Survey finds more Americans now believe UAVs unconstitutional
Steve Watson
Infowars.com
Mar 4, 2013
In a stark about turn, most Americans now have significant reservations about the use of drones by government and law enforcement.
Just six months ago, a survey conducted by The Associated Press and The National Constitution Center found that more Americans supported than opposed the use of surveillance drones by domestic law enforcement agencies.
In that poll, only 36 percent said that they “strongly” opposed or “somewhat” opposed police use of drones, where as 44 percent supported the idea of police using unmanned aerial vehicles to track suspects and carry out investigations.
The poll also found that only one third of Americans were significantly concerned about their privacy being eroded by the adoption of drones by police forces throughout the country.
Now, in a Reason-Rupe national survey, sixty percent of respondents believe that, to some degree, the use of drones by local law enforcement to conduct surveillance without a warrant is an invasion of personal privacy.
That is some turnaround.
In addition, 47 percent of respondents to the latest poll said they believe they have a right to destroy a UAV if it flies over their house without their permission.
Shifting to overseas use of drones, In a Pew Research Center study, conducted some five months ago, more than half of the American public were found to be in support of targeted assassinations with drones, even if that meant killing American citizens.
Now, in the latest poll, 57 percent of respondents say it is unconstitutional to order the killing of Americans overseas. Even more — 59 percent — believe that the federal government abuses its power when it comes to targeted strikes.
Again, some turnaround.
The latest survey indicates that along with an exponential increase in the use of drones both at home and abroad has come a sustained push back from the general public.
More attention has been focused on the use of UAVs and the potential they have for eviscerating fundamental rights to privacy and the due process of law.
More and more states and cities are advancing and/or passing laws against the use of drones in their skies by government and law agencies.
Plans to roll out drones by law enforcement agencies in Washington State, Virginia, California and New York have recently met with stern opposition.
With drone lobbyists now actively seeking approval for drones to be employed for “lethal force” within the United States, with ongoing secrecy surrounding domestic and foreign drone use, and with revelations that the long term plan for drones has always been to target American citizens, the worm seems to have turned.
The people are finally making their voices heard on the issue.
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Steve Watson is the London based writer and editor for Alex Jones’ Infowars.com, and Prisonplanet.com. He has a Masters Degree in International Relations from the School of Politics at The University of Nottingham, and a Bachelor Of Arts Degree in Literature and Creative Writing from Nottingham Trent University.
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