Drones, Surveillance…and a new Bug’s Life

.

Terrorists in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, the Sudan and around the world have been seriously worried since President Obama came to office.  So far he has implemented 283 Drone Strikes on identified enemies of Al-Qaeda or Taliban proclivities.  Those are the one’s we know about.  How many surveillance Drones have we deployed?  One we know landed in Iran by mistake.  That one didn’t have any weapons on it – that we know of and the Iranians are still not talking much about what they found.  In any event, the Drone Strikes have been very effective and less costly than using human blood.  Much like Prairie Dogs….the next one that sticks their head up…..has every chance of having it removed with surgical excellence, in no time.

The Predator Drones deployed by our military utilize Hellfire Missiles that are known to mess up the local gentry once targeted.  The rumors are that a bunch of super nerd military pilots located in St. Louis, Missouri stationed in a fortified bunker run the whole world operation.  The Predator has been around a while and was first used during the Bush Administration for taking out Iraqis planting IED’s along the roadside to Damascus.  We all remember seeing those first videos of the heat sensing radar images and then the dusty explosions.  In the beginning of the war in Iraq….our armed Drone supply was limited and the whole program was just getting under way.  Today, we seem to have plenty of armed drones and have been lucky by picking on Al-Qaeda leadership.  There is probably little doubt that an armed or unarmed surveillance drone was used to find Osama Bin Laden….before Seal Team Six got him.

The big complaints about the Drone attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan have been the so-call “collateral damage” of both property and civilian deaths.  Mostly the wives and kids of the bad guys.  Occasionally, neighbors have been impacted.  Probably sends that old Italian message:  “Don’t live next door to Don Corelone unless you are part of his gang!”  The calls that incursions into National Borders and violations of Sovereignty in the affected countries targeted, suggest that turn around could be fair play soon.  What would the United States do if some Drug Cartel, Russian Mafia, Terrorist Organization or Foreign Government utilized drones to target US  citizens in other countries or here in the America?

The International issues are complex and they involve several agencies of the US Government:  The CIA, Homeland Security, Department of Defense, Department of Treasury, the National Security Agency and more.  Where is Darrell Issa and his Congressional Investigation into the use of Drones in his Government Oversight Committee?  The use of drones are not simply restricted to Foreign Terror Activities (or FTO’s).  They can and probably are being utilized for  surveillance activities in the US Domestically.  Have “Home Grown Terrorists” been identified and taken out here in the United States?  Perhaps Congressman Issa and and team should check into those activities.  If not, what protections do US Citizens have from Drone video, audio and from armed intervention activities.  They can already GPS you wherever you are through your Android, IPod or old time cell phone. What about a law for “Illegal Use of Drone”?

Police Departments around our country are budgeting for Drone Deployments for 2013 and beyond.  A lot of  issues involving personal privacy, security and public safety come to mind.  The size of drones are coming down to the size of a honey bee.  The so-called nano drones have been under development for several years.  You might not care that some guy in the local PD…is watching your wife nude sunbathe in your back yard.  Then again, if those photos show up on someone’s Facebook page…you may have empathy and truly understand what Kate and Prince William went through in France.

The the use of drones in not going to go away and unless the Congress acts to write laws to protect the people from improper use, every paparazzi in the world will be utilizing drones to get their next photo of Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton or even someone not that cute.  The Genie is certainly out of the bottle and Pandora’s Box is exploding in the Digital-3D Age of Aquarius.  In the words of Ray Kurzweil – “The Singularity is coming!”  Someone should call the Electronic Frontier Foundation for a legal read out!

People are finally starting to understand that anything you put on the Internet will stay here forever.  Whether anyone wants to read it or look at it will depend on how entertaining it might be to others.  People are starting to understand that any e-mail, text message or phone call we make by any means, can be or will be and usually is being tracked.  Most people really don’t care how much toilet paper they use….but…if the local PD drone was watching you on your window sill disguised as a fly or mosquito….or even a moth……well then?  This may be why the folks in the Cisco area of San Francisco were all going nude in public.  The Board of Supervisors finally had to write a law…..to cease that activity.  Of course, 20 people watching the Board of Supervisors in SF all immediately dropped trow….boys and girls.  Most were not arrested…however!

The old saying:  “We are all living in a Fish Bowl….” may be very appropriate or perhaps;  “Drones….and a new Bugs Life!”,  might be an even better description!


About Ron & Anna Winship

Independent News Producers/Writers and Directors for Parker-Longbow Productions. Independent Programming which includes a broad variety of Political, Entertainment and Professional Personalities. Cutting Edge - a talk show...is the flagship of over 30 URL websites developed or under development. The Winships have been blogging for the Orange Juice since back when nickels had buffalos on them, and men wore onions attached to their belts, because it was the fashion back then.