Story thread · 2 reports / 2 sources

In this big Texas city, garbage trucks have joined the surveillance state

theblaze.com · 2h · first reportShare

Shortly after September 11, the U.S. government passed the ingeniously titled Patriot Act . Are you a decent, self-respecting soul who loves America and hates those who hate you? Most Americans nodded vigorously and responded with a resounding yes. Citizens accepted federal wiretaps and financial monitoring as reasonable trade-offs for national security. Over the next two decades, local police departments began using license-plate readers. Private companies cashed in on the madness, covering suburban front porches with internet-connected video doorbells. Flock cameras now turn ordinary commutes into one giant, searchable tracking database. And that guy sitting across from you on the subway? He might be wearing a creepy pair of Meta glasses, filming you without your permission, and preparing to do God-only-knows-what with the footage. If it can happen in Texas, it can happen anywhere in America. Things are bad, but as my grandmother used to say, when you think you’ve hit rock bottom, al