US tacitly admits that the infamous 'Chinese spy balloon' was not spying

© 2023 Peter Free

 

30 June 2023

 

 

Think back to the ridiculous 'Chinese balloon' hullabaloo

 

From Reuters:

 

 

A Chinese spy balloon that flew over the United States earlier this year before being shot down did not collect information as it went across the country, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

 

"We assess that it did not collect while it was flying over the U.S.," Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder told reporters.

 

© 2023 Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali, Chinese spy balloon did not collect information over US, Pentagon says, Reuters (29 June 2023)

 

 

But — just to prove that our massively inflated defense budget . . .

 

. . . is up to its economy-destroying national security task, General Ryder added that — with regard to China's empty catch:

 

 

. . . certainly the efforts that we made contributed, I'm sure.

 

© 2023 U.S. Department of Defense, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder Holds a Press Briefing, defense.gov (29 June 2023)

 

 

In other words

 

After shooting a Chinese weather balloon down — and belatedly doing so along the US east coast, after the balloon had transited most of the country — the USA could — nevertheless — be "sure" that its delayed balloon-blasting had — magically and retroactively — worked to frighten the infamously "Chinese" device into not spying — days before, when it originally began its US transit starting at the North American west coast.

 

Now, there's a wizardly effective use of the United States' trillion dollar defense budget.

 

 

The moral? — When in American leadership . . .

 

. . . and having acted (and been caught acting) like belligerent fools for many previous weeks — double down afterward. By advancing another absurd claim that further demonstrates our malignant dipshittedness.

 

Notice that no one in US authority apologized to the Chinese for having intentionally maligned them.