Posted on 07/13/2016 9:49:10 AM PDT by b4its2late
A hotly-contested decision by law enforcement to use a drone robot to blow up a U.S. citizen, who allegedly carried out the murders of five police officers in Dallas, just got exponentially more controversial—because, according to Dallas Police Chief David Brown, the “whole idea was improvised in about 15 to 20 minutes.”
Already igniting fury around the country for neglecting any semblance of due process, the use of the “Remotec model F-5” to deliver a pound of C-4 explosive to decimate suspected shooter Micah Xavier Johnson as he targeted police in a sniper-style attack, has been revealed by the police chief as a hastily-plotted … whim.
Brown’s disturbing offhand comment came during a press conference in which the model of the “mechanical tactical drone”—clarified as the “Remotec Andros Mark V-A1″—was finally made public, in an apparent attempt to quell constitutional rights’ advocates ire over the unprecedented move by police.
While Johnson’s cold-blooded attack on random police officers in one of the most progressive and reform-minded forces in the country landed an official black mark in the annals of American history, the—as many advocates warn—egregious violation of his human and constitutional rights as the first U.S. citizen blown up in this manner earned police, themselves, a similarly notorious mark.
Obviously, the controversy doesn’t end with a model name—the drone isn’t the issue for most people outraged over its use; rather, the fact a citizen was bombed without so much as a nod of consideration for his human, civil, or constitutional rights that has people steamed.
As Daniel McAdams for the Ron Paul Institute keenly noted, following the now-apparent improvised and hasty decision by law enforcement to explode Johnson:
The media and opinion leaders are presenting us with a false choice: if we question the use of drones to kill Americans—even if we suspect they have done very bad things—we somehow do not care about the lives of police officers. That is not the case. It is perfectly possible to not want police officers to be killed in the line of duty but to wholeheartedly reject the idea of authorities using drones to remotely kill Americans before they are found guilty.
Noting police originally suspected a different person altogether of perpetrating the attacks, McAdams implored the country to consider the ramifications of setting such a precedent—and, considering the disclosure of the nearly impromptu decision to use this drone, that warning should be an imperative.
Perhaps we all need to familiarize ourselves with this drone’s mechanics now that this dystopic precedent has been set.
Manufactured by the military-industrial complex’s darling, Northrop Grumman, this tactical robot “is driven by a human via remote control, weighs 790 pounds and has a top speed of 3.5 mph,” as the Washington Post described. “It carries a camera with a 26x optical zoom and 12x digital zoom. When its arm is fully extended, it can lift a 60-pound weight. The ‘hand’ at the end of the arm can apply a grip of about 50 pounds of force.”
Interestingly enough, the $151,000 tactical robot provided a far more life-affirming service just one year ago.
According to Metro UK, the same model once assisted the California Highway Patrol when negotiations with a man threatening to kill himself by jumping from a San Jose overpass failed—by delivering a pizza.
Technological advancement, though overwhelmingly positive, is only as beneficent as those who put it to use—and how they choose to employ it.
In just one year, a pizza-delivering robot with the potential to save human life during bomb threats or similar situations became a casually-deployed, due process-stripping weapon of war against a U.S. citizen.
It would be prudent we take more than just a minute to critically consider that.
Cornered, admitted cop killers don’t get much slack. Better to pick on politicians.
...Already igniting fury around the country for neglecting any semblance of due process...
What is the difference in blowing him up after he killed 5 police and continued firing during “negotiations,” and just shooting him 100 times or so like happened with the Orlando muslim lunatic? I am so sick of liberals.
Should we tell her that Muslims forbid tattooing and would find her crescent and star blasphemous?
Nah, let’s let her figure that out for herself...
Hotly contested by who? Not me. Instant justice. I loved it, only wish they had used a claymore mine, This Side to the Enemy.
If the article is serious, it is nonsensical.
Good move all the way around. Every time a robot shows up, perps now have to wonder what its carrying.
I read that it was a shaped charge. How’s the robot doing?
You murder 5 police officers in cold blood and then you’re blown up by a robot bomb- TOUGH SHIT! They should have castrated you on the spot then afterwards, every Dallas police officer should have been given 10 mins apiece to kick the shit out of you.
If you ask me, this POS got off easy.
A neck tat... with nose ring, face metal, and pigtails.
Yeah, I’m going to listen to him.
The robot survived so I’m happy. Now fit one with some napalm. Messy but not as expensive or loud.
The employee of the month. Mark Davis.
Yes, once you decide to kill somebody crossbow, rifle ,grenade,C-4 all gets the job done.
I remember hearing somewhere that they used an “entry device”, a small charge they would normally use for breaching doors.
Her? Looks trans something.
No, they’d still bitch about it. I’ve seen threads on other boards where they get their panties in an uproar. “But but but. They had him surrounded and could’ve waited him out . .. “
And arguing with one poster, he simply refused to acknowledge that Johnson threatened with IEDs and also might have been wearing a suicide vest.
It was MURDER, He wrote lol
Yeah, I’m thinking 30g or 50g of C-4 in a shaped charge, especially if you have a camera mounted so you can direct it, would probably be more than enough.
I was a bit uneasy about this method, but hearing that it was an on-the-ground solution makes it much more acceptable to me. I don’t like the idea of using remote methods of killing in the hands of law enforcement as a rule. It would seem too easy to abuse and then cover up.
But if this was one of the SWAT guys (Special Weapons and Tactics) coming up with a solution with the tools and knowledge they had, then it is a good outcome.
It should exercise more caution - it could get snagged for parading as a human without a license.
Near as I can Google, the tattoo on its neck is a pagan ritual prayer.
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