Is there a drone spy plane in your neighbourhood?

There are at least 63 active drone sites around the U.S, federal authorities have been forced to reveal following a landmark Freedom of Information lawsuit. The unmanned planes – some of which may have been designed to kill terror suspects – are being launched from locations in 20 states. Most of the active drones are deployed from military installations, enforcement agencies and border patrol teams, according to the Federal Aviation Authority. But, astonishingly, 19 universities and colleges are also registered as owners of what are officially known as unmanned aerial vehicles. It is thought that many of institutions, which include Cornell, the University of Colorado, Georgia Tech, and Eastern Gateway Community College, are developing drone technology.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2134376/Is-drone-neighbourhood-Rise-killer-spy-planes-exposed-FAA-forced-reveal-63-launch-sites-U-S.html#ixzz1voUgeWTC

Covert operations are nothing new in American history, but it could be argued that during the past decade they have moved from being a relatively minor arrow in the national security quiver to being the cutting edge of American power. Drone strikes, electronic surveillance and stealth engagements by military units such as the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), as well as dependence on private corporations, mercenary armies and terrorist groups, are now arguably more common as tools of US foreign policy than conventional warfare or diplomacy. But these tools lend themselves to rogue operations that create peril for the United States when they blow back on us. And they often make the United States deeply unpopular. The US embassy in Baghdad has 16,000 employees, most of them civilian contractors. They include 2,000 diplomats and several hundred intelligence operatives. By contrast, the entire US Foreign Service corps comprises fewer than 14,000.

While politicians, insiders and experts may be divided over how much the government should spend on the nation’s defense, there’s a surprising consensus among the public about what should be done: They want to cut spending far more deeply than either the Obama administration or the Republicans.

That’s according to the results of an innovative, new, nationwide survey by three nonprofit groups, the Center for Public integrity, the Program for Public Consultation and the Stimson Center. Not only does the public want deep cuts, it wants those cuts to encompass spending in virtually every military domain — air power, sea power, ground forces, nuclear weapons, and missile defenses.

According to the survey, in which respondents were told about the size of the budget as well as shown expert arguments for and against spending cuts, two-thirds of Republicans and nine in 10 Democrats supported making immediate cuts — a position at odds with the leaderships of both political parties.

The average total cut was around $103 billion, a substantial portion of the current $562 billion base defense budget, while the majority supported cutting it at least $83 billion. These amounts both exceed a threatened cut of $55 billion at the end of this year under so-called “sequestration” legislation passed in 2011, which Pentagon officials and lawmakers alike have claimed would be devastating.

“When Americans look at the amount of defense spending compared to spending on other programs, they see defense as the one that should take a substantial hit to reduce the deficit,” said Steven Kull, director of the Program for Public Consultation (PPC), and the lead developer of the survey. “Clearly the polarization that you are seeing on the floor of the Congress is not reflective of the American people.” more at link

VIDEO: What kind of defense budget would the American public make?
http://www.iwatchnews.org/2012/05/11/8869/video-what-kind-defense-budget-would-american-public-make

Although the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) is secretive and does not reveal the type of surveillance that was approved, it may be the most transparent surveillance program the Feds admit to. At least the warrants are issued and can be counted. An annual government report showed that every warrant submitted by the Feds to spy on Americans was approved by the secret FISA court in 2011. The total number of applications submitted and warrants approved was 1,745; that represented a 10.5% increase over 2010. An anonymous counterterrorism official said the increase was "in response to materials seized in relation to the raid on Osama Bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan and the resulting investigations.

I support security and intelligence agencies and activities -- but I do NOT support ROGUE intelligence agencies and activities. The potential for the abuse of information and power is truly sobering. The movie and series 'Nikita' is worth watching and rewatching. Do we need to have a 'Percy'??? Are they a 'Necessary Evil'? Is 'Evil Sometimes Necessary'? I think I might've met a 'Percy'. I support having the intelligence agencies of the world "Preventing Fires" and "Putting Out Fires" rather than "Starting Fires" or "Pouring Gasoline on Fires".

Indeed, I enjoy Nikita as well and no... we don't need a Percy.

Perhaps we need good guys and gals who think like good and bad guys and gals -- to have the knowledge of good and evil -- so as to ultimately do the most intelligent 'right thing' -- rather than being 'good and stupid' or 'good for nothing'. Idealism must always be tempered with Pragmatism. Even Jesus said to be 'Wise as Serpents and Harmless as Doves'.