--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A drone is a high-tech version of an old…" description: "\"A drone is a high-tech version of an old army and a musket. It ought to be used in Somalia to hunt bad guys, but not in America. I don't want to see it..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/charles-krauthammer-1232_america_a-drone-is-a-high-tech-version-of-an-old_3084521.jpg" --- # A drone is a high-tech version of an old army and a… ![“A drone is a high-tech version of an old army and a musket. It ought to be used in Somalia to hunt bad guys, but not in America. I don't want to see it hovering over anybody's home.” quote by Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/charles-krauthammer-1232_america_a-drone-is-a-high-tech-version-of-an-old_3084521.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/charles-krauthammer-1232_america_a-drone-is-a-high-tech-version-of-an-old_3084521.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/charles-krauthammer-1232_america_a-drone-is-a-high-tech-version-of-an-old_3084521.jpg) > “A drone is a high-tech version of an old army and a musket. It ought to be used in Somalia to hunt bad guys, but not in America. I don't want to see it hovering over anybody's home.” [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He argues drones are suitable for foreign combat but unacceptable on domestic soil due to privacy and safety concerns. **In simple terms:** Drones okay abroad, not at home. Key Takeaway Limit drone use to overseas missions. Themes privacy military ethics civil liberties Mood cautious concerned Type political ethical When to use this quote - foreign war zones - law enforcement - public protests - neighborhood security Key Concepts surveillance autonomous weapons national security Questions to Reflect On - Should civilian areas ever host armed drones? - How can oversight prevent misuse? A Different Perspective Balancing security benefits with civil rights is complex. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Army](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/army/) [Bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad/) [Bad guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-guy/) [Bad guys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-guys/) [Drone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drone/) [Drone High](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drone-high-5276494/) [Drones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drones/) [Guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guy/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Hovering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hovering/) [Hunts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hunts/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old/) [Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought/) [Somalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/somalia/) [Somalia Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/somalia-hunt-5276495/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) [Used Somalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used-somalia-5276493/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) ## Related quotes > [ I became an instant fan of the show \[Underground\] seconds into the opening frames of the pilot. When that drone shot carried us through… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aisha-hinds/i-became-an-instant-fan-of-the-show-underground-seconds-into-the/) [Aisha Hinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aisha-hinds/) > [I've got no problem with drone strikes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/i-ve-got-no-problem-with-drone-strikes/) [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) > [The drone is a very fundamental part of my music, although it's not always present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-johannsson/the-drone-is-a-very-fundamental-part-of-my-music-although-it-s-not/) [Johann Johannsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-johannsson/) > [Drone manufacturers have yet to create a drone capable of delivering packages while operating at a decibel level that isn't disruptive to communities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hayes/drone-manufacturers-have-yet-to-create-a-drone-capable-of-delivering/) [Robin Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hayes/) > [“He looked at the drone. “You sure they didn’t issue a factory recall on your batch number?” “Myself,” said the drone sniffily, “I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-looked-at-the-drone-you-sure-they-didn-t-issue-a-factory-recall-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Until Amazon creates a drone that can cut your hair, there's a physical and real reason to come to the store.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-dillon/until-amazon-creates-a-drone-that-can-cut-your-hair-there-s-a/) [Mary Dillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-dillon/) > [ When I read the script \[of Good Kill\], it read like a science fiction film. And Andrew \[writer/director Andrew Niccol\] is known for sci-fi.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kravitz/when-i-read-the-script-of-good-kill-it-read-like-a-science-fiction/) [Zoe Kravitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kravitz/) > [Few years ago I did a movie, Good Kill, about drone pilots and for four or five months I'm obsessed with the Air Force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-hawke/few-years-ago-i-did-a-movie-good-kill-about-drone-pilots-and-for-four/) [Ethan Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-hawke/) > [John Brennan has been the mastermind of the drone program. He's the one who'd convene the terror Tuesday meetings at the White House.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/medea-benjamin/john-brennan-has-been-the-mastermind-of-the-drone-program-he-s-the/) [Medea Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/medea-benjamin/) > [It takes minutes to play, but 'Unmanned' sticks with you for long after the credits roll. As a part of a two-man team for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/it-takes-minutes-to-play-but-unmanned-sticks-with-you-for-long-after/) [Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/) > [“There was too much protection in a drone, protection that was also a denial of one’s own humanity, very much like the protection offered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-burr-gerrard/there-was-too-much-protection-in-a-drone-protection-that-was-also-a/) [David Burr Gerrard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-burr-gerrard/) > [President Obama said the small drone that flew over the White House fence yesterday could be bought at any RadioShack. After hearing this, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/president-obama-said-the-small-drone-that-flew-over-the-white-house/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [Digiphrenia - how technology lets us be in more than one place - and self - at the same time. Drone pilots suffer more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/digiphrenia-how-technology-lets-us-be-in-more-than-one-place-and-self/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [“It was in Cleveland that Magic Slim became the most successful pornographic film producer in America. His training center was a key link in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hahn/it-was-in-cleveland-that-magic-slim-became-the-most-successful/) [Nick Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hahn/) > [A lazy man's wife is generally the power behind the drone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/a-lazy-man-s-wife-is-generally-the-power-behind-the-drone/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) ## More by Charles Krauthammer > [Obama and the Democrats were so critical of what Bush did, the interrogations, the secret prisons, Guantanamo and all of that, and even the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/obama-and-the-democrats-were-so-critical-of-what-bush-did-the/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [“America is the most welcoming, religiously tolerant, philo-semitic country in the world. No nation since Cyrus the Great’s Persia has done more for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/america-is-the-most-welcoming-religiously-tolerant-philo-semitic/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [I believe in what I believe, and I think after all these years I've heard a lot of arguments, and I'm convinced by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/i-believe-in-what-i-believe-and-i-think-after-all-these-years-i-ve/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [With our financial house on fire, Obama makes clear both in in his speech and his budget that the essence of his presidency will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/with-our-financial-house-on-fire-obama-makes-clear-both-in-in-his/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [The conservative idea is not that government has no role. You might have argued that in the thirties when conservatives opposed the New Deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/the-conservative-idea-is-not-that-government-has-no-role-you-might/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [The war is not going well and it is time to say why. It has been fought with half-measures. It has been fought with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/the-war-is-not-going-well-and-it-is-time-to-say-why-it-has-been/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [“International stability is never a given. It is never the norm. When achieved, it is the product of self-conscious action by the great powers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/international-stability-is-never-a-given-it-is-never-the-norm-when/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [Look, I don't mind if the President sends a budget which he knows is not going to achieve anything. But when he prefaces his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/look-i-don-t-mind-if-the-president-sends-a-budget-which-he-knows-is/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [“Politics is the moat, the walls, beyond which lie the barbarians. Fail to keep them at bay, and everything burns.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/politics-is-the-moat-the-walls-beyond-which-lie-the-barbarians-fail/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [Don't touch my junk, you airport security goon--my package belongs to no one but me, and do you really think I'm a Nigerian nut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/don-t-touch-my-junk-you-airport-security-goon-my-package-belongs-to/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [“The Russian Revolution and its imitators (Chinese, Cuban, Vietnamese, Cambodian) tried to atomize society so thoroughly--to war against the mediating structures that stand between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/the-russian-revolution-and-its-imitators-chinese-cuban-vietnamese/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [Where religion is trivialized, one is unlikely to find persecution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/where-religion-is-trivialized-one-is-unlikely-to-find-persecution/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [We must now brace ourselves for disquisitions on peer pressure, adolescent anomie, and rage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/we-must-now-brace-ourselves-for-disquisitions-on-peer-pressure/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [Post-Watergate morality, by which anything left private is taken as presumptive evidence of wrongdoing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/post-watergate-morality-by-which-anything-left-private-is-taken-as/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [“The largest threat to freedom, democracy, the market economy and prosperity,' warns Czech president Vaclav Klaus, 'is no longer socialism. It is, instead, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/the-largest-threat-to-freedom-democracy-the-market-economy-and/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) [Explore all 268 Charles Krauthammer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) [Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A drone is a high-tech version of an old army and a musket. It ought to be used in Somalia to hunt bad guys, but not in America. I don't want to see it hovering over anybody's home.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charles Krauthammer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/a-drone-is-a-high-tech-version-of-an-old-army-and-a-musket-it-ought/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "America" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/a-drone-is-a-high-tech-version-of-an-old-army-and-a-musket-it-ought/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/charles-krauthammer-1232_america_a-drone-is-a-high-tech-version-of-an-old_3084521.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/charles-krauthammer-1232_america_a-drone-is-a-high-tech-version-of-an-old_3084521.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/charles-krauthammer-1232_america_a-drone-is-a-high-tech-version-of-an-old_3084521.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A drone is a high-tech version of an old army and a musket. It ought to be used in Somalia to hunt bad guys…” — Charles Krauthammer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Charles Krauthammer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A drone is a high-tech version...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/a-drone-is-a-high-tech-version-of-an-old-army-and-a-musket-it-ought/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/a-drone-is-a-high-tech-version-of-an-old-army-and-a-musket-it-ought/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```