106 federal entities are now authorized to use drones on American soil
With the passage of the FAA Reauthorization Act the federal government approved the funding for 30,ooo drones to be used on American soil to spy on law abiding United States citizens by the year 2020. These drones will be used by the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Agriculture, and even on some college campuses. But that is not all, because we learned today in this article that 106 government entities have already been approved for drone use and we can expect that number to climb as time wears on.
We are now on the edge of a new horizon: using unmanned aerial systems within the homeland,” House Homeland Security Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Michael McCaul (R.-Texas) said as he introduced the testimony.
“Currently,” said McCaul, “there are about 200 active Certificates of Authorization issued by the Federal Aviation Administration to over 100 different entities, such as law enforcement departments and academic institutions, to fly drones domestically.”
These drones can fly over cities in the United States and keep tabs on what citizens are doing and they can do this all without a warrant in violation of the 4th amendment and yet this bill was passed by the Tea Party led House, many members of which ran on the promise of returning to our constitutional roots. We have been betrayed by the people who promised to end the era of big government.
When we take into account the fact that the Air Force has declared it is legal for them to spy on the general public without a warrant as long as a specific individual is not targeted but can still turn over information to the authorities which it gained illegally, and couple that news with the fact that some in law enforcement already foresee the day when these drones will be armed and one can easily come to the conclusion that the United States is slipping into a perpetual police surveillance state.
And surveillance could be the least of our problems with the news that the Department of Homeland Security has ordered $450 million rounds of ammunition and the United States was deemed a battlefield when the National Defense Authorization Act was signed into law by the president. Of course there is that nasty little rumor about the FEMA camps as well.
All of this leads me to ask the question: What the hell is the federal government preparing for?
America's Watchtower 
Not one Republican let alone Romney is calling for a repeal of the Patriot Act and the disilution of Homeland Security. This is a very dangerous road we are on, Steve. This is supposed to be for our security but who will protect us from them?
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Jim, i feel like I stand a better chance of protecting myself than letting the government do it for me. I think they are over stepping their bounds, but if they appeal to just the right group of people, they can make them believe that it IS for their own good. Those are the ones that will feel all warm and fuzzy and want more and more “help” in making sure they are safe. Now with the shooting that occured, listen to all the “authorities” that are screaming for GUN CONTROL! We have plenty of laws on guns as it is, do we need more? I will answer that….a BIG NO!
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As far as the Colorado shooting goes the theater was a “no firearms” zone, wouldn’t it have been nice if just one person in there had a weapon. This also highlights the fact that liberals can’t seem to get through their heads; criminals ignore gun laws!
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Not only that but ROmney supported the NDAA which made the US a battlefield, I fear this is here to stay. It is only a matter of time before the drones are flying over the skies in all major US cities. But not just cities because the Agriculture Department also has them and farmers have already reported seeing them.
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the question is..what kind of drones are we talking about? all of these agencies can’t be operating predator class drones! pointers or quadcopters which are more like fancy model aircraft with cameras?
somehow, I don’t remember anyone getting all this worked up over manned aircraft doing the same jobs over the last 20 years. the end result is the same if the pilot is on the ground or in the vehicle itself.
lets at least be consistent here. either get restrictions on ALL police/government aviation assets, or none of them.
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No they are not predator drones, but that doesn’t matter to me. The bottom line is that there will be cameras in the skies watching over people who have done no wrong, infringing on the constitution and our privacy.
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the cameras are already there, manned or unmanned. getting rid of the drones doesn’t get rid of the cameras!
if you don’t want cameras in the sky, we need to push for ALL government aviation (manned or unmanned) to have a warrant for the area they are flying over unless that area has no expectation for privacy (streets, sidewalks, any area visible from a public street), which is the standard for public photography without permission. of course,serving said warrant would be problematic. who do you give it to? do we leaflet-bomb an area before we fly the aircraft?
remember, for every idiot proof system, an new and improved idiot will evolve to overcome it. if we ban the police from using drones, it’s not that much of a leap in logic for them to “hire” an “outside private company” to run the drones for them. of course, the “outside company” will likely be owned BY some of the cops, with equipment bought at pennies on the dollar from existing drone programs.
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Obama already authorized the killing of American citizens anywhere in the world without trial. I don’t think Bob will get blown up by the CIA on his way to work but the legal framework is there.
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Agreed Harrison, this is another step in the wrong direction.
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This is all getting spooky and crazy, I found this and wondered what the heck is going on?
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ice-agents-face-critical-decisions-following-events-in-el-paso-163060176.html
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Gonna check it out right now.
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They dont have to be predator drones to drop some bad stuff on us. Nutso, the U.S. has totally lost her wheels.
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And they shouldn’t be spying on us in the first place!
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When first hearing Homeland Security, a chill went up my spine. My first thought was KGB-SS. The mention of drones stirs up Orwellian- Kafkaesque images in my mind. A sas commentary on the leaders we choose to protect what’s left or our once precious freedoms.
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I had pictures of Judge Dread come to mind. Alot of flying around stuff and swift action on taking someone down. Of course we still have to think of alot of the other “movies” that were made years ago that people laughed at because that would “never happen here”. Guess what, it IS! But, Peter, we put these people into office, so in the end aren’t WE responsible for what is going on? I think if we actually were able to see bills that have been passed we would find how much we have actually lost. Look how much is in a bill that doesn’t even pertain to the bill itself, but it is still there and passed along with the original bill! Look at OBAMACARE, for example! There is so much in there added that we have no idea what all has been changed or taken away from us. The problem is, when it arrises, then they bring it out and say “see, here it is right here”,and we didn’t even know about it. They are a bunch of sneaky bastids, aren’t they?
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These arrogant, self serving bastards flourish in the sea of blissful ignoramuses this country has become. Again the genius of the founding fathers comes to light when we remember that they hoped to reserve political franchise for those who were landed and educated. Alas, we suffer the slings and arrows of an unsophisticated, apathetic electorate whose allegiance is pledged to those in power who will give them unending free stuff. Hey, maybe the drones will target welfare cheats and zap them when they go to cash their checks?
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Our FF’s dabbled in LOGISTICS, go figure! They were a pretty smart group of guys, what has happened to our IQ levels today? Maybe it is all the GM foods they are forcing us to buy. Next coming is not being able to plant your own garden with heirloom seeds…a pox on Monsanto, for tryng to take that away from us…sorry, I am rambling. Back to your last comment, if only that could happen, it might be an option we should explore.
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Yes in the end we are responsible for this Lou and that is what is most troubling to me. We elected the Tea Party to the House because they promised to follow the constitution and shrink the government and yet they passed this legislation. I fear there is nothing we can do at this point to stop it.
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Agreed, Orwell is what come to my mind when I read these stories as well.
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What are they waiting for? What they have fostered!…. All out Revolution. The Tea Party is no different than any others! Once in power ….. Stay there! Grab a gun and join the real One Million man march! To arms… to arms!
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