FlowVoid

joined 1 year ago
[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

There are plenty of recent examples of the SCOTUS inappropriately making up new religious rights. But this is not one of them. The court even pointed out that their decision could be used against religious expression.

For example, if a Christian asked an atheist to design a "He gets us" ad, then previously the atheist might have violated the law if he refused (since religion is a protected class). According to the new SCOTUS ruling, the atheist cannot be punished for refusing.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

This ruling was not based on religion.

Basically, if your job involves messaging, then you can refuse to produce messages you don't agree with. It doesn't necessarily have to do with religion.

For example, suppose a Russian hired you to make a pro-Putin website. You can refuse, even if there is a state law barring discrimination by national origin.

This only applies to messaging. If the same Russian wanted to eat at your restaurant or stay in your hotel, you cannot refuse on the basis of his ethnicity.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

No digging required, it's all on the surface.

Even the headline to the original article said the balloon did not collect information. It never said the balloon did not carry surveillance equipment, you incorrectly assumed that.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

US *admitted that there is no spy equipment on the balloon.

Once again, you are making things up.

The US said the spy balloon was certainly capable of spying, but it did not collect information over the US, in part because of the American response.

"We're aware that it had intelligence collection capabilities, but it was our -- and it has been our -- assessment now that it did not collect while it was transiting the United States," Ryder said during a briefing, adding, "As we said at the time, we also took steps to mitigate the potential collection efforts."

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (4 children)

And does it explain how air currents can add two thousand pounds of equipment to a balloon?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (6 children)

You should read the articles before you link to them. This one describes normal weather balloons, which are far smaller than the Chinese balloons and can only travel about 100 miles.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (8 children)

Sure, it's possible that China deployed a completely novel type of weather balloon. But if so, it should not be surprised by the interception of its unusual balloon when it entered US airspace.

For that matter, if you designed a brand new weather instrument that was carried in the back of a Cessna, and then you flew that Cessna into Chinese airspace to carry out your measurements, then you should expect to be intercepted and probably arrested. After all, Mathias Rust was sentenced to four years for violating Soviet airspace.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (10 children)

I'm afraid you are the one making things up. The article doesn't say anything about balloons following air currents, quite the opposite:

That’s because balloons still offer unique advantages: They don’t disturb their surrounding environment, they’re very gentle on scientific instruments, they can hover in one place for extended periods of time

Normal weather balloons are far smaller and incapable of crossing an ocean. The Chinese balloon was not a normal weather balloon.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (12 children)

But real weather balloons do not follow air currents. They ascend and descend over the same point, so that they can be easily recovered by real scientists. Real weather balloons are also far smaller. Various scientists, not just Americans, said that the Chinese balloons did not resemble the instruments they use.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (14 children)

There have been multiple incidents of Chinese balloons that "flew off course" and ended up over sovereign airspace.

If China doesn't want its balloons destroyed, it will have to do a better job controlling its "research instruments".

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (16 children)

And The Guardian referred to it as a spy balloon right in this very article.

Incidentally, the Pentagon said it did not collect information over the US. Perhaps it was intended to collect information elsewhere.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

I believe what we have here is the rare double-reverse-whoosh

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