we have been living in a police state for many years. and the police state just gets bigger and bigger each year. and they take or money to buy these weapons to use against us. Original Article Border agents to get help from unmanned aircraft 'Predator B' arriving in Arizona next month Billy House Republic Washington Bureau Aug. 31, 2005 12:00 AM WASHINGTON - Federal officials say they will have a new "bird's-eye view" of activity along the Arizona-Mexico border, starting next month. One day after President Bush assured Arizonans that his administration would deliver more border-enforcement resources, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials announced Tuesday a $14 million contract with a San Diego-based aeronautical company to deliver an unmanned aerial vehicle to aid their efforts in the state. "This improves our ability to deter, detect and apprehend individuals conducting illegal activity, including smugglers, terrorists and people attempting to illegally enter our country," Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Robert Bonner said of the state-of-the-art, equipment-toting "Predator B" craft. The aircraft, which will relay detailed images to the ground, including from remote areas where border agents cannot easily travel, is expected to be flying in the state by the end of September. It can fly up to 253 mph and can reach altitudes of 50,000 feet, although it primarily will be operated between 15,000 and 20,000 feet. It weighs 10,000 pounds, has a wingspan of 66 feet and has a fuselage length of 36 feet. One of the aircraft's biggest strengths is that it can operate for 30 hours at a time, operated and monitored remotely by agents and certified pilots on the ground. The craft, made by General Atomics Aeronautical Services Inc., is to be based at Fort Huachuca, in Sierra Vista, agency spokesman Mario Villarreal said. The contract with the company includes support services and maintenance for a year. Arizona, the major illegal-crossing corridor in the nation, last year accounted for 52 percent of the 1.1 million arrests along the 1,950-mile border with Mexico. Arizona's 389-mile share of that border includes remote, treacherous expanses of desert and well-established smuggling corridors. The Predator B is to be deployed in support of the so-called Phase II of the Arizona Border Control Initiative, a Department of Homeland Security plan to increase the number of border agents in the state to 2,900 by the end of September. That plan includes more helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft to monitor smuggling corridors controlled by organized-crime networks. No details of how many other companies competed for the contract were made available by agency officials Tuesday. Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz., who has been a vocal proponent of expanded use of more-effective technology on the border, praised the announcement of the contract. "I have seen the Predator in action, and I believe it is the premier option in unmanned reconnaissance vehicles," Shadegg said. Steve Camarota, research director for the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Immigration Studies, said he agreed that the aircraft will provide some needed help on the border. "But bottom line: Let's also not get carried away here," said Camarota, who argues that there simply are not enough Border Patrol agents. "The analogy is this is like a truckload of food and baby formula arriving in New Orleans. It's helpful. It's important. It's good," he said. "But if we're serious about defending the borders, it's only a small or tiny component of what you need to do." Earlier this month, Gov. Janet Napolitano followed the lead of New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a fellow Democrat, in declaring a state of emergency along the border with Mexico, to free up more money for patrols, equipment and other security needs. During his appearance Monday in El Mirage, Bush said that he understood the problems border states face and that "there are more (federal) resources that will be available." Regarding the new aircraft, Napolitano said in a statement Tuesday, "This is a step in the right direction, but we really need more resources."