MURDER, POLITICS, AND THE END OF THE JAZZ AGE
by Michael Wolraich
Order today at Barnes & Noble / Amazon / Books-A-Million / Bookshop
MURDER, POLITICS, AND THE END OF THE JAZZ AGE by Michael Wolraich Order today at Barnes & Noble / Amazon / Books-A-Million / Bookshop |
The FAA Reauthorization Act, which President Obama is expected to sign, orders the Federal Aviation Administration to develop regulations for the testing and licensing of commercial drones by 2015.
Privacy advocates say the measure will lead to widespread use of drones for electronic surveillance by police agencies across the country and eventually by private companies as well.
Comments
A related article with links to other related articles. Warning: Tribalistic hero worship is criticized in all of them. Heads comfortably buried in sand may wish to keep them there, or maybe some other warm but smellier place, but any arguments favoring current and propose expanded drone policies would be welcomed by this reader. Also, any arguments that might convince me that these are relatively insignificant subjects when it comes to choosing a leader, or attempting to influence the way that leader leads, would be appreciated. Seriously.
by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 04/19/2012 - 3:34pm
The link intended for the above comment.
http://www.salon.com/writer/glenn_greenwald/
by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 04/19/2012 - 3:37pm
So, I'm a crazy civil liberties privacy guy and... I'm not getting The Fear from this. Why? Well, military aircraft of all sorts fly over the US all the freaking time. I grew up watching stealth fighters land at Kirtland Airforce Base.
Could private companies use these to spy on me in public? Yes. But, I live in New York City now, where private companies, and the police, spy on me with cameras all of the freaking time. Not to mention satellites. Not to mention that the NSA can seemingly ask for a huge dump of electronic communications that might include mine, and I don't even have the right to ask about it, much less sue.
I just don't see how drones or not drones changes the landscape. Now, if the next step is armed law enforcement drones blowing up suspected meth labs by remote control... then I have a problem. But I don't see it going that way, just like police helicopters don't strafe gang members with gattling guns.
by Michael Maiello on Thu, 04/19/2012 - 3:47pm
They have dropped bombs from helicopters, though.
by Donal on Thu, 04/19/2012 - 4:02pm
Okay, take away their helicopters, then! But so long as they have them and the whole country is fine with them, I ain't afraid of no drones. I mean, except of course that they terrify me.
by Michael Maiello on Thu, 04/19/2012 - 4:03pm
There was a discussion here quite a while back about how people were getting so used to invasions of their privacy that they were more comfortable with it then ever before, partly, I believe, because so many have grown up with it. I think you demonstrate that because there are so many major violations of privacy that small incremental advances along that line just don’t register as being very important. And, maybe they aren’t, maybe I just don’t like them for no good reason.
You are correct that the quick-to-shoot cops haven’t started firing from helicopters, as far as we know, and unmarked cars [or armored troop carriers supplied to local police departments by Homeland Security] will most likely remain a much cheaper way to quietly approach a home, or meth lab. than will a stealth helicopter, so if monitoring of all activities is destined to continue escalating I suppose we should be glad when they do it in more efficient and less expensive ways.
by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 04/19/2012 - 4:29pm
Maybe I'm wrong and maybe I should be more concerned about creeping changes. But then I'd have to reconsider a lot. For example, how much personal information I've granted to insurance companies, online retailers and, heck, even the kind of information I used to fork over back when I'd want to rent a movie form Blockbuster...
by Michael Maiello on Thu, 04/19/2012 - 5:16pm
I know a lot more about the trials, tribulations, shames and joys of the personal lives of complete strangers than I care to, owing to their habit of conversing loudly about such things on cellphones in public as if no one else was there. (Could this possibly be the main reason kidz these days prefer texting?)
Oh and, this thought is for those who know about the BB gun subplot of A Christmas Story: Whatever happened to mom saying "no you can't have a cell phone, it will give you brain cancer"?
by artappraiser on Fri, 04/20/2012 - 3:46pm
P.S. The Ralphie of Christmas 2014 will probably be wanting a cool drone from Radio Shack to spy on the bully gang or to gain an advantage when playin' army or a Paintball variant. ( I suppose you could even chase rabbits with it if that was your thing.)
by artappraiser on Fri, 04/20/2012 - 4:05pm
Let's be clear, this is not about military drones, it's about commercial unmanned aircraft. For those in the tech industry, this has been anticipated for some time. Taco-copter anyone?
by Verified Atheist on Thu, 04/19/2012 - 4:14pm
Right. Though a lot of private interests want them for security/surveillance. Mostly, I expect dopes to just have them pull banners behind them advertising pizza while I'm on the beach. There are tons of unmanned flying things already in commercial use.
by Michael Maiello on Thu, 04/19/2012 - 4:21pm
Other than tethered balloons holding up signs, I am wondering what these tons of unmanned flying commercial things might consist of.
by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 04/19/2012 - 4:35pm
Bullets maybe?
Just noticed that I wasn't identifying myself, but it was probably obvious.
by LULU (not verified) on Thu, 04/19/2012 - 4:57pm
One task I remember reading about was mail delivery, such as for UPS. Here's a web-site discussing many possible uses (including ones you might find objectionable).
Here's one blurb:
by Verified Atheist on Thu, 04/19/2012 - 5:13pm
That looks to be an interesting site. I will probably end up spending some time there.
by A Guy Called LULU on Thu, 04/19/2012 - 6:08pm
Satellites! And the unmanned rockets that put them there.
by Michael Maiello on Thu, 04/19/2012 - 5:14pm
Ah, you are right again. Those obvious examples flew right by me.
by A Guy Called LULU on Thu, 04/19/2012 - 5:25pm
I am so old that I remember the days before Google Earth when it was a big big deal when websites like Cryptome published photos of public figures' houses. Now everyone can get pictures of everyone else's house.
Edit to add: and thanks to Zillow, everyone can also know, without hiring a private detective, how much everyone else's house is worth, how bathrooms they have, what they pay in property taxes, etc.
by artappraiser on Fri, 04/20/2012 - 3:49pm