Why Stop There?

The New York Times has a story about how the U.S. is adding unmanned flying drones to its arsenal to conduct surveillance over coastal areas-- they already patrol in U.S. territory near the border areas in the Southwest. These are the same unmanned aircraft our government has sent to far corners of the world to kill unsuspecting people who have been identified as enemies. But these drones, we are assured, don't have weapons. And why wouldn't we believe that?

But why stop there? These drones are very quiet and extremely difficult to detect from the ground. We know that they are capable of launching lethal strikes from the air with no threat to any U.S. personnel. They are quite useful.

As Charles Featherstone says:

I can imagine how useful it would be to assign a Predator to cruise the air above I-10 through, say, Ontario, noting the license plates of speeders. Or the southside of Chicago, on the lookout for gang bangers and other ne’er-do-wells?

And why stop with merely taking pictures and issuing citations? I can imagine all sorts of uses for Hellfire missiles in a law enforcement context. A quick end to car chases! Get the bad guys where they are holed up! Enforce drunk driving checkpoints! Protect the wonderful men and women in blue as they sacrifice their lives in service for our freedom and security!

Just don’t be ungrateful. Because they know where you live. And if precision weapons work in Gaza and Iraq, why not in Chicago or San Bernardino?

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But this is all crazy talk. This could never happen. Don't worry about it-- The Biggest Loser premieres tonight! And NFL Playoffs this weekend!