I read a recent news item about how airspace was closed aroud El Paso for hours for safety reasons while the government was dealing with drones
being used by drug cartels.
While some of the news coverage noted that drones of this nature were a common occurrence, this in itself doesn't mean that suddenly the
government did something unwarranted. These particular drones on that day could have been different somehow, or the government finally was able to
do something to stop them.
However, today I came across an article saying that the lasers used to
knock drones out of the sky also hit some people's party balloons just
before the airspace closure.
This news item reminded me of the famous German song about how a young couple's release of ninety-nine helium balloons to celebrate their love accidentally triggered a global thermonuclear war.
John Savard
On 2/12/2026 2:16 PM, quadi wrote:
I read a recent news item about how airspace was closed aroud El Paso for
hours for safety reasons while the government was dealing with drones
being used by drug cartels.
While some of the news coverage noted that drones of this nature were a
common occurrence, this in itself doesn't mean that suddenly the
government did something unwarranted. These particular drones on that day
could have been different somehow, or the government finally was able to
do something to stop them.
However, today I came across an article saying that the lasers used to
knock drones out of the sky also hit some people's party balloons just
before the airspace closure.
This news item reminded me of the famous German song about how a young
couple's release of ninety-nine helium balloons to celebrate their love
accidentally triggered a global thermonuclear war.
John Savard
I'm getting the impression that what happened is that the militaryHey, this is Pete Hegseth's "Department of War" military.
started testing a laser based anti-drone weapon, but didn't coordinate
with the FAA to make sure civil aviation would be safe. The FAA then
shut down the airspace to prevent accidents.
...and yes, a party balloon was shot down, and maybe other drones.It's a good thing they weren't firing rifles into the air. "DoW" Pete
This news item reminded me of the famous German song about how a young couple's release of ninety-nine helium balloons to celebrate their love accidentally triggered a global thermonuclear war.
In article <10ml8tl$1nb3i$1@dont-email.me>, quadi <quadibloc@ca.invalid> wrote:
This news item reminded me of the famous German song about how a young
couple's release of ninety-nine helium balloons to celebrate their love
accidentally triggered a global thermonuclear war.
Holy shit! I've listened to that song many times (both German and English >versions, although I don't barely understand any German at all the
original language version does have more of a bop to it!) and clearly have >never listened to it remotely hard enough to pick up on that - I've always >just thought it was a lovely bouncy party song!
scole <vintageapplemac@gmail.com> wrote:<quadibloc@ca.invalid> wrote:
In article <10ml8tl$1nb3i$1@dont-email.me>, quadi
This news item reminded me of the famous German song about how a young
couple's release of ninety-nine helium balloons to celebrate their love >> accidentally triggered a global thermonuclear war.
Holy shit! I've listened to that song many times (both German and English >versions, although I don't barely understand any German at all the
original language version does have more of a bop to it!) and clearly have >never listened to it remotely hard enough to pick up on that - I've always >just thought it was a lovely bouncy party song!
In the English version we have the young couple releasing balloons that sets off the alarm.
In the German version it's not clear where the balloons came from, and the word "luftballoon" would indicate a military balloon and not a party balloon according to my German roomate-at-the-time-that-song-came-out. The German lyrics are very much more dark than the English ones.
In the German version it's not clear where the balloons came from, and the word "luftballoon" would indicate a military balloon and not a party balloon according to my German roomate-at-the-time-that-song-came-out.
On 2026-02-17, Scott Dorsey <kludge@panix.com> wrote:
["99 Luftballons"]
In the German version it's not clear where the balloons came from, and the >> word "luftballoon" would indicate a military balloon and not a party balloon >> according to my German roomate-at-the-time-that-song-came-out.
What? No, a "Luftballon" is a party balloon.
On 2026-02-17, Scott Dorsey <kludge@panix.com> wrote:He may (or may not) be relating it to "Luftwaffe" which, of course, is military.
["99 Luftballons"]
In the German version it's not clear where the balloons came from, and the >> word "luftballoon" would indicate a military balloon and not a party balloon >> according to my German roomate-at-the-time-that-song-came-out.
What? No, a "Luftballon" is a party balloon.
In article <10n1ude$bou$1@panix2.panix.com>, kludge@panix.com (Scott
Dorsey) wrote:
scole <vintageapplemac@gmail.com> wrote:<quadibloc@ca.invalid> wrote:
In article <10ml8tl$1nb3i$1@dont-email.me>, quadi
This news item reminded me of the famous German song about how a young >>>> couple's release of ninety-nine helium balloons to celebrate their love >>>> accidentally triggered a global thermonuclear war.
Holy shit! I've listened to that song many times (both German and English >>> versions, although I don't barely understand any German at all the
original language version does have more of a bop to it!) and clearly have >>> never listened to it remotely hard enough to pick up on that - I've always >>> just thought it was a lovely bouncy party song!
In the English version we have the young couple releasing balloons that sets >> off the alarm.
In the German version it's not clear where the balloons came from, and the >> word "luftballoon" would indicate a military balloon and not a party balloon >> according to my German roomate-at-the-time-that-song-came-out. The German >> lyrics are very much more dark than the English ones.
Right, I'm going to hit Google up for some translated lyrics - I need to
get to the bottom of this, it sounds absolutely fascinating and, understandably given Germany's mid-80s Cold War status, dark as pitch!
Still an absolute banger of a song, though!
On 2/17/2026 9:33 AM, scole wrote:
In article <10n1ude$bou$1@panix2.panix.com>, kludge@panix.com (Scott
Dorsey) wrote:
scole <vintageapplemac@gmail.com> wrote:<quadibloc@ca.invalid> wrote:
In article <10ml8tl$1nb3i$1@dont-email.me>, quadi
This news item reminded me of the famous German song about how a young >>>>> couple's release of ninety-nine helium balloons to celebrate their love >>>>> accidentally triggered a global thermonuclear war.
Holy shit! I've listened to that song many times (both German and English >>>> versions, although I don't barely understand any German at all the
original language version does have more of a bop to it!) and clearly have >>>> never listened to it remotely hard enough to pick up on that - I've always >>>> just thought it was a lovely bouncy party song!
In the English version we have the young couple releasing balloons that sets
off the alarm.
In the German version it's not clear where the balloons came from, and the >>> word "luftballoon" would indicate a military balloon and not a party balloon
according to my German roomate-at-the-time-that-song-came-out. The German >>> lyrics are very much more dark than the English ones.
Right, I'm going to hit Google up for some translated lyrics - I need to
get to the bottom of this, it sounds absolutely fascinating and,
understandably given Germany's mid-80s Cold War status, dark as pitch!
Still an absolute banger of a song, though!
99 Red Balloons (Album Version)
Song by Nena
You and I in a little toy shop
Buy a bag of balloons with the money we've got
Set them free at the break of dawn
'Til one by one, they were gone
Back at base, sparks in the software
Flash the message "something's out there"
Floating in the summer sky
99 red balloons go by
99 red balloons
Floating in the summer sky
Panic bells, it's red alert
There's something here from somewhere else
The war machine springs to life
Opens up one eager eye
Focusing it on the sky
The 99 red balloons go by
99 Decision Street
99 ministers meet
To worry, worry, super scurry
Call the troops out in a hurry
This is what we've waited for
This is it boys, this is war
The President is on the line
As 99 red balloons go by
99 knights of the air
Ride super high-tech jet fighters
Everyone's a superhero
Everyone's a Captain Kirk
With orders to identify
To clarify and classify
Scrambling the summer sky
99 red balloons go by
As 99 red balloons go by
99 dreams I have had
In every one, a red balloon
It's all over, and I'm standing pretty
In this dust that was a city
If I could find a souvenir
Just the prove the world was here
And here is a red balloon
I think of you, and let it go.
In article <10ml8tl$1nb3i$1@dont-email.me>, quadi <quadibloc@ca.invalid> wrote:
This news item reminded me of the famous German song about how a young
couple's release of ninety-nine helium balloons to celebrate their love
accidentally triggered a global thermonuclear war.
Holy shit! I've listened to that song many times (both German and English versions, although I don't barely understand any German at all the
original language version does have more of a bop to it!) and clearly have never listened to it remotely hard enough to pick up on that - I've always just thought it was a lovely bouncy party song!
There were a lot of musical and other sins committed at the time.
I remember, when on a school exchange, that French students were >flabbergasted that a song with the title "Hurra, Hurra, die Schule
brennt" (Hooray, Horray, the schools's on fire) was even legal.
Thomas Koenig <tkoenig@netcologne.de> wrote:
There were a lot of musical and other sins committed at the time.
I remember, when on a school exchange, that French students were >>flabbergasted that a song with the title "Hurra, Hurra, die Schule
brennt" (Hooray, Horray, the schools's on fire) was even legal.
Here in the US we had "Everybody run, the homecoming queen has a gun"
at about the same time. It was that era.
scole <vintageapplemac@gmail.com> schrieb:Over here in the States, a lot of us knew it all along.
In article <10ml8tl$1nb3i$1@dont-email.me>, quadi <quadibloc@ca.invalid> wrote:
This news item reminded me of the famous German song about how a young
couple's release of ninety-nine helium balloons to celebrate their love >>> accidentally triggered a global thermonuclear war.
Holy shit! I've listened to that song many times (both German and English
versions, although I don't barely understand any German at all the
original language version does have more of a bop to it!) and clearly have >> never listened to it remotely hard enough to pick up on that - I've always >> just thought it was a lovely bouncy party song!
It is a silly anti-war song, very much fitting into the
Friedensbewegung (peace movement) of the time, which (as we now
know) was mainly orchestrated and financed by Moscow. (Nena is
actually a niece of my primary school teacher).
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