We went nuts over a balloon! Thank you for saving us, Rihanna

[marmar]

We went nuts over a balloon! Thank you for saving us, Rihanna
It ought to be a "teachable moment": This country is deeply unhinged. Now back to fake history and George Santos

By BRIAN KAREM
Columnist
PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 16, 2023 9:00AM (EST)


(Salon) Scientists cannot explain human consciousness or how we got it.

That explains politics.

Some believe they understand it.

That explains religion.

Who the hell knows how we achieve consciousness?

That explains the rest of us.

We struggle to figure it all out, often with inadequate information and limited time to verify it. Some say the resulting cultural ennui from this predicament has given rise to the popularity of zombie movies, lack of sense of humor, bland pop music and politicians who lack bladder control. But enough about George Santos.

Dystopia seems to be our creative narrative for the future.

....(snip)....

Nothing is more emblematic of our national delusion than our recent obsession with several things shot out of the sky by fighter jets over the past week. Some have taken joy in the spectacle and some are terrified, but corporate media is just happy to have product to sell. We can't get enough.

It's not aliens. It's not the beginning of World War III (unless we're really stupid). It's not my son flying his toy drone.

....(snip)....

No matter. The world went nuts. Republicans went nuts trying to capitalize on others who went nuts. The comments, many of them insipid and stupid, most inane and some comical, left me shaking my head. The frenzy, in retrospect, was a seminal moment that shows just how damn delusional we are — even as we remain nominally conscious. ............(more)

https://www.salon.com/2023/02/16/we-went-nuts-over-a-balloon-thank-you-for-saving-us-rihanna/

[Ray Bruns]

1. The only frenzy I noticed were republicans using it to bash Joe Biden and the MSM

Using it to boost ratings. I have hardly paid attention to it at all.

[Xoan]

2. It was a test

We flunked.

[Wonder Why]

3. On the other hand, there are some terrible possibilities:

1) We need to know about and track as well as limit objects moving along at passenger jet altitudes to avoid an air disaster.

2) They could have been domestic or foreign terrorism with explosive, biological or chemical agents.

3) They could be tests by domestic or foreign terrorists to see if we would or could do something so a future one might be something worse.

It's important that the government know of the potential and how to address them in the future. Similarly, the American public needs to know the truth about them.

If the FAA can strictly regulate the use of zillions of drones, both commercial and recreational as they do now, they should have a way to register and regulate the much smaller number of balloons which can be released from far greater distances.