It’s true. Flying near migratory birds is a big no-no. Flying into other countries and killing suspected terrorists from remote controlled planes? Not so much. I hope no US citizens in Yemen have a migratory bird near them when a drone missile hits – it could present a legal problem for the United States.
As if the government didn’t have enough power to send missiles down on people, including US citizens, in pretty much any country they desire (ones without the political or military clout to object), the CIA has requested an expansion of those powers to include everyone they don’t know. You know, just in case.
Securing permission to use these “signature strikes” would allow the agency to hit targets based solely on intelligence indicating patterns of suspicious behavior, such as imagery showing militants gathering at known al-Qaeda compounds or unloading explosives.
If we learned anything lately, it’s that using lethal force on people exhibiting “suspicious behavior” always ends well.
Wednesday: Romney’s Outreach To Women Voters
I thought about doing a cartoon on Egypt, but at the time, I didn’t really have much to add beyond “Wow.” I will promise you one thing, though: if I do draw a cartoon about Egypt, it won’t involve the Sphinx, hieroglyphics, or King Tut. (I’m afraid to say I just found one depicting the Sphinx crying. Really.)
This week’s installment is something of a follow-up to my previous cartoon about Predator drones, in which I envisioned using them to fight crime in the US the way we use them in Afghanistan (and Pakistan). Thanks to a tweet from a Slowpoke reader, I read this article about small drones being purchased for surveillance by the Miami-Dade police department. I guess I don’t have a problem with a SWAT team sending up a flying beer keg — that’s the nickname for the Honeywell T-Hawk drone, mind you — if they’re about to bust in on a house full of heavily-armed goons. But the thought of patrol by drone does seem a little weird on the face of it — so weird, in fact, the Department of Homeland Security won’t touch it (aside from the drones they use for border patrol, that is).
Photo taken from WIRED, who got it from Honeywell. If you’re really curious/geeky, the Washington Post has a video of this thing flying through the air. Oh, the research I do for you people!
