Foxy,

Is violence really accelerating or do political parties find it easier to manage us through fear?

By way of example, have a look at The Courier Mail today where the LNP opposition would have women locking themselves inside their houses in fear of all of the dangerous rapists abroad in the Sunshine State. It could easily be a story about terrifying terrorists and of course such stories regularly appear in the tabloid media.

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26625474-952,00.html

Steven said: "If satellites could do it all why would the police be interested in UAVs in the first place?"

I didn't suggest they could, I just meant to suggest satellites are already being used for various things. Google Earth is one of the handiest things on the computer.

Why would they be interested?. Cost and control you'd assume. Great for tracking bad guys and they can stay in the air for days at a time.

Surveillance in Ipswich, Qld - (not sure where you are) - is well established and one of the greatest things to grace the area. There's a hundred+ cameras all over the streets. Greatest thing you could ask for. Every camera is permanently recording. Don't know of anyone who has a problem with it.

On first reading this does seem to be very Big Brother but on thinking about it a bit more, I tend to agree with Foxy.

Violence is worse than many years ago. Logically it has to be when our population is growing, with increasing street and gang violence. Just ask any police officer - in this instance it has nothing to do with political conspiracies.

The fact is there are not enough police officers to go around. What is the real difference between a spycam in the sky, we already have satellites anyway, and a few police patrolling the streets? It is just swapping physical eyes and ears with an electronic one.

If a spycam was to detect a break-in then police could respond quickly rather than always working after-the-fact, particularly in high risk areas.

The only problem is if these cams are misused for purposes other than crime prevention and as an excuse to reduce 'real' police on an already very stretched force on the ground. Another problem is that crims can be pretty savvy sometimes and it won't be long before these areas are identified as too risky and new targets are sought. I don't think these spycams would be able to canvass city-wide at any one time.

The proof will be in the results - they may prove to be a deterrent but whether crime will reduce significantly or just shift geograpically is another matter.

Steven, great spin my boy,
Robot (soldier) technology is so primitive its a joke.
Now AI is primitive. The idea of Asimov's positronic brain and the consequences there of are fanciful. Even the famous No5 weapon from "short circuit" was fanciful. Autonomous soldiers is nonsense Computer technology must be programed and "learns" within tediously limited parameters.

As for the territory argument regarding Israel that is an exceedingly superficial assessment. If it was either just for the right to exist or within the 1967 borders the argument would have been resolvable years ago. It about the expansionary attitudes and power lust(religious superiority pride pretending to be racial differential)) of a electorally disproportionate minority.

The equivalent or the "Moral Majority" (sic) in the USA, a bunch of religious superiority nutters.

Territory and existence are merely the "stalking horse" justifications. They have absolutely no notion of equity or fairness, latter day colonial bullies and invaders.

The US supports them solely through self interest and internal political reasons. Interested in fairness/equity ? no way. Untill we as a species can deal with that the conflict will continue.

Dear Cornflower,

I don't know the stats - but I was merely going
on the news reports dealing with knife attacks,
bashings at football games, night-clubs,
railway stations, trains, and so on.
I'm too busy at the moment
to do my usual research - so apologies ahead of time-
if I've got it wrong. It could be a bit of an
over-reaction on the part of the media - but
equally - if it wasn't happening - they'd have
nothing to report - right?

This is a must see short video by Aaron Russo film maker and businessman on this very topic.

Aaron became friends with one of the most powerful families on the planet,the Rockerfellers.Nicholas Rockerfeller confided in Aaron their most depraved intentions in order to recruit Aaron as a film maker for their cause.

see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nD7dbkkBIA