Home The mystery over the drones is quickly becoming a national hysteria
Politics, U.S. & World News

The mystery over the drones is quickly becoming a national hysteria

Chris Graham
drones
(© Дмитрий Пятаков – stock.adobe.com)

The issue with drone sightings on the East Coast, including Virginia, in recent days is now borderline hysteria on the order of the post-World War II UFO hysteria.

And it’s bipartisan, meaning, we’re all in on it – whatever it is.

And since we’re Americans, and we don’t know what it is that we’re dealing with, the one thing we’re agreeing on is, the best way to approach this is to shoot first and ask questions later.

“Why can’t we bag at least one of these drones and get to the bottom of it?” New Jersey Republican Congressman Chris Smith said this week, as he called on the Pentagon to authorize the use of force to shoot down the drones that are said to be hovering in the night skies, so that we can figure out who is behind them.

Richard Blumenthal, the Connecticut Democratic senator, echoed the sentiment, saying on Thursday the drones should be “shot down, if necessary.”

“We should be doing some very urgent intelligence analysis and take them out of the skies, especially if they’re flying over airports or military bases,” Blumenthal said.


ICYMI


Everybody is frustrated with the Biden administration, which continues to insist that it thinks the drones are actually just manned aircraft that people are misidentifying as being something nefarious, though a military spokesperson conceded on Saturday that, bottom line, “we don’t know.”

The manned aircraft theory doesn’t hold up against the report that a New York airport had to shut down its runways on Friday night because of drone activity in the airspace, a fact confirmed by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

“This has gone too far,” said Hochul, a Democrat, who is calling on the feds to give more investigative authority to state and local law enforcement to get to the bottom of whatever is going on.

“Extending these powers to New York State and our peers is essential,” Hochul said. “Until those powers are granted to state and local officials, the Biden administration must step in by directing additional federal law enforcement to New York and the surrounding region to ensure the safety of our critical infrastructure and our people.”

There have been reports of mysterious drones flying over three Northern Virginia counties and over areas in Hampton Roads near military installations in that area, prompting Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, to encourage residents who think they see something unusual in the skies to call a state tip line.

“The Commonwealth of Virginia is home to a significant number of national security and critical infrastructure sites upon which our nation depends each and every day. I remain deeply concerned that Virginia has consistently sought information from federal partners, and to date, the information shared with the Commonwealth has been insufficient,” Youngkin said.

Because so much about this is unknown, even, and this has to be said, if there even is anything to this other than mass hysteria, speculation is running rampant.

Smith, the New Jersey congressman, is of the opinion that “the elusive maneuvering of these drones suggests a major military power sophistication that begs the question whether they have been deployed to test our defense capabilities, or worse, by violent dictatorships, perhaps maybe Russia, or China, or Iran, or North Korea.”

Podcaster Joe Rogan, who claims to be apolitical, but has been siding with the MAGAs for a while npw, is floating another theory, from a TikTok video posted by a guy who claims to be the CEO of a drone manufacturing company, who claims to have inside information suggesting that the drones are actually the U.S. government searching for a missing Ukrainian nuclear warhead.

“I spoke to a gentleman a few months ago who was trying to raise an alarm to the highest levels of our government, which they had their ears closed, about this one particular nuclear warhead that he physically put his hands on,” said the man, who goes by the TikTok handle @john.ferguson.730, and has convinced himself that there is radioactive material somewhere along an interstate in New Jersey that would point the government trackers in the direction of the location of the missing warhead.

Rogan’s take on this, to his army of bros who tune into his podcasts:

“This is the first video about these drones that has got me genuinely concerned.”

Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham, the king of "fringe media," a zero-time Virginia Sportswriter of the Year, and a member of zero Halls of Fame, is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].

Latest News

Arts & Culture, Virginia News

Virginia Lottery offers Thank a Teacher Art Contest for K-12 public school students

Local News, Politics

Staunton City Council to continue discussions of facilities, pool fee increases

Discussion at the January 9, 2025 regular meeting of Staunton City Council included the possibility of increasing pool and facility activities fees at Gypsy Hill Park and Montgomery Hall Park. City Manager Leslie Beauregard said city staff has worked with Staunton Parks & Recreation, and city staff requested a discussion to increase fees. City staff...

real estate fraud
Virginia News

Virginia man who bounced check to buy $1.3 million home pleads guilty to fraud

A Virginia man pleaded guilty to real estate and tax fraud after he attempted to buy a $1.3 million home in Roanoke County with a fake check.

woman withdrawing funds from bank
Local News

Former Staunton School Board chair, sister turn themselves in, released on unsecured bond

notre dame micah shrewsberry
Basketball, Sports

Preview: What UVA Basketball fans need to know about Notre Dame

donald trump maga
Politics, U.S. & World News

Don Beyer: Schedule F order is a recipe for corruption that will make the country less safe

ryan dunn reece beekman nba
Basketball, Sports

‘Hoos in the NBA: Ryan Dunn, Reece Beekman face off in NBA for the first time