Rural Routes/Margot Ford McMillen

Chinese Balloons Come and Go Down

On Monday, Feb. 13, I woke up with a thought I’ve never had in my life. The thought was, “I wonder if we shot anything down last night.” While I was asleep, what happened?

But that was the wrong question. The real question is, “In China, who’s running the show?” The first announcements from China indicate that the balloon was launched by a private business interested in weather. The US expressed doubts and pointed out that in China, private businesses have government connections always.

I have friends—many as time goes on—who have stopped watching the news. Their reasons vary from “It’s too stressful” to “I can’t believe the media” to “I get all my news from Stephen Colbert.” Really? Are they missing all the fun? Or do they just want to be surprised when the really big stuff happens? In my opinion, we all need to be paying attention to the media and nudging them to more responsible reporting.

But, to review the Chinese balloon story: The first Chinese balloon was spotted and announced on Feb. 1. After a couple of days of publicity, concerns in Washington had risen to the point that a visit to China by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was cancelled. US media began to call the balloon a “spy balloon.”

At our house in Missouri, the balloon was still a curiosity. We were disappointed that we hadn’t run outside at the right time to see it fly over our farm — a big round balloon carrying an object the size of two buses. It flew over St. Louis, then proceeded east. On Feb. 4, it was felled by the US as it reached the Atlantic Ocean.

On Feb. 7, the President delivered his State of the Union speech and I ended up with warm feelings for the old fossil Biden and his sidekick Kamala Harris. “Maybe I’ll vote for them again,” I told myself, still hoping there would be other choices. He didn’t really mention the balloon by name, but we knew what he meant when he said, “I’m committed to work with China where we can advance American interests and benefit the world. But make no mistake about it: As we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country.”

Strong words, but not words that will lead to dialogue with the Chinese.

The second balloon appeared over Alaska on Friday, Feb. 10, flying at 40,000 feet, which is within the altitude allowed for passenger planes. It was (according to pilots that flew past it) unmanned, unmanueverable and about the size of a small car. Yes, that could do significant damage to an unwary passenger plane. The US shot it down over Alaska. Another small object was shot down over Canada, and another over Lake Huron on Sunday. A week after these adventures, the media dubbed all these incursions as “spy balloons.” Biden has stayed calm, mute even, waiting to learn more. He might be the biggest beneficiary of the whole balloon story.

All this sent me to the pickup to wipe the dirt off my bumper sticker saying “I’m already against the next war” and it led my husband and his son to cancel an airplane trip to L.A., just in case there were more balloons floating along the West Coast. As I write this, the US is recovering pieces and finding gadgets capable of collecting information from radar and internet. Officials were convinced that the intelligence-gathering capabilities are more military than weather-related. So far, Chinese leader Xi Jinping has remained silent – at a time when a few words from him could make the world of difference. An apology? An explanation? Either one could open the way to dialogue.

While Xi has remained silent, the Chinese media has been following the story. One source said that a Chinese news outlet reported, “President Biden has only managed to make the US military look weaker by pitting fighter jets against a surveillance balloon and an unknown ‘object.’” They continued that the US has a ‘hysterical’ position on China.”

The statement proves that the Chinese have a sense of humor, but our media needs to act more responsibly. As my news-free friends might observe, the balloons have fallen completely off the media’s radar. Here are some questions our media might ask: Can the Chinese military act without the knowledge of their leader Xi Jinping? If no, why did they launch the balloon days before an anticipated visit by Secretary of State Blinken? If yes, was Xi sending a message to make Chinese strength clear before the visit? Either way, the information is important.

For China’s part, in reaction to the US shoot-downs, a Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, said that the US routinely sends balloons over Chinese air space—we have sent 10 since the beginning of 2023, he said.

Reporters? Are you paying attention?

Margot Ford McMillen farms near Fulton, Mo., and co-hosts “Farm and Fiddle” on sustainable ag issues on KOPN 89.5 FM in Columbia, Mo. Her latest book is “The Golden Lane: How Missouri Women Gained the Vote and Changed History.” Email: margot mcmillen@gmail.com.

From The Progressive Populist, April 1, 2023

Populist.com