Just let DARPA be DARPA...

a reply to: TrueBrit

No argument here.

But the work is fun and it pays pretty well.



And those who would do us harm are working in the same vein. To ignore that would do a huge disservice to our citizens.

It's the world we live in. We may not like it, but it is what it is.

BTW - your own gov't has some *very* sharp people doing the exact same thing.

originally posted by: TrueBrit
a reply to: Riffrafter

It shouldn't leverage technologies which harm the liberty of citizens, under the blanket of national security, and that means no to the drones, to the backdoors in tech, to the routes by which the government routinely violates the constitution that its employees are meant to protect with their lives.

Exactly. Such as Total Information Awareness, which Congress shut down. Then Facebook was founded like the same night.

a reply to: Riffrafter

I know, and I would like to see them all put on a firing squad.

My life only has value if it is animated by the force of liberty. If I am denied the latter, the former has no value.

a reply to: TrueBrit

I know, and I would like to see them all put on a firing squad.

Even Q?

007 would be in a world of hurt without him.

On a serious note - I hear you.

originally posted by: TrueBrit
a reply to: Riffrafter

I know, and I would like to see them all put on a firing squad.

My life only has value if it is animated by the force of liberty. If I am denied the latter, the former has no value.

Perhaps you should worry more about the Nanny State at home, that’s much more likely to oppress your liberty than DARPA...

a reply to: BigDave-AR

REALLY?

DARPA and GCHQ collaborate an awful lot, on projects that damage everyones liberties, not just those of people in the United States.

I need to be plenty worried about DARPA.

originally posted by: TrueBrit
a reply to: BigDave-AR

REALLY?

DARPA and GCHQ collaborate an awful lot, on projects that damage everyones liberties, not just those of people in the United States.

I need to be plenty worried about DARPA.

The joys of being an ally I just think you’re being a little hyperbolic in your statement about being subject to a firing squad, fearing the toys that DARPA can push out is one thing but I think our war fighters should have every advantage possible. Pig headed patriotism? Perhaps but the trickle down to mainstream industry is worth any misteps darpa might make. If I spent all day worrying about the possible disadvantages of advanced tech I wouldn’t get jack done. Their much bigger worries than DARPA IMHO, no disrespect.
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a reply to: BigDave-AR

Your war fighters?

They don't need greater advantage than they have! Show me a modern military that they have engaged in open conflict, who had ANY up to the minute technological or tactical capacity? If you try to though, remember that thirty year old RPG systems, and sixty year old rifles, mixed with IED do NOT count for ANYTHING. Be realistic.

Since the second world war, America has not been in open conflict with ONE nation with up to the minute defence systems and capabilities. Its fought only nations and groups who, at best, are decades behind the times in terms of the training and loyalty of their officers, the equipment carried by their troops, and the technologies deployed in defence of those nations. America does not need advantages, because none of the nations it either has attacked, or has seriously considered war with, are REMOTELY caught up, nor are they ever likely to be.

What America needs is a conscience when it comes to who it will and will not fight, and how it will and will not fight them. It doesn't take bleeding edge military material, to thump hundreds of thousands of goatherds, housewives, children and a few thousand actual insurgents, into oblivion from a drone. All that takes is a callous disregard for human life, and absolutely no respect for the flag you march under, or the people on whose behalf you operate.

America has sponsored virtually all the terrorist groups that it has fought in the last three decades or more, and has responded publicly to the presence of its proxies by burning the earth beneath them and killing everything around them, while continuing to fund them by the back door. There is no honour in that, and no need to bring out doomsday weapons or mass surveillance tools in order to back that play. I say the same of my own government as well, because its true of them too. We, the west, have allowed our governments to misuse our intelligence services, our soldiers, sailors and airmen, and the tools we purchase with our tax money, to destabilise entire regions of the world, for profit. None of the players in that game need MORE of an advantage than they already have.

originally posted by: TrueBrit
a reply to: BigDave-AR

Your war fighters?

They don't need greater advantage than they have! Show me a modern military that they have engaged in open conflict, who had ANY up to the minute technological or tactical capacity? If you try to though, remember that thirty year old RPG systems, and sixty year old rifles, mixed with IED do NOT count for ANYTHING. Be realistic.

Since the second world war, America has not been in open conflict with ONE nation with up to the minute defence systems and capabilities. Its fought only nations and groups who, at best, are decades behind the times in terms of the training and loyalty of their officers, the equipment carried by their troops, and the technologies deployed in defence of those nations. America does not need advantages, because none of the nations it either has attacked, or has seriously considered war with, are REMOTELY caught up, nor are they ever likely to be.

What America needs is a conscience when it comes to who it will and will not fight, and how it will and will not fight them. It doesn't take bleeding edge military material, to thump hundreds of thousands of goatherds, housewives, children and a few thousand actual insurgents, into oblivion from a drone. All that takes is a callous disregard for human life, and absolutely no respect for the flag you march under, or the people on whose behalf you operate.

America has sponsored virtually all the terrorist groups that it has fought in the last three decades or more, and has responded publicly to the presence of its proxies by burning the earth beneath them and killing everything around them, while continuing to fund them by the back door. There is no honour in that, and no need to bring out doomsday weapons or mass surveillance tools in order to back that play. I say the same of my own government as well, because its true of them too. We, the west, have allowed our governments to misuse our intelligence services, our soldiers, sailors and airmen, and the tools we purchase with our tax money, to destabilise entire regions of the world, for profit. None of the players in that game need MORE of an advantage than they already have.

You ever hear of proxy wars? China and Russia have faced off with us via third world countries. I’m not an operative of any country I’m about as mixed as you can get. So do you feel we should rest on our laurels and let the rest of the world advance? The battlefield is evolving and to hold back would be a massive mistake. Any country not willing to push on with times will be left behind. Remember that we kicked down the door on a country with one of not the most powerful air defense systems and saved a lot of lives of both our countries forces. Warfare is a lot of things but rarely fair. To qoute your SAS motto those who dare win...

a reply to: BigDave-AR

Who dares what?

Bully weak nations? Blow up millions of innocent civilians over the course of a few decades? There is no excuse for that, and the proxy wars you are talking about were manufactured by the US in the first place! Osama Bin Laden was an American asset in the war against the Russians, and remained an asset until his death! The war on terror is a lie and everyone fighting it and claiming otherwise has unfortunately been hoodwinked!

originally posted by: TrueBrit
a reply to: BigDave-AR

Who dares what?

Bully weak nations? Blow up millions of innocent civilians over the course of a few decades? There is no excuse for that, and the proxy wars you are talking about were manufactured by the US in the first place! Osama Bin Laden was an American asset in the war against the Russians, and remained an asset until his death! The war on terror is a lie and everyone fighting it and claiming otherwise has unfortunately been hoodwinked!

Did your cougntry not provide aid to the muj. as well. I seem to remember the blowpipe being the only other MANPAD used against the soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The wrong horse gets backed at times but objectively the Soviets had a much flimsier pretext for rolling their forces into Afghanistan. No one country is always right, often monsters are created out of turmoil. Let’s just agree to disagree on this one.

a reply to: BigDave-AR

And I have already stated that this is not a US centric problem.

And no, I cannot agree to disagree in the least. The FACTS do not permit it, and those are that the War on Terror was a for profit proxy war, designed to line pockets and grease wheels, while buggering up an entire region of the globe, to make it rich pickings for private companies to swoop in and pull in contracts for all sorts of things, from security to infrastructure. Its a sham and the US and UK intelligence agencies and MIC appendages involved, should be rounded up en masse and tried for the very serious consequences they inflicted on those regions, by way of their duplicitous and utterly unacceptable actions there.

a reply to: Riffrafter

Just more proof that the power does not lie in the hands of the american people.

It wont be long before the feds get their hands on this and use them against you.

originally posted by: TrueBrit
a reply to: BigDave-AR

And I have already stated that this is not a US centric problem.

And no, I cannot agree to disagree in the least. The FACTS do not permit it, and those are that the War on Terror was a for profit proxy war, designed to line pockets and grease wheels, while buggering up an entire region of the globe, to make it rich pickings for private companies to swoop in and pull in contracts for all sorts of things, from security to infrastructure. Its a sham and the US and UK intelligence agencies and MIC appendages involved, should be rounded up en masse and tried for the very serious consequences they inflicted on those regions, by way of their duplicitous and utterly unacceptable actions there.

So it’s a word centric problem alright I guess we can all round ourselves up and get things over with.

originally posted by: TrueBrit
a reply to: Riffrafter

Let DARPA be DARPA?

How about hell no? How about limiting the power DARPA has to operate in secret, so that no more of its inventions can be used to contravene aspects of the constitution, by way of increasing yet further, the reach of mass surveillance initiatives, and spying programs and methods? How about sticking a livestreaming webcam in the face of every one of its employees, even the janitor, so that they cannot continue to research and develop tools for performing tasks which no freedom loving person would ever endorse or agree to the necessity for?

How about that?

A hell no from me, too. But I have no illusions that what they're already doing to us isn't already way out of hand. For example, this kind of stuff, specifically the part about how "the silent messages completely demoralized and instilled a perpetual feeling of fear and hopelessness in their minds.":

"Although completely silent to the human ear, the negative voice messages placed on the tapes alongside the audible programming by psyops psychologists were clearly perceived by the subconscious minds of the Iraqi soldiers and the silent messages completely demoralized and instilled a perpetual feeling of fear and hopelessness in their minds."

www.activistpost.com...

And I'm sure that what they talk about in this video is already happening to more than just targets: