Tracker Pixel for Entry

​Drones in the right hands

Culture | June 30th, 2016

By Georgia Burnside

burnsidegeorgia@gmail.com

Over the past several years the drone industry has grown rapidly. The origin of much of this development was in North Dakota, as hundreds of businesses flock to the area to do research and development of unmanned aircraft and their accompanying technologies. The essential capital of drone development is the Grand Forks Air Force base, which has been flying exclusively drones since 2013.

There are many commercial uses for drones. Where they may not serve much of a purpose in densely populated areas, where they are seen as a privacy and safety issue, drones allow rural areas to be monitored more efficiently. Drones can be used to help monitor pipelines and wind turbines, help farmers keep track of livestock, gather data on crops, and even help fishermen locate their catch with greater accuracy and speed.

But until the commercial sale of drones is legal none of this will happen. Quentin Hardy from the New York Times states in his article on the growth of drone technology in North Dakota, “Right now, private sector drones are where personal computers were in the 1970s: a hobbyist technology waiting to become mainstream.” As long as the commercial use of drones is banned, the businesses in North Dakota are stuck in the research and development phase.

The largest and perhaps most wildly unregulated user of drones is the U.S. Air Force. Since the early 2000s the Air Force has been using unmanned aircraft for surveillance, and since then developed highly accurate and deadly weapons that can be controlled from thousands of miles away. But where technological advances rapidly increase, intelligence and concern for human rights fall behind.

In the award-winning documentary “Drone,” it is brought to light how the Air Force uses drones to hunt and kill suspected terrorists in Pakistan, using unreliable intelligence and showing little to no concern for civilian casualties. We hear testimony from those who piloted those drones and how the system is flawed and inhumane, as well as testimony from the villagers themselves, who lost family members during a drone strike.

Jonathan Borge Lie, the assistant director and producer of “Drone,” spoke of his loss of faith in the U.S Government over the duration of shooting this film. “There needs to be transparency, so we know how they are picking their targets…The other one is accountability. There have been so many errors, so many civilians that have been killed; there hasn’t been a single instance of accountability.” Unfortunately there are still some voices in the U.S. Government that believe killing a terrorist is worth any cost.

What if it were at the cost of American citizens? One of the most powerful points made in “Drone” is made by Hina Shamsi, the director of the ACLU National Security Project.

“Those who are okay with the United States wielding this authority have to ask themselves what their response would be if Russia, China, Iran claimed the authority to target and kill enemies of the state without identifying who they are, what standards apply, what factual basis there is, what civilian casualties occur. This is a precedent that we are setting for others to follow.”

What would we think if our enemies started conducting drone strikes on our own civilians under the same pretenses? How would we be different from them?

There are lots of questions to be asked about the misuse of drone technology, but the question that the drone companies in North Dakota should be asking is: How are drones banned for commercial use when the government misuses them so wildly itself?

Watch the full interview at: http://vikingnews.org/1166/showcase/interview-dron...

Recently in:

By Alicia Underlee NelsonLocal groups will speak out against current and projected federal budget cuts in downtown Fargo this Saturday, April 26. The Red River Valley chapters of Fearless and Indivisible will lead a protest from…

By Prairie Rose Seminolems.prairierose@gmail.com I was a child who walked behind my parents into classrooms and kitchens, spaces of song and prayer, where teachings lived in the air and settled on my shoulders. I didn’t yet have…

Saturday, April 26, 1:30-3:30 p.m.Rourke Art Gallery + Museum, 521 Main Ave., MoorheadThings are coming up rosy at the Rourke in a true feast of the senses during the third annual “Gallery in Bloom” exhibit. The pop-up…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com I feel like reading a newspaper is the equivalent of listening to music on vinyl. Not only is it analog, it’s an experience. I might be a little biased, but there's something about the rustling…

By Ed Raymondfargogadly@gmail.comThe wizards and kleagles in whites now wear blue suits and red tiesA hundred years ago, more than 30,000 members of the Ku Klux Klan from virtually every state in the Union wearing their white…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com After a very inspiring conversation with Kayla Houchin of Sonder Bakehouse a few weeks ago, I decided that it’s an appropriate time to write a column about some of the sweet people who are involved…

Mooncats and Pert Near Sandstone play Empire TheatreBy Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comThe MoonCats describe themselves as “Americonscious Campfire Folk.” They have a clear acoustic folk sound with a sense of whimsy — think…

By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.comRyan Coogler goes big and bold with “Sinners,” a sweaty, bloody vampire movie set in 1932. The filmmaker stuffs this universe with enough ideas to serve a limited-series season of episodic…

By Raul Gomez Modern Man was a gentle soul. If you were down or just wanted a friend, he’d be there for you. I remember the first day I met Modern Man. It was Jeremiah Fuglseth and me. He wanted to write about this legendary…

By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.comHigh Plains Reader had the opportunity to interview two mysterious new game show hosts named Milt and Bradley Barker about an upcoming event they will be putting on at Brewhalla. What…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…

By Josette Ciceronunapologeticallyanxiousme@gmail.com What does it mean to truly live in a community —or should I say, among community? It’s a question I have been wrestling with since I moved to Fargo-Moorhead in February 2022.…

By Alicia Underlee NelsonProtests against President Trump’s policies and the cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are planned across North Dakota and western Minnesota Friday, April 4 and…

By Faye Seidlerfayeseidler@gmail.com In 2023, the Superintendent of Fargo Public Schools, Rupak Ghandi, gave a passionate plea to the Fargo School Board to follow federal law, because a recently passed state law would increase…