You don't get the point.

I'm not saying that I should be using the device. I'm saying that I should be able to hold it, or move it within my car.

The only reason why it is illegal to hold it, is because lawmakers are too lazy to come up with a better way to outlaw the use without infringing on my liberties. If I can hold a bottle of water while driving, I can hold a phone while driving (again, I'm not saying that I should be able to *talk* on the phone).

Right now they're outlawing holding a phone because someone could potentially be able to use it. That means they are reversing the burden of evidence: I would have to prove I'm not using it, rather than a prosecutor proving that I was.

And you're definitely not looking smarter by saying "ICE-propelled kinetic weapon". It will only make you look like a smartass.

When I load up my SUV to the point where I can't see anything in the rear-view mirror, I purposely turnon my backup camera and use it as a means to look behind my car, while driving.

I dare, I double-dare all law enforcement to ticket me, and I'll drag your ass in front of the Supreme Court.

You miss one very important aspect of Criminal Law here: the presumption of innocence. You are arguing that a driver must proof their innocence by being prohibited to enjoy his property in a legal manner, such as using a Smartphone as a GPS navigation device. That is the world upside-down. Innocent until proven guilty of texting or talking on the phone, not guilty by default for just holding it.

I am a legal immigrant. After years of hard work I earned my permanent residency. And in a few years from now, I will apply for citizenship.

I think it's pretty fair to say that once I am naturalized, I will have earned it. I spend years in getting an education which allowed me to get hired by a US company. I worked hard to be moved to the US. I worked hard while the company applied for permanent residency. And I continue to work hard as an LPR.

Being pushed out by your mom in the right place does not make you earn anything. However, working hard to be part of the society that you came into (whether that was as a legal immigrant or by birth) does.

Bullshit. The visa bulletin lists three categories: family-based (you could marry a US citizen), employment based (which is your pet peeve) and then there is always the diversity lottery. And you can always apply for political asylum, if you meet the requirements.

More bullshit. The H1B visa is a non-immigrant visa. Your H1B is useless if your employer won't file an I-140 on your behalf.

Nice try, Dan, nice try.

(insider joke, I just left JNPR and my manager's name was Dan :-)

I beg to differ. A model aircraft is a toy version of a "real" aircraft. UAVs are in general not a toy, nor a model version of a real aircraft. They have no full-scale counterpart.

Furthermore, here is a quote from TFA:

In short, you haven't convinced me yet.

The only thing you need to thank Obama for is to address the FAA's inability to enforce the existing regulations.

UAVs are already regulated under existing rules. For example, the term aircraft is defined as follows:

A "drone" is a such a device. In theory, all aircraft (except toys, of course) are required to have an airworthiness certificate, as per FAR 91.203. And since the FAA requires a pilot's certificate for UA operation (see this), it is in practice impossible to legally fly a civilian drone for the simple reason that there is no certification category for such aircraft:

Summarizing: the regulations are there, they're just not enforced yet.

So I guess this meeting became their.. Uhm... Waterloo :-)

As someone currently training towards an IFR rating, thanks for that tip :-)

Well... They should not be piloting an aircraft anyway. I agree with you that relying on transponders is a bad idea, but the main point of my argument was to counter the thought that "detection equipment" would be too bulky or expensive. I was trying to point out that for a few hundred dollars and less than 12oz of weight, one can have a relatively reliable detection mechanism.

In the real world, I do realize that my PCAS has limits. It doesn't protect me against aircraft without a transponder, and I've seen those quite a lot in class E airspace.

I would not be surprised if that would happen indeed.

During take-off and landing they are usually strapped in their seats.

But seriously, they're their to save your ass, not to kiss it.

You are right. However, a lot of airspace requires, and a lot of airplanes have, transponders. With the roll-out of ADS-B, all aircraft will be visible in the future.

When I fly GA, I have a little device called a PCAS in my cockpit. It passively monitors the transponders from other aircraft and will alert me if someone is nearby. This is a very light weight piece of technology, about the size of my cellphone. Easy to use in a drone...

Ha, I already see myself browsing dildo's and kinky sex toys for a few nights. Imagine the look on your wife's face when she sees all the ads on your machine that are "related" to my browsing. Muhahahahahaha!