We've had Drone Court and Drone Journalism, now here's a story about the individuals who argue in favor of drone technology and the members of Congress who support them.
Here's a snippet describing a meeting among drone supporters worried about how the technology is perceived:
“As you can see,” [Lobbyist Ben] Gielow said dryly, “we have a challenge with the media.”
A pink drone - great idea. The Soft Kitty 2000.As the second day went on, the focus shifted to solutions. I overheard attendees muttering that maybe the safest thing to do for now was to market to farmers who wanted drones to survey their crops. “No one’s gonna say you’re spying on the corn,” one said darkly.
It was also agreed that the D-word had to go. “That term ‘drone’ kills us every time,” said Don Roby, a garrulous Baltimore County police captain leading a nationwide push to deploy drones for police work. Barton mentioned that, when doing business in England, he’d been urged to call drones “remote-sensing platforms.” Unfortunately, this euphemism proved to be overly euphemistic. One potential investor told Barton: “That remote-sensing platform—if it had wings, just imagine what it could do!”
Jerry Wright, a retired Air Force colonel, had another idea. When the police chief of Seattle sought approval to use drones, he brought in an ominous-looking black Draganflyer X6 to display during his presentation. City officials recoiled in horror. So, Wright said, the chief went back to the manufacturer. “They came back with the same platform painted pink and they were going to call it the Soft Kitty 2000.” To Wright, there was a clear lesson to be drawn here: “As an industry, we need more pink ones and less black ones.”
Here's a link to the Congressional Unmanned Systems Caucus. Local Reps Gene Green, Michael McCaul, and Pete Olson are members.
