Chinese Dirigibles

The appearance of a so-called Chinese Spy “Balloon” has created quite a stir. Answers seem unsatisfying with several questions remain:

• Why was the balloon not announced when it was over Canada? Was not NORAD monitoring it as it approached the continent? Does its entry into North American airspace reflect gaps in our defense capability?
• Was it an attempt by the Chinese to test our defenses?

• If it really is a weather / research balloon, then why didn’t China warn the US and Canada of its approach?
• Why did China apologize after the fact and claim it a privately-owned weather research vehicle? Isn’t everything state controlled?
• Does this reflect a split or instability within the Chinese Government? An attempt by one faction to put Xi in an awkward position?
• Why is there one floating over Latin America too?
• Why can’t it be shot it down? Is it really the debris field or is there something on board?
• Is this a distraction? Something to grab attention from something else?
• Why did Blinken only cancel his trip after the balloon’s trajectory was made public, not before?
• Has the US actually disabled it preventing it from transmitting?
• What is it spying on/what data is it collecting?

Or may be it’s something innocuous, like one of those balloons that escapes a birthday party and floats around the world eventually crashing into an ocean and then entering the gut of some large fish or sea mammal.