by xbacksideslider » Wed Aug 26, 2015 11:39 am
It's the same old game, the established users of whatever common resource it is, immediately move to kill the baby in the crib.
Anytime someone yells "Safety" grab your wallet.
Very similar to the FAA declaring "no fly zones" over the rioting in Baltimore or Ferguson, in the name of safety but mainly they wanted to make sure that there was no independent uncensorable "bird's eye" TV station video.
The media too dislikes the competition, they don't like "citizen journalists." Even a single local station might have millions invested in helicopters and their support assets; multiply that single self interest against drones by the thousands of local TV stations around the nation, then unite them all by the big three networks. So . . . . the media is all too happy to parrot the press releases issued by the fire/police/state establishment, by the FAA, to suppress and regulate a new technology that may or may not actually compromise their powers and may or may not actually present a hazard.
The government always opposes independent accountability, they don't like in car dash videos, they don't like officer chest video cams, they don't want second guessing. They really don't care whether it will actually compromise their powers or not, their attitude is - "no second guessing" - just get rid of it before it gets too big.
Don't get me wrong, I used to be a law & order Republican; over time, however, I've become disgusted with how law enforcement brass have bowed to political correctness, embraced the monopolization of guns in their hands alone, and appear to create rules for the cop on the street that avoid real crime fighting; the whole system seems focused on the easy middle class pickings.
I want to support first responders but this drone regulation thing is another example of why I'm frustrated.
Notice, they do not couple their demand for a drone ban with an offer of installing "live feed, unedited, open to the net" video on those fire helicopters or planes. When they do that, then I'd grant them credibility and more respect.