Defense Contractors and Police Tech - A New Market With Ethical Implications I Suppose
There have been many reports that various regimes around the world, some allies, some quasi-allies, some enemies, and others on the brink of such labels - using US technology to spy on their citizens, censor them, and even imprison them.
This is obviously not good, and although this technology can be used for good policing, it will be abused by those who lust for power, and wish to continue to dominate over the masses.
In the US we "seem" to have a pretty strong sense of what is right and what is wrong when it comes to our internal policing.
That's a good thing, but still it's a fine line.
Luckily, in the US we've bred and educated our masses on the need for freedom and liberty, and since we draw on this same population to run the affairs of the state, police force, military, and technology corporations, we can expect these things to stay in check as long as we don't take this police tech for granted or allow too much trust in those who have and use these technologies.
Well, yes, in the US we have healthy skepticism, as well as the freedom and free speech to ask these questions, but in other societies it is not this way.
Right now we see, our defense contractors selling military type tech to policing agencies, not just here, but these technologies are sold elsewhere around the world, and copied by others and used or sold everywhere else.
Still, good police tech saves taxpayer's money.
Okay so let's talk.
Now then, I'd like to point to two more recent articles on this topic, the first appeared in the Los Angeles Times on November 25, 2011 titled "From Battlefield Into Deputies' Vehicles - Raytheon Electronic Systems Tested in Iraq will Enable Faster Response Times to Calls and Provide Instant Data on Suspects," by WJ Hennigan.
The second appeared in the Wall Street Journal on November 28, 2011 by David Kesmodel titled; "Pentagon Cutbacks Force New Strategy at Rockwell Collins" - and both articles seem to be confirming a trend which has been discussed amongst defense contractor industry analysts.
You see, with big budget cuts in US Military defense, these defense contractors need to look for secondary markets for their products and bundled services.
They have no choice if they wish to keep their sales up, and their shareholder's equity and quarterly profits.
Although, these other market segments aren't quite as lucrative, they will pay the bills, keep folks employed, and allow these companies to fight another day, and surely they will, as humans do not seem to be contemplating giving up crime, civil unrest, disruption, or war anytime soon - maybe by the year 2350 - if we are lucky? What I am saying is this; let's keep a sense of healthy skepticism when it comes to these police technologies, let's make sure we are careful what we export, and let's also use these same technologies against those who might abuse our freedoms.
We'll be okay as long as we pay attention, and do not become complacent or naïve at a time when this technology is so rapidly increasing.
Please consider all this and think on it.
This is obviously not good, and although this technology can be used for good policing, it will be abused by those who lust for power, and wish to continue to dominate over the masses.
In the US we "seem" to have a pretty strong sense of what is right and what is wrong when it comes to our internal policing.
That's a good thing, but still it's a fine line.
Luckily, in the US we've bred and educated our masses on the need for freedom and liberty, and since we draw on this same population to run the affairs of the state, police force, military, and technology corporations, we can expect these things to stay in check as long as we don't take this police tech for granted or allow too much trust in those who have and use these technologies.
Well, yes, in the US we have healthy skepticism, as well as the freedom and free speech to ask these questions, but in other societies it is not this way.
Right now we see, our defense contractors selling military type tech to policing agencies, not just here, but these technologies are sold elsewhere around the world, and copied by others and used or sold everywhere else.
Still, good police tech saves taxpayer's money.
Okay so let's talk.
Now then, I'd like to point to two more recent articles on this topic, the first appeared in the Los Angeles Times on November 25, 2011 titled "From Battlefield Into Deputies' Vehicles - Raytheon Electronic Systems Tested in Iraq will Enable Faster Response Times to Calls and Provide Instant Data on Suspects," by WJ Hennigan.
The second appeared in the Wall Street Journal on November 28, 2011 by David Kesmodel titled; "Pentagon Cutbacks Force New Strategy at Rockwell Collins" - and both articles seem to be confirming a trend which has been discussed amongst defense contractor industry analysts.
You see, with big budget cuts in US Military defense, these defense contractors need to look for secondary markets for their products and bundled services.
They have no choice if they wish to keep their sales up, and their shareholder's equity and quarterly profits.
Although, these other market segments aren't quite as lucrative, they will pay the bills, keep folks employed, and allow these companies to fight another day, and surely they will, as humans do not seem to be contemplating giving up crime, civil unrest, disruption, or war anytime soon - maybe by the year 2350 - if we are lucky? What I am saying is this; let's keep a sense of healthy skepticism when it comes to these police technologies, let's make sure we are careful what we export, and let's also use these same technologies against those who might abuse our freedoms.
We'll be okay as long as we pay attention, and do not become complacent or naïve at a time when this technology is so rapidly increasing.
Please consider all this and think on it.
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