Tuesday Overnight Open Thread - August 25, 2026 [Doof]

From ArmyBrat68

Howdy Hordelings! Tuesday night ONT is here. Open thread, as always. What's on YOUR mind tonight?

RIP Dolly Parton

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Flock is asshoe. The Flock CEO is big time asshoe!

Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley says Americans can’t outright ban Flock cameras because they are ‘for our safety’

“I value my privacy, my family values their privacy, my employees value their privacy, but what we're talking about is safety as well”

“So I think when people talk about just one of these, privacy or safety, they're prioritizing the wrong thing. And what we have to prioritize as a country is compromise — when I think about legislation that calls for an outright ban, that's like banning vehicles”

Actually no, it’s nothing like banning vehicles. This is banning a mass surveillance network that extends far beyond license plate readers. Flock is putting up people tracking AI powered cameras in parks, playgrounds, trails and many other places

Flock is mass surveillance without a warrant

This guy is not asshoe

Might try this one day

From Dangerous Thoughts

Bravo for these towns in deep blue Massachusetts
2 more Mass. towns join growing list of communities ending use of Flock

Two more Massachusetts communities are cutting ties with Flock Safety, adding East Bridgewater and Grafton to a growing list of cities and towns reconsidering the use of the company’s automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology.

The East Bridgewater and Grafton police departments announced Friday that they would discontinue using Flock cameras, citing concerns raised by residents.

***

Many residents took the opportunity to express their opposition to the technology at the forum.

“Technology is really problematic when it comes to law enforcement,” resident Katie McMullen said to Jenkins. “You feel like you’ve looked at every angle, but you’re looking at it through the lens of law enforcement.”

***

“As Chief, I will always place the safety, privacy, constitutional rights, and confidence of the people of East Bridgewater at the center of our decisions … While we may not always agree on every issue, I believe that an open and respectful dialogue makes our community stronger,” Jenkins said.

Another (sorta kinda) win in a deep blue state

Man sued local governments in WA over Flock records. He’s won $300K

Washington cities and counties have paid more than $300,000 since 2025 in public records settlements for failing to release images from Flock Safety cameras. They were filed by one man who recently told Cascadia Daily News he wanted people in the communities to better understand the AI-powered, roadside surveillance technology some law enforcement agencies use to document every passing vehicle.

Between September 2024 and October 2025, Jose Rodriguez filed 53 records requests to local governments in Washington. Roughly one-third of them did not comply. The records, at the time, presented hurdles for record custodians because they were hosted by Flock rather than internally, and subject to a rolling 30-day deletion policy and download limits. In other words, the records could be gone before a custodian accessed them to fulfill a request.

Last week, Sedro-Woolley City Council approved a settlement for $40,000 for failing to release the camera data and images. But, that was only half the money, according to the settlement agreement. Stanwood was also on the hook for $40,000. A vote by the city council to authorize Mayor Sid Roberts to sign the settlement agreement passed the next day.

The settlement agreement did not include release of the records, which representatives from the cities said they no longer possess. Rodriguez was adamant the goal of the lawsuits was not financial gain; he said cities were given enough time to be able to respond before Flock’s rolling deletions destroyed the records he requested.

“Had the cities processed Mr. [Jose] Rodriguez’s records request correctly, there never would have been a need for litigation,” attorney Tim Hall wrote in an email to CDN. “The untold story of the $80,000 settlement is how much taxpayer money was wasted in defense of the unlawful destruction of public records.”

So not a complete win. The cameras are probably still there, and lots of taxpayer money was spent defending these cases and making the payout. But at least there's sunlight being shone.

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Is Buc-ee's asshoe?

This article would favor a "yes" response.

Buc-ee’s chain draws outcry in Ohio for launching fight over a mini mart's beaver logo

It’s yet another Buc-ee’s Ltd. trademark infringement lawsuit. Supporters of Beaver’s Mini Mart have attacked Buc-ee’s online and boycotted the stores, and the mini mart’s home city passed a resolution making the beaver an official part of its history.

***

The Buc-ee’s beaver logo features the face of a beaver with prominent buck teeth wearing a red ball cap against a yellow backdrop. The Beaver’s Mini Mart mascot is a full beaver, unclothed, waving and smiling against a white background.

Customers have been critical of Buc-ee’s decision to target the much smaller store.

“I love Buc-ee’s, but I don’t plan on going back until they start making better business decisions,” Austin Collins, 32, a project manager from Fairborn, said outside Beaver’s, where he was making his first visit to protest the lawsuit.

C'mon Buc-ee's - you don't own ALL of the beaver!

Avoiding blue states? Maybe Buc-ee's isn't asshoe!

Buc-ee’s CEO signals expansion shift away from blue states that ‘don’t appreciate’ chain

Buc-ee’s CEO suggested recently that the Texas-based travel center chain may be done looking into blue districts, saying some communities do not appreciate what the company brings while conservative states offer business-friendly and family-oriented values.

Arch "Beaver" Aplin III, the company’s president and co-founder, made the comments during the grand opening of Buc-ee’s newest location in Benton, Arkansas on August 17. The chain is known for its expansive gas stations, famously clean restrooms and in-house food offerings.

"We have a lot of opportunities. We're growing. We're building in a lot of places. But when you find a conservative business-friendly state with a phenomenal workforce, it makes a difference," Aplin said.

Aplin criticized states that he said do not appreciate what Buc-ee’s brings to their communities, suggesting the company would rather focus its expansion efforts elsewhere.

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posted by Open Blogger at 09:50 PM

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