LIGHT 'EM UP!

Lawmaker’s Plan for Mystery Drones: Blast Them Out of the Skies

Conspiracy theories are running wild after weeks of drone sightings in the mid-Atlantic.

A U.S. senator has joined the “shoot first, ask questions later” camp in response to mysterious drones haunting Fox & Friends co-host Steve Doocy and his New Jersey neighbors.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said the UFOs should be “shot down, if necessary,” even though it’s not clear where the drones come from or if they’re even unmanned aircraft.

“We should be doing some very urgent intelligence analysis and take them out of the skies, especially if they’re flying over airports or military bases,” he said Thursday, according to the AP.

On Thursday, White House national security spokesman John Kirby did little to clear up questions about the drones, which have been baffling residents of the mid-Atlantic region since November.

“We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat, or have a foreign nexus,” Kirby told reporters at the White House.

But the government still doesn’t seem to know where the drones are coming from. Law enforcement officials have not been able to corroborate a single drone sighting despite using sophisticated electronic detection technology, Kirby said.

Based on photo and video evidence, many of the reports of UFOs are really just “manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully,” he added.

But witnesses like Doocy insist the drones have been hovering over their homes at low altitudes. The drones were also reported near the U.S. military research and manufacturing facility Picatinny Arsenal.

The Pentagon has said they’re not U.S. military drones, according to the AP.

That’s opened the door for conspiracy theories to flourish among pundits, internet sleuths, and lawmakers alike. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) has already called for the drones to be shot down, and Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade has gallantly offered to be the one to do it.

Shooting them down seems a bit harsh, though. With Americans divided over politics, media and even assassination suspects, the one thing we can all agree on is the need for a good Christmas mystery.

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Janna Brancolini

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