Congressman warns Americans the drones are coming, introduces privacy legislation
Under the FAA Reauthorization Act the United States government has authorized the use of 30,000 drones to start flying over all major cities, spying on the American people, by the year 2020. Representative Ted Poe rightfully sees this as a violation of the fourth amendment and warns us that the drones are coming in this letter:
But whether we like it or not, the drones are coming.
Who will operate these drones, and what will be their mission? Could it be a suspicious government agent who thinks someone looks kind of funny? The EPA bureaucrat who wants to snoop on somebody’s farm and watch Bessie the cow graze in the pasture? Or a nosy neighbor who wants to make sure someone’s shutters are pretty and the flowers don’t violate the homeowners’ association rules? This is the kind of world that Americans could face as we enter this uncharted and unprecedented world of drone technology. Just because Big Brother can look into someone’s back yard with a drone doesn’t mean they should. That’s why we have the Fourth Amendment. Congress has the legal obligation to ensure that the Fourth Amendment rights of private citizens are protected in this new “drone world
Like Ted Poe, I feel the fourth amendment should protect us from such an assault on our rights, but sadly the fourth amendment isn’t enough to stop an overreaching federal government so he has introduced a bill called the Preserving American Privacy Act which would stop the FAA from flying the drones without a warrant.
With the increased technology of surveillance, Congress must be proactive in protecting civilians from drone surveillance by law enforcement and other private citizens. This bill will ensure the privacy of Americans is protected by establishing guidelines about when and for what purpose law enforcement agencies, private citizens, and businesses can use drones
I would normally write that I believe this is great news but there is one small problem with this bill; Ted Poe will be asking the same people who voted to authorize the use of drones in the first place to admit they made a mistake and restrict their usage and I simply don’t see that happening.
Even if the Tea Party led House moves to rectify their mistake there is no way this bill will pass the Democrat controlled Senate–Ted Poe is right, the drones are coming.
America's Watchtower 
What am I missing here, Steve. Why is so hard for Congress to stipulate that drones, acting as patrol cars in ths sky, can record nothubless 1.) they have a judges order, or 2.) they see a crime in progress and then they have probable cause? That I would think should be a minimum of what should be done to protect our right to privacy.
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I guess it depends on whether we HAVE any right to privacy anymore. I am beginning to think that we have lost that. After all, it doesn’t take much for them to push a bill thru and we have nothing to say about it, but it will sure have an effect on us.
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The TSA is all the proof we need that the fourth amendment is gone.
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It shouldn’t be hard Jim, but why did they allow this in the first place? We are becoming the targets of our own government, meanwhile illegals are allowed to come across the border and collect food stamps.
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Well, soon we will be chipped, and this will be small potatoes, (:
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That is more likely than people think it is. Once the government has total control over healthcare they will use these chips claiming it is being done for medical reasons in case of an emergency.
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I went to get a passport, and starting this past March, it contains a chip. Anyone want to guess what all it does??
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Wow! Sounds like it is already in place, this is pretty damn scary!
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Since Obamanation has a supposed ‘whatever it takes to win’ inner circle of minions…could there really be some sort of October surprise in regards to civil unrest? Or even Aug-Sept surprises surrounding the Conventions?
It’s really scary when the ol’ conspiracy kooks are starting to sound more legit! God Help US…
PLU from SSF
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Well DHS is preparing for something with the purchase of millions of rounds of ammo, I wouldn’t put it passed them. The OWS crowd is still out there and it will be interesting to see how they act as the election draws closer.
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Just curious, will the geico plane be in front of the drones or behind them?? How about the balloons?
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