Spy Drone Bounty (3:03)

This is a fun song inspired by a true story. The US Supreme Court found that the Constitution implicitly grants a right to privacy against governmental intrusion. The right to privacy is a human right and an element of various legal traditions which may restrain both government and private party action that threatens the privacy of individuals. Conceptually, government regulations cannot reach into the privacy of one’s own home. Justice Brandeis famously called privacy “the most comprehensive of rights and the right most valued by a free people.”
But privacy advocates have big problems with what has been going on lately: You see the politicians are tasked with guarding the hen house. And they are the foxes.
Privacy advocates say that is just one of the big problems with efforts to protect personal information in the United States: With one political party’s sophisticated use of Big Data, the other is disadvantaged and desperate to catch up. Both parties increasingly build their campaigns on the insight that commercial data brokers provide. It’s an on-going battle to control the real estate of your mind. Controlling the products marketed to you, the information you can access, the ideology you are exposed to, or worse, the information buried away from you without you even realizing it. All in a never ending effort to influence what you buy, what you know, how you vote, and what you think. So now, how free are we really?
“Our whole constitutional heritage rebels at the thought of giving government the power to control men’s minds” Justice Marshall wrote in one court decision.
But it’s happening anyway. Millions of people are becoming aware and they are concerned.
So the song “Spy Drone Bounty” starts with a reference to the small town of Deer Trail, Colorado. One of its citizens thought it might be fun to highlight his displeasure with government surveillance and so he created a proposal for a town ordinance to sell “Drone Hunting Licenses.”
The humorous proposal was over 2500 words and lays out the impetus for the ordinance early on throughout various passages in the document:
“…Whereas state and federal governmental entities, non-governmental organizations and powerful corporate interests have previously encroached on the freedoms and liberties of the Town of Deer Trail and its citizens…”
“…Whereas powerful corporate, state and federal government interests receive vast benefits from surveillance of individual citizens, small businesses, and that such data that is gathered through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles can be used by both domestic and international interests,…”
Later the ordinance is found to be complete with rules, restrictions, and provisions for training, fines for non-compliance, fees and a $100 bounty:
“..to any shooter who presents a valid hunting license and the following identifiable parts of an unmanned aerial vehicle whose markings and configuration are consistent with those used on any similar craft known to be owned or operated by the United States federal government. i. Whole, intact unmanned aerial vehicle 1. Either the nose or tail section may be missing or damaged, but not both. 2. Markings and configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle must be consistent with those used by the United States federal government. c. All unmanned aerial vehicles (hereinafter referred to as trophies and parts presented to and accepted by the Town of Deer Trail for purposes of receiving the listed bounties, shall become the property of the Town of Deer Trail. Trophies may be displayed or used for marketing purposes…”
The proposed ordinance showed potential to generate revenue for the small town. But the small town became divided on the issue. National news organizations and comedic talk show hosts ridiculed the small town’s licensing vehicle, and the Federal Aviation Administration warned that people who fire at drones could be prosecuted or fined. (Learn more on our web site)