They could follow a flight plan, but the limitations of their ability to see and avoid are severely limited. This is not a good idea in the confines of the U.S. The whole idea of a drone is not to have a flight plan in the conventional sense, since it isn't transportation but opportunistic surveillance. The FAA is on the edge of approving such flights, no doubt being coerced by law enforcement and budget cutters.

This isn't a "new" story. It was a drone. For those not familiar with US drone policies, here's some info from a few articles; first from WND:

"According to yesterday’s report from Bloomberg, police, fire and other government agencies now are being allowed to fly drones weighing as much as 25 pounds without special approvals previously needed.

The Federal Aviation Administration said on its website that the move was an interim step until the agency finishes rules that will open the door for commercial operation of drones, as well as those uses for government purposes. Congress has adopted the position of encouraging more drone flights, with the “goal of adapting technology used by the military in Iraq and Afghanistan.” The FAA said it had gotten requests from 61 police departments, agencies or universities to fly drones, including the Army, Air Force, Navy and others. The move toward drones, which will offer virtually unlimited spy options to watch U.S. citizens, has raised all sorts of privacy concerns, about which Krauthammer expressed an unreserved horror."

So, the government is advocating using drones as a means of survelience in the US. That is, they can be anywhere watching- you. Seach warrant anyone- not in the friendly skies. I'm not an advocate for criminal behavior but I do see some problems with drone use by many agencies. How long until a politician's friends use a drone to spy on an opponant and get some really cool pix of them on vacation or in a compromising position? From the WSJ:

"The Obama administration is weighing policy changes that would lift a tattered veil of secrecy from its controversial campaign of drone strikes, a recognition that the expanding program has become a regular part of U.S. global counterterrorism operations. U.S. drone strikes are hardly a secret. Officials have spoken openly about them, even discussing the operations in formal speeches. But they are still classified, and unauthorized disclosures about details of individual missions could constitute a felony."

So they are justifiying using drones against terrorists, etc. in the US. So, do they start with cameras on them? Maybe a firearm? Small missile? Where does it start and stop. If they are advocating "strikes" in the US, you have to assume that they will be heavily armed as in Afghanistan (hellfires, etc.).

Sounds a bit too "big brother" to me. They can watch you anywhere just because they can justify that someone in your area might be doing something wrong, then they can use lethal force as allowed by some classified regulation. I'm fine with getting a search warrant, searching your car if there is a suspician, etc. as they are today. It seems too far if they can monitor you all the time. I guess I should state that they can follow you via GPS too if they want to, so this is another expansion of power.

Feels like 1984... The government has drones, scans and pats us when we travel (TSA), can wire tap us,personal phones that can track our location, access to our bank accounts, and forces us to use man made drugs rather than holistic ones.

We sure have advanced.

At least it wasn't the balloon boy this time.

1984 and The Hunger Games are colliding in 2012

and to think, it only took a handful of terrorists to crash into a few buildings a decade ago to get us to this point. thank jebus they did...and think of all the war profiteers getting filthy rich, oh, of course they are doing great things to keep us safe...of course...not questioning any motives, never...

I can only hope a terrorist strikes us again so we can really ramp up this insanity and go full tilt.

I want peacekeepers in fancy suits and heavy artillery walking the streets everywhere, then i'll now im really safe.

lol I'm glad this article confirms how those in charge think us little people are dumb. My first thought was "they're gonna say its a weather balloon." and lo and behold, what do we have here?

"The Adams County Sheriff's Office said deputies found a 14-foot solar bag Tuesday around noon. It's basically a weather balloon that looks like a long, black pool noodle."

I can only hope a terrorist strikes us again so we can really ramp up this insanity and go full tilt.

I can't believe you could even type this. Apparently none of the nearly 3,000 people that died in on 9/11 were in any way related to you.

Jessica, that is the nature of terrorism.. They do something to plant the paranoia then their enemy does the rest to itself. Our governement is a bunch of greedy old bastards that are using the "fear" the terrorists put out there to control us. Go back through history and you'll see this trick used over and over. That is why so many believe the conspiricy theory that our very own government was resposable for the 911 attacks. Look how we have let them take away our rights in the name of keeping us safe. Nothing is easier to control than a group of scared people...

Anybody seen "balloon boy" lately?

Either there's not enough information yet to determine what this was or we're not going to be given enough, not allowed to know... but, I'm with NY Joe if it is indeed a drone. I would, to some extent, like to find it was and then publicly decried as being a danger, a serious one, and would greatly impede any usage of drones to spy on us.

To use on our borders for security? Yes, there's a role for drones; to catch me peeing in my backyard or going 42 in a 35 mph zone? No. Big difference between security and making $$ and spying on US citizens. I'm certain, though, that this already has lawyers salivating over anticipation of suits brought on by our own supposed government as well as defendants of illegal surveilance.

I'm glad that disaster was avoided, whatever the reason for the imminent threat was but again... if it was a drone related incident, hopefully this will do much to put the brakes on big brother becoming morbidly obese.....

General Dou**bag, "Weather balloons, swamp gas, fire flies, venus, chinese lanterns and flares have all been done. We need something new to cover up for the visitors!"

Captain Flunky, "How about drones sir!"

Most likely a drone conducting surveillance to see what, if anything, they can see. A clear constitutional violation but they figure they can get away with it because most people will never know they're being spied upon.

It has been demonstrated over and over again that if a government agency (local or otherwise) has the capability, it will be abused. This particular genie will be very difficult to put back in the bottle.

Spying on people with drones where will it end one day it will cause casualties and no one will be at fault

Drones. How else can the government keep you safe unless they spy on you? Have you learned nothing?

Except they already found the large solar bag that was probably the object they saw.

It was Underdog!

(speed of lightning, roar of thunder
fighting all who rob or plunder
Underdog. Underdog!)

"Government is supposed to protect our freedom, our property, our privacy, not invade it."

I wonder who said that?

As far as spying on Americans goes, there's nothing a drone can see that a helicopoter or satelite can't. Big Brother watching us is nothing new, just the methods he employs. Rule of thumb, if you don't want anyone to see what you're doing, do it under a roof.

Wow.. I'm not seeing the use of the abbreviation "UFO" once in the story or in the thread. Is it like.. a "bad" word now? People question whether or not UFOs exist.. and this story PROVES they exist. UFO stands for Unidentified Flying Object... not aliens/extraterrestrials.. this story is about an object that was flying, that no one could identify. IT WAS A UFO.

Wow.. I'm not seeing the use of the abbreviation "UFO" once in the story or in the thread. Is it like.. a "bad" word now.

It's a 'UFO' in the sense that it was unidentified, flying, and an object. But since it's a loaded phrase these days why would they use it?

This was not a Law Enforcement Drone, those are limited to 450 feet, so we are looking at a BIG bird yet small enough that radar could not see it and flying at 8,000 feet or a remote controlled aircraft (I would like to see a remote aircraft that will fly at 8000feet and you could still controll it) and then we have a funkly looking weather balloon (solar bag). Yea, sure, right sounds like Roswell again. Let's face it it was just swamp gas.

lolfatty-

so what's your point? you agreed it's a ufo...

yet another government-related stress factor to deal with while flying. Some police dip@!$%# may fly a 25 pound projectile into your plane.

when will people realize this behavior is really NOT making us safer?

I can already see somebody downing a plane with a drone and blaming it on terrorists.

Hello folks, while the elite (1%ers) have us playing the Democrat Republican blame game, they have us in fear, divided, and distracted while they have their way with us stealing our jobs, money, civil liberties and security .

Bush invokes preemptive war, Obama invokes remote controlled war. The repercussions are proving to not be in the best interest of the American people or humanity.

While we play the Democrat Republican blame game they take away our civil liberties through the passage of the Patriot Act, National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), National Defense Resources Preparedness Act (NDRP), and the house recently passed CISPA! They have authorized the use of spy drones in American skies! You can be surveilled by any number of Federal agencies, have your phone and computer tapped, bank, medical, and private records accessed! You can be arrested and detained as an enemy combatant without gaining access to an attorney or a trial. Old woman and children are molested at the airports or radiated for "security". The National Defense Resources Preparedness (NDRP) is an Executive Order that allows the government to take pretty much whatever it wants including crops, farm equipment, vehicles, boats, aircraft and fuel to "prepare" for the national defense. This includes making people work for free. You think I'm kidding about the free labor? Here's a line straight from the EO that says, ". . . to employ persons of outstanding experience and ability without compensation. . ." This is authorized even in peace time! Our civil liberties are stolen and our constitution becomes meaningless as we play the Republican Democrat blame game.

It won't be until a drone takes down a commercial airliner before the sheeple wake up!

While we play the Republican Democrat blame game the "greatest military in the history of the world" is bringing in another countries militaries to assist with local terrorists? The Russian military will be training with our troops in Colorado Springs starting on May 24th, how many of you knew that (look it up)? Remember the movie Red Dawn? This has National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) written all over it. While we play the Republican Democrat blame game, foreign troops will be on our soil carrying weapons involved in military exercises with designed war games to practice quelling, arresting , detaining and killing "American terrorists" or whatever definition the government ascribes a terrorist as.

"Joint U.S.-Russian anti-terror exercise stokes fears of martial law"

"Russian airborne troops are set to train how to target terrorists in America as part of a joint anti-terror drill with the United States which will take place in Fort Carson, Colorado at the end of next month".

"Airborne troops from Russia and the United States would hold joint anti-terror drills in the U.S. state of Colorado between May 24 and 31," reports the Xinhua news agency, citing Russian Defense Ministry Col. Alexander Kucherenko. The story was also reported by Russian news outlet RIA Novosti.

"The Russian soldiers will also be given access to U.S. special service weapons at Fort Carson".

"This announcement comes at a time when Russia actually has troops working in cooperation with China," points out Business Insider's Eloise Lee, making reference to one of the largest ever Russian-Sino naval drills currently underway in the Yellow Sea".

"More modern fears revolve around global UN peacekeeping troops being used to quell unrest inside America, foreign troops would be used to carry out gun confiscations and incarcerate American citizens during a time of martial law an issue touched upon by Henry Kissinger during the 1991 Bilderberg meeting when he stated, "Today Americans would be outraged if U.N. troops entered Los Angeles to restore order; tomorrow they will be grateful."

While we play the Democrat Republican blame game we have disintegrated to the point of allowing a cold war enemy to come on to our soil to work with our military in quelling civil unrest. The NDAA Act can detain United States citizens as enemy combatants. We have sacrificed our liberty for perceived safety and security while we play the Republican Democrat blame game.

Wendy breeze has the most insightful answer on this thread. The government has conditioned us to be skeptic fools on the subject of UFOs andExtra-terrestrial intelligence issues. Their explanations are typically ridiculous and we usually run away with it as truth without asking questions.

It's Galileo accused of heresy all over again for claiming that the sun is the center of our solar system. And we're all laughing at him as though he's nuts as is the case with the tens of thousands of UFO encounters worldwide in relationship to the Extraterrestrial hypothesis.

As history has proven, who turned out to be the ignorant fools in this scenario?

If the pilot reports it as an ufo, he is finished. Much like the ship captains that reported 100 foot rogue waves. Laughed out of a job, credability ruined. Only now, after thousands of years at sea, do we know that rogue waves truly exist.

Re: TrustVerify's comment on the National Defense Resources Preparedness act -- check out what Snopes.com has to say about this: http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/ndrp.asp

We, here in Denver, live with the constant noise of police helicopters flying overhead. Yes, we are ALREADY being spied upon! These drones just make it cheaper.

I was under the impression that drones fly at low altitudes - lower than commercial airliners - but then I did some research on these drones. Turns out they can fly at every altitude, even suborbital/orbital! Denver has a WHOLE lot of military activity, and a whole lot of shadow government activity (gee, imagine that. A connection between the military and shadowy activities!). No doubt the military, or the new militarized local enforcement is getting a little too ambitious with the drones. Other than for scientific research and border patrolling, drones seem a little too.. invasive. I think we are way beyond cameras on every street corner (the scary scenario in the book 1984).

Too easy for a tyrannical government to utilize against the people. Scary times.

a 14 foot weather balloon that looked like a long black noodle...

It sounds like a wind sock used at smaller airports so pilots can visually gague the direction and speed of the wind. Black noocle, my a$$. Wind socks are open ended and gas permeable - don't know how itcould get to 8000 feet.

gauge, noodle

I think I will stop flying now.

This was not a Law Enforcement Drone, those are limited to 450 feet, so we are looking at a BIG bird yet small enough that radar could not see it and flying at 8,000 feet or a remote controlled aircraft (I would like to see a remote aircraft that will fly at 8000feet and you could still controll it)

Well, since this happened over Denver (the "mile high city"), and 1 mile ~=5300 feet, the object and the Cessna were at about 2700 feet AGL (above ground level), calculated by taking 8000ft ASL - the elevation of the ground.

Now I don't know where you got the 450 foot ceiling on drones, but it is not impossible that someone on the ground could fly a remote controlled airplane 2700 feet away.

> but it is not impossible that someone on the ground could control a remote controlled airplane from 2700 feet away.

Indeed. I've flown a R/C glider (2m wing span, no motor) up to 2614 feet above ground level before. (I know the exact altitude because it had an altimeter in it.) At that distance the plane was just a speck -- but I could sort of tell which direction the speck was pointed, so I could still fly it.

All that said, most R/C activities are not conducted anywhere near that high -- only the glider guys regularly go over 1000 feet, and not usually that much over it. This probably was not a R/C plane, though that's not impossible.

There is no 450 foot ceiling on drones or R/C planes or anything else. The FAA has an advisory circular out that suggests not flying R/C planes over 400 feet AGL, and the AMA says not to do it over 400 feet AGL within 3 miles of an airport -- but both are suggestions and neither has the force of law behind it. And R/C planes usually aren't considered drones anyways, though a commonly used definition of drone would include them (any plane that doesn't contain a pilot.)

Actually, it was the shuttlecraft Galileo, from the star ship Enterprise. They just didn't recognize it.

Well finally someone with some intelligent info - THX

I want a remote control plane that flies at 8,000 ft, and wonder what bird does---military drone must have been involved you would think they would not be in the airspace of other planes though, that's too bad that that can even happen and put civilian lives at risk.

This just in... it was not a remote controlled plane...

it was just crazy guy trying to flee the country in a home made plane in fear of OBAMA or ROMNEY getting elected instead of Ron Paul...

ET

There are r/c planes that can fly up to 40 miles away from the pilot thru special goggles and expensive radio gear. It is called fpv r/c. Essentially it is a private drone that can be made for a few thousand bucks. Since the introduction of brushless motors and better batteries these planes are fast and have a long run time. The FAA currently have no rules on these private drones other than no flying around airports, just on commercial drones.

lolfatty-

so what's your point? you agreed it's a ufo...

Did you only read half my post?

It was either the return of the FSM or a UFO that was in the landing pattern at the creepy Denver airport.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

"Scotty, we need those deflector shields on in 10 seconds or we're all dead!"

"Cap'n, I'ma doin' the best I can. I canna change the laws of physics...."

Captains Log: Stardate unknown. Once again some mysterious force has flung us back into the past and we nearly collided with one of those antique flying machines popular in the 20th and 21st century. I'm waiting for our chief engineer to repair our deflector shields so we will no longer be visible. Some miracle worker! HA!

I love coming here and hearing all the EXPE#RTS on flight plans, etc. saying that the only reason the FAA could possibly approve drones is under pressure. Yup...It couldn't e that they know FAR more about how it will affect plane safety than you. No way! You are an expert! After all, you have an msnbc account!

I'll bet it was Tim Tebo's halo leaving for New York.

I already saw the movie.

Solved one problem., created another. What is a "long black pool noodle"?

The Delorean on the move, the flux capacitor still fluxing.

What a shock, another UFO hoopla turns out to be an over-imaginative pilot seeing a weather balloon. Wake me up when the real news comes on. Wait, so aliens AREN'T visiting us to probe our anuses? That's a relief, guess I can cross that off my tinfoil-hat list. Now if only I could figure out how having an airliner fly into a building could damage it...I just know 9-11 was faked!

These types of stories are cyclical. Tired of running election and war coverage, editors throw in a "what was it in the sky" story.

Mystery introduced, check. Government officials offering possibilities for what it could be, check. Implication that the object was a UFO, check.

Times have changed, though. It used to be that mysterious objects in the sky were no doubt, UFOs. Now, there's no question they are drones. Wake me up when alien space crafts emerge from underground, War-of-the-Worlds style.

Oh Great!!! After all these years they're still using the old "weather ballon" excuse.

Can't they think of anything new?

We spend our money overseas, because they have shaky government. Soldiers die. And in this country the government is doing the same thing to its citizens. Flying drones at home, however, lets not panic, there will be someone. Someone that take something simple, that stops the drones from working. The drug dealer (the big time ones) will not like being watched from the sky. This could all become interesting.

Who cares? Except the whatever was too high and in controlled airspace. Short and simple some opreator messed up. Even in the states these things are only authorised in certain areas and away from air routes. That's why you see these things all over the desert areas of the west. And the Government is NOT going to admit to flying this thing here in Colorado. Short and simple someone screwed up and is now on their way to somewhere far away. And we will probably never know. OPSEC you know. OPPS we messed up! Back to Death Valley where these thing are all over the place.

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=solar+bag&view=detail&id=178D0ACEC04D383FEE7356FD33F5443A576EFEF2&first=0

I believe that this is what they were referring to. I am sure it is a possibility, especially around Denver due to the elevation.

Personally, I'm going with the "Star Trek" theories, much more interesting and fun.

A good breeze can blow a garbage bag into the sky where an updraft can turn it into a kite for hours. It is possible this was a wind-gust launch of something light and shaped like a kite... maybe some packing material?

A real investigator knows that the realm of possibilities is not limited to what you can think of. Sure, drone, bird, baloon all spring to mind, but it could have been a sheet of plastic, or maybe a pickup-truck bed cover.

Wind can be very powerful.

i mention to people i know if anyone else is disturbed by cameras everywhere,etc..and now being watched from above? it's amazing how they don't seem to care. still trapped in that 'if you haven't done anything wrong you have nothign to worry about' mind set.

it never seems to occure to them that the government can CHANGE what is illegal anytime they wish.

REVOLUTION NOW!

But, they're for our own good, according to congress! People, find out who in Congress voted for drones over American skies, and, if they're from your state, VOTE THEM OUT!!!

Anyways, does anyone know where to aquire a stinger rocket launcher from? I refuse to live under the shadow of Big Brother.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fNP51hZtVI

I wish those of us who wish to live in an America as it was intended, could just leave this country and go find a new piece of land , a new america and start all over again. We become more and more like governments of the old, in total control and into every thing. Our Government was never meant to be all powerful .

Here is a clip from an article.

If the Founding Fathers were to come back, I doubt if they would recognize the United States today. Oh, they wouldn't be surprised by its size or its population or its technological progress. They expected that and encouraged it.

What would disturb them is how fond Americans have become of government. They would be disturbed at how we have allowed politicians and judges to turn the Constitution into an excuse instead of a restraint. They would be uneasy about the large standing army we have maintained since the end of World War II. And they would certainly disapprove of our foreign policy, which can only be described as imperialistic.

The Founding Fathers were suspicious of government and wary of it. They recognized that government is always the greatest threat to liberty. George Washington likened government to fire — "a dangerous servant and a fearful master." The whole purpose of the Constitution they devised was to keep the government divided and weak.

First, they expected the sovereign states to act as a brake against any attempt by the federal government to usurp their powers as defined by the Constitution. Abraham Lincoln nullified that concept with brute force. Under their original plan, U.S. senators were selected by the state legislatures and were clearly intended to act as ambassadors from the states. Later generations foolishly eliminated that safeguard by amending the Constitution so that senators are elected by the people.

Clearly, the Founding Fathers did not approve of the modern concept, imposed by federal courts, of one man, one vote. They designed the House to represent the people, but each state, regardless of size, was given two senators. When federal courts eliminated the states' ability to follow the example of the Constitution, they shifted political power from the rural areas to the big cities. It's been more or less downhill ever since.

The Founding Fathers rejected the parliamentary system, in which the executive and the legislative majority are one. They wanted a House and Senate that were elected independently of the president. They intended for Congress to act as a check against attempts by the executive branch to usurp power, and they intended for the president, wielding his veto, to act as a check on Congress.

The modern two-party system has nullified this safeguard. Both Democrats and Republicans act like slaves to the man in the White House if he shares their party label, thus nullifying the most important of the checks and balances the Founding Fathers built into the Constitution. By acting like lap dogs when their man wins the White House, both Democrats and Republicans have imposed a parliamentary system on us.

Americans, in defense of their own liberty, should make sure that whatever party holds the White House does NOT have a majority in Congress. It is to our advantage and was so intended by the Founding Fathers that the president and Congress be at odds on all but the most important issues.

To ensure an independent judiciary, they made those appointments for life, which has turned out to be a mistake, given how reluctant Congress is to impeach a federal judge. My Confederate ancestors recognized this problem, and in their constitution a federal judge could be impeached by the legislature of the state in which he sat. That would cure a lot of abuses committed by the federal judiciary.

A reading of the Constitution makes it clear that the federal government was designed to be an agent of the states and authorized to act only on behalf of all the states in a few, clearly specified areas. None of those includes education, welfare, medical care, foreign aid and domestic pork-barrel projects.

Future historians, when they come to write the obituary of the United States, will note that we started out with the best system ever devised by man and willingly dismantled it for a bowl of federal porridge.

Also read up on

http://www.earlyamerica.com/review/fall98/original.html ( in depth, and also talks about the fallacy of church and state. )

http://constitutionality.us/TheConstitution.html

ya, why is it always the government telling us "if you dont have anything to hide" or "If you haven't done anything wrong" for video/audio surveillance, and then meanwhile the nations police forces wants to beat you and then throw you in jail for 10 years for video taping them while they beat someone for no reason?

No wonder they have made the public education system so pathetic. 30 years ago and people would be rioting everywhere if this stuff was going on. It's called systematic desensitization. It's a psychological term. This is Psychological Warfare against the American People. Thank you hollywood. Thank you fake news media.

DamonWV - Very well stated. But a little warning for you. When you make obvious realistic points MSNBC will collapse your comments. When you come as close to the truth and use logic as you have they delete your comments. Only when they deem your comments supportive of their agenda do they leave your comments unmolested.

The leaders give lip service to wanting people to be educated and self-sufficient. In reality they know that it is easier to control poor uneducated fools. They gradually lose their ability to reason for themselves and they rely on the government for financial and social support. What was intended to be a temporary crutch has morphed into a way of life. And in return the government has to listen to the whinings of the servants knowing full well that nothing will ever come of it.

America has become an antithesis of the very reason for its being.

Hmm, if we put cops in cars driving around the neighborhood, it makes us feel safer. If we put them at the controls of a drone at 8,000 feet doing the same thing it's "Big Brother." Having a hard time understanding the logic...

I don't feel safer when I see cops in cars. They are most likely just looking for revenue to steal from citizens.

fairfaxdad-

when's the last time a cop car took down a plane full of innocent people? when's the last time a cop car fired a missile at your house?

people need to get their heads out of their asses...

NOW I remember why I don't ever post here... Thanks for the reality check Derek.

I really don't think they're arming domestic drones with Hellfire missiles -- but hey, I could be wrong. Gives a whole new meaning to those signs on the highway: Speed Enforced by Aircraft...

Oh, and I hear there's a sale on Reynolds Wrap down to the Walmart... and it sounds like you need a new hat.

that's funny. just stick your head back in the sand and wait for your politicians to tell you what to do.

One major difference, is that, in your own backyard, you should be entitled to at least a sense of privacy, if you want to sunbathe nude on the pooldeck, you should have the right to feel free to do so. With these drones overhead, you no longer have that right to privacy.

Good point Prohibition, but trust me, after seeing my 54 year old fat butt in the nude, they'd never be back!!

But then we'd have to ban private aircraft, oh, and news helicopters, oh, and ladders any taller than my fence... What about cameras on cell phones 'cuz they can be held over the top of the fence...

Paranoid much? See my earlier notification about the Reynold's Wrap sale down to the Walmart...

DamonWV,

Nice write up and very interesting links provided. I pretty much agree with your points and find the points of the authors listed in the links to also be very reasonable positions. I do think some level of impracticality exists in trying to operate this country/economy as 50 truly independent States (governments/economies).

The problem with this to me is that currently the States and even us as individuals don't seem to operate with the Constitutional confines in mind either. That is, we see States passing laws, taking actions and even in some cases amending their State Constitutions by either legistative actions/proclamations or popular votes, without the super majority requirements as espoused on the Constitutional crisis web site.

We have somehow become a polarized society only intent on imposing our beliefs on others, somehow believing we have some personal insight into universal truth or justice. The very basic fundamental premise of freedom seems to elude the majority of our populace today. For whatever reasons, people are not willing to allow others to make choices for themselves. There seems to be a mentality that if a simple majority wants something to become "law", it needs to happen. There is no general consideration of if this action restricts the rights or beliefs of others.

It is a tough thing to truly understand the concepts of personal freedom and the implications of that on our lives. I'm afraid we have become as a general rule, unable to act according to what is Constitutional or in the best interest of the Country as a whole, and only instead on either what we believe is "best"/"right" in our own minds, or what benefits us personally the most.

We have to grow up as individuals if we ever expect to properly govern ourselves again. We have to understand that the solution to disputes is not "my way, or the highway", it is indeed acting first to preserve the rights and freedoms of all (regardless of our personal beliefs or feelings on a topic/law) and to err on the side of individual freedom. This will many times result in behavior or laws many will find distasteful, but in the end, it is really what individual freedom is all about. I'm afraid most of us are too selfish or maybe too self rightous to make such decisions/choices.

I come from a generation when individual liberty was part of our education and way of life. Yet even amongst my friends and family, I see this willingness to somehow impose their beliefs on others. Believing it is for the "good" of the Country. It may indeed be for the overall good of the Country, but that in itself is not sufficient justification to limit or deny rights to others.

In the end, it is a very fine line to walk/live and my personal observation is that most of us are not up to the task sadly...

Ophotfoot

ya, why is it always the government telling us "if you dont have anything to hide" or "If you haven't done anything wrong" for video/audio surveillance, and then meanwhile the nations police forces wants to beat you and then throw you in jail for 10 years for video taping them while they beat someone for no reason?

You know what if sad, is that so many stop lights I stop at, I look up at the top of them, and there are camera's on the looking right back at me. How sad is that ? I just enjoy giving my finger to the camera. We need to get rid of those camera's.

It's a giant tamale left over from Mexico's "Get Americanos out of America"Parade!

Only one thing wrong with your argument Damon. You entirely overlooked the purpose of the Constitution:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

so your point, " None of those includes education, welfare, medical care, foreign aid and domestic pork-barrel projects." is wrong, all of those things can serve the above stated purposes, even special spending projects in the state.

Also, we currently have the minority party standing against the President regardless of his policies and by abusing the filibuster. Also not intended by the Founders.

My thoughts exactly.

Cue the tinfoil hats.

Care to share?

Rush Limbaugh? Aliens?

oh sorry ... same thing.

Yes, I was thinking that too.

It was hot air and huge ego's of political candidates.

Not to worry. It isn't dangerous unless they get elected...........

Good ole "weather balloon" story to save the day and keep the public calm - sounds slightly familiar doesn't it?

Rodan?

"According to Ancient Astronaut Theorist".....

A Mayan space/time bender comming to end the world!

Arcturus,

"Conspicuously absent is one other possibility..."

Right on, Arcturus! Nobody wants to admit that it was probably a flying saucer from outer space full of little space aliens. The sheriff's balloon story was just a cover story provided to him by Homeland Security which wants to keep the public from learning the truth. :)

No No Godzilla do not fight Gidra

Kanamits!

Tin foil your keyboard, son. We need protection, too.

It was a balloon-festooned house, floating off to Paradise Falls.

Giorgio Tsoukalos' hair?

i'm not saying it's aliens but....

Denver is 5,280ft 1 mile so whatever it was at about 2720ft above the ground. I go to the mountain near my home all the time and guess what I see birds and I'm at 8600ft. So I guess that blows your therory. Didn't you learn anything about distances and measures in high school.

While most Cranes prefer to fly at altitudes between 3,000 and 5,000 feet,Asian Cranes have been known to fly at 15,000 feet or higher. In North America various types of Cranes will migrate over mountain ranges such as the Rockies and can easily fly at altitudes of over 8,000 feet. I seriously doubt that it was a bird but NOT because birds never reach that altitude. If it was military or law enforcement they'll probably put a clamp on this story ASAP.

Many species of birds can fly over 8,000 feet above sea level. How do you think they migrate over mountains?

There are some radio-controlled model planes (large ones) that have jet engines, but the owner of one would not want to fly it so high - too easy to lose it, impossible to see. A drone is a good possibility. The DEA is probably photographing remote areas for drug farms.

It is a sensational stretch from "pilot reports seeing something" to "nearly caused a mid-air collision". Not long ago, a commercial airline pilot put his plane into a nose-dive when he saw a bright planet (at night.) He thought it was an oncoming aircraft.

I don't think you can truly rule out birds by that altitude. I've passed one above 6000 feet AGL (above ground level) at night SE of Las Vegas and it was only illuminated by my lights which I had turned on to provide visibility to oncoming traffic. The encounter was exceptionally brief at 180 mph. They're out there.

It was a pair of African swallows, carrying a coconut between them in a sort of sling/basket arrangement.

It would have to be African swallows since the size of the European swallow coupled with the lack of air speed velocity....................

Birds fly over the Himalayas on migration every year at 20,000 + ft

Not to worry. It isn't dangerous unless they get elected...........

The HAVE been elected. Since Obama became President, it has gotten even worse.

That was my implication but I did not want to be accused of being Right wing-wait Left wing-no

Heck (notice the euphemism) why is it that no one stands for anything anymore?

Freedom: Because we're all too beat up from the cruddy economy to care.

It could easily have been a bird. Denver is at about 5.280 ft ASL. So, the object, at 8,000 ft ASL is only 2,720 above ground level. That's rather low, for both the object and the pilot.

Cherry Creek is slightly less than 5200'. I have flown small aircraft in that area before it got as populated as it is now. Even at 10,000' it didn't seem all that high above the ground.

I live in Denver and "Cherry Creek" can mean a lot of things. I just did a 13 mile biek ride to work, and at ANY point along that route, I could have described my position as "Cherry Creek". So I think they could be a whole lot more specific about exactly where this happened.

But yes, Denver is generally a mile high, so 8000 above sea level is likely less than 3000 ft ground clearance around here.

Maybe back in the day. These days a good reporter hacks your phone or just makes stuff up.

or our government any more honest. :)

Surely you're not suggesting that the government is less than truthful with the citizens?

It was Snooki!

Then there would be 2 balloons, wouldn't there?

I saw that episode of MythBusters, and it would take 5.2 million balloons to lift Snooki!

No, someone poked Snookie with a needle, and she did that sudden air release from a balloon effect.

Is there enough helium to lift snookie?

I suppose she might have been able to use the hot air generated in D.C.

daring to call it a weather balloon cues that it was not.

If it was a drone, the people flying it are the ones with the capability to detect and "shoot it down" (US military.) The Air Force Academy is at Colorado Springs, a few mile south of Denver. Maybe it was a demonstration for the cadets.

Yes, the solar bag seems unlikely. A prankster might steal a solar bag and fill it with stolen helium, but it would be a slow mover. The pilot would likely be able to get a decent look at a floating solar bag or weather balloon.

While the "solar bag" could be static, the Cessna is passing it at around 400 knots. So what kind of look are you going to get?

Godzilla's condom...

Good suggestion - a winged skydiver would definitely not show up on radar.

If it was moving in the opposite direction, the viewing time was very short. It would have been missed during a blink.

Sounds like Red Dawn to me

Oh! Now I get it...

I thought a solar bag was making an inproper reference to an octogenarian sun bathing.

Sorry. Better climb back in my cave.

Foil hat on

Ready for lift off

"big moths arguing" - that is scary, like a sci-fi movie.

Hello mailman8,

That was supposed to be "Big Mouths", but it was a typo. But "Big Moths" is just as good, like the "Moth Man"... :)

Article says it was over Denver - near the airport, planes must descend or climb through 8,000.

Yes, and that something is a person who forgot to take meds today.

And your what I call a sheep. ^^

I agree.

baa-aa-ah

A Rocky Mountain High

Some of those here certainly are a bit.....Is this even news? Like it's the first time a pilot saw something at his flight level. As it wasn't that high, it's not even unusual.

r-

why do you protest so much? of course it's news when an unidentified something almost takes down a plane.

does talk of government deception and ufo's not fit into your little mindset?

not everything in life is cut and dry...