I suppose it will eventually stop being disconcerting every time someone breaches the 4 invisible walls surrounding the White House, but until that day happens, I think there’s an argument for license to make a “concerned-and-confused-and-even-disgusted” face when these sorts of things happen.
I woke up early this morning to a message from a friend asking, [w]hat is going on with the security at the White House? I mean, besides the obvious racism of the secret service? That’s when I found out that this had happened, via the Daily News:
There was a security scare at the White House early Monday when a two-foot quadcopter drone was found in the middle of the night on the executive mansion’s grounds.The U.S. Secret Service is investigating, White House spokesman John Earnest said, but the aircraft did not pose a threat to the building. President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama were on a three-day visit to India, but their daughters, Sasha and Malia, were at the White House.An unnamed law enforcement official told NBC News the drone landed in a tree just after 3 a.m. Monday on the southeast side of the complex.”An investigation is underway to determine the origin of this commercially available device, motive, and to identify suspects,” said Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary.
According to reports, the drone was not “weaponized,” but thank God the Obamas were out of town, anyway.
Obviously, flying drones near the White House is absolutely against the rules. (You can’t even drive a car in front of the place.) According to an expert (read: a friend who got one of these things for Christmas and promptly used it to freak out the whole neighborhood,) these drones aren’t the easiest to control. But still. Still—this is the White House.
Between shots fired and knife-wielding parolee fence-jumpers, the Secret Service has had its share of problems over the past few years. Neo-Neocon did a great write up about the problems at the Secret Service that you should read for more information on what’s been happening, and for a greater understanding about why something the media seems to be brushing off as “case-closed” gives me cause for concern.
Hopefully, all we’re looking at is this inevitable situation:
But you never know.
h/t and Featured Image via Truth Revolt
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