Making Sure Green Lazers dont get "Banned"

[Glenhuon (Bill)]

Sent, to both ministers and our local member, Kay Hull.

[astroron (Ron)]

Sent A letter to Bob Debus , and received a reply from his electoral office that the letter would be forwarded to the Minister.
Ron

[circumpolar (Matt)]

Signed

[gaa_ian (Ian)]

Sorry about the mis spelling of LASER

Thanks folks for getting on to this so quickly, I am very encouraged by how it has all come together.
I also have resources for doing a press release that goes out to dozens of media outlets all in one hit.
I would suggest that a series of statements by those in the Amateur community with the greatest public exposure and credibility levels would make quite a difference.
With a suitably crafted article preceding these statements it can have a huge impact !

I notice that a link to the petition can be put on your own site too.
I will see what I can do with this. (I have signed it too !)

[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

Originally Posted by gaa_ian

Sorry about the mis spelling of LASER

Not sure why the rolling eyes. You're looking for credibility with these people - spell it right.

[Dobman (Simon)]

Just signed the petition.
I help conduct Adult education classes in Observing the night sky with a couple of other IIS members & we'd be lost without the pointers. Pointing your finger up in the sky just isn't the same!!
I also use mine as my main aiming device on my Dob, I love it
I never let it be used by inexperienced people and always stop using it if a plane approaches

[Ric]

I figured that they might get bored with reading the same thing over and over again so I drafted my own letter and sent it to both of the ministers.

Now we'll have to wait and see if they listen to us or not.

Cheers

[ngcles]

Hi All,

Ric wrote:

"I figured that they might get bored with reading the same thing over and over again so I drafted my own letter and sent it to both of the ministers."

Yep, I feel exactly the same way Ric. I too have drafted and sent my snail-mail letters tonight!

Unfortunately, I think the best we can realistically hope for is either an exemption (or alternately an exception or proviso) within the legislative provision, or maybe a permit to possess (Government makes more money!) or to register users/possessors. Unless the legislature acts on them, misuse will undoubtedly become more widespread and the next thing they will be shone into homes, at moving cars etc -- just watch!

They are an indispensable tool for working at Sydney Observatory I can tell you -- particularly where so many of our guests are from overseas and English is not their first language all in severely light-polluted conditions.

Best,

Les D

[Gargoyle_Steve (Steve)]

Signed the petition, and took advantage of the optional "500 word comment" box to point out uses as a teaching aid within astronomy.
(Used approx 350 words to do so.)

[Ric]

I heard on the late news that a plane at the Canberra airport had a laser shone into its cockpit the other night.

At this rate even a million letters is not going to help. Sadly the pollys will just go with the most votes and we probably wont even get heard.

Lets hope that some common sense prevails.

[KG8]

Come on, lets not be lazy, (Lasy?)
We don't need them, there a gimick anyway. Spotting scopes are better and there is always the red dot finder is you truly don't want to know your way around.

[asterisk (Geoff)]

Originally Posted by KG8

Come on, lets not be lazy, (Lasy?)
We don't need them, there a gimick anyway. Spotting scopes are better and there is always the red dot finder is you truly don't want to know your way around.

If everyone shared the same level of expertise as KG8, then there would not be an issue with the use of lasers. However, as a relative newcomer to amateur astronomy, I have benefited greatly from the knowledge of more experienced members of the astronomical community who have used laser pointers to explain many things to me.

Further, I think that KG8 is missing the point of both Simon:

Originally Posted by Dobman

Just signed the petition.
I help conduct Adult education classes in Observing the night sky with a couple of other IIS members & we'd be lost without the pointers. Pointing your finger up in the sky just isn't the same!!
I also use mine as my main aiming device on my Dob, I love it

and Les:

Originally Posted by ngcles

They are an indispensable tool for working at Sydney Observatory I can tell you -- particularly where so many of our guests are from overseas and English is not their first language all in severely light-polluted conditions.
Les D

Lastly, Chris is making the point that if we are to be credible with our representations to the various levels of government, then we should not leave ourselves open to criticism on other non-astronomy aspects such as spelling and grammar.

Originally Posted by Omaroo

If we're going to write to our local members about this issue - PLEASE, everyone, make sure that we spell "laser" correctly!

[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

Originally Posted by KG8

Come on, lets not be lazy, (Lasy?)
We don't need them, there a gimick anyway. Spotting scopes are better and there is always the red dot finder is you truly don't want to know your way around.

"Red dot finder if you truly don't want to know your way around" - huh? I happen to way-prefer a good quality red dot to fast-slew with than anything else. Both eyes open - so easy and fast to go to a general area of the sky - no less accurate than a laser. It isn't obtrusive like a laser (to imagers especially), but then again they aren't easy to share sky positions with other users on the field either. Lasers are educational - they allow people to share information. They also allow lasy (or is that "lazy"?) people like me to do a quick and dirty polar alignment off someone else who's already done one for the evening (thanks Geoff!!).

[taminga16 (Greg)]

Yet another plane "attacked with a laser" overnight, rather than sit around in Canberra and discussing banning lasers the authorities should be making a concerted effort to have the perpertrators of these crimes into court as soon as possible and wack them with the biggest stick that they have ($30,000 fines for starters), And wouldn't that give something for the media to report.
The prescribed penalties are already in place but they are not a deterrant if not acted upon.

Greg.

[astroron (Ron)]

Chris take the mote out of your own eye before taking the splinter out of others.
Re spelling
"Red dot finder if you truly don't want to now you way around" -
Ron

[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

Originally Posted by astroron

Chris take the mote out of your own before taking the splinter out of others.
Re spelling
"Red dot finder if you truly don't want to now you way around" -
Ron

LOL!!! Touche!

Fast-typing "typo" - apologies. I've fixed it - because I actually care how I present written text, and rarely leave mistakes for others to see.

[mark3d]

Originally Posted by Omaroo

I've fixed it - because I actually care how I present written text, and rarely leave mistakes for others to see.

just like the other person fixed their error when it was brought to their attention. so whats your point?

[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

Originally Posted by mark3d

just like the other person fixed their error when it was brought to their attention. so whats your point?

What's YOUR point? We're on the same side! MY point is that if we want something done by these politicians, we are in a position that we must beg for their audience. In the past I've had a lot to do with sending petitions off to these people, along with complaints and letters of suggestion over problems we had with our own land and businesses - and the overwhelming feeling I got was that they will NOT take an individual or group seriously if the correspondence they receive isn't of quality. "Their problem - not mine" doesn't wash.

I also went through this recently in NSW with the Garden of Stone National Park, near Lithgow. It was going to be turned into a damn "wilderness" zone by a minority of idiots who want to keep me and my family out of there - even to walk! Local pollies received all sorts of non-sensical complaints and badly-constructed argument from all manner of people over it. The main message we had back from them was "present it professionally - so we can do the same".

I'm only trying to HELP our collective cause here - not point out errors of individuals. As much as most people think that correct penmanship is of little importance to their own lives, others disagree and will ignore you for it. Unfortunately, the audience you wish to hear you is of the latter bent. Present professionally - be treated professionally.

[astroron (Ron)]

Some of us can not fast type,and still make mistakes, this makes us human(
Ron

[KG8]

Listen, the comments in my earlier post were just designed to bring a little humor and reality to the situation. A thousand or so signatures from amateur astronomers on a petition isn't going to go very far in oposition to the Federal aviation authorities and all the rest of the complainers now is it?

Personally I think we can do without them, but having said that, they can't be seen unless your close to the line of sight so as long as you don't use it around a bunch of poltically correct squeelers it wont be a problem even if they are banned.
Banning hooter never stopped its use now did it

As for those who use them at observatories and other public events, well they will have to just go back to whatever they were doing 2 years ago before the fad started. I'm sure the world wont collapse just because some Jap tourist can't find the southern cross.