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...

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 came...

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...

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!  

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....