Yes, while you were mowing, the lawn North Dakota passed a bill legalizing police use of non-lethal weaponized drones. With the passage of this bill North Dakota became first state in the union to hold such a policy.
I kid you not, this actually happened, and it is absolutely terrifying. Did somebody say 1984? This has dystopian written all over it, but this is no fiction my friend.
In case you are unfamiliar with the modern marvel of drones, they are highly advanced remote controlled flight machines, and in this case brandishing a camera for surveillance. These already have been made available to police After the passage of this bill, police drones may now come equipped with the ominous accessories of: tear gas, rubber bullets, beanbags, pepper spray and tasers.
Here is an example of a police operated drone:
Spooky right? Seems like something straight out of a science fiction film, but it couldn't be more real.
My main question is: how?
#1. How could this possibly be necessary?
Sure there are unsavory types and evil doers, but I do not believe that sanctions the use of these sole-less, mindless, surveillance and enforcement bots and
#2. How could we let this happen?
Seriously, this one just baffles me. The only way that makes sense is, simply put, people don't know it's happening. This would explain the lack of public outrage.
Those who advocate this new policy will claim that "if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to worry about". To this I ask: Are we willing to sacrifice our rights simply because we do not NEED them right now? That's like burning your entire food supply because the warmth of the fire feels nice on your toes.
The main problem with this is that we are creating an overpowered police force, which has already received national criticism for its recent militarization. With power comes influence. The ability to influence the lives of criminals, sure, but if they become too powerful who is to stop them from influencing/ controlling the lives of all other law abiding citizens? The founding fathers would roll over in their graves if they heard how willingly we surrender our liberties.
There needs to be a point where we draw the line between giving our public servants what they need, and what they desire, because what they desire may not be in the best interest of our nation as a whole. We must not allow the government to take the role of the wolf while we sit in sheepish comfort and watch it happen
Wolves may protect the blissful little sheep for a time, but eventually they will get hungry.
Ayn Rand, a renowned author and philosopher, gave foresight to these occurrences many years in the past when she said,
"We are fast approaching the stage of the ultimate inversion: the stage where the government is free to do anything it pleases, while the citizens may act only by permission; which is the stage of the darkest periods of human history, the stage of rule by brute force.".
I believe the idea of weaponizing drones against American citizens is the brute force she speaks of, and is sinister in every essence of the word.
If you tell me that it is unpatriotic to question authority, or in this case the police which are an extension of the government, I will ask you to look back on how this country came to be. If our founding fathers had this same state of mind, we would be eating a lot more fish and chips. If you agree with me, it is your responsibility as a now informed citizen to stand up and make your voice heard.
"Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country."
-Franklin D. Roosevelt
For more information on drones click here: http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/f8c42fb6c5/drones...
Video Credit: FunnyorDie.com
