World War Balloon!🤣 Seriously, Why is the USA Obsessed with Balloons? - RawCut Analysis Episode 1

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Experience the story of one of the most bizarre geo-political events of 2023 (so far) with RawCut Analysis Host, Rhys Jarrett. Join him as he takes a look back and compares the infamous Balloon Boy situation of 2009 and the suspected “Spy” Balloons of 2023. Why is the US Department of Defense putting the blame for a balloon on the People's Republic of China?

He also asks, who is YuMi? And why is CNN going after her? Join Rhys Jarrett as he dives into these stories, analyzing the necessary details behind these events.

Voice-over Credits:

• ElevenLabs: https://elevenlabs.io
• Caleb Maupin: https://twitter.com/realcalebmaupin

Did you like this first episode of RawCut Analysis? If you think that we should create more let us know on social media using the handle @RawCutAU.

Video Transcript:

Rhys Jarret (RawCut Analysis Host): This story is one of the most bizarre geo-political events that we would experience in 2023, events that deserve some reflection.

Welcome friends, my name is Rhys Jarrett and here is an analysis.

(RawCut Analysis Intro Title)

Rhys Jarrett: Even though the events I alluded to occurred just a week ago, as of recording, we start this analysis in 2009, when this odd incident flashed onto the television screens of the USA.

MSNBC Clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IuU1JEXayU

MSNBC Host: I'm gonna ask all three of you to hang on just a minute because we have rather an incredible breaking news story that we're following right now. This is coming to us out of Colorado, what you all see right there is an experimental aircraft. That, inside of which is a six-year-old boy, who got into that aircraft not that long ago, and accidentally launched it it's hard to believe but it is absolutely true. It's coming to us, this is the balloon, it is coming to us from KUSA, the choppers taking pictures.

Rhys Jarrett: On October 15th, 2009, in Fort Collins, in the US state of Colorado. The Heene family were experimenting with a homemade helium balloon that accidentally lost its moorings, with Richard and Mayumi Heene the parents of the then six-year-old boy Falcon Heene, believing that their son was trapped inside. A massive air and ground search was launched, involving several government agencies and emergency services, with the country's news media having their microphones and cameras eagerly pointed at the events.

The balloon travelled over 96 kilometres across Colorado, even causing a suspension of flights at Denver International Airport. However, when the balloon eventually landed it was found to be empty, Falcon was found hiding in the attic of the family home back in Fort Collins.

Later that day the Heene family were doing the media rounds, On CNN’s "Larry King Live", young Falcon made this interesting statement.

CNN Clip: https://youtu.be/wI6UONWCq7A

CNN Host: Did he hear you screaming out “Falcon! Falcon!”?

Richard Heene: Uh he’s asking Falcon, did you hear us calling your name at any time?

Falcon Heene: Humm. (in agreement)

Richard Heene: You did?

Mayumi Heene: You did?

Richard Heene: Well why didn't you come out?

Falcon Heene: Um… You guys said… That um… We did this for the show.
(Inaudible)
Mayumi Heene: No?

Rhys Jarrett: The major narrative suddenly flipped, from being sympathetic to the Heene family, to the media believing that this entire situation was a hoax, with the police investigation into the matter arriving at the following opinion.

Voice-over: "The plan was to create a situation where it appeared Falcon was in the craft and that his life was in jeopardy in order to gain a lot of publicity with the ultimate goal of gaining some notoriety and perhaps furthering their careers by gaining a contract for a reality TV show". - Colorado sheriff Jim Alderden in 2009

Quote Source: BBC/Colorado Sherriff https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55436883

Rhys Jarrett: The parents were eventually fined $36,000 US Dollars and they both served a small stint in prison.

But It should be mentioned that Richard Heene has continuously proclaimed his innocence since the balloon event, also Falcon and several independent researchers have raised significant concerns about the police process, and the behaviour of US mainstream media around the incident.

And it should also be noted that in 2020, the then Governor of the US state of Colorado, Jared Polis, granted a pardon to Richard and Mayumi Heene stating:

Voice-over: “We are all ready to move past the spectacle from a decade ago that wasted the precious time and resources of law enforcement officials and the general public. Richard and Mayumi have paid the price in the eyes of the public, served their sentences, and it’s time for all of us to move on.” - Governor Jared Polis in 2020.

Quote Souce: https://www.colorado.gov/governor/news/3841-governor-polis-announces-clemency-22-individuals

Rhys Jarrett: But it’s too late, the seed of what became known as the quote-on-quote ‘Balloon boy hoax’ (end quote), had been sown by the mainstream media and popular meme crowd. A seed that would sprout on February 2nd 2023

NBC News Now Clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6PqVobqcUg

NBC News Now Host: Tonight, breaking news as we come on the air. A suspected Chinese spy balloon detected in the skies over the US. That balloon, spotted hovering over Montana after flying across Canada. What the White House is saying about the threat level at this hour.

Rhys Jarrett: And no. It wasn't just NBC that was taking this seriously it was all of them.

RT News Clip: https://odysee.com/@RT:fd/Balloon_0302:e

ABC Host: We begin tonight with the breaking headline today.

CNN Host: The suspected Chinese spy balloon is floating over the northern US.

CBS Host: A suspected Chinese spy balloon.

ABC Host: A suspected Chinese spy balloon.

NBC News Now Host: There is a suspected Chinese spy balloon.

CNN Host: That balloon is the size of 3 buses.

ABC Host: It was spotted over Montana. Montana of course home to several sensitive nuclear sites.

Rhys Jarrett: Contrary to the implication from those de rigueur news readers the balloon was not first detected over the US state of Montana, but days prior in Alaska, where it then travelled south over Canada, and then onto Montana.

RT Map: https://odysee.com/@RT:fd/Lionel_0403:d

As soon as the news of the balloon hit the airwaves the US-centric commentariat kicked into gear, enraged, demanding that the balloon gets shot down, on February 4th their wish was granted.

ABC7 News Clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YckUuED0xY

ABC (USA) Reporter: US authorities searching for debris in the Atlantic Ocean after shooting down a Chinese surveillance balloon, Navy and Coast Guard ships establishing a security perimeter in U.S Waters. Earlier in the day an F-22 firing a single missile, separating the payload from the balloon, and plunging the two more than 60 thousand feet into the Atlantic Ocean, in US Waters. The operation kicked off just after 1 pm Eastern Saturday, with the FAA closing the airspace for parts of the Carolinas.

FAA Radio: Due to National Security security all aircraft are instructed to land as soon as possible.

ABC (USA) Reporter: Roughly 90 minutes later the Jets successfully taking out the balloon, President Biden, who approved the operation, praising the effort.

USA President Biden: I ordered the pentagon to shoot it down on Wednesday as soon as possible without doing damage to anyone on the ground. It was decided that the best time to do that was out over the water.

Rhys Jarrett: The reply to Biden from the aforementioned commentariat for that stance of waiting until the balloon is out over the water to shoot it down, was, why? And they have a point, if this balloon is so dangerous then why does it only gain attention from the media once it has crossed half of North America? And if it’s so dangerous then why is it allowed to cross the entire North American continent before the US air force shoots it down? Therefore another question deserves to be asked, why can it be asserted that this balloon is a ‘spy balloon’? Because as you have seen, no one has presented any practical evidence to show that it is definitely a ‘spy balloon’.

On the other hand, the People's Republic of China does have a believable explanation, as stated by their Foreign Ministry.

Voice-over: “China expresses its strong dissatisfaction and protest against the US’s use of force to attack civilian unmanned airships. The Chinese side has repeatedly informed the US side after verification that the airship is for civilian use and entered the US due to force majeure, which was completely accidental. China clearly requires the US to handle it properly in a calm, professional and restrained manner. A spokesman for the US Department of Defense also stated that the balloon will not pose a military or personal threat to ground personnel. Under such circumstances, the U.S. insists on using force, obviously overreacting and seriously violating international practice. China will resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of relevant companies, while reserving the right to make further necessary reactions.” - China Ministry of Foreign Affairs, February 5th 2023.

Quote Source: China Ministry of Foreign Affairs via: https://dennismichaellynch.com/breaking-china-protests-us-downing-of-balloon-in-newly-released-statement/

Rhys Jarrett: Yes, a spokesman for the US Department of Defense did say that, and here it is.

USA DoD Clip Source: https://d34w7g4gy10iej.cloudfront.net/video/2302/DOD_109438378/DOD_109438378-1920x1080-6000k.mp4

USA DoD Spokesman: Again, we currently assess that the balloon does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground at this time, and we'll continue to review — or excuse me — continue to monitor and review options.

Rhys Jarrett: On top of that, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s US foreign correspondent, Barbera Miller, had this interesting piece of information to add.

ABC (AUS) Clip Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FpIq-ajUAw

ABC (AUS) Reporter: A senior defence official says there's been a handful of similar balloon incidents in recent years, but the officials speaking on condition of anonymity said what's different about this one. is that the balloon appears to be hanging around for a long time.

Rhys Jarrett: Well Barbera, in general, it’s the nature of helium gas-filled balloons to float, but your initial not independently verified statement about “multiple incidents” leads us to another unanswered question. Why is this balloon so important? And no, the floating claim isn’t convincing. Well, scratch that, the entire saga isn't convincing.

How can a spy balloon practically increase the capability of Chinese intelligence when they already have satellite surveillance facilities? Given the pride they have around the successful launch and use of their Tiangong manned space station, I think their satellite capability is highly advanced. On top of that, if the People's Republic of China is so malicious, then why don't they use surveillance equipment attached to their airliners that overfly the USA? Apparently (according to the narrative), they just need a balloon for some reason.

But let's just say I’m wrong, and the balloon is for the purposes of Chinese intelligence gathering. The universal outrage about this balloon is still irrational, why? The United States of America is only too familiar with using balloons for intelligence gathering, they have done it many times. So one who gives it, you would think they would the ability to take it. Well no, not the United States.

Image Source: https://theintercept.com/2023/02/07/china-balloon-soviet-union/

Rhys Jarrett: It’s clear to me that this mishegoss is just another example of a Yankee spin cycle.

And speaking of Yankee spin cycles, how about this from CNN?

Voice-over: They eat ice cream and read ‘Harry Potter,’ but these North Korean YouTubers aren’t what they seem. By Jessie Yeung and Gawon Bae.

Rhys Jarrett: This story, if it’s even deserving of the term, is about a proud citizen of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea who goes by the screen name of YuMi, with CNN, seemingly in shock that a northerner can be happy.

Quote Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/04/asia/north-korea-youtuber-yumi-intl-hnk-dst/index.html

Voice-over Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0DZsC0iQoY

Voice-over: The young woman rifles through a fridge of popsicles, pulling out several to show the camera.

“This is milk flavor – the picture is so cute,” she says in English, pointing to the cartoon packaging with a smile. “And this is peach flavor.” After finally selecting an ice cream cone, she bites into it, declaring: “The biscuit is very delicious.”

The four-minute video has racked up more than 41,000 views on YouTube, but this is no ordinary vlog. The woman, who calls herself YuMi, lives in North Korea, perhaps the world’s most isolated and secretive nation.

Her YouTube channel, created last June, is one of several social media accounts that have popped up across the internet in the past year or two, in which North Korean residents claim to share their everyday lives.

But experts say not all is as it seems in these videos, and that the images contain tell-tale signs that the lives displayed are far from the norm for the impoverished millions under the dictatorship of leader Kim Jong Un.

Quote Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/04/asia/north-korea-youtuber-yumi-intl-hnk-dst/index.html

Voice-over Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0DZsC0iQoY

Rhys Jarrett: Oh shut up! Just because you are depressed, doesn't mean that YuMi needs to be, and since when CNN became the arbiter of one’s pride in their country. What are we going to get next? Shock and awe that Australian children aren’t riding the Kangaroo to school? I suppose we’re just going to need to wait and see, for the next Yankee spin-cycle.

NBC News Clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4Hnb3Pqaxg

News Clip Source: CBS 17 WNCN (via terrestrial broadcast)

News Clip Source: ABC (AUS) (via terrestrial broadcast)

NBC News Host: And late tonight the Pentagon saying, they now believe there’s a second Chinese balloon that is floating over Latin America.

CBS 17 WNCN Host: Justin Tredeau announced that a US warplane shot down an unidentified object flying in Canadian air space.

ABC (AUS) Host: The Pentagon has confirmed the United States military has shot down another unidentified object, this time near the Canadian border. It’s the 4th object brought down by US fighter jets in just over a week.

Rhys Jerrett: Oh my, here we go again.

You can find more content from RawCut including our lifestyle interview show “Life Bursts with Matt and Sarah” at http://rawcut.au you can also find more of RawCut on social media using the handle @RawCutAU, my name is Rhys Jarrett, and remember to stay informed.

(RawCut Production End Credit)