No, I equated drones with spray paint. It’s a TOOL. That’s all it is. If you want to complain about it being abused, great, point to abuse and I’ll back you 100%. If you want to whine because it might be abused, that’s been true of everything since the first time our pre-human ancestors picked up a branch – or bared their teeth, for that matter.
When are they going to release a hellfire missile within the contiguous states? These things are built for extra-judicial killing, let’s not pussy-foot around.
Yeah, but I can’t beat the shit out of 'em and steal their cameras when they do it.
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If you wanted a combat-ready MOPAR, then I’d recommend an early 70s Newport…
You could have made the analogy about guns and gun violence it would have been far more accurate.
Edit; I’ll give you an example; “That’s like saying cheap availability of guns allows for shootings. It’s true, but (a) doesn’t mean that guns are any less useful or valid a tool, and (b) doesn’t mean that there’s reason to suspect every purchaser of guns will put it to criminal purposes.”
Same thing, really…
We agree that we disagree. I’m not going to get sidetracked onto the gun debate.
(Actually, I think you just made my point for me. We trust the police with guns. I’m not about to get freaked out because they also have a toy airplane.)
Nonsense. They don’t need drones to carry out extralegal assassinations, and most drones are not intended for or even capable of carrying armaments.
The media and public reactions to drone strikes have conflated two almost entirely unrelated issues: One is the less-than-discriminate bombing of schools and wedding parties and such in attacks supposedly precision-targeted against Taliban/al Qaeda personnel. The fact that drones are used instead of gunships or F/A-18s or orbital lasers is irrelevant.
The other issue, which is specific to drones, involves the ramifications of vastly increased mediation between the guy pulling the trigger and the target — the “video game” effect. When the pilots and commanders sit in air-conditioned control centers in zero personal danger, often all the way back in the U.S., commuting back to their homes after their shifts, does that make it too easy to push the button? Does removal from the carnage make it easier to gloss over? Does that ease inform policy? It undoubtedly simplifies the decision of whether to launch a combat operation if you know you won’t have to worry about writing letters to widows afterwards.
… is that we’re not talking about giving the police combat drones. Which makes much of the panic about the D-word completely orthogonal to the case under discussion.
And since I’m starting to repeat myself, I think I’m out of this one too.
I was just pointing out the way you can parse a point by ‘massaging’ the analogy to fit your viewpoint.
And since i made one of your points, I’ll quickly return the favor; “That’s like saying cheap availability of spray paint allows for graffiti”, you said. The last time I checked, spray paint is actually kept behind cages, lock and key now. Partially because of huffing, partially because hey, guess what? Graffiti!
“using the unmanned crafts to storm barricaded buildings”
Um, I’m pretty sure you can’t use a UAV to physically storm a barricaded building, certainly not in any way that would be useful, and any such attempt would destroy the UAV.
Are they conflating remote-operated robots with airborne UAVs? I believe they do use tracked or wheeled robots to enter buildings, when necessary, to get closeup camera views around obstacles, and to do hostage negotiations.
I’d think a remote-controlled tracked robot would be just as much of a drone as a remote-controlled UAV.
I assume you are in CA or maybe NY. Because, in other places, the spray paint and glue is still right out on the shelf just as always. We don’t see nearly as much of the graffitti or huffing, either. So that’s a local thing. People using guns unlawfully, sure thing!
I once worked at a place that manufactured drones for the military. In that case, unarmed drone bombs used for target practice - not to be confused with the little lightweight surveillance drones. It would be nice if the two things had more distinct names so as to avoid a lot of confusion and argument. Calling a bomb a drone and an RC plane a drone just because they have a similar feature is about like calling a pocket calculator a computer, or vice versa. Similar tech - very different machines.
Santa Fe, New Mexico. I was just illustrating a point with analogies, so…
My long-reaching point is it’s easy to say “Hey, what they’re doing isn’t illegal”, but little things like it’s probably made legal under the broad strokes of the Patriot Act, the fact it’s been ‘legal’ since 2006 but the FBI hasn’t acknowledged it do very little to make me comfortable with their use…
I get the point. Didn’t know NM had a thing about spray paint, though.
Fully agreed. I’m not at all comfortable with it, either. If it can be used it will be abused, that’s true. But claiming that it’s ok because the military and police have it? That often represents an even greater probability of abuse. There may be no general expectation of privacy while in public - but…public restrooms, public dressing rooms. I DO have some reasonable expectation of privacy while technically in public. The inside of my personal vehicle - which the government is no longer safe from intrusion, if I am within 100 miles of the border. My phone - which the government would like to claim holds no expectation of privacy the instant a signal hits a tower or public carrier - and sometimes, even before that. My private data - also at risk any time I am within 100 miles of any border. My privates, should I wish to board a plane or train. I’d say at this point, I get more privacy from the public than the police or military.
Now…tell me again why drones are not a probable problem?
I don’t see anyone here apologizing for anything . Some of us are realists, trying to live in the real world, and effect change based on facts, and not just accept wild hyperbole.
And nothing has happened to BoingBoing. Some of us have been around for decades, since we had to hunt for in the zine section of our local underground bookstore, months after the publication date.
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