‘Back Country Voices’
Citizens Concerned About Drones
Panel Discussion: Monday Nov. 11th, 6:00-8:00 p.m. Julian Library
Town Hall Meeting: Wednesday Dec. 4th, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the Julian Town Hall/Community Center.
Concerned residents of San Diego County have joined together to form a citizens action group, ‘Back Country Voices.’ They have scheduled 2 public outreach and education meetings to address drone testing in the back country.
A five-year battle to provide long-term direction and funding for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) came to an end when President Barack Obama signed H.R. 658, the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 into law. The bill provides $63.4 billion to fund the agency including approximately $11 billion towards the FAA’s proposed Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) air traffic control system.
American Civil Liberties Union office claimed the plan allows extensive intelligence gathering and is warning that while drones could have many benefits like search-and-rescue work and tracking dangerous criminals, the lack of privacy mandates will inevitably invite “pervasive surveillance” of the public.
With the anticipated increased commercial usage of drones, many fear our country is becoming ever-closer to a surveillance society. F.B.I. Director, Robert Mueller admitted remotely operated aerial drones have been used in the United States for surveillance and says the government needs to develop guidelines as the use of drones increase.
FBI Admits Using Drones in the U.S.
When asked about policies and limits, Mueller said “We are in the initial stages of doing that.” “It’s a work in progress.”
The FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 will grant long-term authorization of the U.S. air transportation systems, the largest in the world. The United States is both the largest producer and the most frequent user of drones. The act not only impacts a wide variety of aviation programs, it also raises considerable safety, privacy and environmental concerns.
Residents of San Diego were given very little information and notice about this proposal. There were no public forums, no opportunities for public input, nor any venue to voice concerns regarding what’s at stake for testing drones in our county.
In response to questions and concerns about domestic drones, ‘BCV’ has invited members of the FAA, ACLU, the Cal UAS Portal team, Bill of Rights Defense Committee, law enforcement, San Diego Veterans for Peace, State and local officials,Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen),environmentalist, firefighters, and other concerned citizens.
We love the back country of San Diego, that’s why we live here!
Sure, we might make some sacrifices that city living has to offer; you won’t find a movie theater or shopping mall in Julian. But with its cool, quiet nights, our country living and it’s absolutely beautiful landscapes , we know our neighbors and can count on our community. What more could you ask for?
We love the back country of San Diego, that’s why we live here!
Sure, we might make some sacrifices that city living has to offer; there are few employment opportunities here, higher gas prices, food, heat, etc., but we choose to live here for some very fundamental reasons; smaller school sizes, very low crime, it’s absolutely beautiful, we know our neighbors and can count on our community. What more could you ask for?
Should we exchange the treasures of our Constitutional Rights, safety, privacy, and potential environmental hazards for a testing ground for drones?
While drones have proven beneficial for scientific purposes, Americans need to weigh these benefits against the very real threat drones bring to the rights granted us by the Constitution. If we allow the government to strip us of our rights how much farther will they go?
Informed citizens are truly the strength of a democracy.
Please join us and share your voice!
Email: backcountryvoices@gmail.com
Back Country Voices Website
https://backcountryvoices.wordpress.com/category/back-country-voices-citizens-action-group/
Back Country Voices’ Facebook group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/170624526472012/
You can also follow us on Twitter
https://twitter.com/BackCntryVoices
Back Country Voices partners:
Bill of Rights Defense Committee (BORDC)
ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties
US Constitution–Bill of Rights–The First Ten Amendment Center
Constitution Community of the United States
Related articles:
- States Vie for Test Sites As FAA Prepares U.S. Airspace For Thousands of Drones (backcountryvoices.wordpress.com)
- FAA Reauthorization and Modernization (backcountryvoices.wordpress.com)
- NextGen technology has seen numerous setbacks (jsonline.com)
- ‘Back Country Voices’ Citizens Concerned About Drones (backcountryvoices.wordpress.com)
- Back Country Drones (backcountryvoices.wordpress.com)
- Back Country Citizens Concerned About Drones (backcountryvoices.wordpress.com)
- Do You Want San Diego County to Become a National Drone Test Site? (backcountryvoices.wordpress.com)
- SD seeks controversial ‘drone zone’ – The San Diego Union-Tribune
- FAA predicts 10,000 drones in U.S. in 5 years
- Drones cause worry in East County – Fox 5 San Diego
- Drones | San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation
- UAV | San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation
-
Proposed drone test site worries backcountry – The San Diego Union …
- San Diego loses bid for drone test site – The San Diego Union-Tribune
- The 10 Most Beautiful Towns In California
- Small Town Is Worth the Commute : Julian:
- Best Places to Live in Julian, California
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