THE NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES!

THE NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES!

(Aljazeera/Frazer Chronicle)

Actually today's blog could have been called "the skies have a thousand eyes," but what the hell, I always like Bobby Vee, so while researching for today's topic, I stumbled across an article about "Prying eyes in U.S. skies raise privacy fears, and immediately thought of Bobby Vee's big 1963 hit. Call me a romantic; I just couldn't help dragging up a bit of nostalgic music to use as a title for today's "op-ed."

It's really strange, "at least to me," that a bit of movie future shock seemingly is coming to pass, "I can remember several movies that use unmanned drones to blow things up, or gather information from unsuspecting politicians, or gangsters or the man next door.

I remember James Bond movies, Blade Runner, or that cop movie with bullets that could go around corners and those little drone things that could inject lethal poison. I thought they were just movie stuff, but of course now, we all know that the stuff and ideas that makes movies fun to watch isn't quite so funny in real life and the 2^nd decade of the 21^st century.

These pesky little unmanned aerial vehicles; (UAV's) could be flying through U.S. neighborhoods as early as 2015 to aid all sorts of police, FBI, Homeland Security, and ATF investigations.

Not that my retirement village would be a target, but hell, who knows what little old granny is doing in her basement next door. And I in my blanky, sitting back for a good night of Tru-T.V. and a bowl of my favorite cereal and maybe, just maybe a toke of.....well you know, does this mean that I'm a target to?

POWER AND CONTROL:

Law enforcement anymore isn't to "serve and protect," it's all about control, have you ever seen a cop who wasn't a control freak, I don't think so. And spies…..spies, they want to be secret, take taxpayers money, and never, never tell where it's going, how it's being spent, or how much will be kept.

Homeland Security, now there's a beauty of a protecting agency here in the United States, Hitler used many of the tactics that have been incorporated into the modus operandi of the security. Republicans talk about down-sizing government, yet, during the Bush administration, the creation of the Homeland Security was the biggest arm of the fed, possibly ever, nobody knows how far their reach is, or how many agencies are involved.

A major shift in U.S. airspace control is under way, after the Federal Aviation Administration legislation was passed by Congress earlier this year. The act fully integrates drone technology by 2015, meaning that UAV's "unmanned aerial vehicles" or the "skies over America won't be quite so friendly."

And although the drones won't be used for tactical use, "raining down hellfire missiles," they have the capability to do so. Now I ask you, "how long will it be before some jerk decides missiles are mounted machine guns on these little devils aren't in the best interest of the country?"

J. EDGAR ALL OVER AGAIN:

There was a time in our country when one man was the overbearing control freak of all law enforcement organizations. J. Edgar Hoover kept lists on everybody, for everything. It didn't matter the position that a person might hold, everybody was afraid of J. Edgar.

Now we seem to be returning to those times, in the name of protection and national security, what a sorry joke we are headed for. Unless you think that our countries intelligence was top notch before September 11^th 2001. Have you forgotten about September 11^th what happened that day, and what now has been going on for more than 10 years in the aftermath of that September day.

In the times of the F.B.I and Hoover, 1924 to 1973, the country suffered some of its darkest hours in law enforcement. One man deemed that there was no Mafia, no organized crime, that Communism was the country's biggest threat, and that "red" was the color of the enemy.

At the present time, there are no clear cut laws protecting us individuals from "our" law enforcement machinery. From our grocery lists, to the books we read, to which web sites we access on our computers, we can be monitored.

The fed says "trust us," we won't abuse intelligence gathering processes….SURE….when donkeys fly and I win the lottery. Just fess up intelligence people, you just want more info, more control, it's called "job security."

Mark my word; "once the drone program is in place," it'll be here to stay.....forever. I remember when President Bush wire-tapped without proper authorization, because it was war time, therefore he had the power, that issue has been tempered, but much of the "guts" of the wire-tap statutes are gone.

It seems that now is the beginning of a new era in the United States, it's the time when states protection supersedes the people, and that my friends is sad, dangerous and probably fatal for our way of life.

GOOD LUCK AND GOOD BYE!