The Government Is Spying on America with Drones, Too

[JaneQPublic]

46. Maybe not friendly but certainly useful...

...at least for purposes other than surveillance and warfighting.

Among these more positive uses:
-- maritime patrol
-- search and rescue
-- fishery protection
-- forest fire detection
-- natural disaster monitoring
-- contamination measurement
-- road traffic surveillance
-- power and pipeline inspection
-- meteorological missions (e.g., flights into hurricanes)
-- earth observation (e.g., photos of Artic/Antartic ice melt/global warming)
-- quieter, more fuel-efficient replacements of the airplanes and helicopters now doing these tasks

The technology of unmanned aircraft is neither good nor evil. It all depends upon how we use it. But keep in mind: much of the objections people have with drones can also be said of helicopters, airships (blimps), airplanes, satellites, and many other long-established technologies that have similar capabilities but don't seem to cause all the uproar.