Drones

[Rob_In_MO]

Hey Kaiser - what are the chances of you sending me a 'WASP' system?

One of those would be a great asset to the Empire (on a local level). 8)

 

[Vito]

This...

...I'd think the true negatives are armed drones (eventually) maintaining a constant threat over a population as a means of governmental enforcement and control.

...is precisely the kind of potential for abuse that I was referring to in my OP.

I've no doubt that many people think, "That will never happen." And they're right if they mean we won't immediately transition to that from the conditions we have today.

But that's never the way anything happens. That's not the way we have lost all the liberties we no longer have. They've been eroded by degrees, and each degree is popular with The Majority<img class="emojione" alt="" title=":tm:" title=":tm:" src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/emojione/assets/png/2122.png?v=2.2.7"/>.

• "Besides, it's just a small sacrifice. We're just trading a bit of freedom for the security we need in the face of this temporary crisis..."

But the small sacrifices add up over time, and then one day you wake up and say, "Sheesh...what happened? How did it come to this...?" :no:

:joker:

 

[Kyle Weiss]

I just leave the blinds open on my place at any given time. Either I'll become famous, infamous, or they'll just stop looking. Enjoy the show, Big Brother. :lol:

 

[Wet Dottle]

Like any type of technology, there's always possibility for mischief. But I am looking forward to the time in which there will be unrestricted civilian use of the technology and use it in my job.

 

[Puff Daddy]

I just leave the blinds open on my place at any given time. Either I'll become famous, infamous, or they'll just stop looking. Enjoy the show, Big Brother. :lol:

Yes, we've seen the youtube videos :affraid: :x

Vito, it's apparently just another chapter in the cyclical nature of societies. The power and control grab never changes, it just changes colors and uses different methods as technology evolves. Freedom fighters are butchers and thieves to those who are being rebelled against, and those who hold the wealth and power are always the tyrants. Same tune, same dance, different scenery.

 

[Vito]

I just leave the blinds open on my place at any given time. Either I'll become famous, infamous, or they'll just stop looking. Enjoy the show, Big Brother. :lol:

AHAH! Just as I thought. Anyone who makes such a show of having nothing to hide must have something to hide! :mrgreen:

We can chalk that one up with some of the other popular delusions that afflict us:

• "Information should be free." (...as in "right to know") – No it shouldn't. No one has a "right to know" anything about anyone else's private affairs. Nosiness is not a right.
  
• "Information should be free." (...as in "beer", or "lunch") – No it shouldn't. It can't be. Nothing is free. That's not just my "opinion". It's the law (second law of thermodynamics). Despite politicians' frequent attempts to violate it, it's a law that can't be repealed. Everything costs something. You can forcibly transfer that cost to others against their will, but then you've got a new problem.
  
• "If you're innocent of any wrongdoing you have nothing to hide." – Yeah, right...except that the powers that be don't determine "wrongdoing" by moral principle. Rather, it's determined by arbitrarily enacted, arbitrarily enforced, and arbitrarily adjudicated laws. Common sense and a moral compass are often a hindrance. It’s easy to be morally right and legally wrong.

Anyhow, we won't resolve the debate about drones with any amount of argument here. The fact that they can be beneficial when used responsibly is not in question, as far as I'm concerned. The problem is that "responsible use" requires a system that has integrity, wisdom, and the ability to consistently make good judgments that do not trample on anyone's life, property, privacy, or other rights.

Perhaps the one thing we can all agree upon is the fact that the track record for integrity, wisdom, and good judgment of those who operate the current system has...er, exciting potential for improvement. :roll:
________________

PD: What you said. Rebellion is seldom revolutionary. It’s usually just a process wherein one form of tyranny is exchanged for another.

In the case of the U.S., the War for Independence from Great Britain was a rebellion. The revolution was something else entirely. It was the notion that no man should rule another against his will. If we have not already reached the point wherein the philosophy articulated in the Declaration of Independence is considered treasonable and seditious, we're headed there.

:joker: