They are marvels of technology, but I don't want them here.
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/01/13-9
The (Remote-Controlled) War at Home
How activists are trying to bring the moral implications of drone warfare to light.
by Valerie Schloredt
Nearly a third of the aircraft used by the United States military don't carry pilots, according to a new Congressional report. The aircraft are drones, and their pilots are often thousands of miles away, controlling them remotely from bases in the United States.
One such base is the Hancock Air National Guard Base, located near Syracuse, N.Y. Ed Kinane, who lives nearby, says that since strike drones are operated from the base, his home area of New York state is, from a moral perspective, “in the zone of war”—a reality he and other peace activists don't feel they can ignore.
On April 22, at the entrance to the base, Kinane and 37 other activists wrapped themselves in white cloth splattered with red, and staged a die-in. They were protesting the base’s role in operating drones over Afghanistan—the unmanned aerial vehicles are designed to target terrorists and insurgents, but they also take a heavy toll on the peace and safety of unarmed civilians. The protesters attempted to deliver a citizen indictment for war crimes to the base, and were arrested on charges of disorderly conduct and disobeying a legal order.
Countering these needs further thought. Barrage balloons? Would shooting them down be self-defense?
While not referring to myself, there are a number of arms in this country. Arms do have a function in preserving life against government excesses. Against an unmanned aerial encroachment, this may be a situation for acceptable self-defense using a tool of violence.
Forums:
Looks like they're using em in police actions...
http://www.occupylv.org/news/war-home-militarized-local-police-tap-post-...
We can also build our own...
http://www.occupylv.org/news/ows-fights-back-against-police-surveillance...
Could The Use Of Flying Death Robots Be Hurting America's Reputation?
http://www.theonion.com/video/could-the-use-of-flying-death-robots-be-hu...
Tacocopter Aims To Deliver Tacos Using Unmanned Drone Helicopters
by Jason Gilbert | Huffington Post | 03/23/2012 5:33 pm
Look, up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane!
It's an unmanned drone helicopter shooting a taco from space down at you and your colleagues during lunchtime!
The Internet is going wild for Tacocopter, perhaps the next great startup out of Silicon Valley, which boasts a business plan that combines four of the most prominent touchstones of modern America: tacos, helicopters, robots and laziness.
Indeed, the concept behind Tacocopter is very simple, and very American: You order tacos on your smartphone and also beam in your GPS location information. Your order -- and your location -- are transmitted to an unmanned drone helicopter (grounded, near the kitchen where the tacos are made), and the tacocopter is then sent out with your food to find you and deliver your tacos to wherever you're standing.
You pay online, so the tacos are simply dropped off at your feet by the drone helicopter, which then flies back to the restaurant to pick up its next order.
[continue reading]
Do they deliver beer with an order?
...when they turn 21.
How the government reads you e-mail and tap your phones.