helicopters buzzing my house

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today the damn helicopters spent an hour hovering over my land, up one side then down the other. then they went up valley and did the same to my neighbors, then back to me. i know they are looking for pot, it's harvest time. i hope they got good shots of me in the front yard buck naked blowing kisses out my ass for the cowardly sonsabitches. sorry for my language but this has me mad. longhairs up in the woods means evil maryjane i guess. you think their re$ources would be better spent catching real criminals. i don't grow the damn weed anyway, don't want to forfeit my land. so called "war on drugs" is a flimsy excuse for a police state. how can one of God's herbs be "illegal"? to hell with the bluenose busybodies and the thugs in the whitehouse. vote no for everything.

-- Juno redleaf (gofish@presys.com), October 14, 2000

Answers

The helio"s, ahhh ? A fact of life around here ! Police State, you bet ! I grew up with M/J --I just never liked it.(That's right, I smoked it, liked everything but the price, but I'm running away from being president ). Point a weapon at them and they will run---they are unarmed.

-- Secretary of War (Joel681@webtv.net), October 14, 2000.

this happens every few years around here in rural areas and then a few weeks later you get an offer to buy the photos they took of your property. it can be really unnerving when they are "shooting". lauren

-- (ltlctl@yahoo.com), October 14, 2000.

That happened here this summer. I thought a convict was on the loose. Helicopter came up the field straight for the house, real low, and then did a loop te loop and went right back down. Was all over this area that day. They kept going round and round. So close I could see the dudes in there. Well I found out they were checking power lines!!! Scared my animals bad. They were all running scared, they didn't know what it was. And all day I am thinking someone is lurking right at the edge of the woods, not a good feeling looking over your shoulder all day!

-- Cindy in Ky (solidrockranch@msn.com), October 14, 2000.

Welcome to Amerika, where the government is your mother! I am tired of the fly overs and this War on Drugs thing has cost more loss of privacy and destruction of rights than one can begin to enumerate.

The main reason they prosecute and chase marijuana so hard is that they can't get in on the money as it literally grows like a weed.

Check your perimeters very well next spring, if they judge you to be intractable the police have been known to literally plant evidence and seize property based on that.

-- Doreen (animalwaitress@yahoo.com), October 14, 2000.


when I was a kid,, there was a plane that fly over twice a week,, real low,, and in need of a tune-up, my father finally got sick of it, and filled up some garbage bags full with natural gas and oxygen, (from the cut off torches), made a wick out of T/P,, and let them fly,, took 2 bags,, and the plane never came back

-- STAN (sopal@net-port.com), October 14, 2000.


We had a major pot bust here last year. Just a mile from my place. Millions of dollars of pot were being grown in the mountains in a National Forest. The DEA, FBI, local swat teams, the news guys etc., all descended on our sleepy little area with lots of helicopters flying for 48 straight hours. It made the international news. They even took over a home for a base. They caught the grunt workers, Mexican nationals, but never the big boys. Everyone know it was some local farm boys who decided that Daddy's way of earning money wasn't good or fast enough for them. These guys had terraced farming with drip irrigation! It had been there for at least a few years. A hiker stumbled onto it.

I'm glad they found it. It was really 5 -8 different areas. (The real numbers were never published.) I've seen the damage that pot can do to the young mind. I've tried to teach those kids, I've been to their homes and found them sitting on the couch smoking pot with Dad, also a loser. No, pot is not a substance that I think should be legal. I know where one of those jerks who raised that stuff lives, a very expensive multi-million dollar home. And his customers live in filth and falling down houses. Yes, I've been to those houses. The people on the other side of the mountain knew where to come to find the very best pot. It was a well know secret. Only secret from the police. If I had ever had evidence that I could have taken to the police, I would have. Deal with these kids and their families for awhile, and you will change your opinion. I cannot stand to see the waste of a good mind. If you cannot guess, I feel very strongly about this. And I do not want to hear alot of garbage about how it isn't addicting and doesn't effect your mind. It does to. It leads to sloth and I've only found a few who could give it up because of the indolence it encourages.

-- Cheryl Cox (bramblecottage@hotmail.com), October 14, 2000.


We have had helicopters do flyovers around here, and not infrequently. They are primarily looking for, get this, building code violations, as well as improvements for property tax assessments. There's lots of new "construction" going on in the woods. Must have had a good year, as our property taxes went up 19.7% this last assessment. Gotta pay 'em by 10/31. Anyone got spare change? :)

Anyway, it was really rather scary (for me, and particularly my sheep) to watch a helicopter hover ~100 feet off the ground at the end of my property line...especially since it was about a year ago and everybody was getting edgy about Y2k. I was wondering if they were checking out my water storage, livestock, and food/feed storage! Turns out they were taking a really close look at the new 40'X 60' pole barn, office, etc. of our new neighbor. Still, it was very noisy and intrusive!

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), October 14, 2000.


You've got helicoters, we have those and little planes looking over my garden. Lotsof milintary jets.We're in their flight pattern.I used to not mind the noise, but I do more &more. I think they're cool to watch, but.... Anyway. There's more than one kind. The slow one fly lower. So low you can actually see the pilot. This year while I was in the garden, one of the fast boys came a little too close for my comfort. I could see the details of the bottom of the jet. Sometimes they leave a checkerboard jet stream behind them -may not be correct terminology-. I hear that that's a "something they're testing" Anyway, a lot of people get sick around here all suddenly and at the same time. They don't care what hours they fly, either, or that they shake the house, or disturb afternoon naps when you work night shift. And people move to the country for peace and quiet....

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), October 14, 2000.

I would rather have helicopters over my property once in awhile then live in a country that has tanks going up and down the roads.

-- Judy (allsmile@ctnet.net), October 14, 2000.

First the helicopters, then the tanks.

I'd rather live in a free country where they didn't feel the need to surveille the citizens all the time.

-- Doreen (animalwaitress@yahoo.com), October 14, 2000.



ok we are there to, i drives me nuts i feel like any minute they will land jump out grab us and we will be one of the many "lost" people. ? who owns the space above your land? i ask this because the phone comp. and ele.comp. claim they wont move their wires so i can add a hay loft to a buildind instead of building a new one because they own the air above the wires. they claim they own from the ground up 25 ft- 35 ft. so if a tree grows in their space they can cut it .so who owns the air?

-- renee oneill (oneillsr@home.com), October 14, 2000.

Around here they don't bother the "Big Boys", even though they know exactly what is going on;meth labs, etc. The little growers are the ones who get busted, for competing with the big boys. They will pull up the whole plants and weigh them, dirt and all, and then the newspaper report will claim that so and so had X pounds of pot, with a street value of a million dollars. I think it another form of prohibition, if they could monopolize the manufacture of these substances, they wouldn't be illegal. As far as I'm concerned, alcohol and cigarettes are just as harmful and do at least as much damage. Ever noticed how many smoking breaks a smoker has to take while working? I don't think that because using a product leads to sloth justifies persecuting everyone who has it. Why not arrest everyone who owns a T.V.? Now there's something that's deadly to the mind!

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), October 14, 2000.

Juno has the answer. Honey bends over, and say's- 'kiss my ass'. Don't pull in the drive without a warrant, and it better stick. Honey should have been a lawyer, instead of a roofer-but then again, I wouldn't have gone out with him, if he was a lawyer!

-- Kathy (catfish@bestweb.net), October 14, 2000.

Not to get too far off topic here but a few words to Cheryl. Yes, pot can be harmful but then so can milk if you use too much of it over time. We need to make distinctions between use and abuse and there is a difference.

I know numerous people who have been long term pot users who are responsible, competant, kind, honest, gentle people who prove to me that the problem seems to be more with the people than the substance. But these are users, not abusers.

If it was legalized to the extent of alcohol and taxed like alcohol we would save BILLIONS in law enforcement expenses, penal system expenses, judiciary expenses, in addition to eliminating a lucrative market for the black marketeers and generating substantial revenues via the new flow of tax monies to be used for education, treatment etc.

I can tell you from several years of first hand experience that quitting pot is not a big deal nor is smoking it---use or abuse?--- THE issue.

Again Amerika is taking a back seat to the rest of the world. Commercial hemp is not an option in Amerika because of the unrealistic laws prohibiting the use of MJ. That is the only road block to commercial hemp. Made legal it would result in many billions of dollars into the farm economy, cheaper paper products, better paper, and a host of other economic advantages.

Our choice----decriminalize pot and save billions and generate billions or continue on the same path and spend billions and deprive farmers of additional billions in legitimate income. Not to mention the serious threat to our civil liberties in the name of the drug war.

-- john leake (natlivent@pcpros.net), October 14, 2000.


I don't like the choppers either and as for your views on pot YOU ARE FULL OF SHIT , no apologies for language. KEEP IT AWAY FROM MY KIDS!!!!

-- Tom (Calfarm@msn.com), October 15, 2000.


John, dont agree, Pot is a adiction just like cigarettes, booze ect. Some people can dable in them and be ok alot cant.Pot is as harmful if not more so then cigarettes to your lungs and It is a good steppping stone to other drugs.Hemp is different then smoking varietys of pot so you would have to smoke your self sick to catch any kind of buzz. Hemp is a good crop for fiber for cloth ect.

-- kathy h (saddlebronc@msn.com), October 15, 2000.

Industrial hemp would be a BIG boon to our economy and our environment. And "pot" does not have to be legalized so that industrial hemp can be legalized -- because they are not the same thing. Though they are close relatives, there are extremely important differences.

The most startling difference (to me, anyway) is that industrial hemp has a miniscule amount of THC (the psychoactive chemical) and a LARGE amount of another chemical that "ruins" the "quality" of "pot". (You cannot smoke enough industrial hemp to get any kind of a high, just a big thumping headache [hard on the lungs and throat too]). Growers of "pot" would NOT want the industrial hemp anywhere near their fields for this reason.

Industrial hemp is planted to maximize stem growth (where the usable/useful fiber is located) and minimize leaf growth. "Pot" is planted to maximize the flower bud production (contains the most of the THC). The two planted together will cross pollinate and ruin both crops and produce hybrids with few desirable characteristics for either smoking or fiber. The two do not even look very similar, and anyone acquainted with the differences can easily tell them apart, I have been told. So hiding "pot" in a field of industrial hemp would be not only totally undesirable from a crop standpoint (either crop), it would also be very easy to detect because of the differences in plant spacing and their different appearance (including height).

BUT, industrial hemp does have that very tiny amount of THC, detectable by tests on the plant. And our government uses this fact to lump industrial hemp with "pot" and prohibit the production of industrial hemp. While other countries are growing it and making good profits on the products of industrial hemp (which are varied and many and do not include smoking quality "pot"). I do believe I shall start another thread on the subject, since this thread is supposed to be about helicopters.

-- Joy Froelich (dragnfly@chorus.net), October 15, 2000.


John, I agree with you!!!

As for pot being a stepping stone, that is only true when people are lied to about the effects of drugs, as in the DARE program. Honesty is always the best road to take when talking about anything that is potentially dangerous to a person. Be it electricity, automobiles, fire, or drugs. How can we rationalize taking peoples property for something that occurs naturally? Also, how come so many people seem to think that it is the job of GOVERNMENT to keep things away from your children??? Isn't that your job as a parent? Unless you want to give your kids over to the state to raise you had better be the one that is making sure they are prepared for the world.

And as for addictions, what about caffeine and sugar and the television and sex or gambling or football??? Many people can't handle these things either and they cause disruptions in lives and health problems and innattentiveness in school...... See the problem? Life is dangerous and normally fatal so we have to do the best that we can and teach our youths as well as we can, not pawn it off on legalities. Rant off.

-- Doreen (animalwaitress@yahoo.com), October 15, 2000.


What Doreen said. Hi John, welcome back! Right back in the middle of things.... :) Joy, good idea to start another thread!

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), October 15, 2000.

Just as I began reading this thread last night at about 7 p.m. a helicopter went over our house so low we thought it was going to land on the roof! Then I lost my internet connection!

Whatever you feel about marijuana, this thread is about property and privacy rights! If we don't stand up for our rights, soon we will have the tanks running up and down our roads! I have been a newspaper reporter/photographer for more than 20 years and I see the changes in the governmental meetings I cover on the local, county and state level and I DON'T LIKE what I'm seeing!

The majority of those in government think the more they can control every aspect of our lives, the better. That is not the way it should be but if we don't stand up to them, that's the way it will be!

They want to control every aspect of our lives, from what we can grow and how much of it, to how many animals we can have on our property (even if we have a lot of property), what kind of animals we can have, how high was can let our grass grow and even more! One small town near here is even passing an ordinance if the husband drives an 18 wheeler, he can no longer park it on his own property...even if he has plenty of room to park it off the street! They said the large trucks in residential areas would look "unsightly!" It doesn't matter if somebody has lived there 30 years and has parked his truck in his yard every night...or every weekend...now because so many 'big city' folks are moving into the smaller towns and rural areas, they want to bring their rules and regs with them!!!

I used to have photos I took of a drug survellience helicopter coming so low on our property that we couldn't even use the bathroom in the outdoor privy!!! (that was when we were building a home we were also living in!) And that was an everyday thing for several days! But when we complained nothing was done...even tho they were below the flight line they were supposed to be in and off their flight pattern!

So there are definately problems in the US...major problems that we must address!

-- Suzy in 'Bama (slgt@yahoo.com), October 15, 2000.


An observation. When I lived in Ohio a lady friend got caught with a small amount of MJ in her car. First offense, sentenced to six- months probation and attending 12 AA meetings in a row so it covered all 12 steps. She asked me to go along with her as support. Lordy, lordy. The meeting room was more cigarette smoke than air. I had to sit in the back and breathe through a coat. Everyone in the room chain smoked, which included my friend. One and a half meeting was all I could take. I asked around and others supported my observation that people who abuse alcohol or drugs have a very, very high tendance to chain smoke. (Which isn't to say the reverse is necessary true.) Has anyone else noticed this?

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), October 15, 2000.

wow i guess i hit a nerve with this post. no matter what your personal views of marihuana, this is a personal freedom issue. i do NOT want the government telling me what i can or cannot do with my body. if i want to smoke dope till my lungs rot, drink until my liver bleeds or refuse to wear seatbelts/helmets/whatever, it is not the GOVERNMNETS PLACE to regulate what i do with my own body. next thing you know they'll be requiring condom use to stop AIDS....for your own good they'll say...and to protect the taxpayers from caring for you if you mess yourself up. penis police coming (!) soon to your own bedroom... little cameras in the sheets... WEllllll... i never ASKED anybody to take care of me if i fall off my motorcycle and become a vegetable (rutabaga?) i don't demand much if anything from the system, and i'd like them to extend me the same privelege. hah! as for the guy who's all weirded out about keeping the damn evil weed away from his kids.... the only people who try to get kids hooked are dealers and that's because there's so much profit in it..BECAUSE IT"S ILLEGAL! prohibition does not work. remember the Vollsted act? Gangsta's were not invented in 1980s, it was the 1920s. . people will get high/drunk no matter what the laws are. the government makes a lot of money from keeping thing illegal. give control back to US not the government.

-- Juno redleaf (gofish@presys.com), October 15, 2000.

Just another thought. Then, would it be appropriate for hospitals to refuse to treat persons who have chronic emphysema, lung cancer, etc., if the patient was a smoker? Because the insurance companies could refuse to pay for the treatment? As a non-smoker who pays health insurance, which is now exhorbitant, can I elect to not pay into a fund to support those folks who chose to smoke? At one point does your right to harm your body impact my right to not have to pay for your decision? (For those of you who don't wish to pay for abortions via taxpayer money, does this scenario look familiar?)

Just asking here.... How about my paying for drunk drivers injuries who end up in the hospital? How about injuries to people who don't get their buildings inspected and don't build them safely and they fall down on them?

Is there any reason for any legislation at all?

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), October 15, 2000.


From the wierded out guy to Juno I was never offered or tried to be convinced how wonderful this stuff was by any dealer only "friends" or relatives. Thanks for your concern for my children. I also believe in the second amendment and the responsibility to protect my children from you and your kind. DUCK

-- Tom (Calfarm@msn.co), October 15, 2000.

Sheepish, talk about a whole other topic....or two! Ahhh, stream of consciousness.

I have given the larger part of the afternoon (while tearing down fence and putting in other fence, yippeeee) to thinking about this. And no one will probably like my answers to your questions.

First, NO hospitals should not be allowed to deny treatment to any one for anything. That would ever so quickly lead to an even more elitist system than we already have. Second, the health insurance of smokers for just such a scenario could be handled through the already ridiculous levels of taxes that are on cigarettes. I muight not have these numbers completely correct, but I believe it is something like .50 per pack that goes to the manufacturers and the other $2.50 goes to the government for "sin" taxes. I think that would be a much better answer than putting costs onto other people. As fo the enire "health insurance" industry I truly think it's a grat big scam and if we had one ounce of common sense as a nation, we wouldn't have to deal with these people preying on fears of illness....but I think we have already had that thread awhile back.

As for drunk drivers, or more appropriately people who are driving under the influence of impairing drugs, they should have to pay for their own injuries.

Legislation.....I thought the longest about this one! Yes, there are reasons for legislation, but precious few compared with what we now have. You have your basic common sense, don't kill, steal, defraud, rape, contribute to the delinquency of a minor, (covers sexual, drugs, conspiring to engage in criminal activity, etc.), don't dump your wastes on someone elses property or person, and perhaps a few fair trade laws, and that's about all we need. Otherwise, everything else is pretty well covered under the Constitution and if we stuck to enforcing the laws we had with authority it would be covered. For instance, the drunk driving laws, what if it were so harsh on the first offence that no one would even consider it? Something like the first time you have one FULL year in jail with NO EXCEPTIONS, even for Ted Kennedy, and you LOSE your RIGHT to drive for FIVE FULL years, NO EXCEPTIONS. Second time, 5 years in jail, complete revocation of the RIGHT to drive permanently. I wouldn't mess around with that. Now we have high dollar costs, but very little in the way of REAL punishment. Just my opinion.

Then you have the entire issue of an amoral country, with few having strong beliefs in God and fewer being righteous, and we find ourselves passing laws to try to make people be moral. How can we follow millions of laws when we can't even follow the Ten Commandments?So I guess the answer, as for most everything, is to turn to God. (Now John and I are going to disagree again....oh well.)

-- Doreen (animalwaitress@yahoo.com), October 15, 2000.


Hey Tom, (Calfarm) stand down already. the second amendment invoked to protect you against "me and my kind"????!!!!! does this imply you shoot people you THINK might be dope smokers? cuz "me" ain't one! is that your constitutional right, to enforce your morals at gunpoint? i hope not. we have too much of that going on in the world already. your kids MAY try marihuana someday. then who will you shoot? no one is holding a gun to their head to force them to inhale. thinking for yourself, free of intrusive government "morality" the root of what i am trying to say, not is pot good or bad. teach them good solid values and how to think independently and they won't be likely fall into addiction of any sort or be weak against peer pressure. all the parental bellowing and blustering in the world can't stop a kid from growing up and trying anything he wants. giving him the tools to make good choices is what parenting should be, not force and threats, cuz the minute they turn 18 it's all going to blow up in your face

blessings, JUNO who also has precious little ones.

-- Juno redleaf (gofish@presys.com), October 15, 2000.


Hi Juno, Getting back to the original question; I believe the air space over ones property ought to belong to the property owner, say, the 500-1000 feet zone overhead, that would allow plenty of space way up there for commercial jets and small planes, out of range of the noise, pollution, and intrusion, that lower flight paths cause us. Frankly, I think we should be allowed to SHOOT AT the planes, helicopters, and the like that invade our immediate air space with out probable cause and a warrant. I believe it is the same as coming on ones property without probable cause/warrant, it is illegal under the Constitution, as unreasonable search . Our immediate air space should be no different. As for the other matter, adults should be allowed to screw up their lives in any manner they choose, BUT, must also be held 100% responsible for their actions if they infringe upon another persons rights. There will always be people who are afflicted with addictive personality disorder, ANY potentially abusable substance will abused. Quit oulawing the substances, enforce the laws for abusers who infringe the rights of others, would make more sense to me. BTW, I do not smoke or drink, but did so when I was young and stupid. Annie in SE OH.

-- Annie Miller (annie@1st.net), October 15, 2000.

Doreen< Nope, we'll not disagree on having God in our lives. He's in my life, a "closet" Christian as well as in your life and I wouldn't have it any other way. Same God---different views of Him. Thats basically all I've ever had to say.

Tom: I agree with Juno---Chill out! Nobody here is condoning the sale of MJ to your children. But when it is sold to children its because of PROFIT that wouldn't be possible were it decriminalized in a way similar to what I'd suggested earlier. As to the slippery slope concept and MJ being a gateway drug thats more hype and BS consistant with Reefer Madness type propaganda. The only way I could see it being a gateway drug is because the same person who sells the MJ may be the one selling other things as well.

-- john leake (natlivent@pcpros.net), October 15, 2000.


Renee--Regarding the power lines: In Texas it is illegal for the lines to pass directly over a house or other structure. Call the county attorney and ask him if it is illegal in your state.

Meanwhile, back to the helicopters...the US copters are bad enough, but when they fly over with bright red stars painted on the bottom, that's a whole different thing. We have foreign helicopters fly over real, real, low, as in below radar, a couple of times a year at least. There may be more because we hear helicopters a lot but live in such a densely wooded area we often are unable to see the helicopters.

-- Green (ratdogs10@yahoo.com), October 16, 2000.


Doreen, like your new addy, btw. I think about this a lot these days. Thanks for your input. I am in a class on law and ethics this quarter and it makes for some interesting discussion...what is a crime against the state and what is a crime against the individual, etc. In a perfect world it would be nice if we would just all be honest, kind, and ethical! But there is a need for some law. Some laws are old common law legacies. Some laws are legislated by the various government bodies. Some laws are determined by various administrative agencies. We have a lot of laws! No wonder we have a lot of lawyers!

Anyway, just musing. I respect individual rights. But I also can see reasoning behind protecting the weak and innocent. Sheesh....some days it sure seems like everybody wants to be weak and innocent, though, doesn't it? :) Guess we really have hit the end of the frontier and are now bouncing back from it (my husband's favorite social theory).

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), October 16, 2000.


I'm Tom's (calfarm) wife. I wanted to let you all know why this issue hits him so hard. Half of his family ( brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces,etc.) are completly hooked on this stuff. He has seen them almost die (on several ocasions ) from it. So hopefully you can see why his views are so strong.

-- sherry (Calfarm@msn.com), October 16, 2000.

File a complaint with the FAA. "No person may operate an aircraft in a careless or reckless manner so as to endanger the life or property of another" Federal Aviation Regulation 91.13. Operating a helicopter at 100 feet above ground level is foolhardy. Report the time of flight, location, and the aircraft's call letters in a formal complaint to the closest FAA Fight Safety Office. Politely but firmly assert your displeasure with the unsafe flying antics with the local law enforcement agencies. If the aircraft loses power the pilot, at such low and unsafe altitudes, won't be able to pick a spot for an emergency landing, much less try to get the engine restarted. Take issue with the noise levels and the the harm such disturbing flying has on your livestock. Whoever the hotshot pilot is working for needs to know a very expensive aircarft is being flown in an unsafe manner and placing citizens, and property, at unnecessary risk.

-- Bob (stbarb@usa.net), October 16, 2000.

Hey, Bob, thanks for the info. I thought it was weird that somebody could fly so low, but I am clueless about aviation rules and safety. Thanks

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), October 16, 2000.

Thanks, Bob. I will next time.

-- Cindy in Ky (solidrockranch@msn.com), October 17, 2000.

Juno, Why don't you move to Kansas? We don't have enough pot growers here to merit helicopters. Everyone in the 4 state area that is into drugs has their very own "meth" labs. Personally, I would rather have the the pot growers for neighbors, since they would rather sit around listen to music and eat chips. those "methamphetimine" people scare me a lot more and they have weapons!

-- Karen Mauk (dairygoatmama@hotmail.com), October 17, 2000.

Here's an interesting solution. It woudl require a little bit of effort but might produce the desired results.

Here is an entry from the Aeronautical Information Manual-

http://www.faa.gov/atpubs/aim/Chap7/aim0705.html#7-5-3

" 7-5-3. Obstructions To Flight

a. General.

Many structures exist that could significantly affect the safety of your flight when operating below 500 feet AGL, and particularly below 200 feet AGL. While 14 CFR Part 91.119 allows flight below 500 AGL when over sparsely populated areas or open water, such operations are very dangerous. At and below 200 feet AGL there are numerous power lines, antenna towers, etc., that are not marked and lighted as obstructions and therefore may not be seen in time to avoid a collision. Notices to Airmen (NOTAM's) are issued on those lighted structures experiencing temporary light outages. However, some time may pass before the FAA is notified of these outages, and the NOTAM issued, thus pilot vigilance is imperative. "

Maybe consider writing a nice letter to the nearest operational airport (not a week-end only sort of place) that does flight control, asking who you should notify that you'll be flying tethered ballons for the purpose of gathering amateur metrological information. (Or if your a Ham radio person, you're playing with a home-built repeater) And they will be flying between 300 and 500 feet AGL (above ground level). Chances are they they'll reply that no notification is requred (at least that's what the above would indicate). But see if your local 'flight patterns' change. Information has a tendancy to flow where it's needed...

Just a thought...

-- a friend... (rather_not@say.com), October 17, 2000.


I'm totally with Tom, keep it away from the children. It is proven, that pot is addicting and leads to other drugs, and causes slothfulness. We have enough people on welfare.

-- Judy Livengood (allsmile@ctnet.net), October 20, 2000.

Bob, several years ago when the helicopters were agressively infringing upon me, I called and wrote letters of complaint to every agency I could. All I got was a lot of buck passing, claims of it not being their jurisdiction, not their responsibility, yada, yada, yada...I even had the local sherrif captain in charge try to tell me it was the pot growers flying over checking their crops. Sorry, if a pot grower had a helicopter, it wouldn't have CHP painted on the side and bottom... Many of these helies had their FAA numbers whitewashed over so they could not be held personally responsible for their actions.

We have a DEA agent on every fire spotter and borade bomber and every government aircraft in the sky. They fly with infrared cameras all summer and fall, so why do they feel the need to use illegal tactics?

A few years later, I talked to an honest cop who told me why I was suspected of growing pot. I had a problem with the county Ag department over them wanting to spray 24D along the creekbed and around my well. The idiot in charge told me that if I didn't participate in his voluntary spray program, he would put a lein on my property and scew up the title. He also told me it was against the law for me to pull my own weeds. I did agree for them to walk the property with me, but made them get that leaky contaminated pick-up off my property. This IIC reported me to the sheriff's office for growing pot because I would not allow unrestricted access for the idiscriminate and illegal spraying of the toxic component of Agent Orange on my property. Their initial flyover, they saw the black water pipe that ran from the upper spring to a stock tank above my house. This water source was used for flushing the toilet, but to them, it was probable cause to search every inch of my property and yard from less than fifty feet above ground for more than two weeks.

The problem with the pilots is that most of them are Vietnam vets who get these jobs, which are protected from FAA regulations(the job, not the veterans), and they like to pump the adrenaline by shooting the gulches like a roller-coaster and otherwise pushing the limits of the aircraft.

I finally had to move from that county. It seems that every county employee was related to all the other county employees and if you had a beef with one agency, you had to fight them all. I have many friends still living there and they are aware that they have never tasted freedom from government excesses and abuse.

Yet in that county, meth labs flourish in town, high school kids have needle marks and the cops don't do anything more than play catch and release with the manufacturers or dealers. Drug abuse and rehabilitation, child protective services and other skank-oriented activities are the biggest money-making industry in that county.

I will do all it takes to prevent things like this from happening in my new home. Sorry for the long rant.

-- Laura (gsend@hotmail.com), October 20, 2000.


The last time we had a small plane buzzing around enough to be annoying "they" (?) were checking out what the kids & I were doing in the garden (weeding the onion patch). The time before that it was our former homeowners insurance company checking out the property. They wouldn't renew our policy because of the woodstove. They didn't bother to check if it was properly installed (it is), they just saw the chimney pipe from the air. Creepy!

-- Jean (schiszik@tbcnet.com), October 20, 2000.

WELL I HAVE MY OWN PERSONAL OPINION ON THE MATTER, I'VE BEEN SMOKING M.J. FOR 14 YEARS(I'M ONLY 24),I LOST MY FAMILY OVER THIS, I'M HOOKED ON POT, AND I CAN'T FIND THE WAY OUT, I KNOW THAT PEPOLE THINK MARIHUANA IS NOT ADDICTIVE, BUT I CAN TELL YOU IT IS, MAYBE IT'S NOT THE SUBJECT, BUT IF ANY ONE CAN HELP ME WITH THIS, I'LL BE THANKFULL. PLEASE E-MAIL ME ABOUT SUPPORT GROUPS, I KNOW THERE'S GOT TO BE SOME ONE AOUT THERE W/ THIS VERY SAME PROBLEM.PLEASE HELP......

-- willian rivera artes (egs@caribe.com), February 12, 2001.

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