Chinese spying. Ha!
What will the balloon learn that Siri and Alexa don’t already know?
The Chinese balloon is an opportunity for Republicans to display pugnaciousness and outrage.
At first it was easy for them: Weak Biden. Negligent Biden. Soft-on-China Biden. Should-a, should-a. Then it got complicated. Apparently Chinese balloons entered U.S. airspace three times during the Trump administration. The general in charge of North American Aerospace Command said, "we did not detect those threats. And that’s a domain awareness gap that we have to figure out."
Now the GOP outrage isn't about incursions. It is about how vigorously a president rattles the saber when a president does learn about an incursion. The issue is on-brand for the GOP, demonstrating that Republicans are angrier than "sleepy Joe." Republicans risk looking "soft" because they are divided on Ukraine and Russia's ambitions in Eastern Europe. Tanks are 20th Century and they cost tax money. China is the up-to-date 21st Century threat. Better to be outraged over China than Russia.
I consider the whole balloon matter to be posturing and performance. It isn't about spying. That horse has left the barn. it is primate behavior about aggression display. This is my territory, my harem. Scram.
Google Earth satellites are taking high resolution photographs of the earth 24-7, and posting them on line for the world to see. Military photographs are far more detailed than the ones we see. GPS satellites allow inexpensive hand-held commercial devices to know where they are within feet, and possibly inches. Moreover, those maps and Artificial Intelligence programs have memory and intuition. They recognize patterns. My phone knows when I have walked from my kitchen to the carport and it alerts me that the farm is 11 miles away, that traffic is slow, and there is construction on Foothill Road. If my phone knows my routines, China can know them.
At the grocery store, there are multiple items on sale, but only for "Albertsons Club" members. Albertsons gives me discounts in return for letting them track me. If Albertsons knows what brand of toothpaste I buy, so does China.
The Hammacher-Schlemmer people send me an email every few days with potential oddball items I might want to buy. Out of idle curiosity yesterday at 3:32 p.m. I clicked on an image of an Air Force bomber jacket. I don't need it, I don't want it. I immediately deleted it. At 4:21 I get an email suggesting I take another look. They are watching. They noticed. If the Hammacher-Schlemmer people noticed, China noticed, or could if they cared.
Pacific Power knows how much electricity I am using at every meter at every moment. My daily usage is on line for my inspection and convenience. Spectrum TV knows what I watch on the television. Netflix, too. Amazon Prime Video knows what I watch plus what I buy plus what I clicked on but didn't buy. I don't use Twitter or Facebook much, but they know who my friends are and what they say about themselves.
Politicians of both parties worry about TikTok. Young people apparently love it and spend hours watching short videos curated just for them. It is owned by the Chinese, which worries American politicians because they fear China is spying on kids and warping their minds. It is as if the information China has access to, and the influence they have, is any different and more dangerous than what public stockholders, Elon Musk, or partisan Americans might do.
When I want a bit of mindless relaxation I go to YouTube and click on the "Shorts" at the bottom of the screen. It is YouTube's version of TikTok. They have an uncanny ability to predict what I would find interesting. Only, it isn't uncanny. I have a Gmail account. I use Google's Chrome browser. Google and Apple know everything, including which short videos I watched to the end.
Safe and secure, and in the privacy of our homes, Siri and Alexa are listening.
Like most other Americans, I am wearing a wire and a tracking device. The Chinese don't need a balloon to spy on us. We do it to ourselves.
As Pogo once said, "We have met the enemy, and he is us."