Another try: do you know the song 99 Red Balloons?

[goaded]

99 Red Balloons (99 Luftballons in German) is a song about an over reaction to party balloons by the military. My previous question, asking if it's a reasonable worry today, seems to have gone over the heads of the PTB. Since Trump's morons are literally shooting down party balloons and a HHS drone with military lasers, it this a realistic possibility for the near future?

[msmissydc]

Of course, I am from Germany. It was a huge hit. No, sorry, it wasn't just a huge hit. It created a new subculture of music, and Nena was one of the most successful and indirectly founding artists of the NDW. "Neue Deutsche Welle" which translates to "New German Wave.

[goaded]

Did you know that Trump gave access to high powered lasers to idiots?

[msmissydc]

The friendly fire situation? Yeah, I heard. That's what you get when you fire all the people who know their job and put people in positions who have no clue about what they are doing. Their critique about DEI was that it apparently gave jobs to people who are not the best. Which was Not true, but fact-based. aga was always an oxymoron. At the same time, they hired the most incompetent people ever.

[MrChinaski]

Who is Trump going to shoot ICBMs at?

Putin, his buddy, is emperor to dirt and poor people, and fewer people every year at that. Their enormous tank army couldn't conquer Ukraine in 4 years now... seriously. So 20th Century.

Xi has no global interests. China's goal is to be the dominant hegemon in its region, and there is no way of stopping that. Besides, Mao was right about the USA being a paper tiger by comparison with the Chinese. The Chinese think in terms of centuries, Trump thinks in terms of how many cheeseburgers he might have for lunch.

[goaded]

Iran, possibly. Breaking! US and Israel launch an attack on Iran! What are your thoughts on this? ↗

Trump will gift Putin one hemisphere, Xi another, and he'll keep the rest for himself.

[MrChinaski]

Putin can't control a hemisphere. To the extent there is any policy reason, Trump's pulling out is just cost-shifting onto Europe.

Iran is interesting. Is this going to be a another one off series of air strikes, or is the US serious about degrading the Revolutionary Guard? The latter will take weeks or more. And even then it's not clear it would be sufficient to support a domestic revolt.

[DonaldDarko]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnQhViQI1x8
יופי, תהרוג את כולם

[goaded]

@DonaldDarko The IDF have been shooting civilians in the head for fun.

[DonaldDarko]

Nothing but antiemetic propaganda.

[goaded]

@DonaldDarko You can accurately state that the IDF have been shooting civilians in the head for fun without being anti-Semitic, same as you can accurately call Israel's actions a genocide.

Anti-Semitism is common on your side and requires blaming that behaviour (or more often made up lies) on all Jewish people.

[DonaldDarko]

If you're really against antisemitism, then stop with these antiemetic posts.

[goaded]

@DonaldDarko Troll.

[DonaldDarko]

You just hate Jews, racist.

[goaded]

@DonaldDarko Are you still here, troll?

[DryGermanGuy]

I remember hearing it often in the radio as a child. It was a bit of a hymn for the people marching against the stationing of atomic weapons in Germany.

[goaded]

1983, I'd not even visited Germany back then, just a few years later.

[FreyaRed]

"99 Kriegsminister kaempfen um Benzinkanister."
Ironically no one called in cold war era Defense ministry a War ministry like US does it today. This song is a hidden message from the past.

[Miristheiss]

Yes. I love them. The English and german version.

The lyrics are different in each version. They are not direct translations with the same story.

[goaded]

Poetic licence! 99 helium balloons wouldn't scan very well!

[Likes2drive]

Yeah I know song well, both versions, I bought that album back in 80s , never understood the lyrics though

[goaded]

I loved it. Still do.

[Likes2drive]

Yeah I like the song

[Avicenna]

Leave it to goaded to misappropriate a song and draw a completely false analogy.

If you're worried about nuclear war, keeping Iran from developing nuclear weapons should be your biggest concern.

[goaded]

You do get that your DHS shot at some balloons with a high powered laser, right? And that the Navy shot down a Border Patrol drone. And that Trump just started an illegal war with Iran. I guess he didn't totally destroy their nuclear program last year, like he claimed.

[Hagar88]

Are we going to let iran keep attacking us?

The message is clear that if a leader of a country attacks the us and us citizens then he's a dead man, just look at Gaddafi

[goaded]

"keep"? When did Iran last attack the US?

[Hagar88]

Today.

[goaded]

I knew you'd say something stupid like that. Attack, not retaliate.

[Hagar88]

They are developing nukes, attacking the us all last year, supporting proxy terror groups and oppressing their own people. The message has been sent

[goaded]

Developing weapons is not an attack (and probably not even true). When were they "attacking the us all last year"? With words? What happened to the first amendment?

"oppressing their own people"? I asked when Iran last attacked the US.

The message is that the leadership was right, the US is the great devil and they just killed dozens of small children.

[Hagar88]

Direct and proxy attacks attributed to Iran against US interests in 2024 were primarily concentrated in the first half of the year, followed by a significant pause and a brief resumption in December.
Direct Iranian Actions Against US Interests
While most physical attacks were carried out by proxies, Iran engaged in direct hostile activities:
Cyber Operations & Interference: Throughout 2024, Iranian cyber actors targeted US infrastructure and attempted to interfere in the 2024 US elections through influence operations and hacking attempts.
Maritime Seizures: In April 2024, Iran's IRGC seized the MSC Aries, a container ship linked to Israel, in the Strait of Hormuz, an area critical to US-protected global shipping.

[Hagar88]

Attacks by Iran-Backed Proxies (The "Islamic Resistance in Iraq")
The most frequent attacks occurred in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan, largely as a spillover of the regional conflict:
Tower 22 Attack (28 January 2024):
An Iranian-backed militia launched a drone strike on the Tower 22 outpost in Jordan.
Impact: This was the most significant attack of the year, killing 3 US soldiers and injuring 47 others.
Ongoing Strikes (January – February 2024):
Numerous rocket and drone strikes targeted US bases in Iraq (e. g., Al-Asad Airbase) and Syria (e. g., Al-Tanf Garrison).
A brief "pause" began in early February 2024 following major US retaliatory strikes.
Resumption of Attacks (April – December 2024):
Attacks on US bases resumed in late April 2024 after the April 13-14 Iranian missile strike on Israel.
Activity fluctuated throughout the summer and autumn, with a notable uptick in December 2024, which saw the first major proxy incidents since the mid-year period.
Houthi Attacks in the Red Sea:
Throughout 2024, the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen consistently targeted commercial and US naval vessels in the Red Sea with missiles and drones, prompting multiple US-led Operation Prosperity Guardian defensive strikes.

Attacks on US Consulates/Embassies
Erbil, Iraq (October 2024): During a larger regional escalation, a drone was fired toward the US Consulate in Erbil but was intercepted.
Beirut, Lebanon (5 June 2024): An attacker shot at the US Embassy in Beirut, injuring a security guard. While the perpetrator was suspected of having ISIS sympathies, the event occurred within the context of heightened regional tensions involving Iranian proxies.

[goaded]

proxy... attributed... US interests... linked to Israel...

So, the only direct attack on the US was hacking, and that's something the US regularly does to Iran.

[Hagar88]

All attacks orchestrated by Iran

[NathanDavis]

I know the song exists... I've heard it

but never really listened to all of it

[goaded]

They let a load of balloons fly and it causes WWIII. DHS has shot down party balloons and one of their own drones (not, aiui, on purpose) with military lasers and without notifying the FAA to avoid civilian targets. How long until they're accidentally shooting down civilian aircraft or claiming without evidence they were running drugs, like the boats?

[NathanDavis]

well... that's why they grounded all aircraft first... with a lie

so they all could just play with their lasers before their loan was due that day or week, lol

[goaded]

When they shot down the drone, that happened before they closed the airspace.

www.nytimes.com/.../...a-dhs-el-paso-airspace.html

"A preliminary internal report on the incident said Customs and Border Protection had not notified the Defense Department it was launching a drone in that area. So to the military, it was an unknown drone, a Pentagon official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss an investigation into the matter.

The F. A. A. did not know the system would be used and had not authorized it. When it was, the F. A. A. played the card it had used before: It shut down airspace."

[NathanDavis]

not like they would care about any legality...

[goaded]

I think this is just pure incompetence. Just what you want from a government agency.

[NathanDavis]

I happen to think they do it on purpose, as they can obviously get away with it

corruption plus impunity... makes these things happen

[AviatorTom]

I know the song.

I rarely pay much attention to any song's lyrics... The music is more important.

[exitseven]

no but I know 99 bottles of beer on the wall.

[goaded]

Did you see the Golden Girls episode with that?

[exitseven]

no. I missed it.

[goaded]

I can't remember her name, but the ditzy one sang it up to when they got home, and stopped dead at three bottles.

Twice, now, Trump's minions have shot down things, closing airspace, that were zero threat to the US.

[exitseven]

it is better thsn letting a Chinese spy balloon travel across the country before shootin it down over the ocean.

[goaded]

The Army shot down a Border Patrol drone in public airspace. Total incompetence.

[exitseven]

there are so many drones flying around it is probavbly difficult to keep track of them all. Maybe we should require transponders in drones?

[fish5505_87]

May she rest in peace.

[goaded]

Gabriele Susanne Kerner 24 March 1960 (age 65) Not dead.

[fish5505_87]

Right, It was one of the other members Carlo Karges, I remember hearing vocalist of Nena passing away, I just looked it up, he was backup vocals. Pays to listen better. Thanks!