attack of the drones

Wow! There's no reason why technology should stun me anymore but here we go again. Was watching the 60 minute piece about the Predators and Drones last week. Both unmanned aircraft are being used in the wars over there (is our campaign in Afghanistan a declared war or is it some kind of conflict or operation or something?) These spybots have the ability to fly undetected into hostile territory and literally send, via satellite, live ground footage with sparkling detail.

Not only that, these eyes in the sky are armed and can be controlled from anywhere on planet earth. The Predators wreaking havoc in the Iraqi war are being controlled from an airbase just outside Vegas. Doesn't that sound like a Vonnegut novel in the making if he had more time? I see the conflicted story of an anti-hero dad (or mom!) who balances surgical killings with little league practice and the other joys of suburban life just past the strip.

Last night I was watching the news and heard the Drones are flying constant missions over the Mexican border too. So much for that 1,969 mile wall the brown-hating racists want to commission. We already have a digital wall that's all-knowing.

So what about us? I wonder. I know ground level surveillance is already a norm in my peacenik community. We see evidence everywhere. I wonder what buzzes above our heads though. You can't hear 'em....you can't see 'em. They are just there when a pilot at some base somewhere says so.

In the 21st century anonymity is declared extinct.