Another thing about the China business, that pisses me off

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Two days ago, I listened to NPR news, and the plane was referred to as a spy plane. That's crap, that's just going along with the Chinese line. It was a reconnaissance plane. Words, different words, are tremendously important in reporting this situation correctly.

Someone in NPR ought to be fired. In my dreams, I'm sure.

-- Anonymous, April 08, 2001

Answers

Peter,

It's being called a spy plane everywhere. Virtually every news source ends up calling it that. What difference does it make anyway? It *was* a spy plane afterall, chock full of special surveillance, listening, radar, etc. And, the Chinese have lots of *spies* right here in the US now, and everyone knows that too.

Nobody is kidding anybody at the level where all this stuff is being dealt with, and at the level where it will all be resolved. You, me, and everyone with an opinion can express our feelings and suggest a solution. In the end, though, the Bush people will settle it the way *they* want to settle it, according to what *they* deem important, and public opinion won't have much, if anything, to do with it.

-- Anonymous, April 08, 2001


Gordon, my understanding is that was NOT on a spy mission, irregardless of the equipment it carried. That is what is important in this case.

-- Anonymous, April 09, 2001

Peter,

Well, I have to admit you have me confused here. The plane was a high tech surveillance aircraft with a full crew doing specialized monitoring duty just off the coast of China. The flight was part of a regular routine that cruises along the perimeter about 4-5 times per week according to official admissions. So, why do you think it was *not* on a spy plane mission?

Keep in mind that as long as we are over international waters, which we were, the Chinese have no right to send their fighters right next to the plane and create a safety hazard, which is what they did. Further, they have no right to try to force the plane to head for China, which is what the other surviving fighter pilot said *he* did. Regardless, the surveillance we were doing is just spying, with a fancier word, outside the Chinese protected area. Our *spy* satellites are doing the very same thing.

-- Anonymous, April 09, 2001


Another thing, our opinion of international waters and the Chinese opinion of international waters differ...ergo, they say we were in their airspace and we say we weren't.

-- Anonymous, April 09, 2001

Gordon, after thinking deeply about this matter, I have concluded that you are correct.

-- Anonymous, April 09, 2001


Barefoot, you have me wondering what the vertical component of "international waters" is. Cuz we certainly "spy" satellites wandering around upstairs. I haven't heard China demand we deactivate our satellites, and some of them have pretty incredible resolution.

-- Anonymous, April 09, 2001

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