Texas Coast To Be Patrolled By Unmanned Predator Aircraft

[deminks]

http://www.nbc5i.com/news/4863577/detail.html?rss=dfw&psp=news

HOUSTON, Texas -- A dozen U.S. Predator aircraft will be based at Houston's Ellington Field for use in homeland security and border patrols.

Predators are unmanned aircraft that can carry missiles and can stay airborne for 24 hours. They can be operated by ground control or satellite. They can be used to locate targets and either fire their own Hellfire missiles or be followed up by other aircraft.

Perry said the 12 Predators at Ellington will be used to patrol such assets as the Southeast Texas ports and petrochemical complex and NASA's Johnson Space Center. Perry said they'll also be used to patrol the border with Mexico.

DeLay -- who's a Sugar Land Republican -- says the aircraft would used to monitor illegal immigration. Perry says they'd also be used as a bargaining chip with the independent federal base-closing commission to keep the 147th Fighter Wing at Ellington.

[LisaM]

1. Galveston, oh Galveston....

I still hear your.....

LOUD NOISY DRONES CIRCLING OVERHEAD SPYING.....

[RebelOne]

2. My cousin is the chief engineer for the Predator program.

He was surprised when I told him I knew about it. He is also a Republican and a Bush supporter. As his brother said, he's a real Nazi.

[HereSince1628]

3. Personally, I dislike armed robots

Call me old fashioned.

I have little problem with surveillance aircraft, but I'd rather not have citizen's shot via some fuzzy imaged remote TV. The London underground shooting notwithstanding, I'd rather have the objective lens and the trigger finger belong to one and the same human being.

[Demeter]

4. They're Going To Call It Dubya!

George's namesake. The son he never had.

[aden_nak]

5. ISAMU ISAMU ISAMU ISAMU ISAMU ISAMU ISAMU ISAMU

Yeah, no one probably got that joke. It's okay. I found it hillarious.

[dbonds]

6. Will they shoot any of us trying to get to Mexico if things heat up?

[noshenanigans]

7. Give us your tired, your poor..

No wait, DUCK!

[underpants]

8. Isn't this how that whole "Terminator" thing is supposed to start?

or was that the "Matrix" thing?

[obxhead]

10. yup Terminator

The machines are starting to show up, now all we need is a self aware computer.

[SpiralHawk]

9. Proles will cease complaining abou the Drones

We have always been at war with Terra.

Always rememebe, Big BushCo loves you.

[crikkett]

11. it's so noone is to blame for shooting human beings down.

Be they Americans or whatever.

[wli]

32. this is very unlikely to be used for that

Okay, first, for missile strike missions they need human intervention still, albeit from afar IIRC.

Second, Hellfire missiles are expensive, and AFAIK the only weapon payload they carry.

Third, automated machine guns and the like are not in use. If they were to get used, they wouldn't get used on unmanned aircraft first. They'd be used on manned helicopters for high-precision fire during rapid fly-bys or high-precision gunfire on large numbers of (probably human) targets near to valuable buildings. The human assist is for deployment to where they'd be most effective, because the first ones are going to be very expensive (probably to stay calibrated with sensors well enough even while being shaken by recoil and similar).

[MindPilot]

12. Why is it so important to patrol the TEXAS coast?!

What about all those chemical plants in New Jersey? Or that nuclear powerplant on the west coast?

If somebody wanted to invade Texas, I'd just sit back and laugh.

[AuntieM1957]

15. Gee, thanks

well, wise of you to lump us all together.



:sarcasm:

[MindPilot]

17. I figure all the liberals living in Texas could move to cali

you can all stay at my house...there's what about fifteen of you? :D

[AuntieM1957]

18. what, the land of fruit & nuts? surely you jest

don't believe the MSM.

There are many, many of us. The other side is just louder and more obnoxious.

Plus, this is my HOME. Born here, raised here, and the people I love live here.

If you look around you'll see lots of Texas flags on posts here.

You're not the first to ask me why I stay - and I decided long ago not to let Bubba Bush & Co. drive me outta my home state. Let Barbara drag her bastard back to Maine.

[MindPilot]

21. truth be told what I know about Texas is from living in

Amarillo & Kilgore two places I understand are not representative of the entire state.

Couple of years ago I also spent a weekend in San Antonio which was very nice; the riverwalk is incredibly cool.

[AuntieM1957]

23. I've never been to Amarillo or Kilgore. No reason to visit either

when you are tempted to think of Texas as a GOP stronghold, remember that DeLay and the Repub governor had to GERRYMANDER the state to ensure legislative control.

I live in a district that is a joke - shaped like a snake - cut to include areas likely to vote GOP.

They cheat to win - and then go around talking about what great Christians they are. :puke:

[TomPainesBones]

13. So I guess Bush has faith in the drones after all

Near the end of the Clinton administration, unarmed Predator drones spotted bin Laden in Afghanistan at least three times. Clinton proposed arming the drones with Hellfire missiles to kill him. Bad weather and retrofitting required the drones to be taken offline until March 2001. They remained offline throughout that summer. One week before 9/11, the Bush administration rejected using the drones to attack al Qaeda. Days after 9/11, armed Predator drones were put in the skies over Afghanistan.


Bush slow on bin Laden drones before 9/11
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2003-06-25-drones-osama_x.htm

[AuntieM1957]

14. Can I come stay with you?

Anyone NOT living on the Gulf Coast? Why, oh, why do they think this will make us safer?

Just kidding, maybe I'll paint the roof with pictures of "virtual" nudes to confuse the "virtual" pilot's eye.

Any other suggestions how I can befuddle Big Brother in the Sky?

[AuntieM1957]

16. I've not seen this on local Houston news - but I don't really

watch too much MSM.

But, Ellington Air Force Base is in Delay's district - and it's on the possible closure list.

Important historical base and employer in the area. So I'm guessing DeLay is using whatever clout he has to push this program to keep Ellington open.

[MindPilot]

20. You're right I'm sure; they are doing the same thing here

If we are under such a threat, why are they closing bases left and right?

Here in San Diego about 15% of our population is active duty military; that's a huge piece of our economy. And the stuff they are closing, repair facilities, training bases, medical centers, it just doesn't make sense. Unless, maybe this whole "terror" thing is just a scam. But that's just not possible, or is it?

[AuntieM1957]

22. I don't know if they have a plan for the military...

but I keep hearing first hand accounts of personnel being re-located/replaced with civilians. It sounds like a severe manpower shortage to me. And that concerns me, because it will end in a draft.

Local 5PM news just had Rick Perry (Texas Governor Good Hair) pitch the predator aircraft as a "jobs" thing - up to 450 jobs he says it means to local economy.

[Roland99]

19. Armed, unmanned aircraft flying our borders. Looking for WHAT?!?!

They going to fire on people sneaking across the border now?


Jesus H. Fucking Christ.

[gkhouston]

24. man, that cockroach will do *anything* to keep Ellington open

but does he really think drones are going to protect the Ship Channel or the chemical plants?

[Skip Intro]

25. Feeling safer all the time

:eyes:

[Not_Giving_Up]

26. Well, I hope that one of those doesn't malfunction over

a refinery or chemical plant. That would be a mess!

[BrightKnight]

27. Predator gone wild beach videos

Perhaps it is part of a plan to fund the war with Predator gone wild beach videos.

[bemildred]

28. Yet another reason to avoid Texas. nt

[ConcernedCanuk]

29. If 15 year olds can hack into the DOD . . .

.
.
.

:scared:

[NuttyFluffers]

30. Why do I think of that 1980's B-movie "Fortress America"?

Sometimes strange images come to my head, y'know? Perhaps it's unrelated... :shrug:

[KeepItReal]

31. BS Alert: Predator can barely reach Mexico border from Houston

"The Predator, a turboprop-powered drone weighing up to 1,020 kilograms (2,250 pounds) was originally developed for aerial reconnaissance and surveillance. It can range up to 400 nautical miles (454 miles, 730 kilometers) from its launch point and linger for hours over a target to gather intelligence."

http://www.political-news.org/breaking/8074/us-to-boost-force-of-unpiloted-predator-drones-introduce-attack-version.html

Distance between Houston (Ellington Field) and Brownsville, TX (on Mexico border): 352 miles.

[Olney Blue]

33. Wow, guess Cindy pushed them over the edge....

:wow: