Government wants to ban drones over national parks
As drone technology advanced quickly in past recent years, the Obama Administration had decided to clear the way for as many drones as possible to become airborne. The official reason given was so that drones could help find missing persons, but the real reason was that they wanted as many drones in the sky as possible before legislators had time to create privacy laws to keep them in check.
The plan has been mostly successful. EPA drones are already spying on companies the administration doesn’t like in hopes of finding environmental infractions, and drones controlled by law enforcement officials are spying on people they suspect of wrongdoing. All of this is being done without warrants, not that I need to tell you that.
Some lawmakers are trying to get privacy laws into the books that would curtail some of this activity, but unfortunately they are behind in this race.
Well, in an ironic turn of events, the government is now trying to ban drones in certain areas – specifically the 401 U.S. national parks. They’re saying that the drones are annoying visitors, harassing wildlife and threatening safety. Apparently the harassment of wildlife is a bigger concern to the government than harassing innocent-until-proven-guilty American citizens.
These unmanned aircraft, which range from the size of a hummingbird to an airliner, are becoming less expensive as their capabilities improve. The national parks include 85 million acres of public lands and waterways.
Let me know how do you feel about drones flying high above your town, watching the activities of you and your neighbors.
air space above my home is mine, no picture taking allowed but very good target pratice
Hey we have to start somewhere. I the deer get it first so be it. Then we can go for cruelty of animals. “The drones are scaring my pet!” I’ll take it if if gets me my privacy and these guys out of my hair I’ll be first in line to vote for it.
I guess we’ll all be moving to the national parks now! If the drones were humans, they would call it stalking…need I say more?
I think that only the military should have drones. We all know that if they arecallowed for general use, their use will violate everything on the planet. Also, think of the danger of fires, to commericial and private aircraft. Why the hell do we all need drones now ? Stupidity. Period!!
Latest word local law enforcement can not pursue illegal aliens into the national parks of New Mexico. What else os the Government hiding in them?
As Orrin stated they better stay out of gun range.
Mac
Retired Corrections Officer
Great! So now, if a criminal wants to hide from the authorities, he can just go hang out in a national park, while the rest of us get spied on. Our government is either truly insane or just plain evil.
BOTH
2014 Midterm Elections- The most important in the nations history. Possibly the last chance.. America…to salvage what’s left of this country. All encumbent Democrat Senators need to be voted out of office…they are total supporters of the most corrupt..radical leftist regime in America’s history. This is a national election… don’t let these leftists con you with local issues. And, don’t forget…. every one of them gave 100% support to the catastrophic Obamacare.
Bill
The FAA has intensifying its enforcement focus on drone operators, (Change 6 to its Compliance and Enforcement Handbook.) What this means is that “a violation that poses a medium actual or potential risk to safety generally warrants a civil penalty in the minimum to moderate range.” The FAA has determined a set fee if a person is caught operating a drone posing a risk actual or potential risk, whether first time or inadvertent violation and or a repeated or intentional violation of using a drone.
The FAA has determined to use administrative and/or legal enforcement action to gain compliance. In short, if you are a pilot, with a license, not only will you lose your license you will be hit with a fine too. According to the FAA’s sanction guidance table, here are the category and severity of the fines you can be charged with: Maximum $850-$1,100; Moderate $650-$849; and, Minimum $500-$649. Furthermore, while operating a drone, the FAA can and will consider each operation a separate violation and any operation could include multiple regulatory violations. Therefore, the amount of the fines that the FAA can and will seeks against an individual for any given flight could be significantly more than the amounts listed here.
What this means is that if the FAA loses in court and you don’t have to pay the fines; the FAA can and will revoke your pilot license, should you hold one.
Now with these changes, exemptions exist to allow certain Government agencies to use a drone for whatever purpose they have in mind and there is nothing you can do about it. For example, Law enforcement on the pretense of looking for a person in a search and rescue mission. Or perhaps to see where a potential gunman is hiding on, between, or near structures.
It also allows the various Government Agencies to maintain and secure certain security issues that the said Government wanted to remain undisturbed, undiscovered, or unhindered by the public’s knowledge. That is to say that FEMA Camps out in the woods somewhere, or on a Government insulation will go un-molested or harassed by prying eyes of the general public.
The bottom line is this, the FAA has a way of dealing with people that fly drones; either through fines of taking a man his pilot’s license away. Furthermore, the FAA has ensured that the other Government agencies policies remain intact by making sure that only certain authorized persons, or agencies, are allowed to use drones.
All we can do is to get our privacy laws on the books as fast as possible before any other Government agency sets themselves up as the law of the land.
The above is a breakdown of information taken from an article written in Forbes by John Goglia, Contributor. I took the information and put it into plain English so that the common man can understand.
I wish that I could say that this surprises me. Here in the NW we have been dealing with animal rights laws for years. The most absurd I’ve seen involved a homeowner whose custom dream house was being threatened by the activities of the local beavers. When they caused flooding and he broke up the dam to save his home, the authorities came after him. The world has gone insane.
Cynthia, here is a true story for you. I was in the Army 20 years. Each year you have to qualify at the rifle range. One year my unit went to Camp Parks, California for qualification.
As I was qualifying a California ground squirrel jumped up just as I pulled the trigger. Needless to say, I killed the animal. Next month when my Reserve Unit pulled its drill, I was confronted by four Government agencies all wanting to know how and why I killed a California ground squirrel. I was in so much hot water and red tap that it took me eight months to clear my name. These Government Agencies wouldn’t believe me or my Commander when we told them that it was just an accident. It only goes to show you that when someone has a bug up their butt there isn’t much you can do about it especially when they have power over you or so they think.
I gotta call BS here. What 4 Government Agencies
showed up ? Ground squirrels ain’t a protected species and California Fish and Game doesn’t have any enforcement rights on a military installation either.
Who was it that turned you in anyway? Greenpeace? The range officer would have brought ANY range violations to your Commander, not outside authorities. I spent many, many, days on range as an instructor, so I know what the procedures are.
Also, your claim that it took 8 months to clear your name is absurd.
Neither the Army,National Guard or anybody else gives a s**t about a ground squirrel being “Downrange”.
Your story is a load of crap…………..try again!
Dear Frank,
This is just one more subliminal nail in the coffin of our Constitutional freedoms.
It might be hard to believe, but way out here in “God’s Country” one of my daughters took pictures of a “drone” humping around the rural corn fields in our area.
It wasn’t a big one and when I did some covet investigation I discovered it was being used by a “drone-photo company” evaluating crop damage for insurance evaluations.
Still, the first time I see one hovering within gun range of our home rather than over crops … I’m going to shoot the danged thing down!
Your Friend,
Orrin M. Knutson
(Retired Peace Officer & Author)
Hey Orrin, get one for me.
The equality in the privilege of life is for all. and all means all living beings. Where we humans have gone wrong is the point in history when we took upon ourselves the right to use what we want when we want because we have created the stories that everything on earth has been created for us.
We have gone onto a wrong direction in our evolution as humans who traditionally have followed the practice of such unjust self proclaimed ownership and misuse of all other living beings. This injustice must stop, and the practice has to change.
America is the land where everything about old traditions have changed. I am proud to be an American in a land where this next step in our evolution in humanity of understanding the rights of all living beings is taking place.
I also strongly believe that the use of drones is an unlawful act done by the government, and such disturbance is unjust on humans as well as all others. this also must stop.
I am horrified about all of this. It is unconstitutiinal at very least. If they were using these death and spying machines to save the whales or monitor radiation spills flowing into the ocean that would be one thing but its not, its something way more sinister. America is no longer the land of the free nor home of the brave. This must be stopped and quickly. What’s keeping them from weaponizing them?? Nothing! If you are a female especially who lives alone this is so creepy there’s no words to express how horrifying this all is! Who the F is watching? We will never know. I am so disgusted with what is happening to this country. Its unrecognizable to say the very least! God help those whom are worthy and for the rest, the devil is collecting his dues!
I AGREE.
They want to hide the location of the military surplus. to the enforcement people