on your racism. Personally, I'd think a high tech solution that you might believe is undetectable would be a fantastic way to gather information, since satellites tend to travel in known trajectories so you can cover up anything interesting when you know they'll be in the sky. You really need to check that racism there.

The most hilarious part here is how you just keep doubling down on this acting all smug. Once again, there is zero evidence for your conspiracy theory, but you keep on digging there.

Nope, not acting smug, just trying to help you understand that you misread the article.

Your statement:

"Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley told CBS News today that the so-called Chinese spy balloon that flew over the U.S. seven months ago wasn’t spying at all. (cbsnews.com)"

The two statements from that actual Chairmain of the JCS in the article:

"The intelligence community, their assessment – and it's a high-confidence assessment – [is] that there was no intelligence collection by that balloon,"

and

"I would say it was a spy balloon that we know with high degree of certainty got no intelligence, and didn't transmit any intelligence back to China."

I get you have problems understanding that, since it doesn't fit your narrative. I'm just trying to help you.

[-] yogthos@lemmygrad.ml 5 points 1 year ago

It’s funny how you always jump to everyone being racist. Project much? You should be better than that.

Not everyone, just actual racists saying racist things the way you are.

The fact you consider the Chinese primitive barbarians is pretty telling on your racism.

I'm not the one claiming that China isn't able to make a working spy balloon or that it has to steal tech from the west. You're the one saying these things.

Personally, I’d think a high tech solution that you might believe is undetectable would be a fantastic way to gather information, since satellites tend to travel in known trajectories so you can cover up anything interesting when you know they’ll be in the sky. You really need to check that racism there.

A weather balloon is not an undetectable solution for gathering information. It's also pretty clear that the balloon is very easily detectable given that it was tracked all the way. Love how you're just making up nonsense here as usual.

Nope, not acting smug, just trying to help you understand that you misread the article.

Nope, I'm just dealing with the actual facts that the article reports.

I get you have problems understanding that, since it doesn’t fit your narrative. I’m just trying to help you.

I have no problem understanding the fact that US military has not been able to produce any evidence to support the spy balloon conspiracy theory. You are though.

It's funny how you think you're in position to help anyone when you can't even able to separate factual information from the narrative. Sad really.

[+] flying_monkies@kbin.social -7 points 1 year ago

The amount of copium you transmit is incredible. I hope you one day get some help.

[-] yogthos@lemmygrad.ml 4 points 1 year ago

The only one transmitting copium here is the one who's making stuff up to avoid admitting the facts the article reports. Please stop projecting.

[-] BaconIsAVeg@lemmy.ml -4 points 1 year ago

After the Navy raised the wreckage from the bottom of the Atlantic, technical experts discovered the balloon's sensors had never been activated while over the Continental United States.

On May 21, President Biden remarked, "This silly balloon that was carrying two freight cars' worth of spying equipment was flying over the United States, and it got shot down, and everything changed in terms of talking to one another."

So, Martin asked, "Bottom line, it was a spy balloon, but it wasn't spying?" Milley replied, "I would say it was a spy balloon that we know with high degree of certainty got no intelligence, and didn't transmit any intelligence back to China."

If you're so dead set on it being a conspiracy theory, why are you posting articles that debunk your own claim?

[-] yogthos@lemmygrad.ml 1 points 1 year ago

It's amazing how you're completely unable to separate facts from the fiction. The facts are that the balloon didn't collect or transmit ant information. The fiction is the spin the US regime keeps trying to put on the story. Anybody who's not severely mentally challenged can separate the two.

[-] BaconIsAVeg@lemmy.ml -3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

The article you linked says, multiple times, that it was a spy balloon. No one is arguing whether China did or did not use it to spy on America except you.

Your only argument seems to be that a F1 race car while parked is no longer a race car because it's not currently racing.

[-] Pili@lemmygrad.ml -1 points 1 year ago

Are you still counting the Iraqi WMDs when you go to bed?

[-] yogthos@lemmygrad.ml -3 points 1 year ago

Once again, learn the concept of framing and to separate framing from the facts presented. It will help your reading comprehension immensely.

[-] ComradeEd@lemmygrad.ml 4 points 1 year ago

"It's a spy balloon that didn't do any spying".

this post was submitted on 18 Sep 2023

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