WASHINGTON (AP) — The prospect that thousands of drones could be patrolling U.S. skies by the end of this decade is raising the specter of a Big Brother government that peers into backyards and bedrooms.
The worries began mostly on the political margins, but there are signs that ordinary people are starting to fret that unmanned aircraft could soon be circling overhead.Translated: we tried to pretend it was just right-wing survivalist kooks that had problems with this, but more than just the "John Birch Society Are Leftis Pansies" folks are in an uproar...
Pardon me while I don my thick and lustrous wookie suit, won't you?
Now, we didn't get here overnight. OUI roadblocks, red light cameras, CC cameras, gunshot detectors, etc. - these are all "safety" measures that we have allowed to happen in the interest of elusive safety (insert obligatory Benjamin Franklin quote about those who would give up essential liberty for safety here). What do all of those things have in common?
That's right - follow the money.
All of those intrusions have one side benefit in common - revenue generated from those stops. Some are direct - like the revenue that comes from a red light camera; others more indirect, like the OUI roadblock that yields an OUI arrest or two, or finds someone with a warrant. Why do they want the drones? Because they are pretty confident that spying into your backyard will yield something they can arrest - and/or fine - you for.
Let's place this squarely where it belongs - the ill-fated War on Drugs. We've allowed all kinds of intrusions and other knocks on our liberties, from allowing the police pretty much all the tools of our military without the same Rules of Engagement to asset forfeiture to no-knock warrants to... All for what? Coke, pot, heroin, etc. are just as prevalent now as they were 20/30 years ago. Except that now I have to sign for freakin' Sudafed, and my NyQuil is this watered down POS compared to what it used to be.
Legalize, surrender the WoD, and start taxing the shit rather than fighting it...
That is all.
5 comments:
TSA groping toddlers.
That's about budget, headcount, and power of government officials over citizens. The War On Terror is to blame, too.
You are exactly correct, my friend. Unfortunately, the WoD has also turned the constabulary into just another revenue-generating arm of local and federal governments. When was the last time the local cops investigated a house break in, or a mugging, or auto theft? They're too busy looking for drug dealers with assets to seize.
Yeah, the drones will indeed be another revenue tool. Unfortunately, they're starting to make them so small that we likely won't even be able to shoot them down. Bastards.
Frankly I'm more concerned about Big Business doing it:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2157582/Google-Apples-spy-planes-sun-lounger-sights.html
The government may want to use spy planes to conduct surveillance, but they don't have the resources to keep an eye on everybody. Google does.
You right brother.
You can't arrest an honest man so you find out what he's doing & make it illegal. Fights over
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