On Being Controlled. Nick Redfern, in his book Controlled, gives the reader a comprehensive look at the many ways that we are controlled without even knowing it. He draws a scenario of two couples starting a conversation about global politics and the surveillance state. Suddenly, silence descends. There is a Smart TV in the house-a Samsung-which they are afraid will record their conversation, and that the NSA will access their set. As a result, they will be labeled as “a person of interest” by Homeland Security. So they shift to a topic that’s off the radar, giving up their freedom to talk. I was reading my kindle one night and I noticed that there was a red light coming from the tiny hole on the top frame of the kindle. I was being watched by someone. I put my thumb on the light and the light never came back. But its not only how our devices are controlling us. Our TVs are brainwashing us, and that brings us to mind control. The majority of the content on our TVs are run and programmed by an elite group of huge, influential and powerful corporations, which means the news is slanted if not worthless. We tend to hear one story on all the channels;we hear no international news. One needs to access alternative news to find out what is going on in the world. A study showed that people who watch TV are not only brainwashed, they are addicted. Their attention shifts from the left side of the brain-the logical side to the right side-the emotional side. This causes a flow of endorphins, “which trigger a positive feeling in the body, similar to morphine” (WebMD).******************************* As we know or suspect, China and North Korea limit the Internet and the number of people who can use the Internet. But in the US we have the freedom to use the Internet, or do we? According to Redfern, censoring the Internet, here in the US, and to a significant degree, is something that can be achieved with chilling ease. Nature News, in May 2015, stated: “In November 2013, a federal court ruled that the Department of Homeland Security must disclose previously secret plans the massive agency developed for an Internet kill switch—Standard Operating Procedure 303, also known as the Internet kill switch from Homeland Security.” This was an easy step for the government because companies that define the Internet had been rolling over and kissing government ass when it came to giving up information (Redfern).********* I think of drones as toys kids play with or as small remotely guided reconnaissance planes or planes equipped with guided missiles which have incredibly good aim. And all that takes place in the Middle East. The RAND corporation says that drones are used in monitoring cell phone towers and skyscrapers, primarily to ensure there are no structural issues. There is a desire to use them in movies and television. The FAA predicts there will be 3 million drones in the skies by this year. But there’s a dark side. They are also used to spy on us. They can stay aloft for days, endlessly spying, probing, and they can be equipped with bullets and Taser technology, turning them into weapons. Drone technology is advancing faster than laws protecting the privacy rights of citizens. Drones can monitor phone calls, access your messages on social media, read your texts and check out your photos online. They are so advanced that they can read handwritten words from a height of around 20,000 feet. Infrared is coming in to use for night surveillance of towns and cities. And police departments in large cities can use them for night patrol;a drone was used in Compton, a section of Los Angeles to monitor the activity, freeing the police from going into the dangerous area. But if I lived in Compton, how would I feel?