Drones and America

On Chris Hayes's morning show the panel discussed the use of drones and how this is becoming problematic. It appears that our military is offering pay for terrorist information, and the pay is significant enough for people in the region to give whatevever information they can get paid for, even if the information is not good and causes the deaths of innocent people who happen to be near the drone strikes. The targets are low level operators, because it's easier for the these operators to be identified than protected leaders.

 The Left is in a quandary, because it's not George Bush who relishes the drone capability and talks about its deadly potential in a joking manner -- it's Obama. The technology can also violate our privacy. The point is that 9/11 caused Americans to close their eyes regarding the State's responses to the attack. It's one thing for our military to expertly protect the country from attacks, but its another for the military industrial complex to take advantage of 9/11 and build the structure which assures that the State can never be challenged by its own people.

Policies are being written and technology is being developed which can control not only the bad guys but also American citizens, dissidents who challenge the government. This might be okay in Russia and China and North Korea, but America is supposed to maintain scepticism regarding advances in State power.

We can't continue this societal obstacle to open discussion regarding where we go from here regarding the War on Terror. Giving government free reign to develope whatever military weapons and surveillance technology and permissions to violate privacy it chooses to develope is not a good idea. When do we say enough is enough and the liklihood of another 9/11 is so low that the continued military response is not called for at the same intensity. We can't sacrifice liberty just because a handful of terrorists successfully caught us sleeping. We're no longer sleeping, except when it comes to the power we're turning over to the State. Let's get back to the business of a free, independent America -- the fear has blinded us for too long.