Hello, all. Rayray posted an article yesterday that EVERYONE needs to read and be aware of. His post, titled "Current State Drone Regulations...," is important reading for each of us.
In a nutshell, the States of Montana and Oklahoma - both of them low-populated, large "Big Sky Country" States - are poised to enact State legislation that all but abolish drone piloting in their airspaces, or else seriously curtails those rights afforded us by the FAA just last year. Personally, I believe it is way beyond time that each of us takes this ongoing assault against our rights seriously and to heart. We cannot just wait for others to fight our fight for us or leave it strictly in the hands of commercial-drone interests and their related lobbyist groups, as the average drone pilot that is out there quietly doing his or her own thing is NOT represented by them and therefore our voices are poorly considered and represented in this matter.
To that end, I have drafted a letter that all drone pilots can use as a template to personally address this important matter. This is a draft letter only. I am posting it here below (couldn't upload it as a file for some unknown reason) for you to read, to consider, to use, or to make comments on for any changes or editing that may be suggested. Let us remember that the giraffe is an animal created by a committee, so let's keep this process manageable if it goes further the way I hope it does.
It's time, ladies and gentleman, to stand up and be counted. This letter can and should be sent to every print publication, website, social media outlet, and politician you can think of. Now, today, not waiting until it is too late. If we fail to unite and mobilize on a grassroots level against the trend to ban drones in this Nation, then we only deserve what we ultimately will get. Do not let that happen! Stand up, speak out, be heard, and be counted. THAT is what will make the difference.
Here is my letter. It can easily be personalized to meet your individual needs and circumstance, i.e., whether drone flying is your avocation or the way in which you earn your living. Remember what John Lennon sang out years ago, "Power To The People, Right On!!"
March 12, 2017
Dear XXXXXXXXX,
I am an average citizen whose voice must be heard concerning drones and their place in our State. I strongly and vocally oppose any measures to further curtail my rights to fly a drone safely where I live and travel, and am addressing that issue here.
I AM a drone pilot who observes all current FAA regulations every time I fly. As such, I am a safe, responsible pilot whose “Pursuit of Life, Liberty and Happiness” includes having ongoing access and the ability to continue to enjoy this avocation/vocation (CHOOSE ONE!) of mine. The freedom which the skies naturally offer me as part of my allodial rights, granted to me at birth, must not be interfered with or disposed of by mere laws written by the hand of man. This natural right was guaranteed to me by a much Higher Power than that.
Drones and drone pilots have become the targets of one of this Nation’s latest witch-burning trends, something that mindlessly occurs in politics when only certain voices are listened to and the concerns of others are summarily dismissed, and when the facts are only partially revealed and the feelings of the people affected take a backseat to even more proposed regulations designed to satisfy a select few, a very un-American political thing to do.
I represent many others who feel the same way - and just as strongly - about this issue as I do. We are currently mobilizing locally and nationally to further our voices and ensure that our will shall be felt in the hallways of our governments, locally, regionally and nationally. In short, WE are the seeds of a grassroots movement ready to become the NRA of drone pilots who share common beliefs and will work hard to present and further our agenda to our government leaders and public entities. We are NOT going to just go away.
The skies above are vast enough to accommodate everyone and their interests, including those held by drone pilots themselves. The current FAA regulations have adequately addressed ALL public concerns that have been expressed related to drone flying; therefore, an additional and cumbersome patchwork quilt of lesser laws haphazardly stitched together across the country is wholly unnecessary, contradictory, unwise, and stifling to the ongoing advancements of “We, The People,” technologically, personally, socially, and even spiritually, too. Do NOT take us down this dead-end road. It did not work with guns, equal rights, or civil liberties, and it will not work here, either.
Moreover, please understand that for every letter you receive from us about this issue, 10 more pilots echo our sentiments and are simply waiting right now in silence. More than 1,000,000 new drones were sold in the United States just this past holiday season alone. The numbers of us are just now being amassed by us as we organize against new drone regulations, but in the end those numbers – and the numbers of our supporters – shall be staggering and impossible to either ignore or squelch. We’re near, we have no fear, and we’re here, here to stay. Therefore, you must deal with us.
Please feel free to contact me personally about this matter. I can be reached at (123) 456-7890. I urge you to take this letter and its message seriously. As a group, we will pursue every opportunity to openly and legally oppose future drone regulations through every act of civil disobedience available to us, as well as doing whatever it takes for us to be heard and listened to. Thank you for your time and attention on this matter that is of great personal importance to me and WILL influence the switches I flip during the next election season. That is a sincere and unequivocal promise.
Sincerely,
Joe/Jane Drone Pilot
12345 Main Street
Hometown, ST 00000
That's it. There it is. Please let me know what you think. Thanks for reading this post.
In a nutshell, the States of Montana and Oklahoma - both of them low-populated, large "Big Sky Country" States - are poised to enact State legislation that all but abolish drone piloting in their airspaces, or else seriously curtails those rights afforded us by the FAA just last year. Personally, I believe it is way beyond time that each of us takes this ongoing assault against our rights seriously and to heart. We cannot just wait for others to fight our fight for us or leave it strictly in the hands of commercial-drone interests and their related lobbyist groups, as the average drone pilot that is out there quietly doing his or her own thing is NOT represented by them and therefore our voices are poorly considered and represented in this matter.
To that end, I have drafted a letter that all drone pilots can use as a template to personally address this important matter. This is a draft letter only. I am posting it here below (couldn't upload it as a file for some unknown reason) for you to read, to consider, to use, or to make comments on for any changes or editing that may be suggested. Let us remember that the giraffe is an animal created by a committee, so let's keep this process manageable if it goes further the way I hope it does.
It's time, ladies and gentleman, to stand up and be counted. This letter can and should be sent to every print publication, website, social media outlet, and politician you can think of. Now, today, not waiting until it is too late. If we fail to unite and mobilize on a grassroots level against the trend to ban drones in this Nation, then we only deserve what we ultimately will get. Do not let that happen! Stand up, speak out, be heard, and be counted. THAT is what will make the difference.
Here is my letter. It can easily be personalized to meet your individual needs and circumstance, i.e., whether drone flying is your avocation or the way in which you earn your living. Remember what John Lennon sang out years ago, "Power To The People, Right On!!"
March 12, 2017
Dear XXXXXXXXX,
I am an average citizen whose voice must be heard concerning drones and their place in our State. I strongly and vocally oppose any measures to further curtail my rights to fly a drone safely where I live and travel, and am addressing that issue here.
I AM a drone pilot who observes all current FAA regulations every time I fly. As such, I am a safe, responsible pilot whose “Pursuit of Life, Liberty and Happiness” includes having ongoing access and the ability to continue to enjoy this avocation/vocation (CHOOSE ONE!) of mine. The freedom which the skies naturally offer me as part of my allodial rights, granted to me at birth, must not be interfered with or disposed of by mere laws written by the hand of man. This natural right was guaranteed to me by a much Higher Power than that.
Drones and drone pilots have become the targets of one of this Nation’s latest witch-burning trends, something that mindlessly occurs in politics when only certain voices are listened to and the concerns of others are summarily dismissed, and when the facts are only partially revealed and the feelings of the people affected take a backseat to even more proposed regulations designed to satisfy a select few, a very un-American political thing to do.
I represent many others who feel the same way - and just as strongly - about this issue as I do. We are currently mobilizing locally and nationally to further our voices and ensure that our will shall be felt in the hallways of our governments, locally, regionally and nationally. In short, WE are the seeds of a grassroots movement ready to become the NRA of drone pilots who share common beliefs and will work hard to present and further our agenda to our government leaders and public entities. We are NOT going to just go away.
The skies above are vast enough to accommodate everyone and their interests, including those held by drone pilots themselves. The current FAA regulations have adequately addressed ALL public concerns that have been expressed related to drone flying; therefore, an additional and cumbersome patchwork quilt of lesser laws haphazardly stitched together across the country is wholly unnecessary, contradictory, unwise, and stifling to the ongoing advancements of “We, The People,” technologically, personally, socially, and even spiritually, too. Do NOT take us down this dead-end road. It did not work with guns, equal rights, or civil liberties, and it will not work here, either.
Moreover, please understand that for every letter you receive from us about this issue, 10 more pilots echo our sentiments and are simply waiting right now in silence. More than 1,000,000 new drones were sold in the United States just this past holiday season alone. The numbers of us are just now being amassed by us as we organize against new drone regulations, but in the end those numbers – and the numbers of our supporters – shall be staggering and impossible to either ignore or squelch. We’re near, we have no fear, and we’re here, here to stay. Therefore, you must deal with us.
Please feel free to contact me personally about this matter. I can be reached at (123) 456-7890. I urge you to take this letter and its message seriously. As a group, we will pursue every opportunity to openly and legally oppose future drone regulations through every act of civil disobedience available to us, as well as doing whatever it takes for us to be heard and listened to. Thank you for your time and attention on this matter that is of great personal importance to me and WILL influence the switches I flip during the next election season. That is a sincere and unequivocal promise.
Sincerely,
Joe/Jane Drone Pilot
12345 Main Street
Hometown, ST 00000
That's it. There it is. Please let me know what you think. Thanks for reading this post.
