by John W. Whitehead Drones Over America: Tyranny at Home “A standing military force, with an overgrown As the Associated Press reports, “Tornado seen with the naked eye. been primarily for surveillance purposes Executive will not long be safe companions to researchers want to send them into storms As another news story that same year and, as far as we know, has been limited liberty. The means of defence against foreign to gather data. Energy companies want reported: “One North Carolina county in scope. Eventually, however, police danger, have been always the instruments of to use them to monitor pipelines. State is using a UAV equipped with low-light departments and intelligence agencies tyranny at home.” – James Madison police hope to send them up to capture and infrared cameras to keep watch on its will make drones a routine part of their images of speeding cars’ license plates. citizens. The aircraft has been dispatched to operations. However, you can be sure they he U.S. government has a history of Local police envision using them to track monitor gatherings of motorcycle riders at won’t limit themselves to just surveillance. commandeering military technology fleeing suspects.” Unfortunately, to a the Gaston County fairgrounds from just a Police today use whatever tools are at their Tfor use against Americans. We saw drone, everyone is a suspect because drone few hundred feet in the air – close enough to disposal in order to anticipate and forestall this happen with tear gas, Tasers, and technology makes no distinction between identify faces – and many more uses, such as crime. This means employing technology sound cannons, all of which were first used the law-abiding individual and the suspect. the aerial detection of marijuana fields, are to attain total control. Technology, which on the battlefield before being deployed Everyone gets monitored, photographed, planned.” In 2007, insect-like drones were functions without discrimination because against civilians at home. Now the drones tracked, and targeted. seen hovering over political rallies in New it exists without discrimination, tends to be Business • Politics • Arts • Culture • NowYou Know– • RiverCitiesReader.com pilotless, remote-controlled aircraft that The FAA, citing concerns over the need York and Washington, seemingly spying on applied everywhere it can be applied. Thus, have been used in Iraq and Afghanistan to regulate air traffic and establish anti- protesters. An eyewitness reported that the the logical aim of technologically equipped – are coming home to roost. collision rules for the aircrafts and their drones “looked kind of like dragonflies or police who operate as technicians must Drones, a $2-billion cornerstone of the operators, has thus far been reluctant to little helicopters.” be control, containment, and eventually Obama administration’s war efforts, have grant broad approval for the use of UAVs in Drone technology has advanced restriction of freedom. increasingly found favor with both military American airspace. However, unbeknownst dramatically in the ensuing years, with In this way, under the guise of keeping and-law enforcement officials. “The more we to most Americans, remote-controlled surveillance drones getting smaller, more Americans safe and controlled, airborne drones will have to be equipped with an have used them,” stated Defense Secretary aircraft have been employed domestically for sophisticated, and more lethal with each assortment of lethal and nonlethal weapons Robert Gates, “the more we have identified years now. They were first used as a national- evolution. Modeling their prototype for in order to effectuate control of citizens their potential in a broader and broader set security tool for patrolling America’s borders a single-winged rotorcraft on the maple on the ground. The arsenal of nonlethal of circumstances.” and then as a means of monitoring citizens. seed’s unique design, aerospace-engineering weapons will likely include Long Range Now the Federal Aviation Administration For example, back in 2006, the Los Angeles students at the University of Maryland have Acoustic Devices (LRADs), which are used (FAA) is facing mounting pressure from County Sheriff’s Department was testing out created the world’s smallest controllable to break up protests or riots by sending a state governments and localities to issue a SkySeer drone for use in police work. With surveillance drones, capable of hovering piercing sound into crowds and can cause flying rights for a range of unmanned a 6.5-foot wingspan, the lightweight SkySeer to record conversations or movements of serious hearing damage; high-intensity aerial vehicles (UAVs) to carry out can be folded up like a kite and stored in a citizens. civilian and law-enforcement activities. shoulder pack. At 250 feet, it can barely be Thus far, the domestic use of drones has Continued On Page 19 5IFTBOEXJDIFTPGTVNNFSBDPPMDIPJDF8FTUBSUXJUIPVSGBNPVTCSFBE¤ CBLFEEBJMZJO5IF)PCP#BLFSZ¤UIFOIFBQPOUIFTMJDFEUPPSEFSNFBUTBOE DIFFTFT BOEUIFGSFTIFTUWFHHJFT4PJSSFTJTUJCMZDPPMPOBIPUTVNNFSEBZ /FXMZ 3FNPEFMFE •Vol. 17 No. 756 • JuLY 8 - 21, 2010 River Cities’ Reader Business • Politics • Arts • Culture • NowYou Know • RiverCitiesReader.com ON EXHIBIT w w w . p u t n a m . o r g / f o s s i l River Cities’ Reader •Vol. 17 No. 756 • JuLY 8 - 21, 2010 by Rich Miller With Blagojevich, Did the Clothes Sink the Man? uring the long, excruciating overtime than $210,000. state-legislative session of 2007, Last week’s trial included the playing of a DIllinois House Speaker Michael surveillance recording from November 2008 Madigan complained that Governor Rod of Blagojevich bitterly complaining about Blagojevich had a habit of diverting high- how his wife’s real-estate business was all level discussions from the budget and toward but dead. Reporters had dug through Mrs. Madigan’s ties. Blagojevich’s client list in an attempt to show Madigan, it should be said, does wear some she often did no work for the money she eye-catching ties. He takes no credit for his made off connected insiders. During that taste in clothing, however. His wife, he says, process, reporters called several of her former picks his ties for him. clients, and that, combined with the negative Speaker Madigan publicity and Mrs. Business • Politics • Arts • Culture • NowYou Knowconfided • RiverCitiesReader.com to me Blagojevich’s real one day back then fear of a federal that whenever indictment, led Blagojevich would We now know that to her company’s compliment Madigan collapse. on his choice of ties, it was taste, not A minute or two he would always later, Blagojevich complain that, as money, that caused whined about an governor, he couldn’t upcoming financial afford such fashion Blagojevich to wax burden. gems. Madigan has a “Amy is going to lucrative law practice envious whenever he college in six years that brings in a pretty and we can’t afford it. penny. Blagojevich saw Madigan wearing I can’t afford college couldn’t do side for my daughter,” jobs as governor, he a pretty tie. Blagojevich would repeatedly exclaimed. explain to Madigan During the six and everyone else in days following that the room, so he couldn’t afford to dress like complaint, Blagojevich plunked down $858 Madigan. for four ties at Saks. The House speaker seemed quite frustrated Apparently, the man couldn’t help himself. at the time with Blagojevich’s fixation on It goes without saying that $400,000 would’ve his fetching ties, rather than dealing with paid for a whole lot of college tuition for both the budget deadlock and general political of his kids. gridlock. After all, it wasn’t like Blagojevich It also goes without saying that prosecutors dressed poorly. He always wore sharp clothes. have established a very strong financial He even showed up at the State Fair once motive for several of Blagojevich’s alleged dressed in designer blue jeans. crimes. Thanks to his federal corruption trial, we Financially, he was in way over his head. now know that it was taste, not money, that The very real possibility of impeachment, caused Blagojevich to wax envious whenever which he constantly fretted about on the he saw Madigan wearing a pretty tie. tapes, would dry up his future earning According to testimony by an IRS agent prospects. His wife’s career was in ruins. last week, the former governor and his wife He was at the end of the line. There would spent a mind-boggling $400,000 on clothes be no more designer ties, handmade shirts, between 2002 and 2008. and custom suits he so clearly loved. When Just for a little context, Blagojevich spent Barack Obama was elected president and his about half his after-tax income as governor on U.S. Senate seat became vacant, Blagojevich clothes. Not to mention that the man usually pounced on the opportunity as his ticket out worked out of his house or down the street at of debt and back to the high life. his campaign office. It won’t be difficult for Blagojevich’s jurors All told, Blagojevich spent $206,000 at a to make this connection. They’ve seen the single men’s store – the Tom James Company, fancy clothes he’s worn during the trial. None a custom clothing maker. He spent another of them is a millionaire who could afford $31,000 at Geneva Custom Shirts. Blagojevich such nonsense, so this is a devastating attack and his wife shelled out $57,000 to Saks Fifth by the prosecution. •Vol. 17 No. 756 • JuLY 8 - 21, 2010 Avenue and $29,000 to Neiman Marcus. I hope Blagojevich doesn’t mind wearing By August of 2008, the Blagojeviches had orange, because a federal jumpsuit is most run up over $90,000 in credit-card debt probably in his future. – more than half of the governor’s gross annual salary. Their total “consumer debt” by Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax (a daily River Cities’ Reader the morning of Blagojevich’s arrest was more political newsletter) and TheCapitolFaxBlog.com.