I ain't that stupid!

You have camera's with their little blue lights just filming away in certain spots in the city. The city says it is to protect the citizens, and to catch the bad guys in the act. Yeah, right!!!

I'm curious. What is it that you fear?

Big Brother?

LoL

Actually I fear Bee's (I'm alergic to them) Not too fond of spiders either.

Getting off-topic here a bit but I can't resist:

I don't know about HIM but I fear Government incompetence. EVERY government body we have has failed us in the past 30 years or so. Every one. Utterly and completely. They have not been good stewards of anything and they have failed in their primary mission: Protect the rights of individuals.

At the lower levels, (School boards, city councils) they have been financially incompetent....some areas are exceptions to this, no doubt.

At the state and national levels, they are rapidly becoming just a puppet for big business, big money and big influence.

This happened before......at the turn of the 20th century. Big business and big money controlled everything. It took us about 50 years to correct that imbalance and, apparently, to forget that it ever happened.......so here we go, back into that abyss again.

Every little compromise the populace has made on personal freedoms has been shoved right up our......well, you know. Why should surveillance cameras be any different. Eventually some corrupt politician will find a way to use it against the average citizen and for his own gain.

The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!!

I'm glad this is a POI site and not a Political
Statement site !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How about we stick to the REAL purpose of this site !

My 2 cents worth !

"What's up Doc?" You know I couldn't resist. :D

Very little. I just hate being outright lied to. If we are going to move into a surveillance state (which we pretty much already are) then come out with it. Tell us that is what you are doing. Don't insult my intelligence with some lame a$$ story like this one.

Again...I expect no privacy when in public. Just don't like be treated like I am a moron.

That's it.

In case you haven't noticed, there are other categories here besides POI. So...that would lead to a community type environment which lends itself to discussion. Under this particular topic, we are speaking of cameras. Albeit red light cameras, but tollway cameras are of similar nature. Which always lends itself to slightly off-topic rants on the govt. Which by the way, I am not to disagreeable with his statements.

The Texas govt is trying to get tollways put in from one end of the state to the other, and let a foreign company buy/run it. I wonder how much Gov Perry is making out of that deal???

I don't want to get into political debates either, but this was just more of an opinionated statement than anything else. He/she is afforded such in this country. As long as he/she doesn't fly into some big diatribe and the faults of our govt, then I don't mind. And besides that...what in "I ain't that stupid" made you think this topic had anything to do with POIs? Curiosity got the better of you didn't it?? Come on...you can tell us. :

Just my nickel's worth

In the end...it's Miss POI's call anyways.

I don't know why they are doing this, or the ultimate purpose of system they are testing. But it seems that the information on a license plate (the numbers and letters, and so on) is already "public information," posted on a car. If someone wanted to take a picture of everyone's license plate driving down the street, or parked in a parking lot, they certainly could do so. It does seem curious, but not a "blatant abuse of authority."

But the big issue this raised to me is that it has nothing to do with POI, or my GPS, so I won't add further to this thread!

video is good. Just a couple of days ago, a lady here in the Dallas Metroplex, reported to police she had been stopped at a certain intersection by a person with flashing red and blue lights, then shocked with a cattle prod. The police reviewed the video of that certain intersection that had been taken that day, and found no such thing had happened. Later, after confronted with the tapes, the lady admitted had concocted a story to gain sympathy from someone due to an argument she and her husband had had earlier. So you see, the video that is taken can produce some good. According to the Dallas Morning News today, the police are going to charge her for false reporting.

Here, here! I know this is an election year and everyone is getting riled up and has an opinion, but the threads within this site are meant for GPS related issues.

With that said, please remember that Miss POI has given everyone an avenue to discuss non-POI/GPS topics ... the "Chatty Charlie" thread each week. While you are entitled to discuss various issues, after all this is America, just do it in the appropriate place, please.

With that said ... see my latest addition to the Chatty Charlie thread - I couldn't resist!

no argument please.. peace

One of the most difficult things to do is to judge intent in the written word. I guess that is why they invented the to help with this.

Just to explain, rather than glossing over the comment made earlier, the gentleman got a little carried away with the !! in my opinion. Now...the key could have gotten stuck after the first one...I don't know. But either way it goes, I did not think that the other comment was overtly political to cause such a reaction.

So....I have no will to incite a riotous backlash of harsh comments or ill will. I had thought that the smilies would convey this. I guess that I was wrong. My intent was lost in translation.

Ce la vie. On to other topics.

All politics and big brother blah blah aside, the Dallas North Tollway here in Dallas Texas is 100% under surveillance and it's a good thing. It's been instrumental in convicting various persons under various influences and crucial in non witness hit and run type scenarios. Being on camera can help you folks. We had a driver hit and pinned physically between two parked vehicles on the shoulder of the Dallas North Tollway by a drunk driver. The drunk driver reversed his car and left our man screaming at 1am between the two cars on the shoulder. No witnesses... the State Police recovered the tag by video. The wrecker driver was found in a few minutes and helped by a good Samaritan and he survived thankfully.

Kerry in Dallas

and the name of it was ED or TV ED or something like that where a man was paid to allow every minute of his life to be filmed and displayed on TV.

So, if I am being filmed... whar's the money?

I think ka1167 hit the nail right on the head.

do yall have something to hide? Because big brother is always watching.

Wether you like it or not; on a normal day; you are probably being put on video a dozen times; and yes you won't even notice!

Getting back to the original post about the toll booth. How else can the operators of this toll booth make sure that everything is and will be in working order for opening day. Yes; they have to test; and that means running the cameras and havening people hired to input the information; and these people will have to be trained to input the proper information and do it right. There is only one way to do that; and that is by taking the picture; pulling up the info on that license plate and than inputing that information.
Maybe you would just open up; start taking pictures and have green horns sitting at computers not knowing what to do next. Stupid? Who's stupid?

OK, no tirade this time......well a much shorter one!

The point is: We can't trust the (people in) Government to do the RIGHT thing. Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.
SO......
When new technology is implemented that has the POTENTIAL to invade a person's privacy for personal or political reasons, then it should be accompanied by laws against misuse, with STIFF penalties.

How many times is that done?
What, NONE you say?
Therein lies the danger.

That's it! Someone is always going to abuse the powers given to them. Human nature.

I just resent the blatant lies. If she would have said that "We are testing the equipment, and using the data gathered for training our personnel...." then maybe it would have struck me differently. You would think that when they are asked for an interview that they would have a plausible story put together. It's not like the TV crew just walked up to them off of the street.

I guess that...with all of the political coverage going on...that I am tiring of having smoke blown up my.... well.... you know.

Hmm...I wonder how that saying came about.

While this site is not overtly political you have to admit that the only poi file on this site you have to earn is the one for redlight cameras, which is pretty much a political statement against a surveillance society. "I love My Country. I Fear My Government"

I fear one day our society is going to be just like in that Tom Cruise movie "Minority Report" where they were arresting people before they committed the crimes. If you recall, they had retinal scanners in malls, train stations, etc.... He did a retinal transplant so they would not find him.

I'll tell you this, I love technology. But we have too frequent of a tendency to abuse it. They are currently working on a system of plate recognition for all of the main roads in the US. Not just the tollways. The implied purpose is to be able to track criminals, which is great. I just know that they'll find other means for it later. Just like in California. On speed-cam tickets, they shoot you from the front, capturing the driver. Now, if they see that the driver does not have the seatbelt on...guess what! Speeding ticket AND seatbelt ticket.

I wonder if the seatbelt ticket is to driver or the owner of the car? Hmmmm.... That would not be fair getting a seatbelt ticket when you were not even in the car. Fortunately we don't have to worry about that one here in Texas.

Years ago, I knew a cop that would check the names (from license plates) of every good-looking womoan he saw. He would also (occasionally) ask one out when he stopped her for a violation - sometimes trumped up. This, BTW, was done by many of the cops in his department.

THAT'S ABUSE, and I'll bet it STILL happens!

cant'we all just get along????

And go NAVING!!!

Well i think that the redlight cameras are bogis. I agree that soemthing needs to be done about people running red lights because a really good friend of mine was killed because someone ran a red light. but the red light camera thing sucks.

A couple of years ago, I had a good friend of mine get TBone'd by a drunk driver. The cameras won't stop a drunk driver. And I would bet that a majority of these accidents are caused by just that.

Which is more effective? A piece of paper in the mail or a burley police officer with blinking lights immediately after you ran that light.

Not really "I fear My Government." More like, "I need to be extra cautious in this area, as if I run a red light there is a legal sanction, even if I don't see a law enforcement officer at the intersection, waiting to give me a ticket."

As far as the speed cameras, I have noticed that when a law enforcement vehicle is spotted, all of a sudden everyone (including me) slows down a bit and verifies their speed. If I find out via a POI file that there is a speed camera in the area, it is just like spotting a police car: I'll be more cautious. But I usually keep it within 6 miles of the speed limit, or at the speed limit, anyhow.

My brother in law (a Catholic priest, I married his sister) was stopped a couple of years ago by local law enforcement, because he was barely over the speed limit. When he told this to the officer, the officer said, "It's always wrong to go over the speed limit. Now follow me to the station to have your ticket processed." My brother in law followed him and as soon as they arrived at the station, he told the officer, "You went above the speed limit three times driving into town." However, the officer did not cite himself!

One of his priest-classmates was once driving very fast and was stopped. The officer asked him why he was driving so fast, and he said that someone at the nearby hospital was having a heart attack, and he was going to anoint him. The officer said, "Sure. And what is the name of the guy having a heart attack?" The priest told him and the officer's face fell. He said, "That man is my father! I'll give you an escort to the hospital!" He was not cited.

Bla Bla bla? Your kidding right?
Does the word communism mean anything to you, it's how it starts. What you discribed above is the job of the police, hire them, let them do the job. If your worried about "persons under various influences" then Texas should move the cameras to the border.

It's not your business or your states where I have been or where I'm going.

Bob

Communism and Fascism and Dictatorships in between will use surveillance, have secret police, and so on. But I don't think that is how Communism started. Anyhow, although I agree that it isn't the state's business to know where one has been and one is going, if one is engaging in criminal activity, it will become the state's business.

That was, I think, the point of verrykerry: the cameras referred to help catch and prosecute criminal activity.

Long live the 2nd Amendment

Here in Illinois we have toll transponders, not unlike most tollways now. The latest thing is for divorce attorneys to obtain the tollway records to show where and when a vehicle went through the tolls, a useful tool to catch a "cheater". I worry they will time the period between tolls and end up issuing speeding tickets based on the elapsed times. Some of my friends even use the transponder every other toll and pay cash in the others to try to avoid this issue. Of course, doing this makes you more of a slave to "big brother" than the transponder. Pretty much the same in everything, most conveniences come with a price of loss of control.

I share the concern that each little surrendering of our privacy is a step in the worng direction, but I am not wise enough to know where the line is between convenience/security and surrendering of our civil liberties.

Think you are being watched.
I would bet Miss POI is watching this thread as we post.
When or if it gets out of hand, Miss POI or Jon will step in and tell us.

I have a feeling that it will not get out of hand:)

Miss POI

I'm from IL, too. You can see your own tollway "registers" with your www.getipass online account. And so can your wife. No court order necessary.
As for timing this, it actually used to be done many years ago on the Indiana tollroad. You got a paper ticket (date-stamped) when you got on, and you handed it back in when you paid to get off. The booth attendent commented on how fast I had been driving. Didn't get a ticket, though.

My transponder only seems to trip the system about 70% of the time so the tollway has to use my plate number on file to charge me. I learned this the hard way when I bought a new car in the fall and forgot to update my profile with the new plate-the tollway sent me a bill for a few thousand in fines! They were very cool about it and it was easily cleared up, but a wake up call!