Attack of the Drones

Sorry, couldn't resist the Star Wars pun.  And no, if you're wondering, we have not yet been attacked by drones.  However, since Senator Rand Paul's filibuster opposing their use, they've been in the news quite a bit.  Slate, of all places, notes the dramatic swing in public opinion.  Yes, you read that right.  Since last year, opposition to targeted killings via drone has doubled, and support has dropped by a third.

In one year.

While there has been some opposition to the growing surveillance state for years - the "Patriot" Act comes to mind - it's never been as solid and far-reaching as now.

The thing is, in and of themselves, drones are not actually that big a deal.  A manned aircraft can do the exact same thing.  The importance of the drone, however, is symbolic.  One can't really rally people to a cause using a security camera as the symbol of "the enemy."  Those things are, in fact, quite necessary in places like banks and other high-value locations, and their appearance has been gradual enough that they don't inspire anything other than brief moments of being slightly creeped out.

But drones?  They represent everything the anti-surveillance crowd has opposed, and their appearance in potential law enforcement use is sudden and surprising.  Drones are freaky looking, obviously robotic, with almost no human element.  The operator sits in a building miles upon miles away, totally secure.  There's something about them that simply seems wrong.  The opposition to drones is about more than drones, really - it's about the idea that you are being watched impersonally, and that the watcher could simply push a button and hit you with a very literal Hellfire.

In addition, it's a due process issue.  Even though Rand and co. make this very clear, many times it's glossed over.  But that's the core of it - the drone is merely the creepiest tool, the same logic applies to any assassination of a person, especially a U.S. citizen, without due process.

Oddly, most articles don't seem to note that, but if you pay close attention, it's very clear that the drones are only one of many things that Senator Paul and those who agree with him oppose, but it is a very powerful symbol.  It's about surveillance, due process and a perceived violation of personal freedom, and drones are just the first thing to come along that embodies everything that the anti-surveillance, anti-assassination crowd opposes.