Obama, Bush and Troubled German/American Relations

Chicago, IL—I have a lot of friends that consider themselves political moderates or even Liberal.  When they saw the wide smile of America’s first Black presidential candidate they somehow fell in love.

After suffering eight years with a horrible president, George Bush many of my friends gambled on this unknown African-American, Barack Obama who they figured could never be worse than Bush.  They all simply wanted change particularly with respect to Bush’s ill-advised wars. 

Bush wore the Republican label and his detractors called him a Right Wing Conservative.  Bush was mislabeled as a Conservative when he was nothing of the kind.  His rhetoric seemed Conservative but that was always just talk.  His actions were Liberal and Leftist.  He was also not very smart.

Bush got us needlessly into two wars that really served no purpose for America.  Attacking Iraq was really dumb.  

Had Bush stayed clear, Iraq and Iran would have made war on each other by now reducing the threat of Islamic thugs from both nations.  They may have killed millions on both sides.  Instead we made both enemy nations stronger than ever.

Too many of our youngsters came home in rubber bags as a result of Bush’s adventures.  Nobody in their right minds wanted us to continue in the Middle East deadly mess. 

Americans were tired of war and wanted to end them and Obama seemed to show signs of ending the conflicts. 

Nearly six years later hindsight tells us Obama made even more war than even George Bush!  The Liberal Bush hating media however refused to expose Obama’s missteps no matter how outrageous. 

Before his election as president I knew a lot about Obama because of my extensive inside knowledge of Chicago and its massive political corruption.  The history of the former lawyers Barack and Michelle Obama was incredibly ugly. 

The circle of Obama’s friends well were known by me as criminals, Communists and hate filled Blacks like their friends Valerie Jarrett and Eric Holder.  The Obamas were both very much tied to the politically connected Communist faction in their Hyde Park neighborhood.

Obama was set to recreate America into a new Communist political model.  His entire political effort was High Treason against the American people and the Constitution he swore to protect and defend. 

Three men that exposed massive lies and revealed interesting things about political corruption and technology enabled extensive spying on ordinary Americans and our Allies like Germany.

Julian Assanage, Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden.  They all risked their very lives to reveal the unthinkable.  We must be aware that none of these men made a single dime selling their information to enemy nations!  They all did this simply because it was the right thing to do! 

The media turned these heroes into traitors when in fact they were trying to warn us all of unbridled, unprecedented and unparalleled government tyranny. 

When a few government officials have the power of complete intelligence of the private lives of members of every branch of government they are empowered to blackmail anyone they wish. 

There can be no question that Obama and his minions were able to blackmail and compromise Conservative Supreme Court Justice John Roberts.  That gave them the one needed vote to save their otherwise doomed Socialist Obamacare American disaster.

The German people understood well what a horrible president Bush was and gambled on Obama as a new America Messiah.  They opened their arms and hearts to this stranger they once trusted.

Incredibly, Obama was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize without a single accomplishment other than getting elected president!  Wow, he must be wonderful everyone thought! 

Chancellor Angela Merkel learned about Assanage, Manning and Snowden’s troubling revelations.  She blindly assumed that Manning and Snowden were traitors that compromised the security of the free world.  Ms. Merkel would later learn she was misled by the American government.

Edward Snowden desperately needed asylum and was turned down by Germany.  Instead he could only find refuge with our former enemy Russia. 

However Merkel soon learned that her personal cell-phone was hacked by the NSA-FBI’s  “Stingray” computer snooping program!

Now Germany has expelled to Americans for spying on them!  This has damaged a sacred trust between to nations that needed each other.  Obama has managed to divide and conquer two strong allies! 

Edward Snowden’s period of asylum in Russia is set to expire.  Snowden deserves solid protection from Germany.  He did not get it before because Merkel and her government thought that it would damage German/American relations.  She should rethink that decision and open Germany’s arms to Snowden. 

Frankly, Germany is the best place for Snowden at least until a new American President can pardon Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden. 

As an American I’m deeply ashamed of the Obama Administration and my citizenship as a result.  I may be seeking asylum myself in Germany if there the continuation of Obama’s criminal conduct.

Every German certainly did not support Adolf Hitler, accordingly this American does not support Barack Obama!

I hope my Liberal and German friends understand exactly why I detest and denounce Obama.  

The FAA Wants to Stop All of Those Pesky Civilian Drones!

The FAA is trying to regulate little camera drones like mine out of existence.  They have already been shot down for their over-reaching by a federal judge and the FAA has since appealed to a higher court.

Now the FAA is back at it, making a new rule and it’s really no better than what was struck down in court. They apparently want to prohibit professional photographers and journalists from capturing aerial images. 

The law requires government rules to be subjected to public a comment period that will run out later this month.  The rules carry heavy civil penalties but are not laws per say.   They are of course always subject to court challenge.

 My published Comment:   

 “The FAA wants jurisdiction over a rock thrown into the sky. Criminals can use all sorts of implements to endanger our aircraft and public safety. This is a local police responsibility already. Speaking as a small, multi-rotor and unmanned Phantom 2 camera drone operator the FAA should devote all their attention to conventional aviation.

The safety issues of the multi-rotor craft are less than insignificant than either general or commercial aviation! Despite thousands of these devices there has never been a fatality or even a remarkable injury! Property damage is nearly nonexistent! The FAA can argue that the sky will fall because that is always a remote possibility.

If there is going to be regulation over these devices it really needs to be in relation to their size, weight and altitude. Anything under 55 pounds should be left outside of the FAA's jurisdiction. I don't want to be redundant but this already is covered by local endangerment, assault laws and the police.

I cannot imagine the new astronomical budget of the FAA needed so that they can police every 12-year-old boy with a model aircraft! There must be a point in time where we have to stop the government monster from swallowing us all.

I speak only for the photographers that want to earn a few dollars taking needed and breathtaking images without subjecting the population to the risk of actual helicopters not to mention the cost. Professional photography and newsgathering is necessary in our world and that should not be prohibited.

Must our government always kill more private industry jobs and negatively impact our economy?”

As for me, the FAA will have to take my little drone, FROM MY DEAD COLD HANDS! 

You too can comment right here:

http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=FAA-2014-0396-0001

New Turf War Escalating, Camera Drone Pilots vs. Traditional Helicopter Pilots!

Los Angeles, CA—Technology has brought us unmanned, remote controlled aircraft.  These things have been around for decades. Expectedly they have been engineered for surveillance and combat by military contractors.

More recently GPS advances and really great and diminutive cameras such as the GoPro has brought us an affordable civilian drone that has been thrilling photographers such as me.

The vast majority of the civilian camera drones are weighing in at between one and three pounds and can be safely operated from as much as a mile away.  They can capture stunning images at much lower altitudes than helicopters without the risk of death and destruction. 

There are larger and more sophisticated drones that handle the bigger cameras used by the film industry and require very solid piloting skills.  

One thing for sure civilian drone operators don’t want their devices endangered or the subject of adverse police scrutiny. 

I have two camera drones my least expensive is worth $1,000.00 and my better one cost me $2000.00.  Needless to say I’d be very unhappy if it were destroyed or confiscated by authorities. 

The Turf War has begun!

Police and TV news helicopter pilot’s careers are suddenly in serious jeopardy because of the drone technology.  They are antagonistic and understandably hostile to this drone technology. 

Every year in America several helicopters crash, lives are lost along with millions in property damage.  The reason is most often pilot error.   The civilian multi-rotor camera drones have never been involved in a single death or remarkable injury.  

The civilian drones can operate in much tighter spaces making them more versatile in search and rescue operations at least in regards to finding people, pets and property.  Of course the little drones cannot evacuate people for medical trauma or from precarious mountainsides. 

The civilian drones cannot cope with police car chases like helicopters but can provide excellent images of crime, accident, fire and other disaster scenes for TV news. 

The L.A. Department of Water and Power is demanding two new helicopters to inspect their assets, equipment and property.  Let me be the first one to say that they can now get by with only one!  They simply need a qualified camera drone operator that would cost a tiny percentage of the price of a second helicopter.  It may be possible to jettison the second helicopter with a small fleet of drones! 

TV news operations can save millions and avoid the risk of deadly crashes altogether! 

The drones will have causalities for sure.  They are the helicopter crews and the maintenance support staff will be looking for work.

As for the future of manned helicopters that is in doubt two because technology may create the accident proof drone helicopter.  This may not be far away.

One last thing, today’s big drone story in New York is the arrest of to camera drone pilots for criminal endangerment.   

I call bullshit on the helicopter cop’s claims that the drones were aggressively chasing them.  I guess the cops overlooked that the two drones have the ultimate back boxes onboard!  They have the SD Ram cards with a full visual record of the flights involved. 

The police should have their own unedited video and examination of the three combined videos should reveal the unvarnished truth. 

In any event I hope that civilian drone photographers are not subjected to violation of their civil rights under color of law in order to score points in a turf war. 

The biggest motivating factor for safe and law abiding operation of the new civilian camera drones is the value of the devices and cameras.  Existing law covers any issues of dangerous or criminal mischief. 

Civilian drones have their new place in the sky cut out for them.  The benefits far outweigh any potential liabilities. 

The issue of licensing for drone pilots is under review and discussion and my sources are telling me that drones weighing more than 55 pounds will be targeted for regulation.  The multi-rotor pilots like me with small devices will be free from special attention from the FAA.

State and local legislative bodies will be looking to create all manner of bans and new laws.  Let’s hope they all think about the safety and benefits before they act. 

I expect to see thousands of new jobs for small drone photographers in news, movie making, farming, real estate, insurance adjusting and many other industries.

The Quadcopter and More Video!

I was up in the SF Bay Area attending the IRE, Investigative Reporters and Editors Conference last week.  I also had a teriffic lunch in Hollywood yesterday. I could not resist sending my quadcopter up for some stunning video.  Take a look and enjoy! 

The New Politics of Civilian Drone Regulation

Los Angeles, CA—As a long time photographer, licensed private investigator and television journalist I have to weigh in on drone regulation.

For me it all began for me as a Chicago cop long ago.  I’m also a Viet Nam Era veteran.

First of all there are no recorded deaths from the consumer drones that photographers are using.  Injuries and property damage has so far been so insignificant as to be totally off the radar.

Our drone cameras are no different that your cell phone cameras.  You have to get really close for a recognizable face shot.  The cameras drone operators are using are not suited for such portrait photography.   Privacy concerns are way over-rated and are only a figment of paranoid imaginations.

Our drones are electric and are not capable of making noise disturbances. 

Yes, drones can be misused just like rocks, scissors and paper.  You can make a weapon out of anything and cause damage or harm.  Our simple drones are not weapons. Using a drone to commit or facilitate a crime is and will always be a crime. 

All of the needed laws are already in place and have been for a very long time. 

We only have privacy rights in places where there is a reasonable expiation of privacy.  Despite the NSA inside our homes and businesses we are protected from spying by law.   Stalking, harassment and disturbing the peace laws already apply to everyone including drone operators.

Assault, manslaughter, and endangerment laws are on the books everywhere.  Reckless behavior with a drone or in any other way is already a crime.   Flying a drone in the near vicinity of manned aircraft would be a crime under state and local laws everywhere.

Suddenly  I see drone operators fearing bans suggesting compromising our legal ability to fly our drones such as where people exist.  There is just no basis or justification for that kind of restriction based on the fact that there are no deaths or injuries happening.

These drones were considered toys until they were married with the tiny cameras such as the GoPro.    Suddenly drones became the subject of over-imaginative conversation and news stories.   People are going overboard and believe that we now somehow need new bans and laws.

Drone operators need to vigorously fight for what few rights we have left in America. 

The new drone journalists should be allowed to cover news like they are with pencils, typewriters, computers, and conventional cameras.  Camera drones are legitimate news gathering devices and should be fully protected under the First Amendment.

We must never forget that conventional aircraft and helicopters used by news kill people every year somewhere.  Drones are so much safer for newsgathering not to mention only a tiny fraction of the cost. 

The FAA needs to focus on their current aviation duties.  They want to expand their bloated bureaucracy to cover every 12 year-old boy with a remote controlled aircraft.  That’s just plain nuts! 

Here is a little video I created with a Phantom 2 drone with a GoPro 3+ camera at Carmel-By-The Sea.