DRONES: SO, NOW WE KNOW (SORT OF)

So, now we know the story behind the drones, at least a chunk of it. It's been a FAA, research-tech matter. There's still more to unveil, quite clearly (i.e., more questions to ask; more answer to be given), but we'll see; at least this is better than nothing, with the assurance that the formations aren't "the enemy."

Why, though, did it take until January 28th for this to be told? Why did the previous hierarchy, and those local governments presiding over the sightings, claim to have no idea of their origin, with some even laughing the whole thing off? Sure, the mystery didn't cause a mass panic akin to Rod Serling's "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street," but there were times when it could have, based on several proposed theories that purported extraterrestrial, Chinese and Iranian origins. 

It's also insulting that we were assured that the drones were predominately figments of our imaginations and/or the by-and-large misidentification of planes, helicopters, hobbyist devices and yes, even twinkling stars. On the other hand, in comparison to the disasters that have clamped parts of the nation throughout 2024, where citizens' needs have been ignored in droves (let alone that dire situation of our stranded astronauts), this drone phenomenon looks like a sorrowful drop in the bureaucratic bucket by comparison. 

DRONES, DRONES, DRONES

I still see drones, big, peculiar ones at that, flashing multicolored lights and zooming across the sky, some even emitting smoky trails. I see them at night and in the morning (before dawn) as I stroll. I'm told by "experts" that I'm seeing things that were always there (planes, helicopters, stars ... greased geese), but I've always glanced up at the sky when strolling. I've been doing so over many years, and what I see now isn't what I saw then.

NJ Governor Phil Murphy says that these anomalies have appeared in other states in the recent past. They came and left, he says, and that was that. Senator Andy Kim held a photo op on the drones, in an alleged attempt clarify their origin, but the photo op never went beyond that. The drone mystery prevails. 

I guess the drones don't mean any harm. Maybe they're on some military maneuver for our best interest. Even so, when I see them, I tend to think of Close Encounters of the Third Kind; E.T., the Extra-terrestrial; The Day the Earth Stood Still; It Came From Outer Space; and Project U.F.O. I also think of The War of the Worlds and Invaders From Mars. How can I not? I live near Grover's Mill. I also consider the way the drones appear to leap from place to place, which brings to mind Robinson Crusoe on Mars. I contemplate the drones' shapes, their insinuated sleekness and how Battlestar Galactica's Cylon Raiders assailed a celebration with purging precision. I think of 10 Cloverfield Lane, as well. Man, that's when the full-blown creeps seize me. 

In one sense, the drones bestow me a sense of wonder, but they also make me anxious and angry. They make me crave honesty. That's something no faction of bureaucracy has yet to grant. Perhaps the muckety-mucks don't know any more about them than I do, but if so, that's all the more unsettling. In fact, the government's going-through-the-motions ambiguity makes me want to raise my fist and yell, but the present command would condemn me for that, and in "the land of the free," even if now "droned" (pun intended), that's just plain wrong.