Girl's Behavior 
Guy's Behavior 
Flirting 
Dating 
Relationships 
Fashion & Beauty 
Health & Fitness 
Marriage & Weddings 
Shopping & Gifts 
Technology & Internet 
Break Up & Divorce 
Education & Career 
Entertainment & Arts 
Family & Friends 
Food & Beverage 
Hobbies & Leisure 
Other 
Religion & Spirituality 
Society & Politics 
Sports 
Travel 
Trending & News 
They literally are arguing that it’s a weather balloon now. First Biden didn't shoot it down fast enough. But when they learned he waited for safety reasons they took up CCP arguments.
by the way - Dibs on #Balloongate
'Balloongate'? This whole silly non-story is just an attempt to distract people from things that are actually important, but which they don't want anyone to discuss or look too deeply into. Some obvious examples immediately pop into mind, and they include:
1. The US government's involvement in the Nordstream pipeline sabotage, which is both an act of terrorism and an act of war.
2. The toxic train derailment in Ohio.
3. The failing war in Ukraine, and the millions of dollars that have been sent over there in order to prop up a corrupt, incompetent and fascistic government.
Ignore the balloons, they don't matter one bit.
I'm with you on the being a non-story but you lack critical thinking skills if you think the US is behind Nordstream and the Ukrainian government is fascistic.
@holdem4884 left right politics are pretty consistent, I think. In America and perhaps UK, it’s 10x more explosive. But essentially it’s conservative (right) and liberal (left).
@holdem4884 Are you serious? Victoria Nuland practically admitted it to Ted Cruz when he questioned her about it! Lack critical thinking skills? I don't think so!
@holdem4884 Id say it depends but watching Fox News can rewrite your brain synapses.
@OddBeMe Definitely.
@cassie88 Here's what critical thinking looks like:
1) Destroying the primary energy route of your strongest European ally is completely irrational. States do nefarious things but they are rational actors. The US wouldn't do this without the consent of Germany and it's ridiculous to think otherwise.
2) The Biden administration has demonstrated that it takes climate change seriously. The pipelines weren't operating but destroying them resulted in the greatest release of methane in recorded history, it's an environmental disaster.
3) US special forces are extremely competent. If the US wanted to blow up Nord Stream, they would have done so on Russia's doorstep to make it look like Russian sabotage.
@holdem4884 yes agreed, obviously we don’t know and might never know who “blew it up” or even if it was blown up. But logic just doesn’t sit well blaming it on responsible countries. It’s literally an irresponsible thing to do.
Now Ukraine, being a young democracy might have had something to do with it. But just looking at it outright, this has Russia written all over it.
Yes, either are much more probable candidates.
@holdem4884 Here's what critical thinking looks like:
1. Destroying the pipeline, without the consent or knowledge of the Germans, makes perfect sense, because it would (and did) lessen the hold that Putin had over Germany. The U. S. wants to sell their gas to the Europeans at a higher cost, whilst at the same time they want to weaken Russia economically by depriving Russia of customers for its fossil fuels.
2. "Climate change" is utterly irrelevant, alternative energy is expensive, inefficient and unreliable, and the Biden administration doesn't have a clue what it's doing.
3. Why would Russia destroy ITS OWN PIPELINE? The pipeline that they built and paid for. The pipeline that was very profitable until it was blown up.
"... we don't know, and might never know..." - BULLSHIT! Mr. Odd, we already know who blew it up. The Yanks did it. Who profited the most from this act of sabotage? The Swedes? Nope. The Germans? No. The French, British or Italians? No. Russia? Of course not! It was their pipeline, and it was very profitable for them. The Americans... ? Yeah. Now THAT makes sense.
I see you tried to mimic my layout but failed completely with your reasoning. That's credulous thinking, not critical.
1) Your first point based upon a false premise and therefore cannot provide a logical argument. Destroying the pipeline had no effect on the "hold" Putin had over Germany as Russia had already cut ALL gas supplies from the lines and Germany had already made plans to completely phase out purchasing Russian gas.
2) Also a faulty premise. Climate change is definitely not irrelevant. The effects of releasing 500,000 tons of methane most certainly would be considered.
3) Multiple false premises. Russia paid for half of the pipeline. It was profitable until Russia stopped delivering gas, weeks before the explosion.
Russia may very well have blown it up to shock markets in an effort to drive up gas prices and make Germany and other European countries feel economic pain for supporting Ukraine. Russia knew it was dead long term anyway. That's a much more plausible explanation and my premises are sound. That's how you form a logical argument.
Where do you come up with this stuff? I've never heard any such thing. If anything I've heard the opposite.
Information is still coming out, and it's strongly showing that the balloon really was a spy balloon. But when it first happened, and with classified information being withheld, people had to wait and find out. Now we know that the government was pretty certain it was a spy balloon before it was shot down. Even if it wasn't, it was in US air space and they had every right to shoot it down.
I have no idea who is siding with China except China and a few wack jobs.
All right all right I might be trolling. It’s how I masturbate. It’s not wall to wall but Fox and others have jumped on the anti Biden coat tails that just happen to belong to the CCP
www.foxnews.com/.../white-house-pressed-why-biden-sent-top-gun-fighters-shoot-down-suspected-weather-balloons
hadn't' heard that...
they sure changed their mind about when to shoot them down, that says something... I guess they learned?
letting spy balloons fly across the country and collect data... relayed to satellites? Probably bad idea. But there is a risk where to shoot them down.
People are quite critical anymore. I give him some leeway that they are decisions and people make different ones based upon perceived risks. So be it...
thanks mho. and I sure hope we didn't shoot down civilians out for a joy ride...
The RC-135V/W Rivet Joint was doing reconnaissance and jamming so it's not like the Chinese government actually received any relevant data relayed by from satellites.
@holdem4884 I hadn't heard what it was doing... and that's the question, what is the purpose of flying this balloon over USA? Are they scanning the properties they purchased... they own a lot of farm land. joke... If they are jamming or test jamming military bases, that is some very disturbing $@#$@#.
@lightbulb27 To clarify, the Rivet Joint is a US aircraft used for signals intelligence. It was one of the assets used to do reconnaissance on the balloon and jam signals it was trying to send out.
What was the purpose of the balloon? Probably fairly straightforward, attempted Chinese reconnaissance and provocative.
Opinion
7Opinion
, right wingers do not take the side of China and balloon gate. We are saying check to make sure it is a Chinese spy balloon. They shot a missile plastic bag and missed the target. Costing us and extra 400,000 dollars and that missile had to land somewhere y’all are concerned about mass shootings, and the private citizen, having guns, and yet you expect me to trust these people to have guns without me having guns you must be out of your mind. Why should I trust the government when they lie constantly. Remember government was the number 1 cause of death in the 20th century. If we treated government like we do heroin we would abolish government and not allow anyone to take charge again.
It's remarkable that you've managed to cram so much stupidity into one comment.
The "missile had to land somewhere", yeah and it's called the Atlantic Ocean genius.
It's almost as if you're trying to break the world record for most illogical arguments in a single paragraph.
And let's not forget your assertion that the government is the number one cause of death in the 20th century. You missed the totalitarian part. Democratic governments have been the number one guardians of life by that logic.
Your blinding ignorance and sheer lack of critical thinking skills are a true wonder to behold. It's no wonder you cling to your guns like a toddler clutching their blankie - it's the only thing that gives you a sense of security in a world that's clearly too complex for you to comprehend. Maybe next time you should think before spewing your baseless, half-baked opinions.
@holdem4884 I wasn’t talking about the Chinese spy balloon that your president allowed to sail across the United States in order to weaken America on the world stage and make us the laughing stock of the world given that Joe Biden isn’t incapable of doing anything correct. I’m talking about the one shot down over Canada which was laughed by balloon enthusiasts based in Illinois which Biden wasted 800,000 dollars of tax payer dollars to shoot down. One misted. And of course it’s gotta land somewhere. What if it hit a school? You are so concerned about taking guns away from responsible gun owners and yet your trust the government to protect you when they can’t even do there jobs and shoot down a Chinese spy balloon without it passing over the United States or missing a 12$ model balloon.
But of course your can’t deny your God big daddy government can you? You put all your faith in the government coming to the rescue when they can’t all government can do is get you killed.
Also, your ridiculous point about how democracies don’t kill people I’m sure you’ve never heard of. The Weimar republic win the national Socialist German workers party known as the Nazis came in a power Hitler was elected democratically it was democracy that caused the rise of Hitler even a dictator ship would’ve been better in Weimar Germany than a democracy. Mao Zedong was elected in 1954 in which he presided to kill 60-100 million of his own people. The United soviet socialist republic (USSR) held its first elections in 1937 they elected Joseph Stalin to proceeded to team up with Hitler originally during World War 2 kill about 20 million of his own people through starvation concentration camps, and straight up sudden and public executions. The rest of the Soviet leaders were elected as well. Pol Potts, leader of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia was elected in 1976 where he proceeded to do with all socialist do the murder his opposition. Kim ill sung was democratically elected in 1948 and we know what the Kim regime has done.
Idi Amin again one of the worst dictators in history what is democratically elected after taking out the British from Uganda in 1971.
Saddam Hussein was elected Prime Minister in 1979 we know how his life ended.
So that’s
Hitler Stalin Mao Zedong pol pot Idi Amin Saddam Hussein Kim, ill sung. All democratically elected BY THE PEOPLE, so don’t tell me it’s unelected doctors who weren’t the number 1 cause of death in the 20th century. Monarchies were the number 1 cause of death during the 19th century. So don’t give me the clean to guns like a baby blanket nonsense. I cling to my guns, because I don’t trust the people ruling us. To quote Joe Biden “ I don’t trust anyone including you”
@Stoner710 Wow you're dim.
The RC-135V/W Rivet Joint was doing reconnaissance and jamming the balloon over the US. Only a cretin would think the Chinese obtained any information.
Wasted a missle? The U. S. military conducts thousands of training exercises each year, including air-to-air and air-to-ground missile training.
As to the leaders you mentioned, some of them were initially elected in free and fair elections, such as the Nazis. Communists took over Russia in a coup in 1917. The USSR never had anything like free and fair elections.
What you completely fail to notice, and conveniently fail to mention, is that once in power ALL of these leaders systematically undermined and dismantled all democratic institutions and removed any checks on their power. They violently suppressed dissent, murdered or jailed political rivals, and controlled media. Elections became a total farce.
Not one of these were functioning as democratic countries when the atrocities you point to took place.
"even a dictator ship would’ve been better in Weimar Germany than a democracy."
You are truly clueless. If the Weimar Republic had stayed intact, the holocaust wouldn't have occurred. Dictatorship is exactly what was needed to make all of the Nazi's horrendous crimes possible.
@holdem4884 when then I’m a cretin according to you. There was no jamming of any signal inspiration allows the Chinese to successfully spy on the United States and get the location of our nuclear silos and other information that we would prefer to have.
Yes, we use military practices and shoot missiles. We don’t use them for balloon enthusiast there, experiments. This is of course another failure of the Biden administration even Obama didn’t do this terribly.
Yes Russia was taken over by the bolsheviks in the fall of 1917. Thanks to Kaiser Willhelm sending Lennon back to Russia. Stalin once Lennon had died was elected by the people. Of course when these people got into power they undermined the current political government. They were power hungry dictator who were democratically elected. If you notice we in the United States don’t live in a democracy we live in a republic with elements of democracy. Also I never said get rid of all democracy. I’m point out the fact that the people can elect tyrants. Which is why the founders feared democracy and mob rule like what happened in the 20th century.
Yes, it would’ve been better if the Weimar republic never existed if Germany had a dictator ship Turkey yMustafa Kemal Atatürk was a dictator after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, which also collapsed at the end of World War I and he was a great leader. Known as the benevolent dictator.
by the way democrats hate democracy. Viktor Orban it’s not to be a dictator by the left, same with Benjamin Netanyahu and Bolsonaro, had Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva listed his election you would have claimed it’s an undermining of democracy. Even in the United States, Trump wins in 2016 must be Russians under king our democracy. When there is thought to be a red wave or red tsunami. “Our democracy is on the brink”. Not care about democracy. It only cares about democracy when it went. When it the Democrats lose they want to destroy democracy. They hate it. I hate people making the decisions.
Oh, it's certainly true that people can elect tyrants in free and fair elections and that fact is alarmingly concerning. The Nazis are a perfect example.
That isn't to say a dictatorship is at all preferable. Benevolent dictatorship is an oxymoron by definition. They don't have any limits on their power, aren't accountable to anyone, and rule WITHOUT the consent of those they govern. Who chooses the dictator? If they turn out not to be benevolent, which is almost certain (just look at your tyrant examples), good luck at replacing them.
Trump won the 2016 election as Biden won the 2020 election, that isn't a point of debate for any rational mind.
You want to live in a society where you have no choice in who makes decisions? Move to North Korea, I hear they have a wonderfully benevolent dictator.
@holdem4884 sure there are a few benevolent dictators Mustafa Kemal Atatürk who took over after the fall of the Ottoman Empire he was trash to the Armenians and the curds but frankly who wasn’t been a dick towards them. I don’t know why, but the Armenians in the Kurds always gonna be short end of the stick. The king of Jorden is an absolute monarch his Muslims which is kind of a brutal religion but there are some good aspects to it. Gaddafi was a benevolent dictator same with a guy we kicked out of you, but I can’t remember his name who is the guy we kicked out of Egypt. I can’t remember his name under the Obama administration.
As far as 2020 election it was weird I don’t understand why Pennsylvania broke its own constitution. There’s no point in having a constitution of the following the constitution. We’re in a pandemic where we know now that the mask did not work didn’t work the only thing that slightly work was the lockdown that destroyed the economy. . Had we never lock down in the first place trump would be president now hence why I’m a DeSantis guy.
Now our founders did want mob rule, Mob rule can be just as bad as a dictatorship example the mob elected Hitler. Hence why when Frankly was asked what kind of country are we he answers “ we are a republic if you can keep it”. Meaning we’re not a full democracy hence why the electoral college can go against the will of the people. 91% of the American president Al election have been won by the popular vote so it’s not common for the electoral college to go against the will of the people. Some times that’s necessary. Especially with Hillary Clinton with the hole James Comey investigation and the fact that Hillary is properly the most unlikeable person in America politics. (Personally if there is going to be a woman president, I think it should be somebody like Condoleezza Rice, or Nikki, Hailie after the battle between DeSantis and Trump or my favorite Candice Owens) nothing against women being president just everything against Hillary Clinton being president.
Yes, the electoral college is inherently undemocratic and should be abolished.
The only remotely arguable justification for it is to prevent the election of a tyrant, dictator, or autocrat, say someone like Trump and it's never done that.
Even if delegates vote as they are pledged to, if you're from Mississippi or New York, your vote doesn't really matter but that's not true for "swing states". The votes from people in those states matters a great deal more. It's f***ing retarded to defend that system.
@Stoner710 The notion that Gaddafi and Mubarak were "benevolent dictators" is not only laughable but also deeply offensive to the countless individuals who suffered under their oppressive regimes.
Let's start with Gaddafi. This was a man who ruled Libya with an iron fist for over 40 years, crushing dissent and brutally suppressing any form of opposition. His regime was responsible for countless human rights abuses, including torture, extrajudicial killings, and disappearances. Gaddafi also engaged in state-sponsored terrorism, including the infamous bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, which killed 270 innocent people.
As for Mubarak, he was another autocrat who ruled Egypt with an iron fist for three decades, stifling political dissent and violating human rights. His regime was notorious for its corruption, police brutality, and suppression of the press. Mubarak's security forces were responsible for the deaths of countless protesters during the Arab Spring, which ultimately led to his ouster.
To suggest that these two men were "benevolent" is not only absurd but also an insult to the victims of their oppressive regimes. Any attempt to whitewash their crimes and paint them as benevolent leaders is a gross distortion of reality and a disservice to the memory of those who suffered under their rule.
@holdem4884 very true they were more benevolent then those elected. Even gaddafi and Mubarak were benevolent compared to the others, but how did the loss of those dictator turn out. An Islamic state
Watching stoner here ramble and attempt to discuss something is a sad sight. This guy needs to stop drinking.
Because you had a military force back by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to stage a military coup in the nation, because Qaddafi, and Mubarak weren’t willing to go along with Obama’s agenda so they killed them back backing radical Muslims in the area that would have set up an Islamic state.
Remember Iran is an Islamic state Obama loved working with them. Afghanistan was a (mostly) free country until Joe Biden was elected and he pulled out of Afghanistan for no reason and handed the country over to 8th century barbarians. Which is why I think Joe Biden has not creditable when he was he respects and loves women, and people want to call trump a misogynist. Trump was a womanizer he was not great with treating women they way they should be treated. But someone who hates women wouldn’t be sleeping with them left right and center. Biden is the biggest misogynist in the country. I would say a man who beat his wife loves women more the. Joe Biden (don’t beat your wife kids) but at least the guy who beats his wife doesn't live millions of women who know how to read write and are educated or your normal women who wants a job outside the home and have them experience their freedoms, a lot of them for most of their lives to be basically enslaved, rape tortured killed, forced to never showed her to play some public again, and only come out in public with a man. Or be killed. That’s true misogyny, which is the hatred of women..
I never heard anyone say it was a weather balloon. Everyone I listen to says it is a Chinese spy balloon and Biden showed his incompetence and/or corruption by letting it go all the way across the country before having it shot down over the ocean.
Just think your statement for a picosecond.
"Everyone I listen to says..."
Oh, how you're spoon fed what to think. There are plenty of reasons to criticize Biden but trying to claim this was incompetence and/or corruption is absurd.
As I've stated elsewhere, we know the RC-135V/W Rivet Joint was doing reconnaissance and jamming of the balloon. The Chinese didn't get any data while it went "all the way across the country". Instead, we were able to discern capabilities which wouldn't have been possible had it just been blown up ASAP. That's a win-win if you're not brain dead.
And corruption? It makes no sense to even try to imply this had anything to do with corruption, that's just completely vacuous.
No one said that. And they are not taking China's side. They want the Biden administration to be transparent and release the information that they know because the American people deserve to know. That is not pro-China.
I read that. Republicans are not saying it's a weather balloon or taking China's side.
No one is saying it was a weather balloon. The press was asking if the three objects that were shot down, AFTER the China balloon, turn out to be weather balloons, what will Biden's reaction be.
It's dumb to say it's traitorous but the left throws that word around more than "racist". I will say it's a stupid thing to say. Anyway, what right wing pundits are saying it was a weather balloon?
I think you need to read your question, my comment and then the article. They're talking about the three other objects shot down after the China balloon. Biden, himself said they may have been to collect weather data.
And it wasn't any right wing pundits asking, they were the white house press. Goddamn!
Well now they will have the proper response and shoot it out of the sky much faster. You're supposed to shoot these objects before they can gather intelligence.
So you would have just let them record all the information they want and send it to the Chinese just because you're afraid of some casualties? Do you have any idea how catastrophic this intelligence breach could be? These were sensitive military installations and the Chinese have all kinds of data on us now.
Are you serious? It was the right wingers AND Trump who urged the Biden administration to shoot the balloon down as soon as it violated US airspace. That's traitorous to you?
That was until he did it safely. Now they’re saying it was freakin weather balloon.
www.foxnews.com/.../white-house-pressed-why-biden-sent-top-gun-fighters-shoot-down-suspected-weather-balloons
Safely my ass. If that was really a spy balloon, then China would have gotten everything they needed to know. He should have has it shot down when it was over Montana where the chances of it hitting anything on the way down is extremely low. Even if it was a weather balloon, it invaded our airspace and needed to be shot down anyway.
Also that was a bad take from Fox.
I disagree with Biden's 99 red balloons policy
The only opinion from girls was selected the Most Helpful Opinion, but you can still contribute by sharing an opinion!
You can also add your opinion below!
Most Helpful Opinions