Narrowly averted threat

I've changed my mind about whether the government would shoot something down without knowing what it was.

Probably.  And what did it cost to scramble TWO F-22s and fire a fucking AIM-9X Sidewinder missile at it?

A military spokesperson tells NPR it's their understanding that the FBI has spoken to the hobbyist group in question — the Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade, based just north of Chicago — in an apparent attempt to determine whether their small ["pico" balloon, similar to a Mylar party balloon,] might have inadvertently caused a big ruckus.

  NPR

Oh sure. Blame the hobbyists. Not the knee-jerk, politically coward government that freaked out after Republicans started squealing about incompetence for not immediately shooting down a Chinese spy balloon that they knew was a Chinese spy balloon.

[The Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade] say their balloon launches follow all federal regulations.

[...]

K9YO-15 was launched last fall by members of the Bottlecap Balloon club — the group takes its name from the Pixar movie Up, which prominently features both balloons and a bottle cap.

Its journey began with a launch from Libertyville, Ill., on Oct. 10, 2022. Before it disappeared, it was one of the club's longest-flying balloons; in its 123 days aloft, it had circumnavigated the Earth nearly seven times.

[...]

The Biden administration said on Friday that it cannot confirm any reports potentially identifying the objects that were shot down, citing ongoing investigations.

Shoot first. Identify later.

In the days since, speculation has grown over the possibility that the U.S. Air Force shot down the 32-inch silver Mylar balloon. On Friday, the NIBBB posted a statement saying there is presently no connection between its balloon and the unidentified object shot down by the F-22 last weekend.

Well, shit. I wouldn't expect anything left to BE recovered after shooting down a mylar balloon with a Sidewinder!

Balloons like K9YO-15 are inexpensive — when asked for a cost estimate, Bowen replied, "I don't think you'd break $100."

"Some of them are the same silver balloons you buy in the grocery store," he said, "and I mean from the same manufacturer of the same model."

[...]

"These balloons are pressurized just below the point of popping," Bowen said. "So if you can hit them with [aircraft] turbulence, they'll pop. If they get hit with a sonic boom from nearby, absolutely going to pop. Those are the easiest ways to pop them."

Or you could use a Sidewinder missile.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

UPDATE 09:40 am:

Your tax dollars at work.