(A.K.A. Non-Original Rants)

–Co-opting good stuff from all over the ‘Net and maybe some original thoughts—ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

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Some Minnesotans choose Privacy

In the town of Winona, MN, all eight of their Flock cameras were cut off their poles and are now missing. The poles were left behind. It took over a day for the local gendarme to realize they were gone when they realized they weren’t getting any feeds.

Someone seems to be emulating the ‘blade runners’ in the UK who regularly cut down government spy cameras and are demonized by the press for it.

It’s going to come to this because county and city governments are putting more and more of these cameras into place despite the wishes of the residents. And residents are footing the bill...

A local upscale subdivision has put up cameras of their own at the entrances (I haven’t looked closely but they look like Flock cameras). Lovely use of those HOA fees, right?

It is interesting that even in those few places where they have had cameras and decide to end the contracts (like Los Angeles), the cameras remain in place and are presumably still collecting data.



16 responses to “Some Minnesotans choose Privacy”

  1. funny isnt it. that all the benefits that the government touts never seem to apply to them.

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  2. And then we wonder how Germany elected the National Socialists.

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  3. You can buy a very capable battery powered sawzall for less than $60 at Harbor freight. Good bladed are less than $20 for a two pack.

    (Of course, don’t buy it yourself, have someone else do it and pay cash…..)

    You may also find it interesting that they make spray paint can extension poles and the best way is to use them is to use clear varnish…that way the feed doesn’t stop (so no one notices for a long time), it just isn’t usable…..

    Just sayin’

    Ymmv , never break any laws, etc.

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  4. Not all cameras are bad. My HOA installed cameras to find out who kept breaking the gates. Turns out it was the trash company and a couple of other contractors etc…. No we can make them pay for the damage they caused.

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    1. Mark–I think you missed the other part. Flock cameras are a system that can track you whereever you go. Privacy invasion. Having a camera at a gate that is locally based is a different thing.

      Liked by 1 person

  5. We have a few in my city. they’ve been there as long as I’ve lived here, over thirty years. The views are for traffic monitoring, at least that’s what they were originally installed for because, on the weekends, the traffic on those four roads is so bad it takes 20 minutes to go a mile. Day after Thanksgiving it’s worse.

    The feeds can be observed on the local channel on my cable company’s feed. The feeds are really too blurry to distinguish a plate number and sometimes a particular make/model of a vehicle because they all look so much alike these days.

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  6. I read somewhere that flock has a 70% error rate, which makes them useless in my opinion.

    Also it is the day in the Ray Bradbury story “There Will Come Soft Rains” where the house dies. (Today is August 5th 2026)

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  7. Nemo: If they’ve “been there 30 years”, and “can be viewed on a local channel”, then they aren’t FLOCK cameras.

    Just so you know…

    You most obviously aren’t paying attention as to about what FLOCK is and how they work.

    Perhaps educate yourself before commenting, eh?

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  8. I saw a youtube video of someone testing the best way to cut through aluminum tubing, conveniently the same size tubing as typically used for camera installations.

    The battery-powered grinder took over a minute.

    So did the battery-powered sawsall with a metal cutting blade.

    The winner? A battery-powered circular saw with a metal cutting blade, zip, zip, zip, pole – oops, I mean – tubing cut in less than 10 seconds.

    Paintballs, wrist-rockets, lasers, suppressed .22LR, soo many choices.

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  9. Tennessee Budd Avatar
    Tennessee Budd

    If our gracious host will permit a link, 90 Miles from Tyranny has the story posted:
    https://ninetymilesfromtyranny.blogspot.com/2026/08/quick-hits-of-wisdom-knowledge-and_0860724403.html#more

    Classic Bradbury.
    If such a link is verboten, MC, delete this post, and I won’t do so again. Mea maxima culpa.

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  10. Most modern folks would have kissed the King’s ring and arse during the American Revolution had they been alive. Most have lost the “anti- unreasonable- government ” spirit. As Ben F. or someone said- ” Those willing to sacrifice freedom for security deserve neither”- or probably said it better. Why is it always the smarmy “Why should I care- I’m not doing anything illegal?” crowd? They miss the point: It isn’t legitimate use that smart people oppose, it’s the illegitimate use- the kind that officials who turn out to be dirty cops and dirty government employees participate in. There is no guarantee that I know of that prevents that garbage. So…. I’m again’ it.

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  11. I find it ironic that the Police chief himself looks like a PDF Isle …

    If he is either sacked or resigns I don’t think that The Bobby Dale Kindergarten and Child Care Early Learning Centre would be a resounding success. YMMV and all that.

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  12. This is the way. The criminals in power won’t listen to the peons so the peons must act.

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  13. secretlylollapaloozab6249ba57c Avatar
    secretlylollapaloozab6249ba57c

    If voters voted for and pasted a requirement, that all Government, Elected persons and their families travels must be posted on a freely accessible website?

    I wonder how long before the Spy Cams would come down?

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  14. Beans: If yer gonna use a .22 don’t miss, that is how tragedies happen.

    “Be sure of your target AND WHAT IS BEYOND IT”.

    A .22, even a subsonic one, can, under the right circumstances, travel nearly a mile.

    Be smarter than that, please.

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  15. The peons are rising up… just sayin…

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