Obama Continues Bush's Illegal Drone Surveillance

[Diomedes]

I'm not against drones.  They can be fantastic tools.  For example, drones would do a much better job finding rockfish poachers than a couple DNR patrol boats can manage.  We just need some goddamn rules and oversight.

[Tomahawk]

Rules and oversight are only good for the public. Our government is incapable of policing itself.

[Diomedes]

It is the people's responsibility to police the government, which they in fact elect.  Blaming the government for not policing itself is a convenient way of deflecting attention from the real problem:  American citizens suck, and they get the government they deserve.

Drones are also good for keeping an eye on where the elephants are.  That way, the rangers don't spend a whole lot of time elsewhere...they follow the elephants and they'll be able to interdict poachers.

[Tomahawk]

lol at electing a corrupt official to make sure other iceholes aren't being corrupt.

[phillycrew]

I'm not against drones.  They can be fantastic tools.  For example, drones would do a much better job finding rockfish poachers than a couple DNR patrol boats can manage.  We just need some goddamn rules and oversight.

I agree with this one.  Just make sure they don't have any rockets or guns on them.

[Diomedes]

lol at electing a corrupt official to make sure other iceholes aren't being corrupt.

lol at complaining about the government you do nothing to improve, citizen.

[Tomahawk]

How can I improve it? Voting for people who have a conflict of interest the second they assume their position in D.C.?

[Diomedes]

Do you vote?

[Tomahawk]

Always voted locally and ended my federal boycott with the last presidential election because I was terrified Romney might win if I didn't vote against him.

[Diomedes]

I'm genuinely surprised.  I figured you abstained entirely.

How can you improve it?  Write letters to reps.  Volunteer locally, etc.

Actually do all the shtein you learned in grade school.

I'm awful tired of government haters.  Get involved or shut up, the government can't do everything for us, and it can't do much at all without funds and public support/scrutiny/participation.  It's not enough to just pay taxes.

[Sgt PSN]

Voting is useless.  I still do it but I'm not under the misguided notion that it actually means anything.  The candidates in every election are never overwhelmingly appealing to me.  No matter who I vote for, I'm voting for a lying, cheating dirt bag has already sold him/herself out to the highest bidder 100 times and will do it 100 more times if there's a quick buck to be made. 

The real question is just HOW do the people hold their elected officials accountable?  It's not like we just fire them and elect someone else.  Even if we could, there's no doubt that the replacement would be just as awful.  Do we just storm our state capitol buildings and toss everyone through the window? 

Aside from the fact that our options are too limited, the majority of voters don't even know why they're voting for the people they vote for.  Most people vote the party line, so the most difficult choice they have to make is during primaries.  Do I vote for Mitt or or Newt?  I like Newt better than Mitt so I'll vote for him.  Then when Mitt wins the GOP nomination, they go to the polls and vote for Mitt anyway because he's a Republican.  And the same goes for Dems.  How many people voted for Hillary in the 2008 primaries but didn't vote for Obama in the Presidential Election?  Not too many I imagine. 

People are dumb because they've allowed themselves to be driven to 1 side or the other by the 2 party system.  Divide and Conquer.  Sad thing is that most people don't even realize it.  I forget who said it on the previous page (maybe Rome?) but this country has the gov't it deserves.  No wonder politicians don't give a shtein about the people who elected them.       

[Diomedes]

If that's your attitude then you're part of the problem.

Get involved locally.  Go to your neighborhood association meetings, your town hall meetings, whatever they are, assume some role in some committee for something that matters to you locally.  Take an actual stake in government rather than throwing up your hands at how corrupt it is and voting to starve it. 

I'm not saying you can change the world, but you can actually help if you try. 

And if you dont' want to try, if you think other people are going to do i tall for you and all you hvae to do is vote occasionally and pay your taxes, then shut up about how bad it all is.

[Seabiscuit36]

Dio, I do like the idea of drones as a cheaper alternative to running multiple boats or planes to regulate poaching.  I'm curious to where you land on Speed ticket cameras, and Street surveillance cameras. 

[Diomedes]

I support speed cameras, assuming they are accurate of course.   I was pissed as hell when they first went up in town because I didn't realize they were going up and I got tagged like four times at one light before the notices started arriving in my box.  But here's the rub:  their installation was well publicized, I just didn't pay attention.  Furthermore, I was speeding.  Had a cop been there doing nothing but hitting everyone who sped, I'd have gotten four tickets.  So fair is fair.  Since then I've adjusted my behavior.  I ALWAYS drive below the ticket threshold (11mph above posted limit) now, and what do you know, I never get tickets for speeding.


Street surveillance as in, by a municpal body?  For what purpose?  As crime prevention?  Nope, don't think that works, evidence is very poor that cameras prevent anything.  As a means for prosecuting crimes after they happen...I'm on the fence there.  It's a much more gray area than a speed camera, which is an extremely narrow purpose and use.  Is the footage being browsed for any possible wrongdoing in real time and the jackboots dispatched whenever something untoward appears to have happened?  That's no good.  It is being stored for a defined period of time so that, should something go down, it can be used in a court by either/all parties...that makes more sense.  It depends.

[Tomahawk]

I didn't realize you were such an idealist, Dio. Hopefully your rainbow umbrella deflects all the gumdrops and lollipops that are raining down.