Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Just a Few Things To Note this February 2023

Still working on the -Isms book at the moment, but I needed to take care of a few items.

The big story - almost literally - over the past week or two has been the Chinese spy balloons flying over North American airspace. The developments getting out are that 1) this has apparently been going on for years, 2) our NORAD alert system has only recently been able to target these balloons more effectively, and 3) our habit of calling these balloons "unidentified" are mixing them up with actual non-terrestrial UFOs flown by innocent aliens looking for a concert hall to play in.

via GIPHY


A lot of this is playing out in the national media as yet-another-attempt by the Far Right to embarrass President Biden for cheap political points. It didn't matter what Biden did or didn't do to respond the minute it got out we had a big-ass balloon floating over Montana. At first the wingnut Republicans were screaming Biden was weak towards China for not shooting down the balloon. Then when the balloon flew over the safety of the Atlantic Ocean and Biden ordered the balloon shot down, those same wingnut critics started screaming about the balloon being a Chinese bioweapon and Biden was foolish for exposing us all to COVID death. /headdesk

As for other things that really matter, donald trump is facing growing pressure in Georgia's grand jury looking into his electoral interference as well as the likelihood of facing criminal charges in New York over the Stormy Daniels bribery affair. This weekend however revealed more damaging revelations that one of trump's PAC workers had a laptop with classified documents saved to files, hinting at the possibility that trump did share Top Secret materials in violation of espionage laws and increasing the odds that trump will face federal charges soon (HURRY IT UP, SPECIAL COUNSEL).

And for personal consideration, Infidel753 blogged an insightful article about "the exhausted majority" which may help with my -Isms book when I get to writing about the Moderate factions within American political dynamics. 

Oh, and I woke up this morning to yet another goddamn mass shooting, this time on the Michigan State University campus. Three dead so far, more wounded. Goddamn this nation for our Angry Guy With Guns bloodlust.

1 comment:

dinthebeast said...

Do you suppose someone could convince DeSantis that in order to win the presidency he really needs to take a high-altitude balloon ride? To, say, lock in the libertarian vote?

-Doug in Sugar Pine