'We Can See Everything'
Read this piece from today's WaPo on the Zoomies' new overhead imagery capabilities.
Think DHS won't have this capability?
And do you really believe you have any ability (outside of the near-zero probability of political action) to influence DHS behavior?
posted by Concerned American | 2:14 PM
23 Comments:
Given the extreme altitude that these monsters operate at; if they do start using them against us we can only hope that the "lucky" ones living near where they operate out of do something about them when they are on the ground. This is really the only way to deal with a lot of these weapons systems; i.e. Abrams tanks, Apache helicopters, etc. One remaining hope is that given the complexity of all of these weapons, the needed infrastructure breaks down leaving them grounded or at least not as effective as they could be. The Abrams is the high point of tank design and when in motion fairly impervious to small arms (especially your AR) but its fuel trucks ARE NOT. Yes, it's quite satisfying to kill the beast that is trying to kill you, however, you may have to settle for starving it to death. The same holds true for Reapers and Apaches and whatever else they throw at us. Plan accordingly.
The vulnerability point of these systems are the pilots.
Sanction them, problem reduced, sanction them all, problem solved until new ones volunteer, an activity which will be self reducing over time.
I don't see or hear any politician railing (or even half-heartedly crying foul) against the DHS/TSA activity, not even from the Paul and Tea Party camps.
Nor do I hear any real outrage from the public, beyond our little corner of the net.
So, even the slim possibility of political action is dead, for no politician is going to chase an issue about which even his base is not screaming.
DHS will absolutely get the capability and justify the nose under the tent as necessary for our "Border Security", which will then creep to "Counter-terrorism Security"...and soon enough evidence collected from one of these drones will be admitted into a heinous criminal case against a citizen, setting precedent as a generic crime-fighting tool...
I think what offends me the most is that the pattern is clear to all of us, They don't even bother trying to be slick about it any longer, and we do nothing.
Sam
III
PS: Hope you are feeling better.
"And do you really believe you have any ability (outside of the near-zero probability of political action) to influence DHS behavior?"
Sure. Several million Americans, the libertarian fraction who isn't trying to be Democrats or Republicans, could loudly and jointly stop paying taxes. This tax protest will splinter the tax cartels at every level, just like the widespread tax protest movements did during the lesser depression ("If he's not paying, then I'm not paying, either"). Starved of tax inputs, government will grind to a halt.
I predict this new civil rights movement will not start until two weeks into the hyperinflation, after household budgets are wrecked for the entire middle class. I would love to be proven wrong.
I saw a recruiting ad for the Internal Revenue Service, something I've never seen before.
"Be part of the team that helps make our country strong."
Are they anticipating trouble collecting their 29-55%? Lots of trouble, maybe?
Since I've been unemployed for 18 months and my wife works for herself, part-time, it'll be easier than ever to just drop off the 1040 radar. That's SOME influence over the Feds anyway. I know they've already spent money our unborn grandchildren will be taxed, so it's a drop in the ocean, but it sure would feel good.
The level of US government debt is such that a default is inevitable. This is ironclad. There is no way for statists to prop it up and rescue it. During the hyperinflation, international free trading will flourish. After that breath of freedom, I do not think statists will have the military strength or propaganda strength to impose constitution #3. Colt made men equal, but computers are making men equal to the state.
All the debt slaves will be liberated in the jubilee soon, even though that is the very last thing voters want.
The human mind is a wonderful thing. Almost all technological advances we've made involve finding better ways to kill each other, or ways to defeat these new weapons.
No doubt these will be used against US citizens in the homeland. Maybe they'll find a way to combine it with this:
http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/privacy/privacy-pia-st-stidp.pdf.
As soon as they put these over US airspace, Americans will use their ingenuity to render them less dangerous.
The possibility of their use may work to ensure that all future conflicts on American soil, such as a hypothetical RevWar III, will be largely urban based.
Don't think they won't get the training for such technology very soon either:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/12/31/napolitano-visit-aimed-beefing-afghan-border-security-customs/
"And do you really believe you have any ability (outside of the near-zero probability of political action) to influence DHS behavior? "
If we don't, it's over. Leviathan has won.
Well, outside the" we still get to vote" forms of influence, Probably not.
OTOH. the operators still have to get a haircut, shop for groceries, etc...
'Nuff said...
Well, outside the" we still get to vote" forms of influence, Probably not.
OTOH. the operators still have to get a haircut, shop for groceries, etc...
'Nuff said...
A-Stan and Iraq are nothing but a dry run/practice, for all the new fancy technical whiz bangery, that will be used on U.S. citizenry for surveillance and observation.
Yes, I fully understand that the purpose over there is to get the insurgency under control and save lives. By any means. But IMHO, they know what is going to take place in this country and are feverishly working the kinks out of the various systems over there, so they implement smoothly over here.
I have no doubt that the Gov. already has a see all, do all biometric card for each one of us, sitting in some Federal storage office somewhere waiting to be filled with data, and issued.
I have no military experience but it is my understanding in addition to the vulnerability of the pilot/operator, the equipment when it is on the ground for repairs or re-fueling, as has been pointed out by previous comments there is also the optics and the computer that are weak points on these multi-million$$$ machines.
It is also my understanding that the amount of time the aircraft is on the ground for basic maintenance is much more than the number of hours in the air.
KPN3%
There just aren't enough patriots in this country who give a shit. We keep hoping that enough people will get sick and tired of this, but most are more than happy to drink the kool-aid and do as they're told. Pay taxes and watch Faux News.
So who exactly is it that we think will shoot down the drones and disable the fuel trucks? The same ones resisting the gov't today??? When is this magic moment going to occur that suddenly all the patriots rush out of the woodwork and fix things in the greater name of freedom?
I don't think any of us will do anything, we will continue to do exactly what we are doing right now, keep hoping for tomorrow. Not one of us wants to die alone for nothing.
0321
They're so big and bad... and already jumpy enough to pee themselves.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/01/us-capitol-evacuated-aircraft_n_803209.html
AP: "The possibility of their use may work to ensure that all future conflicts on American soil, such as a hypothetical RevWar III, will be largely urban based."
Is any rural retreat viable, if drones are flying?
Is controlling rural regions viable, until the drones are gone?
That really changes planning and logistics and training.
Drones are of strategic significance, and any meaningful resistance must solve that problem first (one of 7 ‘first priority’ items).
Is there a ‘jihadi free’ venue to discuss/work this?
***
Which raises another strategic problem: How does a 'disorganized swarm' work problems like this, and disseminate ideas? Pidgeons? Motorcyle messengers? Really.
.
They are remote controlled and do transmit and receive,interception of information and disturbance of Operator Signal is possible for someone more well trained than a Goat-Herder.
Oh, BTW there are drones based in Corpus Christi as to what class I have no idea but they have been spotted coming and going.
Dennis
III
Texas
Which raises another strategic problem: How does a 'disorganized swarm' work problems like this, and disseminate ideas? Pidgeons? Motorcyle messengers? Really.
The piece of paper that puts troops on the streets with kill orders, drones in the air, et cetera, will be signed by politicians.
Control the politicians, control the battlespace.
There are many ways to influence a politician, even if he isn't the guy for whom you voted.
Sam
III
A Swarm can address this issue by identifying the location of the airfield the drones launch from.
Once it is ID'd multiple swarms can address the issue in different manors.
Right now is a good time for the swarm to research small portable radars. If an opensource design can be published then a small portable radar will allow units to identify air contacts as drones and hide their activities.
For fixed activities like camps just work with the assumption that you are hiding from satellite surveilence. Camo your set ups.
Study what our own forces would be ding to conceal their activities from a major power on the battlefield.
Grenadier1
Influence? Absolutely. As to this harebrained scheme, four words:
Signal to noise ratio.
Just utilize the strategy found in, "Unintended Consequences" by John Ross.
After the bodies of their buddies start showing up in dumpsters and landfills across the nation, we'll have their undivided attention.
Just imagine if there were just 1 million patriots spending every waking hour planning a hit on another communist or symphathizer.
That alone is way more "suspects" than they have the resources to investigate.
Sure, they'll get some of us but we'll get A LOT of them.
I suspect we can easily get more than just one million in a "doomsday" type scenario.
Screw these tyrants!
Diamondback
@Anonymous 0321:
I read yesterday that the European Union is moving to seize retirement accounts.
I predict when that happens in America, the ranks of the patriot movement will overflow.
If it doesn't, then we will be lost.
Diamondback
Diamondback,
I'm in agreement with your comments. First, I've tried to get all my friends to read. Very few will. To them it's like a high school homework assignment. Unintended Consequences, Molon Labe, Neither Predator nor Prey, etc, are all great books that also give you training and tips.
But the sad fact remains, most people will not lift a finger until they are starving and backed into a corner, then it's usually too late. Today we have unlimited resources and all the stores are still open. What an opportunity to start monkeywrenching.
But the masses are too fat and happy to care. All the rinos and tea party members sworn in today betrayed us in the first 4 hours in office. So what are we waiting for? "Things will get better, just wait and see". The new american mantra!
I don't see a lot of hope in the future for us, the numbers pretty well speak for themselves.
Semper Fi,0321
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