Enjoy the revenue, D.C. Council, because soon we’ll be doing the cameras’ bidding.  Washington Times columnist Armstrong Williams—-yes, that Armstrong Williams—-thinks the traffic cameras present something more than just a hassle: They’re about the rise of the machines.

Williams is concerned that the cameras will replace human cops, who sometimes give out warnings instead of traffic tickets. “Why would we, as a society, want a robot to indiscriminately determine our guilt or innocence?” asks Williams.

But Williams’ worries extend beyond relatively innocuous speed and red light cameras in Washington. One of these traffic cam-spawned machines will see kids playing cops and robbers and consider them a threat, presumably eliminating them with cool efficiency. “Allowing the proliferation of machines to dole out fines robs us not only of our rights, but a piece of our humanity as well,” he warns.

Fortunately for Williams, the effects of a resistance movement to oppose the cameras’ rise to power are already clear—-revenues from the cameras were down by almost $19 million in March.