The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced that in addition to establishing a no fly zone over the Super Bowl, it may shoot down any drones that violate the airspace. In what is a dangerous precedent setting move, the FAA has made US airspace an apparent war zone. For those of you that dare to fly your DJI Phantoms, watch out because you may become the next target for a bored F-16 pilot. I am afraid to speculate now how long it will be before the government takes the next step and begins to shoot down radar blips that turn out to be manned civilian aircraft.
I have to admit, as long as no one was hurt, I would be interested to actually see the FAA “shoot down” a drone. Of course I think the entire thing is an absurd waste of resources and a very dangerous precedent to set in what is supposed to be a free country. By “shoot down,” I hope the FAA actually means through the use of electronic jamming because the idea of a half million dollar Sidewinder missile being wasted on a $1,000 drone only seems reasonable to Raytheon, the Sidewinder’s primary manufacturer. Further, the idea of an almost 200 pound missile with a 25 pound warhead detonating over a densely populated area sounds reckless and stupid and most likely would cause far more damage than any civilian drone.
Assuming that the FAA in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security and the military has anti-drone technology in place, my question is when will that be available to the public? After all, is it not the government that has used more drones to kill and illegally spy on more people than all of the civilians in the United States combined? Government use of drones poses one of the greatest threats to people globally and this will only get worse. Drones embolden lethal action by governments, not diminish them and this is a very dangerous maxim. Clearly this trend is now becoming a reality in the US. Being that the Second and Fourth Amendments were written to check government tyranny and protect privacy, I think anti-drone technology should be available to the general public. If drones are such a big threat to the Super Bowl, why should I not be afraid of them in my own backyard? If the Fourth Amendment says I should be afforded privacy in my own home why are government drones allowed to conduct unlimited voyeurism?
My point is simple. We have a government that recklessly uses drones to legitimately kill, but also to illegally murder and assassinate people globally and to unconstitutionally spy on Americans at home, but is deathly afraid of anyone else having the same capability. Nonetheless, to date, Americans are left defenseless against a threat allegedly so grave that the FAA has mandated registration and threatened to shoot them down using military assets. I think we need to start a petition to offer affordable and widely available civilian anti-drone technology. Since our tax dollars already paid for this technology, shouldn’t the public have access to it? We also need to simultaneously pass legislation that brings the law and current technology in line with the Fourth Amendment to protect American privacy against spying drones, aircraft, and satellites. The technology has now gotten to the point it has provided a convenient, albeit illegal loophole to the necessity to protect ones privacy and it must be closed.
By Guiles Hendrik
February 5, 2016
Last Minute Survival
It's never too late to prepare
LEARCAPITAL
-
Mountain House
