My position on and Use of Camera Drones for Investigation and News Gathering

Phoenix, AZ—Today numerous news organizations have filed a legal brief in the matter of the FAA vs. Pirker.  Pirker was fined for making a video for the University of Virginia using a small camera drone.  A federal judge in Denver struck down the FAA’s ban and now the matter is under appeal.  There may be a risk to commercial drone use should the FAA win their appeal.

The news organizations are properly claiming a 1st Amendment right to use the drones for news gathering purposes.  

The FAA banned all commercial use of drones by civilians.  They did not however attempt to ban drones being used by hobbyists.   The FAA says they will issue regulations for the drones later this year.

The Drone Genie is long out of the bottle and now these are must have toys for every teen aged boy in America.  The drones are invisible on radar and the FAA can’t possibly begin to police every drone in America.

I will concede that the FAA owns the air space around every airport.  The same could be said for the airspace above 400 feet where conventional aircraft flies.  However everything else below 400 feet is mine along with other drone operators.

There are already strong laws in every state dealing with privacy invasion, harassment and endangerment.   Anyone breaking those existing laws will well-deserve a date before a criminal and possibly civil court judge for that kind of misconduct.  In case you were wondering you don’t have an expectation of privacy when you skinny-dip in your back yard pool if it can be seen by air.

I’m using my drone for newsgathering, investigations as well as for improving my drone piloting skills and for simple enjoyment of its hobby aspects. I will take my chances with the FAA especially when they are unreasonable, arbitrary or tyrannical.   My clients deserve clear video and still images at a fraction of the cost of hiring conventional aircraft photographers.

The FAA claims to be concerned with safety in the nation’s air space.  If that’s true they need to remember not a single life has been lost as a result of the use of a drone by civilians.  Conventional aircraft or large heavy drones may well need FAA attention not the lightweight plastic drones like mine. 

Here are three examples of my drone videos:

Police Story The Lost Episodes. The policewoman patrol experiment episode, Collision Course

Chicago, IL—In the very early 1970’s policewomen were encouraged to integrate with policemen on routine patrol.  Before then they only wore adorable little uniforms like airline stewardesses of the day.  Skirts, high heels and they kept their little guns in their uniform policewomen purses.  They were viewed as eye candy.

Policewomen searched female prisoners, changed diapers of arrestee’s babies and were assigned to the juvenile division.   Today there are very few policewomen anywhere.  The unisex term of police officer has replaced any reference to gender.

For patrol they were put in what today is the unisex uniform.  The women essentially changed into the policeman’s uniform.  There were some minor compromises for the tailor to accommodate the differences in the policewomen’s bodies.  Otherwise the uniform is identical.

In Chicago during this period there were 14,000 sworn officers and only about 90 of them were women.  The women were tested very rarely for that high paying job because they did not want or need women. 

Thousands of women would turn out for civil service policewomen testing for a mere handful of job openings.  Despite the different duties the women were trained for things they’d never do like traffic enforcement or routine patrol.  State law required all sworn officers receive the same training.

It was much more difficult for women to compete for policewoman positions then men seeking patrolman’s positions.  The women were smarter, better educated and in so many ways better qualified.  They could type reports much faster, knew how to spell, punctuate much better then the men.   Some drove the squad cars like Danica Patrick and for some reason women often performed better then men on the firing range.

The original efforts at integration were considered an experiment.   Many expected the women would fail miserably.  In the end we learned that there were worthless cops of both sexes and the same was true for the exceptional ones.  The experiment proved a success. 

Joe Wambagh the former LAPD cop turned author put one of the best cop TV series ever on primetime.  That was Police Story.  These episodes vanished from TV and DVDs of the episodes never saw the light of day but thankfully they are now available on the Internet.

Episode six, Collision Course was about the policewomen patrol experiment.  It stared Hugh O’Brien and Sue Ann Langdon along with some surprising big named actors.  This is one of my favorite episodes ever. 

This experiment was going on all over the nation and later the world. Watching it today it seems a little silly but back then this was really the way things were.

Sit back and watch a great episode of Police Story!

Dick Wolf, Chicago PD and Fantasy Television

Chicago, IL—Dick Wolf’s TV series about Chicago police is pure entertainment.  Other then the uniforms, vehicles and landmarks any resemblance to reality ends the second the first actor’s lips move.

Let’s begin with the pretty cops and well-pressed uniforms.  The casting directors found actors that look better then most cops.  None seem to have authentic Chicago accents.   The story lines are fairy tales from writers of the political Left persuasion that don’t have a clue about police work or social reality especially in Chicago.

Let’s move on with race.  Chicago PD is political correctness in overdrive.  I’ve yet to see a single African-American criminal!  African-Americans are represented on this show only as heroic and dedicated good guys.   

Nothing changes the reality that the Cook County Jail, and Criminal Court calls within the City of Chicago are 90% plus African American.   Chicago’s white community is much better behaved and by comparison, barely represented at all in the criminal justice system.   

It was laughable to see the latest episodes where they deal with a group of terrorist bombers.   The cops begin suspecting Muslims but the bad guys turn out to be white, anti-government/Obama racists.  Only Conservative whites are capable of evil in the minds of Wolf’s scriptwriters.

Chicago has had terror bombings going back the Haymarket Riot. The bombers were all Communists and pro labor Anarchists.  Then there were the 1960’s Weathermen like Barack Obama’s bomber pals, Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn.   After that, the Puerto Rican FLAN terrorists of the 1970s and finely those, Anti-NATO, Left Wing loonies and would be bombers that are on the way to the Big House as you read this. 

Let’s face Dick Wolf’s African-American’s are not capable of simple evil.  They don’t terrorize people in organized flash mobs or knock out games victimizing elderly white people for kicks.  They don’t hate, inflict cruelty or do anything wrong at all.

The Chicago PD TV series will never make an African-American a serial rapist or killer.  If the portray an African-American in trouble at all they can be counted upon to pour every kind of mitigating circumstance on him or her possible.  The African-American arrestee must be turned into a folk-hero like the Jean Valjean (Character) from Les Misérables.

You won’t see the police hiring or promotions reality where the least qualified are the people promoted strictly because of affirmative action and raw political influence  

The show is nothing more than a politically correct fantasy hour depicting a Liberal law enforcement paradise that does not exist.   The show is pure PR for the current Mayor whose brother is arguably the most powerful man in Hollywood.

Is Donald Sterling an Obvious Victim of Wiretapping and Extortion?

Los Angeles, CA—It seems more than obvious that 80 year-old billionaire, lawyer, real estate developer and L.A. Clippers owner, Donald Sterling was a victim of an extortionist.   That woman presumed to be his former girlfriend, Vanessa Stiviano illegally recorded his private conversation without his consent and then may have sold the recording to TMZ.com when Sterling did not meet her demands.

It’s appalling how in America the race-baiting thought police moved in against Sterling by publicly trashing and penalizing him with a $2.5 million fine.  They also permanently banned him from games; facilities and they are now trying to force him to sell his personal property, the L.A.  Clippers.

I’m not defending what Sterling may have said privately in a moment of frustration but I doubt it reflects Sterling’s real feelings.  He has never once hired, fired or discriminated against anyone on account of race!  He’s even given millions away to groups including the NAACP!  

Sterling has depended on African-American athletes as no small part of his investment in the Clippers.  That’s not the action of a racist.

The African-American members of the Clippers and their families should be standing guard around Sterling but many of these millionaire players have instead abandoned him. 

Have the race-baiters won?  Where is a Grand Jury investigation complete with subpoenas for TMZ, Stiviano and her friends?  Where are the criminal charges? 

Is our media so twisted that they can’t even try to be fair about the slaughtering of a man's reputation with an unlawfully obtained recording?

This story is far from over.  I can’t wait to see Sterling exercising his own legal remedies against those that have victimized him. 

The Arbitrary and Capricious FAA and its Tyranny Against Newsgathering Efforts. Check out this terrific video!

Mayflower, AK—April 27, 2014, tragedy struck the heartland in the form of springtime tornados.  It was not really safe to send up a helicopter and crew to survey the damage.  Emergency vehicles found roads impassable and were unable to locate victims needing assistance.

One drone video journalist sent up his camera high above the scene.  The stunning video he captured was a real public service.  First responders could see areas where help was needed.  The local residents lucky enough to have escaped the wrath of the storms could see if they still had homes and the extent of damage. 

During these emergencies looting becomes a concern and understandably police limit entry to these areas significantly.  Using the camera drones homeowners can see just how their precious homes survived or did not without waiting for police escorts that can take days. 

The FAA tried to take jurisdiction over these little drones that use the tiny HD GoPro cameras.  They decreed that any commercial use would bring their investigators and $10,000.00 fines would follow.  They went after one newsgathering operator and punitively fined him.  A federal judge in Denver recently struck the FAA’s overreaching regulation reversing the fine.  The FAA appealed and the matter is before the Appellate Court waiting for a resolution.

In any event the FAA will try to exercise some authority over these devices but we must expect and demand some sort of reasonableness.  They don’t have any of the manpower needed to regulate millions of these toys that are being built by hobbyists or sold by hobby shops.  The devices themselves because of their small size are invisible to radar.  

Most importantly when the little drones have mishaps nobody is injured nor is there any property damage to show when that happens. 

When there are earthquakes, wildfires, floods and such the only way to survey the damage or discover people needing rescue is from the air.  There are not enough helicopters and flying during threatening weather like the Mayflower is safe as the video shown below demonstrates.  The camera drones can provide a huge public service. 

Has Political Correctness has Finally Killed America? The Donald Sterling Holocaust

Los Angeles, CA—80 year-old billionaire, lawyer, real estate developer and L.A. Clippers owner, Donald Sterling was really just victimized by felonious unlawful electronic eavesdropping of a private conversation.  He made a bigoted sounding statement on that recording. 

Sterling himself is no stranger to bigotry.  Being Jewish has exposed this man to various forms of discrimination his entire life.   Jews are still considered the most despised group of people that ever walked the face of this earth.  Anti-Semitism is indeed ugly and no less offensive that any other forms of intolerance.

Ironically Sterling’s ownership of the Clippers makes him highly dependent on African-American basketball player’s personal excellence in order to realize a profit from his substantial investment in the team.  Such an investment is a sure sign that despite something said privately in a moment of frustration shows that Sterling actually embraces and values all the African-American players in his team.

Sterling’s offhand and illegally recorded remarks made to this married, old geezer’s much younger former girlfriend, Vanessa Stiviano were and are offensive. 

Sterling remarked to Stiviano that he did not want her to bring blacks to the games.  Was Sterling referring to some specific blacks or every African-American?  Nobody seems to care; they just want to see Sterling treated like a War Criminal.

Most of us have said regrettable things at one time or another especially in private.  Did we really mean the things we said?  Thankfully we don’t always believe everything we say when we’re annoyed.  Too many of us don’t always choose our words as carefully as we should in public let alone in private.

The revelation of the audio recording of Sterling exploded within the media and African-American dominated sports world.  Many multi-millionaire African-American sports figures reacted like a bunch of whinny crybabies or sissies.  The media wildly fanned the flames with today’s divisive propaganda machine.

The same can be said of the professional Race-Baiters like Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson that live for TV news face-time condemning any and everything they can.  We seem to forget that that is exactly how they make their living.

We somehow lost sight of simple common sense and allowed this non-event to reach epic proportions of insanity.  So far, Sterling has been banned from the NBA for life and fined $2.5 million.  Some still want to see this fellow forced to sell his team.

Adding more injury to this insult is that the gutless wonders at UCLA refused a $3 million donation from Sterling for much needed kidney research.  How many lives will that cost in the name of political correctness? Somehow I smell Janet Napolitano's involvement here.

In the end this event has done nothing to improve race relations but it has only made things worse.  Whatever happened to simple forgiveness?   I guess that old saying,  “Sticks and stones” has lost all relevance. This is a sad time for a dying nation. 

Fun With The Quadcopter and GoPro Hero 3+ video Camera in Phoenix, AZ

Taking aerial video with my quadcopter Drone just because I can!  Enjoy these three videos and the music! 

Government Buildings, Security and We The People

Los Angeles, CA—The L.A. City Council is considering massive security changes at all LAPD facilities.

This follows an April 7, 2014 shooting inside the lobby of LAPD's West Traffic Division.  Daniel Yealu, 29, who was rejected as a police recruit entered the station with a handgun opening fire on two officers assigned to desk duty.  The officers returned fire, striking Yealu critically injuring him. 

One officer was shot seven times but survived and was quickly discharged from the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.

Now it’s a sure thing what changes will be made.  Expensive redesign and reconstruction of police facilities further separating citizens from government are the only things politicians will consider.

Of course those seeking to harm cops do so on our streets every day.  Unfortunately those attacks will continue as long as the human race exists. 

The L.A. City Council members are themselves a bunch of candy asses.  They set up a frisk, demean and humiliate system for we the people doing simple business with the city.   Apparently these pathetic politicians feel that they are at risk and deserve more than the armed police officers that were already in place protecting them. 

These very same politicians demand that convenience store clerks, taxi drivers and pizza delivery people stay unarmed and helpless.

Our Constitution does not and cannot provide absolute safety for anybody.  Despite every possible precaution there are deadly weapons and murders in every maximum-security prison in the world.  Life has risks that we all must accept. 

Politicians, appointed bureaucrats and government agents deserve no more security than anyone else.  Of course they don’t see it that way.

I guess our politicians think they deserve the royal treatment.  It’s only a matter of time before we have food tasters to screen whatever these pompous jerks eat for poison.

This frisk, demean and humiliate system began in the 1970’s in response to a few violent incidents in the 1960’s.  Many of the ringleaders behind those violent and deadly acts are today revered icons of America’s political Left Wing like Angelia Davis and Bill Ayers. 

We survived a Civil War, World War I and World War II without suspending the Fourth Amendment to our Bill of Rights.  Nothing has changed except non-stop, escalating government tyranny and extortionate taxation.

We cannot apply for Social Security benefits, a passport, serve on jury duty or contest a parking ticket without the frisk, demean and humiliate treatment from government tyrants. 

Why do our politicians deserve more protection than convenience store clerks?  Today politicians envision themselves as Hollywood A-List members needing bodyguards, an entourage complete with paparazzi photographers. 

The adoring major media players and star-struck reporters sensationalize our politician’s political profiles as personal PR agents rather than providing legitimate news.  

We’ve become a very sorry state of, Us and Them.  Our politicians have removed themselves from we the people.  This was the beginning of the fall of the United States of America and the Freedom and Liberty that this nation used to represent.  

We’ve become a surveillance society and police state that George Orwell so accurately predicted.   I see no hope for our children. 

Our politicians are completely saturated with a culture of corruption and entitlement. It's our fault since they have the absolute power we gave them. 

Our politicians will never scale back their massive control voluntarily.  A violent revolution to return the United States back to its Constitution and Bill of Rights is the only solution. 

Either productive Americans can violently fight for freedom or pack their refugee bags and head to liberty somewhere else.