[Barthman]

Privacy advocates are worrying that the use of drones in U.S. skies could create a "surveillance society." Kind of looking that way, what do you think?

A future in which unmanned drones are as common in U.S. skies as helicopters and airliners has moved a step closer to reality with a government request for proposals to create six drone test sites around the country. After implementation this year, you will soon see them throughout the entire U.S. in the form of airplanes and helicopters.

The FAA-Federal Aviation Administration made the request last Thursday, kicking off what is anticipated to be an intense competition between states hoping to win one of the sites. Many states are all for the Federal Dollars! Is yours?

The military has come to rely heavily on drones overseas. Possible users at home include police, power companies wanting to monitor transmission lines, farmers needing to detect which crops need water or even ranchers counting cows. Could the paramilitary find a good use for them?

Privacy advocates worry that a proliferation of drones will lead to a "surveillance society" in which Americans are routinely monitored, tracked, recorded and scrutinized by the authorities.