The Future Of Domestic Drone Use.

Let's face it -- within the decade, we're going to see a vast expanse in domestic drone use. Owning a drone will be like having a back-up camera on your vehicle... everyone will have one. That being said, I like to believe I'm a forward-thinking man when it comes to technology. What will we be using drones for in the not-so-distant future? Here are some thoughts I came up with.

• Mall Security - As if indoor malls weren't already becoming a relic of the Twentieth Century, those old shopping destinations will have a hard time affording their security staff. What better way to maintain a watchful eye and lay off some ineffective rent-a-cops than to employ drones? They will afford you the same degree of visual coverage at a fraction of the cost. A drone doesn't get sick, take a holiday or fall asleep. One or two control room operators can scan an entire structure constantly, thereby reducing overhead and improving visibility. It's a win-win!
• Wedding Photography - Nearly every couple wants candid, unstaged photos from their wedding. The drone could fill this void without getting in the way. The often slighted wedding photographer, whom is told to stay invisible and not to participate, would become all but obsolete. The drone won't eat any of your hors d'oeuvres, can silently cut through the reception crowd and will refrain from hooking up with one of the bridesmaids!
• Televised Golf - While I don't admit to watching golf on television (it's so boring), I know many other people enjoy to do so. Why not set a drone to follow the golf ball at all times? When the golfer tees off, the drone will stay locked onto the ball. It will provide the audience with a birds-eye view of the action.
• Classrooms - This is an idea all you fans of hover parenting will love. Why not place a drone in every classroom and school hallway? Kids will remain under constant surveillance, creating a permanent record of their every action. When one of those little brats decides to act up, the drone can administer a swift electric jolt with an on-board taser. Smells like victory (or burning flesh)!
• Amateur Porn - It seems everyone these days wants to record their own sex tape. While I can't say it's the best of ideas, people are free to do as they wish. Instead of shoddy camera work and grainy cellphone videos, why not use a lifeless, dead-inside drone to record all of the "action"? It beats having your drunk buddy sit in the corner with a camera and watch, am I right?
• Fishing - How valuable would a drone equipped with a sonar locator be on a lake... or even better... on the ocean? You could send your drone out like a scout to spot schools of fish, thereby saving you the trouble of looking. Once your drone has locked onto some fish, you could command your boat there and reel in the big haul!
• Window Washing - Isn't it a pain in the ass when you've got a window to wash, but it's on a second or higher story? A drone equipped with a cleaning solution sprayer and some form of wiping apparatus could fly up and clean your windows, without you having to so much as lift your rump off the couch. Take this idea one step farther -- use drones for cleaning windows on tall municipal buildings and skyscrapers!
• Jousting - Drones would make the perfect candidate for sports. Why not attach long lances and defense shielding to the units, then send them into battle like the knights of old? They could each fly their own unique flags and feature simulated horse sounds!
• Voting - Instead of having to get dressed, hop in your car, drive to the local polling station and wait in a long line to register your vote, what if the voting booth came to you? A small swarm of drones could canvass a neighborhood and meet with each and every citizen. An on-board computer tablet could allow the voter to make their selections, then quickly move on to the next person. Voters could schedule their drone visits in advance, so they wouldn't have any issue casting their ballots. There wouldn't be any excuse for a person not to vote.

Do you have any suggestions? I'd really enjoy hearing them!

Would the Real Rand Paul Please Stand Up?

In the pursuit of being our next President, Rand Paul has practically flipped on every issue he once held a position on. Considering his obvious ties to the Tea Party and Libertarians in the United States, this should come off as troubling. Mind you, I don't count myself in either one of those camps, but I find the mysterious case of Rand's willfulness to appease everyone in the Republican Party to be interesting to say the least. Whereas he once promoted a marginally isolationist agenda in the vein of his father Ron, Rand has seemingly adapted to the modern Republican party -- one that supports big business, money in politics, war and all-around global imperialism.

If anything, Rand is a wonderfully blatant example of bending to the ideals of a political party to keep yourself in power.

So what exactly has Rand flip-flopped on? Let's cover a few key points.

• As recently as 2011, Rand wanted to completely sever all foreign aid to other countries. This included Israel, which has become a beacon of preservation for modern Christian conservatism. By 2014, Rand had gotten on the pro-Israel bandwagon and touted his unwavering support for them. It's amazing what a few years in Congress will do to a man's opinions. He's even gone as far as to explicitly enter bills into consideration that would specifically deny any aid to the Palestinians.
• Only last summer, Rand was clear in his objections to the United States becoming involved in any combat scenarios with the Islamic State, or ISIS. He still held to his non-interventionist ideals, saying that destroying ISIS would be ultimately a moot point. What purpose would it serve the American people? Lo and behold, he suddenly became pro-interventionist as soon as he entered the 2016 Presidential race. Now Rand comes at the situation with fury, saying that ISIS must be completely obliterated. He's in full support of drone airstrikes to cripple and ultimately eradicate the Islamic extremists.
• Rand's signature was on the letter recently drafted by Tom Cotton that was sent to Iran, in an effort to muddy the diplomatic efforts of the Obama administration to reach a nuclear anti-proliferation pact. He must have amnesia. In January, Rand was in full support of a diplomatic plan with Iran and wanted an open, non-partisan dialogue. I guess that message wasn't resonating well enough with the Republican base.
• Two years ago, Rand wanted to see undocumented residents in the United States begin a massive push to obtain legal status. He wanted immigrants to start the documentation and naturalization process without fear of being deported. Now, Rand has come at the immigration debate completely from the other side of the pond -- he deems undocumented immigrants as a massive security threat, which in no way should be granted any form of "amnesty."
• In just a span of twenty four hours in early February of this year, Rand flip-flopped on the vaccine debate. Between two interviews, he stated that vaccines have played a role in causing various debilitating conditions like Autism, only to follow it up with the notion that vaccines do not cause any conditions or disorders. I've heard of forgetful politicians, but to change your position in only a day? That's astoundingly dreadful.
• Rand led a famous 13-hour filibuster in early 2013, of which one of the points he spoke about was the use of drones. He made it clear that drones should not be used on American citizens, stating "I will speak as long as it takes, until the alarm is sounded from coast to coast that our Constitution is important, that your rights to trial by jury are precious, that no American should be killed by a drone on American soil without first being charged with a crime, without first being found to be guilty by a court." A month later, Rand had changed his tune. He said the following on the Fox Business Network: "I've never argued against any technology being used when you have an imminent threat, an active crime going on. If someone comes out of a liquor store with a weapon and fifty dollars in cash, I don’t care if a drone kills him or a policeman kills him." It seems the importance of the Constitution and the right to due process was only temporary to Rand.

The peculiar case of Rand Paul is both disappointing and insightful. While I never agreed with his agenda, I at the very least initially appreciated Rand's ability to be an independent politician. Ultimately, like most other politicians, he ran up the white flag and surrendered to party politics. There's a clear difference between changing your mind as new information becomes available (which is important to making sound decisions) and blatantly pandering to the voting base. As far as I'm concerned, that makes Rand a poor candidate for any political position, much less one that involves leading the most powerful nation on the planet. On a much larger scale, it just goes to show that most politicians that participate in the Republican / Democrat charade are not to be trusted.