I hope you are preparing for a beautiful family Christmas celebration.
But are you up at night worrying about the drones?
Reports of mysterious objects and lights in the sky are pouring in, especially from New Jersey, but also from all over the U.S. and UK. And from some other places in the world, such as the U.S. base in Ramstein, Germany. Some of them are said to be drones.
U.S. government spokespersons have said that the investigation is ongoing, and so far no threats have been detected. Most sightings were cases of mistaken identities of lawful aircraft. Testimony from the FBI and Justice Department state that there are “gaps in legal authorities,” and officials call for legislation giving yet more authority to the government. The official response could be a clever attempt to calm us down while seizing even more power. It could involve denial of secret military activities. It is far from being confidence inspiring.
Not surprisingly, there are lots of calls to “shoot them down”—whatever they are.
It is always good to ask: Why now? Who benefits?
What is indisputably happening now is that there are many serious problems worldwide, and the drones are a major distraction. One possible result is panic that may give more power to government, may restrict the rights of the public to use drones, may reshape the airline industry (like COVID-19 reshaped the retail industry), and may even provide the excuse to start a war (like the “weapons of mass destruction” rumors justifying the Iraq war). Also, a new Administration is being inaugurated on Jan. 20—an event various forces would like to prevent.
Here are some established facts:
- Both unjustified mass panics and real governmental conspiracies have occurred.
- London’s Gatwick airport was shut down for 3 days in December 2018, ruining Christmas for 140,000 passengers, because of reports of drones that never existed.
- Many countries have sophisticated drones, including Iran, Russia, Ukraine, and China. They use them for attacking enemies. Why use them to make a light show in New Jersey? If they are seeking surveillance of sensitive military facilities, in addition to their intelligence from satellites, balloons, and spies, why attract attention, and why do it at night?
- Keeping something aloft and moving requires an energy source, which produces heat. That heat should be detected by available methods.
- Objects must be launched and landed. Can they not be tracked by modern radar and similar technologies?
- Before AI became reality, drones required a pilot on the ground, using electronic signaling. Can the signals not be tracked or jammed, as is happening on the battlefield? Has AI become developed enough that despite current criticism it is now trusted to pilot large drones?
- There are laws of physics, and things that are impossible, like in magic shows, are tricks or illusions—unless we are dealing with a civilization that has conquered gravity and other natural forces, which they are for some reason choosing to exhibit over New Jersey in December 2024.
- Some of the objects display FAA-compliant lighting, suggesting that they may be either legally operating aircraft or objects disguised to look like that.
- Mysterious aerial phenomena have been observed since the 1600s if not earlier.
- Concerns about stolen nuclear weapons have been around for decades. The Nuclear Emergency Support Team (NEST) has been active for half a century. International agencies have been working on updated systems for their detection, especially in transport such as in container ships. However, radioactive material can be well shielded, and the level of radiation decreases with the square of the distance.
We need physical evidence, not just blurry photos, official opinions, and speculation—possibly an SUV-sized drone that crashed or that was followed until it landed. Meanwhile, we don’t know what is really happening—maybe more than one thing. But most important is not to panic. Panic is never helpful and usually a disaster.
As H.L. Mencken said, “The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.”
Concealed nuclear weapons are not imaginary, but if deeply buried years ago, their position might be revealed by detonation. In that case you need instruments at hand that can detect radiation levels that are immediately harmful, not ultrasensitive instruments on a drone somewhere. Those who educated themselves and made preparations are far more likely to survive.
Additional information:
To measure radiation that affects you, obtain a suitable instrument.