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Why we need Libertarians and the ACLU: Sheriff's office wants to declare war on Montgomery County, Texas

Drones:  they're not just for killing
the civilians in Pakistan any more.
I can recall people telling me that Libertarian arguments about "slippery slopes" are paranoid fantasies.

They weren't worried when the same types of drones the US military employs to kill alleged terrorists, women, and children in Pakistan were approved for use by law enforcement agencies in America.

Those are surveillance drones, they told me, less expensive and more maneuverable that helicopters.  You should be happy, it's cost less.

I pointed out that the drone they use against Pakistanis are armed, and that the drones available for police work could be armed.

Another Libertarian fear fantasy, they told me.  You and the Birchers and black helicopters, they told me.

Enter the Montgomery County (Texas) Sheriff's Office:

Randy McDaniel:  rubber bullets and tear gas 
 Chief Deputy Randy McDaniel of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office in Texas told The Daily that his department is considering using rubber bullets and tear gas on its drone.
“Those are things that law enforcement utilizes day in and day out and in certain situations it might be advantageous to have this type of system on the UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle),” McDaniel told The Daily.
So let me get this straight:  not content with surveillance, the Sheriff wants to be able to have drone operators shoot at people and gas them?

The American Civil Liberties Union doesn't think this is funny:

“It’s simply not appropriate to use any of force, lethal or non-lethal, on a drone,” Catherine Crump, staff attorney for the ACLU, told CBSDC.
Crump feels one of the biggest problems with the use of drones is the remote location where they are operated from.
When the officer is on the scene, they have full access to info about what has transpired there,” Crump explained to CBSDC. “An officer at a remote location far away does not have the same level of access.”
---snip---
“We don’t need a situation where Americans feel there is in an invisible eye in the sky,” Jay Stanley, senior policy analyst at ACLU, told CBSDC.
Nor would Libertarian Presidential Candidate Gary Johnson, who says

THE FREEDOMS ON WHICH AMERICA WAS FOUNDED are now under attack from the very people charged with protecting and upholding them.
If, as an American, you're concerned about issues like your local law enforcement agency spying on you, or shooting at you, then voting for Gary Johnson for President is one thing you can do to avoid that happening.

Roy Hall:  Libertarian candidate
for Congress, 8th District (Texas)
If, however, you live in Montgomery County, Texas, my strong suggestion is that you check out 8th District Libertarian Congressional candidate Roy Hall, who is likely to be the only person in the race who can help you keep from getting tear-gassed for jaywalking.

Comments

Renata said…
I am glad I am not the only one who was deeply disturbed by the idea of law enforcement using drones to surveil law-abiding citizens.

Thanks for posting!
Roy Hall said…
This article is absolutely correct, I am Roy Hall and I do oppose drones, weaponized or not flying over Americans. I am running against an established Republican incumbant who voted for the Patriot Act and it's reauthorizations, and the National Defense Authorization Act, both of which strip rights from Americans. I need all the support I can get to get my message out and reduce the size of our Statist government. Please visit, like and donate at my campaign facebook page. www.facebook.com/royhallforcongress

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