"…by 2013, the FAA expects to have formulated new rules that would allow police across the country to routinely fly lightweight, unarmed drones up to 400 feet above the ground - high enough for them to be largely invisible eyes in the sky." In case you missed this announcement it was reported by Peter Finn in the Jan. 23rd edition of the Washington Post. Finn went on to report that domestic drones could allow local police to record the activities of the public with high-resolution, infrared and thermal-imaging cameras.

Reports of the demand for drones among local police departments are proliferating in our new era of across-the-board budget cuts aimed at balancing budgets absent tax increases. Police Chiefs simply want an opportunity to purchase technology to replace laid off staff – and to get better results on the most challenging cases. People talk of using drones in manhunts and hostage situations. A US market of 15,000 civilian drones has been forecast for 2018. Will they be patrolling the Middleburg skies before the end of the decade?

In the civilian world, power companies are clamoring for drones that will enable them to more effectively monitor their power lines and farmers envision them soaring over fields to identify crops that need water. Even ranchers see drones as being high tech cow counters. Seems reasonable enough if you stop after seeing the "logical" applications and economic justification.

Is drone coverage part of a left-wing or right wing conspiracy? Hardly. The sources of these news reports have been as diverse as the Washington Post (article cited above), the L.A. Times, The Wall Street Journal and Fox News. All sources have covered the pros (better law enforcement with less manpower) and cons (the specter of drones spying on any one of us without cause, or crashing randomly in populated areas).

Ironically, although the FAA rules are not yet in place, there are three pilot tests underway for these pilotless vehicles: in Colorado, Florida, and our neighboring state of Maryland. Drones are also being actively used in Texas, flying their friendly skies for border surveillance.

How large are drones? You may be surprised to learn that models range from those with a 116-foot wingspan to seed-sized drones with imaging sensors that weigh less than one ounce.

Being news reporting organizations, the Shenandoah Press and the Middleburg Eccentric would be remiss if we omitted one additional creative employment of drones – for gathering news. This dream of Clark Kent skipping the costume change and flying overhead with his briefcase and glasses in hand may sound far fetched, but it may be old news. It has been reported that the FAA is investigating whether one of Rupert Murdoch's online publications, The Daily, has used drones without permission for aerial photographs or videos of the floods last year in North Dakota and Mississippi. And a journalism professor at the University of Nebraska, who has started a lab for his students to experiment with a remote-controlled helicopter, believes a news drone is feasible.

A recent article in a magazine for users of mapping software pondered the many ways new technologies are advancing the concept of participatory government. While noting that privacy issues may arise, the author asserts that they "seem to be a non-issue for younger generations who are comfortable sharing almost any information."

Perhaps this Orwellian image in the age of social media should be our biggest concern. Will the helicopters we've come to love in the Blue Ridge be replaced by airborne manifestations of the late Allen Funt?

Maybe it's time every family had a conversation with their kids and their elected officials?