From: Mail Online
COMMENT - Pirates are certainly an issue for those who have the money to purchase the kind of vessels which attract pirates. Most of this criminal activity takes place on the high seas, I understand, and involves vessels with many different national registrations, making it an issue for all nations, and especially for the insurance companies which would pay for losses.
The cost of the unmanned vessels appears to be low enough to be funded by the insurance companies themselves, given the value of the ships under discussion. Perhaps these for profit ventures should ask about purchasing the vessels producing using this exciting new technology. Profits could then be used to pay off some small part of the cost of development.
There is no reasons American taxpayers should have either paid for the development or be forced to subsidize its use.
There are three reasons for this. First, the money issue. Americans are not a bottomless piggy bank. Second, the technology, presumably, has value and should be licensed to those who have a legitimate interest to protect, namely insurance companies. These companies can then hire trained personnel to carry out any needed rescue mission, too.
Third, government has proven to have, shall we say, issues with following the Constitution and would obviously be tempted to use these vessels for purposes beyond those mentioned.
These impulses to play cops and robbers at the expense of America's taxpayers are no longer amusing.
RESPONSE TO QUERY - Having an insurance company carry its own costs is absolutely not a move toward 'privatization,' it is a return to a time when a business could not dump costs into the lap of taxpayers through government.
Privatization, originated by Robert Poole of Reason Foundation in the mid 1970s, began the egregious trend for 'government' to 'contract' out services which it had undertaken on behalf of the citizens it serves. The people are the only legitimate government under the Constitution and 'privatization,' in effect, provided the means for transferring their power to corporations through the medium of what we refer to as government today. The transferred use of the term is at the core of the problem.
It would be more accurate to call the elected officials and those hired to carry out any work done as the government's (the people's) service center. Small or large, simple or high tech and complex, it is nothing more.
Personally, when I visualize government in my mind I see a plumber's helper. This provides a better understanding of the relationship between the people and their 'tool.' Substitute your local service provider for your own visualization.
ARTICLE
It is believed to be the first stealth drone capable of operating in the water.
This 35 foot long boat is designed to invisibly glide across the ocean acting as a spy and spotting pirates.
The daunting vessel belongs to the world’s first fleet of remote-controlled ‘robo-boats’ designed to take on dangerous covert missions without endangering the lives of crew.
Looking like a cross between a miniature warship and a stealth bomber, they are the waterborne equivalent of the unmanned drone planes used by the UK and U.S. military in the fight against terror.
The Eclipse unmanned surveillance vessels are invisible to radar, can operate 24 hours a day, travel at 60mph and can be kitted out with enough weaponry to blow adversaries out of the water.
The cutting edge boats boast state-of-the-art technology that allows it to undertake search and rescue missions or patrol dangerous waters without requiring crew.
They have a range of up to 600 nautical miles and can loiter at low speeds for 10 days without refuelling.
Powered by two 500 horsepower water jets made by Rolls Royce, the Eclipse range also boast £650,000 giroscopic HD cameras which take pictures of their surroundings, analysing them for potential threats and and relaying information back to a manned control station.
The boats can be decked out with weaponry including a high powered fire hose, a cannon that fires nets to foul propellers and even a 50 calibre gun.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2326138/The-stealth-drone-boat-set-hunt-pirates-undercover-world.html#ixzz2TmAVxce3
COMMENT - Pirates are certainly an issue for those who have the money to purchase the kind of vessels which attract pirates. Most of this criminal activity takes place on the high seas, I understand, and involves vessels with many different national registrations, making it an issue for all nations, and especially for the insurance companies which would pay for losses.
The cost of the unmanned vessels appears to be low enough to be funded by the insurance companies themselves, given the value of the ships under discussion. Perhaps these for profit ventures should ask about purchasing the vessels producing using this exciting new technology. Profits could then be used to pay off some small part of the cost of development.
There is no reasons American taxpayers should have either paid for the development or be forced to subsidize its use.
There are three reasons for this. First, the money issue. Americans are not a bottomless piggy bank. Second, the technology, presumably, has value and should be licensed to those who have a legitimate interest to protect, namely insurance companies. These companies can then hire trained personnel to carry out any needed rescue mission, too.
Third, government has proven to have, shall we say, issues with following the Constitution and would obviously be tempted to use these vessels for purposes beyond those mentioned.
These impulses to play cops and robbers at the expense of America's taxpayers are no longer amusing.
Privatization, originated by Robert Poole of Reason Foundation in the mid 1970s, began the egregious trend for 'government' to 'contract' out services which it had undertaken on behalf of the citizens it serves. The people are the only legitimate government under the Constitution and 'privatization,' in effect, provided the means for transferring their power to corporations through the medium of what we refer to as government today. The transferred use of the term is at the core of the problem.
It would be more accurate to call the elected officials and those hired to carry out any work done as the government's (the people's) service center. Small or large, simple or high tech and complex, it is nothing more.
Personally, when I visualize government in my mind I see a plumber's helper. This provides a better understanding of the relationship between the people and their 'tool.' Substitute your local service provider for your own visualization.
ARTICLE
- The Eclipse fleet are the first stealth drones capable of operating in water
- They are remote controlled, invisible to radar and can travel at 60mph
- Range of 600 nautical miles and can loiter for ten days without refuelling
It is believed to be the first stealth drone capable of operating in the water.
This 35 foot long boat is designed to invisibly glide across the ocean acting as a spy and spotting pirates.
The daunting vessel belongs to the world’s first fleet of remote-controlled ‘robo-boats’ designed to take on dangerous covert missions without endangering the lives of crew.
This 35 foot long boat is designed to invisibly glide across the ocean acting as a spy and spotting pirates
The Eclipse unmanned surveillance vessels are invisible to radar, can operate 24 hours a day, travel at 60mph and can be kitted out with enough weaponry to blow adversaries out of the water.
The cutting edge boats boast state-of-the-art technology that allows it to undertake search and rescue missions or patrol dangerous waters without requiring crew.
They have a range of up to 600 nautical miles and can loiter at low speeds for 10 days without refuelling.
Powered by two 500 horsepower water jets made by Rolls Royce, the Eclipse range also boast £650,000 giroscopic HD cameras which take pictures of their surroundings, analysing them for potential threats and and relaying information back to a manned control station.
The boats can be decked out with weaponry including a high powered fire hose, a cannon that fires nets to foul propellers and even a 50 calibre gun.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2326138/The-stealth-drone-boat-set-hunt-pirates-undercover-world.html#ixzz2TmAVxce3
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