A new federal law accelerating domestic use of government aerial surveillance drones brings America frighteningly close to an Orwellian police state.
President Obama is expected to sign the FAA Reauthorization Act, which expedites approval for federal, state and local police to use these drones. The Federal Aviation Administration's existing case-by-case approach is chilling enough -- it's being sued over its refusal to disclose publicly which agencies use drones and how they're used.
Still, it's known that the Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection arm uses drones domestically. Now imagine local police drones constantly, unblinkingly tracking -- without warrants -- your every move and aspect of your property.
Far-fetched⢠Hardly. Great Britain right now is testing the use of drones to enforce government-subsidized agricultural policies. If successful, drones will replace satellite surveillance. The French government already monitors wine producers with drones.
Don't doubt for one second that the government of the United States is far behind this obscene curve.
Legitimate security -- keeping the peace and defending the nation -- is one thing. Indiscriminately spying on citizens from above -- violating privacy and Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure -- is quite another.
Where does government's expanding use of increasingly intrusive technology to monitor citizens end⢠Not in Congress or the White House, which are siding with Big Brother with this new law, but -- hopefully -- in court.
