Droning on and on about drones. Is there really anything to worry about in the air? No, there really isn’t

I was thinking about writing a column on people obsessing over reports of drones in the night sky … when I saw a drone.

The acrobatic aerial displays over the East Coast have gone from minor curiosity to major news stories in the past week. Major newspapers and national TV networks have joined bloggers, basement pundits and self-appointed experts to ponder what the heck is going on.

I haven’t put a lot of thought into the drones. After more than six decades of devouring magazines, books and pseudo documentaries on UFOs, with recently released government reports and videos, I have explored mysterious crafts in the air before.

Right now, with all that’s happening in the country and the world, along with some unexpected health issues in our home — Grace suffered a broken bone in her right shoulder — reports on drones have just kind of droned on.

Then, I saw one.

I was checking KELO live cameras on Monday night. Yes, that’s me, livin’ la vida loca. I enjoy seeing what’s happening around Sioux Falls and the state. Seeing people stumble around Deadwood at 1:27 a.m. has its charms.

I am especially compelled to watch the colorful display at Winter Wonderland in Falls Park in Sioux Falls. From 5 p.m. to midnight, the lights illuminate the dark winter night. It’s a favorite part of the holiday season for me.

Yeah, I know. 

Anyway, I was checking traffic cameras to see if the roads were icy when I saw it. I checked on the 41st Street camera when a drone unmistakably flitted through the upper portion of the screen.

It was there for a second, then gone.

That’s not the same as the bombardment of drones that have millions of people in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland staring into the dark each night. But it’s all I’ve got for now. I did see a drone.

Politicians, always eager to join an uninformed mob, especially one that is getting media attention, have offered their opinions on what is lighting up the night.

President-elect Donald Trump at first advised people to shoot them down. It’s classic Trump — advocating violence without considering complications or consequences. But it sounds tough, and as we have seen, that plays well with millions of people who aren’t interested in science.

During a press conference Monday, Trump blamed the Biden administration for the drones. Why? Old habits are hard to break.

“The government knows what is happening. Look, our military knows where they took off from,” he said. “If it’s a garage they can go right inside. They know where it came from and where it went.

“For some reason, they don’t want to comment, and I think they’d be better off saying what it is,” said the 44th and soon-to-be 45th president. “Our military knows. Our president knows, and for some reason they want to keep people in suspense. I can’t imagine it’s the enemy, because if it was the enemy they’d blast it.”

Blast it. Yes, get ready for four more thrilling years of keen analysis, America.

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, an obscure Republican from New York, defended Staten Island at a press conference on Friday.

“What is happening is outrageous. Thousands of drones and unmanned aerial systems flying above us, and our government is not telling us who’s operating them and for what purpose,” Malliotakis said. “I don’t believe that the United States of America, with its military capabilities, does not know what these objects are. And what I’m asking, and what we’re all asking, is for you to be straight with us and just tell us what is going on.”

White House National Security Adviser John Kirby said there is really nothing to worry about.

Kirby is a retired Navy rear admiral with an impressive educational record and career. In the Trump administration, the post will probably be filled with a radio shock jock or Trump’s favorite golfing buddy, but that’s another story for another day.

On Monday, he told CNN the drones “represent lawful, legal, commercial [and] hobbyist drones — even law enforcement drones.”

Many are likely just aircraft — commercial flights, private planes, hospital helicopters and other normal aerial denizens of the skies.

CNN reporter John Berman asked Kirby if the drones pose a risk.

“The answer to that is no,” he said. “We don‘t propose to see any national security or public safety risk by these drones and these aircraft that are flying.”

That has done little to quiet the growing call for action — who knows what kind of action, but action, dammit!

New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, a Democrat who is never shy about standing in front of a camera, used props while talking about drones on Sunday.

“Our local people who have questions about these drones should not have to shake an eight-ball to get an answer,” Schumer said.

He displayed a magic eight-ball toy in one hand and an image of a drone in another while talking to reporters. Hey, it beats discussing real issues and problems in our country.

Another school shooting? Yawn. A nationwide housing shortage? See how much time that gets on TV news. Still no Farm Bill? People complain about food prices but don’t want to be bothered with a multi-trillion agricultural legislative package that has been stalled for more than a year.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, went for a classic buzz phrase in her call for action.

“In response to my calls for additional resources, our federal partners are deploying a state-of-the-art drone detection system to New York State,” Hochul said.

Next, she will want a blue-ribbon panel to pick the system.

But the drones are causing trouble as well as spiking blood pressures across the northeastern corner of the nation.

New York Stewart International Airport closed Friday night because so many drones were in the air. It was reopened after about an hour and no flights were impacted.

This is reminiscent of the Orson Welles radio production of “War of the Worlds” on Oct. 30, 1938, which caused some panic among the gullible, who actually believed New Jersey had been invaded by Martians. While the reaction has been exaggerated over the decades — an American tradition — it did reveal how easy it is to fool people, especially ones who want to be fooled.

What did I see? Likely someone in Sioux Falls was sending their drone on a late-night flight through the city. I just happened to catch it as it flew past a KELO camera. After all, there are drones all over the world.

What is in the skies over the East Coast? As Kirby said, many things, including some drones. But drones have been annoying people for more than a decade.

What might be happening now is drone owners are joining in the fun, relishing the attention and the confusion. The media, looking for something to report other than the incoming Trump administration and yet another school shooting — boring! — is glad to play along.

Look up in the sky? Is it a bird? A plane? Superman?

No, probably just one of thousands of drones in the country. This story will soon fly off the radar, and the real chaos will begin.

Fourth-generation South Dakotan Tom Lawrence has written for several newspapers and websites in South Dakota and other states for four decades. He has contributed to The New York Times, NPR, The London Telegraph, The Daily Beast and other media outlets. Do not republish without permission.

Photo:  public domain, wikimedia commons