SO LONG UFOs

That “object” up in the sky is no longer the mysterious “UFO” we heard and read about back in the 1960s and 1970s. No, today the government is no longer pretending they have no knowledge of what was spotted and unidentifiable. To the contrary, the government is proudly boasting they have aircraft the size of model airplanes they can send out to see what’s going on anywhere at any time on any one. The authorities refer to drones as a “security surveillance” tool. Personally, I can’t help but think of them as invading my privacy with a spy in the sky.

And apparently I’m not the only one who is questioning the reasons necessary for 7,500 civilian drones to be buzzing around neighborhoods at random.

The Federal government is downplaying the idea these drones are anything more than an extra security measure. Really? So does that mean when someone is eventually caught by a drone camera doing who knows what or growing something the Feds say is an illegal substance and they know who owns the property it’s on they won’t do anything about it? Hmm, somehow I find that counter-productive, not to mention hard to believe. Think about it from the perspective of the people living in states such as Colorado or Washington where marijuana is now legal to possess. If you don’t think there’s a whole lot of folks growing their own stashes, think again.

Remember, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency is not exactly “on board,” shall we say, with Washington’s or Colorado’s most recent legislative actions related to marijuana smokers, let alone growers. Regardless how you or I or the Feds may feel about pot smokers or people who grow their own in states that have passed legislation making it legal to do so, it is legal in those states.

These are questions without answers — not yet anyway. This is also the reason several state legislators from several states across the country are beginning to ask all sorts of questions regarding how the Feds plan on using these drones and for what purpose. The least of which is how the high-flying new drones affect everyone’s right to search and seizure laws without warrants. And even if they have the warrants, how will the Feds explain what led them to think Mr. Smith, who coaches little league baseball and soccer with his 2.3 children, two dogs and a stay-at-home wife, was supplementing his income by growing marijuana in the first place?

The argument is no longer to disfavor drones, whether they are “manned or unmanned.” The argument in favor of the drones is purely economic. States such as Maine are concerned they might lose out on “opportunities for new aerospace jobs” so Gov. Paul LePage is not inclined to favor drone regulation that would essentially protect everyone from having their privacy invaded by drones flying by and seeing whatever is out there. However, there are several states that have written or are in the process of writing laws and passing them to ensure that manned or unmanned drones flying above cannot be used to gather evidence or any other information on or against a person without a legal search warrant. That is a constitutional guarantee granted everyone who is a legal citizen.

Does anyone recall when a scare came out about allowing the government to peer into public library records to see if someone had checked out certain books on how to make bombs? That was back in the early 1990s and the public roared about that for months! Yet, it has been in very recent months we have learned how the Federal has the ability and has been reading our emails and listening to our phone calls and now they want to command a fleet of robotic spies in the air to see whatever they want as well?

Maybe it’s time we boomers all dug out our copies of George Orwell’s “1984” and not only re-read it, but pass it along to the newbie generations who seem to believe having any branch of our government keeping tabs on whatever we do, wherever and whenever, is perfectly natural and sane. It is not sane. It is not natural. It is not justified. And it certainly is not what freedom and liberty in the greatest country on earth should allow.

Questions or comments please send to: sooasheim@aol.com or to tfinney@ncppub.com

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