I am not a supporter of drones since they won't fix the issue. I think the laws on the books a need to be fixed and we should keep the drones away from us. it just seems like another excuse to push a new technology into the mainstream sadly.
I take exception to the final paragraph of the article. Here it is, to refresh everyone's memory:
Border security is important, and it's great to see progress on immigration reform after decades of deadlock. But it's important to make sure that policy makers don't go for a technology quick-fix. Before expanding the nation's drone program, advocates need to demonstrate that drones are effective, safe, and respect civil liberties.
It would be better to open all borders, worldwide. Maintaining the system of sovereign nations that posture and fight is not productive. Let people go where they want, and do what they want. It's time to change, not just a couple of small policies, but the paradigm behind them.
Not grandstanding, I think. Drones are this administration's weapon of choice for dealing with people they don't like. Surveillance and assassination by drone are so much less personal...those running the things might just as well be playing a video game. When something goes wrong, oh well, throw in another quarter.
Overkill is right. I understand the political motivation behind making dramatic gestures at border security, but the more we can limit the amount of money and effort wasted the better. Border crossing is on a sharp decline; net immigration from Mexico is probably in negative figures by now (economic calamities work both ways), and there are much easier and safer ways of entering the States without appropriate documentation -- especially if your're not starting in Mexico.
Ongoing undocumented immigration is a much lesser problem than figuring out what to do with the people already here. Fortunately the recent proposals tackle that question too.
That must have been a great conversation! Who knows what mysteries lie beneath the sea? I love the stories about these types of fish that have "died," only to reappear every once in a while from being extinct. Mind you, no one would like to run up against one of those giant squid, I don't think!
I had this same conversation w/my Son about Jules Verne....When he wrote his 20K league under the sea, who'd know that today we'd be able to go to the depths that we have gone. How we harness and transform it is something that we have to constantly be aware of....
Indeed..and that's the direction we're going--I am sorry to be really direct..but such tactics are being "perfected" overseas right now with the drone wars. I am frankly scared of the day when we're faced as depicted in Battlestar Gallatica where the machines become smarter...Kurzweil reminds us that it is going to be possible--but the possiblity of it should scare us all--whether we are geeks or not (and I consider myself one and proud to declare it!! ):-)
Wow, mpourayan, I am going to read that from start to finish later tonight. Skimming through was scary. As you say, chills down spine material. We see drones being used by so many law enforcement departments: One local police department has bought several near me, for example, and I wonder how much training they get, not only in operating these devices but in the related surveillance monitoring/storage, etc. I don't want a drone hovering over teenagers' swimming parties for the entertainment of some unseen operators, for example.
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