Naomi Wolf: The coming drone attack on America

[marmar]

The coming drone attack on America
Drones on domestic surveillance duties are already deployed by police and corporations. In time, they will likely be weaponised

Naomi Wolf
guardian.co.uk, Friday 21 December 2012


People often ask me, in terms of my argument about "ten steps" that mark the descent to a police state or closed society, at what stage we are. I am sorry to say that with the importation of what will be tens of thousands of drones, by both US military and by commercial interests, into US airspace, with a specific mandate to engage in surveillance and with the capacity for weaponization – which is due to begin in earnest at the start of the new year – it means that the police state is now officially here.

In February of this year, Congress passed the FAA Reauthorization Act, with its provision to deploy fleets of drones domestically. Jennifer Lynch, an attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, notes that this followed a major lobbying effort, "a huge push by (…) the defense sector" to promote the use of drones in American skies: 30,000 of them are expected to be in use by 2020, some as small as hummingbirds – meaning that you won't necessarily see them, tracking your meeting with your fellow-activists, with your accountant or your congressman, or filming your cruising the bars or your assignation with your lover, as its video-gathering whirs.

Others will be as big as passenger planes. Business-friendly media stress their planned abundant use by corporations: police in Seattle have already deployed them.

An unclassified US air force document reported by CBS news expands on this unprecedented and unconstitutional step – one that formally brings the military into the role of controlling domestic populations on US soil, which is the bright line that separates a democracy from a military oligarchy. (The US constitution allows for the deployment of National Guard units by governors, who are answerable to the people; but this system is intended, as is posse comitatus, to prevent the military from taking action aimed at US citizens domestically.) ....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/dec/21/coming-drone-attack-america

[The Wielding Truth]

1. Honestly, this curls my toes. I hate the whole idea of domestic drones. I only slightly think they

should be used in war. It is totally against our right to privacy and is certainly an invasion of our person lives.

[libdem4life]

3. Yet no drone can protect our smallest ones at school.

Does anybody else remember the old bumper sticker ... Billions for the wars...bake sales for the schools ?

[Kurovski]

5. But drones did kill 193 children in Pakistan,

according to the article.

[libdem4life]

7. I dare not go into my old 60's anger about the military and killing children of other peoples.

And I should have put a "sarcasm" thingy. The drones are exceptionally offensive. My point was that we can wreak havoc electronically and claim Global Empire #1 against all of "them", but are helpless for our youngest citizens against assault by "us".

[Kurovski]

10. I took it in the spirit in which it was meant.

And the military is filthy-corrupt with a tsunami of over-funding

The sentence in the article just came forward for me, and seemed germane to our recent loss of 20 young ones. In a way, all the world is hostage to the arms manufacturers.

[libdem4life]

11. Good. Even worse...the rich NRA...but we're coming after their money...and the military money, as

well, and some jobs for appropriate vets or retired military...imagine a vet coming home and getting a job at his kid's school, or a neighboring school keeping watch over them. How cool would that be?

[Kurovski]

2. Maybe the liberty-minded NRA will use their guns to shoot them down?

I've been led to believe that's the point of all that fire power.

[forestpath]

4. Proving once again it makes no difference who's president.

[Jackpine Radical]

28. Yes and no.

It seems to make no difference in the march of Empire, but it does in a few other ways, like gay rights, women's control of their own bodies, etc.--you know, all those things the corporations really don't give a shit about but that they use to excite the wingnut rabble.

[Gregorian]

6. As a youth I had a nightmare about mechanized war. They were drones.

I mean, who didn't see this coming? And I have to say it was one of the most frightening dreams. These were the size of people, and flew around like helicopters.

Our military is our downfall.

[kardonb]

14. nihtmare...

I see " the sky is falling " crowd is out in force again tonite . We got to have a new " scare " every 5 minutes don't we .

[Laffy Kat]

8. Hairs standing up on the back of my neck.

Not surprised, however.

[dkf]

9. How odd this is coming out of a UK paper.

Would no one touch it here?

[kath]

15. US M$M never covers stuff like this. Der Spiegel is covering the story of a drone pilot who resigned

after he realized he'd killed a kid. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think there's been a peep about that in US Corporate McPravda...

[Eric the Reddish]

23. Or that Naomi Wolf wrote it.

I've never heard of her writing about issues other than feminism.

[marmar]

24. In recent years, she's written extensively about civil liberties and the security state.....

[Eric the Reddish]

25. I did not know that

Thanks

[Major Nikon]

29. She is a political activist and strong Democrat

...who just happens to also be a feminist.

[Coyotl]

31. That is a global paper today where anyone can put anything

There is a lot of plain BS in that worthless rag, stuff no one else will publish.

[wildbilln864]

12. k & r! Thank you Naomi. nt

[cliffordu]

13. Well, there ya go:

[kelliekat44]

16. I am surprised that there was no major media coverage and no public outcry. nt

[upi402]

17. The media is all over this

NOT

This is important, so is global warming.
Bullshit debates by bratty Republicans over social security cuts is not important, by comparison. Tax the rich and STFU Republicons.

We are distracted and misdirected it seems. k/r

[Berserker]

18. Well it will make

some in here happy when they target Democratic gun owners. Yes I read it on DU.

[triplepoint]

19. Send In the Drones...

Echelon Keyword Generator:

http://www.bugbrother.com/echelon/spookwordsgenerator.html


Sample:

From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subj: COBEOWEHHO (CLASSIFIED - Russia)

George J. Tenet, Director of Central Intelligence (CIA), told North Korea Reconnaissance Bureau about Mayotte (Indian Ocean) frenchelon station : a cryptoanarchist sent EloAufkl (german Elektronische Aufklärung)`s web based CGI proxys & Anonymizers logs to Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) a.k.a. Euzkadi Ta Askatasuna !

Ask 634th Military Intelligence`s contact of Vivendi Universal pollution Dpt via http://www.odci.gov/ic/ for Ref. Waihopai, INFOSEC, ASPIC, MI6, Information Security, SAI, Information Warfare.



---Post it all over the Net. Permanently monkey wrench Echelon altogether. It's the patriotic thing to do.
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Now, if you're REALLY interested in monkey wrenching the Blue Meanies, hack one of their domestic drones (30,000 strong in the near future):

Researchers use spoofing to 'hack' into a flying drone

American researchers took control of a flying drone by "hacking" into its GPS system - acting on a $1,000 (£640) dare from the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

A University of Texas at Austin team used "spoofing" - a technique where the drone mistakes the signal from hackers for the one sent from GPS satellites.

The same method may have been used to bring down a US drone in Iran in 2011.

Reference Link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18643134
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Obsession with National Security (#7 of "The 14 Characteristics of Fascism&quot :

"Inevitably, a national security apparatus was under direct control of the ruling elite. It was usually an instrument of oppression, operating in secret and beyond any constraints. Its actions were justified under the rubric of protecting “national security,” and questioning its activities was portrayed as unpatriotic or even treasonous."
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*Reference Link:
"Fascism Anyone?" by Laurence W. Britt
http://www.secularhumanism.org/index.php?section=library&page=britt_23_2

[ReRe]

20. Well... there's the Guardian once again...

...we've got to go half-way around the world to get news that's pertinent to us here in the USA. That burns me up...the fact that US media is a farce, that reporters aren't allowed (evidently) to report the truth.

The news of drones in America is creepy, but it is what it is. It's here. They have been practicing in Pakistan and other middle east countries for probably a decade or more. And when they get the system fine-tuned, they are going to bring it here. How are the American people going to react

[marmar]

22. 'the fact that US media is a farce'

Yep, it's pathetic. This is the most propagandized "free" society on earth.

[BrainGlutton23]

21. "Surveillance" != "attack"

Just so long as we're clear on that.

[xchrom]

26. du rec. nt

[zazen]

27. oh, but they'll use it responsibly--just like tasers! n/t

[randome]

30. This is very long on supposition and 'what-ifs' instead of facts.

'Capacity' for weaponization means 'the police state is now officially here'? Wow. I guess the game is over, right?

Any article that starts with the words 'People often ask me...' is often an article intended to get the most attention for its author.

[WCGreen]

32. What about the helicopters flying over LA all the time....

Drones in the US will act as eyes for the police. They can easily call the police in just like the helicopters do in LA.

I don't like it but I also don't like a lot of gangs who have automatic weapons and the brutality caused to the surrounding neighborhoods of the criminals.

[riverbendviewgal]

33. I don't advocate them but

They may protect America from THE OATH KEEPERS. Read Mother Jones March/April 2010

[earcandle]

34. Ullman 1996 military fear of defunding took us over the cliff

http://www.dodccrp.org/files/Ullman_Shock.pdf
pg xxii ... staying in the foreword, we see the plans of shock and awe
and realize the purpose of 911, the dot com crash, the fate of the unemployed
and corporate adaptation....

what to do?

Go over the cliff. defund. get our revenue back.