I’ve known for a long time that I’m getting old. Other than the obvious signs of aging, I’m discovering that the older I get the less worked up I become over things that used to rankle me terribly.

Take the issue of drones, the unmanned aerial vehicles used with great effectiveness against terrorists on battlefields overseas.

Now we learn that the FBI is using the UAVs in U.S. airspace. My gut reaction? So what?

http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/06/19/fbi-acknowledges-using-drones-on-u-s-soil/

FBI Director Robert Mueller said that law enforcement is using the drones in a minimal way. They track suspected terrorists and drug dealers – which some folks consider to be one in the same.

I haven’t seen much of a problem using these aircraft ever since President Bush began deploying them not long after the 9/11 attacks. President Obama has continued using them – even accelerating their use – as the anti-terrorist war has continued.

The question came up during confirmation hearings for CIA Director John Brennan whether we’d use the drones to attack targets on U.S. soil. He said it wouldn’t happen. That’s a good thing, too.

Indeed, that is where I would draw the line and get rankled – as I would have when I was much younger. No one should endorse the notion of drones launching missile attacks against criminals in the United States. We should save these actions for the battlefield. These are weapons of war and they should be deployed in that manner only in a war zone.

Using them for surveillance purposes here? No problem.