🛸 Drone Zone

Sky-high mystery: Are the drones American, foreign, or something else?

December 16, 2024

The Flag


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Left: The Bigger Vigilante-Worship Problem Is On the Right, Zak Cheney-Rice, New York Magazine

Left: Wray Broke a Prime Rule of Dealing With Trump, Jackie Calmes, Los Angeles Times

Left: Donald Trump Is Picking Fights. Will Anyone Hit Back? Susan Glasser, The New Yorker

Right: Time For National Conversation About Left-Wing Violence, David Harsanyi, Washington Examiner

NATIONAL SECURITY

Drone Zone

Today’s Top Story: Mysterious drone clusters spotted across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York have prompted FBI investigations and widespread speculation, as officials, including Gov. Phil Murphy, express frustration over the lack of answers regarding their origin and purpose.

Reporting from the Left: New Jersey drone cluster sightings prompt call for ‘state of emergency’ (The Guardian)

Reporting from the Right: New Jersey drones: NORTHCOM not yet asked by local officials for help (Fox News)

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Hovering Hype

The Top Argument From The Left: Mysterious drone sightings in New Jersey prompt security concerns. Here’s what we know, Lauren Mascarenhas et al., CNN: “Federal investigators have yet to corroborate any drone sightings with electronic detection, the joint statement said. It noted that some images of reported sightings appear to show manned aircraft that are being operated legally. … The US intelligence community and federal law enforcement do not suspect foreign involvement in the New Jersey drone sightings, security officials told members of Congress Thursday in a private briefing. According to a source familiar with the briefing conducted by representatives from the FBI, DHS, and FAA, authorities told key lawmakers assigned to congressional national security committees they do not believe the sightings involved an overseas connection, the use of foreign drones, nor an operator on the ground connected to a foreign government. Officials said sighted drones have been observed with FAA-required anticollision lights and are not believed to have entered any restricted airspaces, according to the source. Lawmakers were also told many of the recently reported sightings are believed to have been civilian aircraft mistaken for drones, the source said. Still, several New Jersey politicians have expressed their mounting frustration with what they believe to be inaction from the federal government on the drone sightings.”

Honorable Mention #2: MTG Has a Brand-New Insane Conspiracy Theory, Ellie Quinlan Hoghtaling, The New Republic

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Insufficient Response

The Top Argument From The Right: ‘Amateur Hour’: GOP Rep Calls BS On Pentagon’s Response To Mystery Drones, Daniel Chaitin, The Daily Wire: “The Pentagon‘s dismissal of the claim that mystery drones flying over New Jersey are linked to Iran was ‘amateur hour,’ Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) said on Thursday. Van Drew caused a stir on Wednesday when he revealed that ‘qualified sources’ told him the drones are coming from an Iranian ‘mothership’ off the East Coast of the U.S., but Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters at a news conference there was ‘no truth’ to the assertion. … Van Drew said ‘of course’ people are concerned and stressed that what he did was pass forward information from sources who possess a ‘high-security clearance.’ … Van Drew argued the drone reports indicate they are too ‘sophisticated’ to be flown by hobbyists or come from a U.S. company. He also contended the drones could be launched from a ship hundreds of miles out at sea, perhaps from China or another country, if not Iran. ‘Why don’t they take one of them down, analyze it, and let us know what’s really happening,’ he said. ‘I hope they know more than they’re telling us … It’s about time they leveled with the truth.’”

FLAG THIS

Sightings to Secrets

Last year, ahead of a Congressional hearing on UFO sightings, a poll highlighted Americans' varied beliefs and experiences with other-worldly phenomena:

  • In 2023, 42% of Americans indicated believing in UFOs, and 1 in 10 claimed to have seen one (Ipsos).

  • In 2021, a poll found that 50% believe military UFO sightings are probable or definite evidence of extraterrestrial life (Pew Research Center).

  • In 2019, 68% of Americans think the U.S. government knows more about UFOs than it admits (Gallup).

The data reflects increasing public interest in UFO phenomena alongside persistent conspiracy concerns (The Hill).

Do you believe the government knows more than it’s letting on regarding these drone sightings?

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WATERCOOLER

Tea-Tossing Triumph, Decisions Made Simple, Echoes of Alexandria

On this day in 1773, in Boston Harbor, a group of Massachusetts colonists disguised as Mohawk Indians boarded three tea ships and dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor.

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If we get 1,000 paying subscribers by December 31, we’ll continue this newsletter in 2025. If we don’t, we will discontinue.

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