While many Americans don't seem to comprehend what's happening all around them, the U.S government is implementing more methods of surveillance over this society and many of its agencies are acquiring more powerful weaponry. And now we are also seeing state and local law enforcement agencies following this government's initiative of establishing greater and greater control over the American people. And that most certainly does not bode well for those who still value their privacy and rights under the Constitution.
It seems as if the U.S. government is waging two Wars on Terror; one in foreign lands against Al-Qaeda and one here within this country and society. So with that in mind let's examine some of the distinct similarities that are present in the U.S. government's foreign surveillance and methods of hunting down suspected terrorists around the world and those same strategies and tactics that it and various other law enforcement agencies are using here in America.
First let's talk about surveillance. It's no secret that, for many decades, the CIA and other U.S. intelligence agencies have been conducting comprehensive surveillance operations on various foreign governments and specific individuals in those countries. That's been going on for so long that few Americans even give it a second thought.
Now this comprehensive system of foreign surveillance, no doubt a result of the great trauma generated by the 9/11 tragedy, is being used to monitor all forms of communication within this country; when you use your cell phone, send an email, text, tweet or use some other electronic device, the NSA (National Security Agency) is using a huge electronic net to capture all these private communications and is resisting any and all efforts to scale back the process.
Next let's talk about surveillance from the air, such as the use of Predator and Reaper drones that the military uses to track down suspected terrorists in various countries. President Obama will go down in history as the president who introduced drone surveillance and eventual drone warfare to the world, not exactly a legacy of which to be proud; and while he has been heavily criticized for the deaths of hundreds of innocent people in foreign lands he shows no concern whatsoever.
And so is it any real surprise that going into the future that we here in America will be seeing various forms of drones in the skies over cities and towns everywhere. Here is one of the many articles that predicts how these drones will soon be used in large scale surveillance. While we are not at that point just yet, this article reports on the rapid expansion of surveillance technology in Los Angeles County, whereby the entire city of Compton, CA is being very closely monitored from the skies above. Perhaps as this monitoring spreads to areas in which we live, we will better appreciate the fear that innocent people in Somalia or Yemen feel when they look up at the skies.
Here's another example of how War on Terror technology has been introduced to local law enforcement in this country. The U.S. military has, for some time, been using MRAP's (mine resistant armored vehicles) in Iraq and Afghanistan in the attempt to prevent grave injuries due to IED's (improvised explosive devices) used by the those it considers to be enemies.
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