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life comes at you fast most of it is just smoke and mirrors we're here to clear the air whether

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it's the can't make this up moments or the hard truths hitting our streets in our state

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we're finding the signal and all that noise no spin no nonsense just the facts the fallout and

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a little bit of humor. Grab your coffee. It's time for The Morning Drip on WRTO.FM, Radio Free Georgia.

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Hey, and good morning, everybody. Welcome to The Morning Drip for Tuesday. It is the 11th of

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August. It's me, Grady D, along with Mike B.

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Yeah, we took last week off because, well, reasons.

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I can't really say other than that, just reasons.

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So, fair enough.

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Fair enough, yeah.

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How was your week last week?

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It was pretty good.

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I think I got a few things done.

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I mean, that's always good to have a productive week.

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Yeah, yeah.

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I had one too.

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I was only like seven days late getting the billing out.

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You slay me with that.

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I'm like, man, I am Johnny on the spot when it comes to billing.

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Matter of fact, I usually wait maybe two or three days after I do a job and then I send that invoice out.

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Now, you know, of course, I have a couple of clients that are on automated invoices, so I don't even have to worry about it.

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I just have to worry that they pay.

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Well, I mean, I do my billing monthly.

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So if somebody buys a UPS on the second of the month, I've got to remember that.

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And there's a lot of times I just run out and I don't put a ticket in and I don't attach the sale of the UPS to the ticket.

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So I always have to go back and stitch it together.

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That's why it takes so long, because I hate doing it.

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Yeah.

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Are you ever concerned that you miss something?

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Have you ever gone like three or four months and look back and go, dang it?

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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See, I'm not carrying a UPS or any of that equipment for very long.

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It's like, nope.

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It's installed.

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I'll give you two or three days to make sure everything is working.

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You're getting an invoice.

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Oh, man.

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We just don't run like that.

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Yeah.

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It's just the way.

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I can't do these, these, uh, uh, you know, 30 day, 45 day payment plan kind of things.

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You know, there's a lot of corporations that do that.

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Don't get me wrong.

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It's like, you know, they don't, they expect with their vendors when they get billed or

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done in the old parlance that, uh, you know, they've got up to 45 days to pay.

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Uh, no, sir.

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You got up to five days to pay me.

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Thank you very much.

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You know, I don't work for free.

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I'm not carrying your water for you.

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Well, all my vendors are net 30, so I don't, you know, I only have to come out of pocket for it if I forget to bill it.

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Which is an incentive for you not to forget.

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Yeah, when the company's healthy, you just don't really care.

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Yeah, I hear you. I hear you.

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Well, that's a good problem to have, you know, to have a healthy company.

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Yeah, I think getting caught up is more important right now than chasing money.

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Yeah, no, I think that's a big part of it.

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Yeah, yeah, that's fair.

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That's fair.

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All right, phone lines are open 229-520-5957,

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or you can text that same number, 24-7-365, 229-520-5957,

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or shoot us an email.

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The email address is morningdrip at wrto.fm.

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On this day in 1938,

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President Franklin Roosevelt campaigned in Barnesville

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against U.S. Senator Walter George of Georgia,

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who was a New Deal critic, who unfortunately went on to win re-election.

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So, there you go.

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I don't have anything else on this day in history.

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Oh, well.

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So, did you watch Dukes of Hazzard growing up?

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When I caught it on TV, yeah.

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Yeah, but you weren't like, you know,

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got to be in front of the television on Friday night waiting for that song to start.

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Just some good old boys.

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You didn't, none of that?

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No, you know, if I heard the song, I knew exactly what it was, but no, we didn't actually

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didn't watch a whole lot of TV growing up.

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Yeah, I was, there was a part of my life.

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I don't know if I should be proud of this or not, but you remember the TV guide?

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You used to get it every week.

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I had the TV guide memorized.

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I knew every TV show schedule on all the three networks at the time, eventually the fourth network.

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But I didn't even need the TV guide.

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You could just you could just ask me when you know what's on tonight on NBC at eight o'clock.

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And I could tell you, you know, that kind of thing, probably for a couple of years.

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And then I got out of that phase.

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But yeah, my wife absolutely adored Dukes of Hazzard.

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And I guess at the time I thought it was fine because, you know, Waylon Jennings did the song and he was a favorite of my dad's and all of that because my dad was a country music guy.

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I mean, when he played in a band, that's actually, that's the kind of music that they played.

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Country music's never really been my thing.

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I mean, you know, until Garth Brooks came along and basically turned the industry on its head, I didn't really give a [bleep] about country music because it was always that old, there's a tear in my beer kind of nonsense.

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And I just, I couldn't stand it.

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But Garth came along and made it kind of hip and cool.

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And of course, there's some purists out there that's like, that ain't country.

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But you know what?

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Music evolves.

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It does.

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So the connection to Dukes of Hazzard, of course, is these names kill me because I actually had an aunt whose nickname was this.

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But Ben Jones, best known as Mechanic Cooter Davenport on the Dukes of Hazzard, before serving two terms in Congress from Georgia, he died this past Sunday at age 84.

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He suffered a heart attack at his Virginia home.

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He moved to Atlanta in 1969, appeared in 141 episodes of the Georgia-set CBS series from

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79 to 85 before winning Georgia's fourth congressional district seat in 1988, and he served from

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89 to 93.

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His district was later eliminated through redistricting.

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Oh, that sounds familiar.

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And he unsuccessfully challenged Newt Gingrich for the sixth district seat in 1994.

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And, of course, Duke's co-star Tom Wopat remembered Jones as a good friend and strong advocate for the best of the entertainment industry, saying he would be, quote, sorely missed, end quote.

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So, yeah, Cooter.

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I really thought the show was older.

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I kind of just considered the entire cast dead by now.

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Because, you know, when I was watching it in the 80s, Cooter was not a young man.

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No.

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And it's been 40 more years.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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So, I mean, that would have put him in.

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That would have put him in his, what, late 30s, early 40s at that point.

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I'm not doing the math.

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It's too early in the morning.

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Yeah, probably around there.

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Yeah.

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I mean, I can't watch it today.

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It's horrible.

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Number one, all of the, I mean, the fact that the General Lee is running around with a Confederate flag on the roof.

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You know, I just that's just part of the show.

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It is part of the show.

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And I'm and I'm not discounting that, you know, for the time and age of the show.

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OK, that's fine.

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But as societies grow and we learn that we're wrong in certain things, that's when you go

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back and you look at this kind of stuff and go, yeah, that's not really good, you know,

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agronography to to be running around on on a car.

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But then you have to understand where it's supposed to be centered.

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And well, there you go.

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They redid the movie a couple of decades ago.

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And time for another one.

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I know, right?

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Because, you know, I think we talked about the fact they're doing a new Miami Vice movie.

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They've already done one of those.

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But they're doing a new one.

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I don't remember seeing the Dukes of Hazzard movie.

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So I don't know if they did a spot on replication of the General Lee because, I mean, you know, it is several decades later and a lot of people get incensed by that emblem.

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So I don't know.

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But anyway.

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Well, you know, we didn't watch the show for the rebel flag.

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Yeah.

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You know, I watched it for the car jumps and these two brothers, you just don't give a [bleep].

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They wrecked so many of the same car.

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I watched it for Catherine Bach, man.

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Yeah, you know, I wasn't quite of the age to appreciate Daisy so much, but I'd watch it again.

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I started early.

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I mean, think about it.

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It was 79 to 85.

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So by the time it got into its latter years, I was already in my pubescent or post pubescent years.

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Because, you know, in 79, I was nine.

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In 85, I was 15.

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Hmm. Yeah, that checks out. Yeah. So it, it was definitely. I was seven in 85. Yeah, I understand. I understand why you, you would focus more on the car jumps. Every car jump that is not, physics doesn't work that way, you know?

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Well, when a car literally folds, when it hits the ground, it's not going to continue to go.

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Yeah. I forget how many cars, how many versions of those they had that they destroyed whenever they would do those stunts.

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Yeah. I don't know. Too many.

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It's like Supernatural Baby, the one that Dean drives.

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They didn't crash it that often.

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No, no. But they did have a handful of them, which he has one of the original cars in his own garage.

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He took it with him.

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Oh, I would have to.

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Yeah.

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I would have too.

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Well, condolences to Ben John's family.

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May Cooter rest in peace.

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Moving on, we have $17.5 million pandemic fraud for Georgia men have been sentenced to federal prison for filing fraudulent claims seeking nearly $17.5 million in COVID-era tax credits,

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primarily through the Employee Retention Credit Program intended to help businesses keep employees on their payrolls.

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Authorities say the men used LLCs registered in their own names to submit the false claims with the scheme uncovered during a Columbus organized crime investigation known as Operation Sweet Silence.

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Who the hell comes up with these names?

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Operation Sweet Silence.

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What does that mean?

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They form a committee and that committee has three months to pick one person who will come up with the name.

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Oh, is that it?

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Yeah.

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And basically, it's day 90.

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Somebody points at somebody and goes, you're it.

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Yeah, you're it.

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Come up with a name.

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You got five minutes.

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Yeah.

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Oh, boy.

187
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Suspicious IRS deposits and intercepted conversations helped expose the fraud, including discussion

188
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of an associate receiving a 20% cut.

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Oh, he should have kept his mouth shut.

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The men received prison sentences ranging from 41 to 115 months, along with five years

191
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of supervised release and orders to pay restitutions.

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To be fair, I'm being facetious.

193
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And during this time, were you ever contacted by any person or organization for your company?

194
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Because, you know, you and I are, we are our business.

195
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You know, we have one employee ourselves.

196
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And yet, during this time, I kept getting emails and phone calls from companies wanting to assist me in filling out what was necessary to get these credits,

197
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to get these money so that I could continue operating my business.

198
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And I couldn't, I could not in good conscience do it

199
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because I'm like, I'm the only employee here.

200
00:13:04,420 --> 00:13:06,140
Does this make sense?

201
00:13:06,140 --> 00:13:12,400
You know, I did take a reduction in one of my contracts

202
00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:19,040
for about six months because the company got hit hard.

203
00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:21,380
And so their revenue was reduced and they were like,

204
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look, I need you to do us a solid. And I'm like, okay. Cause they were like, it's either this or

205
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we just drop it entirely. And I'm like, okay. So I had to cut that contract in half, but I just,

206
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I don't know, maybe I would have qualified. I really don't know, but I didn't want to do

207
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something like that, that I thought would be milking the system when there were definitely

208
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other companies that really, really needed it for their employees. And so, you know, we,

209
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We may do. And then, of course, things picked up and we went back to the original contract.

210
00:13:54,920 --> 00:13:58,660
But were you ever contacted by anybody about doing this?

211
00:13:58,660 --> 00:14:03,560
I think I saw a few emails about PPP loans.

212
00:14:03,560 --> 00:14:04,160
Yeah.

213
00:14:04,160 --> 00:14:09,240
I think even QuickBooks was like, hey, we can help you out with a PPP loan.

214
00:14:09,240 --> 00:14:09,800
Yeah.

215
00:14:09,800 --> 00:14:14,340
And I never even considered applying. Never, never touched it.

216
00:14:14,340 --> 00:14:18,540
And maybe that's what I'm thinking about. I don't I don't think those are the same thing, but.

217
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or I guess they're adjacent.

218
00:14:21,920 --> 00:14:24,940
But I do remember I kept getting stuff like that.

219
00:14:24,940 --> 00:14:26,860
It's like, apply for this loan, apply for that.

220
00:14:26,860 --> 00:14:29,700
And I'm like, guys, I know we're in a world of hurt right now.

221
00:14:29,700 --> 00:14:35,260
And people, you know, the money is drying up, but this is ridiculous.

222
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Don't use it unless you absolutely need to use it.

223
00:14:38,080 --> 00:14:40,940
Are you saying that people should just be honest?

224
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I mean, shocker.

225
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It's not the American way.

226
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I know.

227
00:14:46,300 --> 00:14:47,260
Grady.

228
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I know.

229
00:14:48,540 --> 00:14:48,820
I know.

230
00:14:48,820 --> 00:14:49,800
How long have you been here?

231
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56 years.

232
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There you go.

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I know.

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One of these days I might grow up and actually realize what a [bleep] place the world actually is and how bad people can be.

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One day.

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All right.

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One more.

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No, I never was offered any help in getting the COVID tax credits or anything.

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I never heard of it.

240
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All right.

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Yeah, I'm not surprised that people took advantage of it that didn't actually, that shouldn't have.

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And I mean that in the sense of they took advantage of it.

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And I'm glad to see people being held accountable for this kind of stuff because it's this kind of nonsense right here that makes the political parties look even worse.

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You know, and especially and I'm not saying that this is this is partisan because I don't I don't know what the political affiliation are of these people.

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I have I have my guess, but, you know, I can't say for sure.

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And it would be a controversial controversial point of view, which, you know, I'm known to have.

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Yeah. But in this show, you got to stay in the middle.

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I try. I try. Sometimes I fail, but I try.

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All right. So Georgia began fiscal year twenty twenty seven.

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That seems weird. But, you know, the fiscal years for them start in July 1st with net tax collections of two point five seven billion with a B.

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in July. That's up 78.1 million or 3.1% compared with July of 2025. The increase was driven largely

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by... Why 2025? Why didn't they compare it to July of 2026? Or can they not calculate those numbers

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yet? Maybe they're still waiting on final figures after a year. I guess so. The increase was driven

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largely by sales tax collections, which rose 10%. Corporate income taxes, which jumped more than

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34%. Individual income tax collections declined 2.1%, while motor fuel taxes fell 5.4%. We know

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why that happened, especially if they're tracking this last year. And so the sales tax distributions

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to local governments also increased, reaching nearly $895 million for the month. Something

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that's interesting, because where we live, we may have talked about this before, talking about

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sales tax distributions and sales tax collections. The majority of the sales tax for Tiff County is

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not even driven by people who live here because we're a pass-through and destination city.

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You know, a lot of people actually come to Tifton to work. And so when they, you know,

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they buy food, they get gas, they do all of those things here in Tifton. And I forget what

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the percentage was, but there was a study that looked at the fact that that the sales tax,

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the money that we get off of sales tax here in Tifton is driven by out of towners. And this came

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about because they were looking at, you know, adding like another 1% or something to the sales

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tax. I wait, it was increase the sales tax and get rid of property tax, which I thought was

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interesting because then if you look at it, that means that instead of the people who

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actually live here and own property supporting the school system and the municipality and

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the county government, it would 100% be on everybody that bought stuff in Tifton, which

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means our government would be in school system will be propped up by out of towners.

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Yeah.

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I mean, like the state of Florida.

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Yeah.

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Yeah. Well, the state of Florida doesn't have personal income tax.

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Yeah, because they collect enough sales tax to make it up.

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But they still have property tax, don't they?

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I don't know. I don't live there.

278
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I would imagine they do.

279
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Yeah, that's what I was thinking.

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But this this was a let's get rid of property tax and just fund, you know, replace that loss with sales tax.

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Which, I mean, for us landowners, oh God, I sound like I'm from the 1800s.

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Us landowners.

283
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You're Franklin's.

284
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I know, right?

285
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You're one to be talking.

286
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Anyway, it'd be fine because then I wouldn't have to worry about paying property tax.

287
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Yeah, you just pay more for pizza and groceries.

288
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Yeah, that's true.

289
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That's true.

290
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And fuel.

291
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Well, that brings up another tangent for me, and then we'll move on.

292
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But I don't think food at all should be taxed, whether it's at the grocery store, whether it's at fast food restaurants, sit down restaurants, nothing.

293
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I do not believe that any form of sustenance should be taxed.

294
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And that is a heel I will die on.

295
00:19:35,280 --> 00:19:37,300
OK, well, we'll let you.

296
00:19:37,300 --> 00:19:38,640
Thank you. I appreciate it.

297
00:19:38,640 --> 00:19:40,200
I don't think it should be blanket, but.

298
00:19:40,200 --> 00:19:53,180
Well, I would acquiesce to everything that is categorized as edible at a grocery store should be tax exempt, but not everything at a grocery store.

299
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I mean, if you're buying clothes detergent, yes, you know, that's taxable, cleaning supplies.

300
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I think if you're buying beer and Coca-Cola.

301
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and coca-cola well the the problem the problem with soft drinks is now you're getting into the

302
00:20:09,060 --> 00:20:17,060
whole why why should they be taxed over uh you know hamburger meat because hamburger meat is

303
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actual sustenance and coca-cola is not you're saying you can't live off of a soda really

304
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um yeah yeah i'll i'll step out there and go yeah oh damn it

305
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oh well

306
00:20:35,980 --> 00:20:46,140
nah i agree with you it does it does get a little bit more nuanced um but and there there are certain

307
00:20:46,140 --> 00:20:51,800
categories if i remember correctly there are certain categories that don't get taxed from the

308
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grocery store, but I haven't figured out the rhyme or reason because you can look back whenever I

309
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actually went physically to a grocery store and got a physical receipt. You could actually look

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and it would show you the tax breakdown and it would show you the items that were tax exempt.

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I don't remember how that was determined, but what I do remember is there were some items

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that were, that were still taxed that were quote food. And maybe it was potato chips and things

313
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like that because we, you know, even we're, we've never been a family that bought a [bleep] ton of

314
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sodas. We just, we just haven't. Nowadays, the only soda I buy is I buy, I buy, um, I buy the

315
00:21:36,140 --> 00:21:42,600
smaller cans of, uh, Sprite because my wife occasionally needs one for an upset stomach or

316
00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:51,120
whatever. And I buy a grape Fanta. That's pretty much it. Sometimes orange. And I limit myself to

317
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no more than one soda a day. And that's it. That's all I drink. And see the Fantas, they're

318
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healthier sodas. They don't have, what is it? I don't think they have sugar or they don't have

319
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caffeine. There's one of them. I forget. Yeah. Fanta's caffeine free. Okay. That's it. That's it.

320
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So I love I love grape. That's one of my favorite flavors. That and an apple.

321
00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:22,140
But anyway. All right. So we're going to broach a subject that we've talked about previously.

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We're going to play a clip from a YouTuber, longtime YouTuber.

323
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Actually, we're going to play two clips. I broke it into two parts because it's overall about a little over an eight minute clip from one of his shows last week.

324
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And I'm going to have a link to his, to this YouTube video in the show notes when this gets

325
00:22:41,640 --> 00:22:47,360
published as a podcast. So you can go look and, you know, maybe, maybe determine that this is a

326
00:22:47,360 --> 00:22:54,600
guy you kind of like and, and go from there. He moved to Georgia a couple of years ago. He's up

327
00:22:54,600 --> 00:23:01,300
in North Georgia. His wife is actually running for, for a state seat up there in that area,

328
00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:11,060
Lindsey DeFranco. So he covered last week flock cameras. And the reason why I wanted to bring this

329
00:23:11,060 --> 00:23:18,180
up again is I went and I found, I got curious because you and I, when we talked about it last

330
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time, I was like, I wonder if we have any flock cameras in Tifton and Tiff County. And we really

331
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didn't know. And so I went searching last week to find out. And I wound up on the deflock.org

332
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website, which is a legitimate website. Matter of fact, it's actually mentioned in one of these

333
00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:48,860
clips. Because honestly, I think it's the CEO or one of the higher ups at Flock Safety deems this

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website a terroristic website, believe it or not, because of the fact that they locate where the

335
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Flock cameras are in your area. And so it looks like, based on the information from the website,

336
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and as I pointed out when I posted it on the Tipton Talks Facebook page, that I have not verified,

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00:24:10,380 --> 00:24:17,180
nor do I validate this information, but we have, according to them, 16 Flock cameras

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in Tift County. Now, my wife then took that posting and she put it in our Tifton Talks

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group. And the number of comments that she has gotten on this has really, really shown the

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ignorance of the people around here and do not understand that there is a difference between

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traditional surveillance cameras, red light cameras, and these flop cameras, which are

342
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automated license plate recognition cameras.

343
00:24:52,920 --> 00:24:53,340
Yeah.

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And, you know, and of course, the comments run the gamut from, well, if you ain't doing

345
00:25:01,720 --> 00:25:04,520
anything illegal, you got nothing to worry about nonsense.

346
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And they don't actually understand.

347
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There was one person who actually said, big cities have had these for 20 years.

348
00:25:12,220 --> 00:25:16,860
Flock Safety was not actually, yeah, they weren't actually founded until 2017.

349
00:25:16,860 --> 00:25:23,660
And the original, the original place that flock cameras were used were at homeowners associations.

350
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Believe it or not, they didn't actually start deploying them into cities until around 2020.

351
00:25:29,700 --> 00:25:31,700
Well, good test bed.

352
00:25:31,700 --> 00:25:32,640
Yeah.

353
00:25:32,640 --> 00:25:38,160
Which, I mean, you could go out on a conspiracy theory limb and go, 2020, what happened in 2020?

354
00:25:38,160 --> 00:25:39,000
Hmm.

355
00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:40,660
And why did they start?

356
00:25:40,660 --> 00:25:47,820
anyway. So this first clip is four minutes and 37 seconds. I'm going to play it and then we're

357
00:25:47,820 --> 00:25:52,040
going to go to break. And when we come back, we'll play the other one, which is four minutes

358
00:25:52,040 --> 00:25:58,380
and 12 seconds. So before I play the clip, you got anything you want to comment on about this

359
00:25:58,380 --> 00:26:04,020
or should we just go right into it? No, I've not heard it. So. All right. Well, here we go.

360
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Here we go. There's not a ton that people in this country agree on left versus right,

361
00:26:08,820 --> 00:26:13,240
But something that we're seeing more and more people getting aligned on is [bleep] flock cameras.

362
00:26:13,240 --> 00:26:17,260
And if you're someone that's, you know, maybe heard about it, but you don't know fully what a flock camera is, here's the thing.

363
00:26:17,260 --> 00:26:19,940
There's a good chance that your movements have already been recorded by one.

364
00:26:19,940 --> 00:26:28,720
Because flock safety is this company that makes automatic license plate readers or ALPRs, which are AI powered cameras installed by police departments, cities, businesses, schools and neighborhoods all across the country.

365
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They capture the make, model, color, license plate numbers of the cars that pass by and the date, the time and the location of detection.

366
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And you've got FLOC saying, hey, they're made to help communities respond to crime and safety incidents by helping recover stolen vehicles, aiding police investigations, and just so much more.

367
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But then you've got just so many critics arguing that these are tools of just a surveillance state, with, for example, the ACLU explaining,

368
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if there are FLOC cameras in your city, they are tracking, logging, and sharing your movements without a warrant.

369
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Because you have this situation where when one FLOC camera detects a vehicle, that information is stored in FLOC's system and can be searched by participating in law enforcement agencies anywhere.

370
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Not just by officials in your town or even your state,

371
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but at any agency with a Flock contract

372
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allowing this level of access.

373
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And while Flock, they're not the only company

374
00:27:07,120 --> 00:27:08,700
creating and deploying this kind of technology,

375
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they are by far the most prominent and well-known.

376
00:27:10,980 --> 00:27:14,220
They capture 20 billion license plate reads per month

377
00:27:14,220 --> 00:27:15,360
across 6,000 communities.

378
00:27:15,360 --> 00:27:16,660
And you've got the ACLU estimating

379
00:27:16,660 --> 00:27:18,740
that between 80 to 100,000 of these cameras

380
00:27:18,740 --> 00:27:20,540
are installed in both urban and rural areas

381
00:27:20,540 --> 00:27:21,200
throughout the country.

382
00:27:21,200 --> 00:27:22,780
But also, I'll tell you that by the time

383
00:27:22,780 --> 00:27:24,540
that you're just even done watching this video,

384
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there might be one or two less in this country.

385
00:27:27,000 --> 00:27:28,080
And that's because of the rapid rate

386
00:27:28,080 --> 00:27:29,900
that you're seeing these things getting vandalized, right?

387
00:27:29,900 --> 00:27:31,780
You're seeing things like over in Avon, Colorado,

388
00:27:31,780 --> 00:27:34,040
you had the police posting about felony criminal mischief

389
00:27:34,040 --> 00:27:35,800
after three cameras, including a flock camera,

390
00:27:35,800 --> 00:27:36,880
were knocked down and destroyed.

391
00:27:36,880 --> 00:27:38,380
And the reason I bring up that one specifically

392
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is because on the post where they asked the community

393
00:27:40,140 --> 00:27:43,020
for any information, they ended up getting 18,000 comments,

394
00:27:43,020 --> 00:27:44,180
but not from people that were like,

395
00:27:44,180 --> 00:27:47,100
hey, I wanna help, but rather just from so many people

396
00:27:47,100 --> 00:27:48,360
who were expressing their frustration

397
00:27:48,360 --> 00:27:49,280
with flock surveillance

398
00:27:49,280 --> 00:27:51,680
and even people actively supporting the destruction.

399
00:27:51,680 --> 00:27:52,760
And then you're seeing things like a guy

400
00:27:52,760 --> 00:27:54,440
in the Minneapolis area, he's gone viral

401
00:27:54,440 --> 00:27:56,500
for posting videos about how he's climbed up holes

402
00:27:56,500 --> 00:27:58,620
to take down dozens of flock cameras in his state.

403
00:27:58,620 --> 00:28:00,640
He's even posted content teaching others how to do the same.

404
00:28:00,640 --> 00:28:02,820
Then in California, he had some throwing paint on him,

405
00:28:02,820 --> 00:28:05,500
others accused of straight up running them over with their cars.

406
00:28:05,500 --> 00:28:06,220
And it's all over.

407
00:28:06,220 --> 00:28:08,020
In Florida, they've also been hit with spray paint.

408
00:28:08,020 --> 00:28:09,780
In New York, they've been sawed in half.

409
00:28:09,780 --> 00:28:12,460
In New Mexico, a guy was accused of destroying multiple cameras

410
00:28:12,460 --> 00:28:13,900
and then replacing them with flags.

411
00:28:13,900 --> 00:28:16,740
And there, even after a judge said that she would issue an arrest warrant,

412
00:28:16,740 --> 00:28:17,760
he told the local news.

413
00:28:17,760 --> 00:28:20,800
You have plans to continue to take down these flock carriers?

414
00:28:20,800 --> 00:28:21,120
Absolutely.

415
00:28:21,120 --> 00:28:22,100
Oh, absolutely.

416
00:28:22,100 --> 00:28:24,180
They are a clear and present threat to public safety.

417
00:28:24,280 --> 00:28:27,560
And you should understand, this is just a small sampling of a nationwide trend, right?

418
00:28:27,560 --> 00:28:29,140
This is happening in tons of states.

419
00:28:29,140 --> 00:28:31,460
So not everything is so destructive, right?

420
00:28:31,460 --> 00:28:34,340
You have some just trying to raise awareness that these cameras exist at all.

421
00:28:34,340 --> 00:28:37,800
So you've got people like in Florida, there's this 77-year-old man who camps out in front

422
00:28:37,800 --> 00:28:42,080
of these cameras in a lawn chair while holding up a big sign to block the lens and protest.

423
00:28:42,080 --> 00:28:45,640
And also to highlight how widespread Flock tools are, many have turned to a site called

424
00:28:45,640 --> 00:28:46,360
D-Flock, right?

425
00:28:46,360 --> 00:28:49,500
And it has this interactive map tracking all kinds of automatic license plate readers.

426
00:28:49,500 --> 00:28:52,880
So the site's creator telling the Wall Street Journal that overall, I don't think the government

427
00:28:52,880 --> 00:28:54,860
should know where we are all the time.

428
00:28:54,860 --> 00:28:55,760
And while you have the CEO of Flock

429
00:28:55,760 --> 00:28:58,640
saying that he does respect some criticisms of the company,

430
00:28:58,640 --> 00:29:00,440
here's also what he said about this effort

431
00:29:00,440 --> 00:29:02,400
to just tell people where these cameras are.

432
00:29:02,400 --> 00:29:04,040
Unfortunately, there's terroristic organizations

433
00:29:04,040 --> 00:29:07,280
like D-Flock, whose primary motivation is chaos.

434
00:29:07,280 --> 00:29:10,280
They are closer to Antifa than they are anything else.

435
00:29:10,280 --> 00:29:11,820
And that I think is unfortunate

436
00:29:11,820 --> 00:29:14,460
because we don't want chaos or I don't want chaos.

437
00:29:14,460 --> 00:29:15,840
I like law and order.

438
00:29:15,840 --> 00:29:17,340
So essentially, if you're not on board,

439
00:29:17,340 --> 00:29:19,320
you're using this site, you made the site,

440
00:29:19,320 --> 00:29:21,700
that's terrorism, organized terrorism.

441
00:29:21,700 --> 00:29:28,400
And while he has since apologized, one, a lot of people just don't believe him, but also two, many believe that this response in general, it just highlights the problem here.

442
00:29:28,400 --> 00:29:30,800
And in some ways, the backlash against Flock is working.

443
00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:38,720
Cities, towns, and counties across the country, they have been holding these tense town halls where you have residents objecting to their taxpayer funds or other public grants being spent on these cameras.

444
00:29:38,720 --> 00:29:42,520
And sometimes it works. Around 55 localities ended their contracts with Flock in the past year.

445
00:29:42,520 --> 00:29:49,200
Right, and one of the things is that concerns about these cameras, they go way beyond just how freak it is that they capture and store our cars as movements.

446
00:29:49,200 --> 00:29:54,120
You had 404 Media doing this report alleging that they can be used to track individual people, not just vehicles.

447
00:29:54,120 --> 00:29:57,620
In claiming it, police departments have used these cameras for this purpose hundreds of times

448
00:29:57,620 --> 00:30:01,780
using searches like heavyset male with black and white hat or person on skateboard.

449
00:30:01,780 --> 00:30:04,520
And you had their article explaining these are called freeform searches

450
00:30:04,520 --> 00:30:07,780
and allow cops to use Flock's system as though they would use a search engine

451
00:30:07,780 --> 00:30:12,940
with Flock's AI and image recognition interpreting what footage and which people are relevant to a police officer's search.

452
00:30:12,940 --> 00:30:16,540
And these searches, they'll go across dozens or even hundreds of networks of cameras at once.

453
00:30:16,540 --> 00:30:19,660
And they're often vague enough that they end up pulling images of unrelated, innocent people.

454
00:30:19,660 --> 00:30:22,400
Now, for their part, you had Flock publishing a blog post earlier this year

455
00:30:22,400 --> 00:30:24,520
saying that it's not a mass surveillance tool,

456
00:30:24,520 --> 00:30:29,760
insisting that, quote, Flock ALPRs do not and cannot track vehicles, much less individual people.

457
00:30:29,760 --> 00:30:33,060
They also told 404 that these freeform searches are not facial recognition

458
00:30:33,060 --> 00:30:36,340
and that their products do not have or use any facial recognition technology.

459
00:30:36,340 --> 00:30:39,740
While you've got people doubting that, whether it be now or what they do in the future,

460
00:30:39,740 --> 00:30:43,120
many also think that they don't need facial recognition tech to be alarmed.

461
00:30:46,540 --> 00:30:49,380
Your alarm clock is a liar.

462
00:30:49,380 --> 00:30:52,900
It says it's time to wake up, but you're still sleepwalking through life.

463
00:30:52,900 --> 00:30:55,360
Stop the snooze, start the brew.

464
00:30:55,360 --> 00:30:58,300
It's The Morning Drip on WRTO.fm.

465
00:30:58,300 --> 00:31:01,680
We're serving up unfiltered truth, questionable advice,

466
00:31:01,680 --> 00:31:06,060
and enough caffeine-fueled energy to power the entire Piedmont Plateau.

467
00:31:06,060 --> 00:31:10,380
The Morning Drip, because sleeping in is for people with nothing to say.

468
00:31:10,380 --> 00:31:13,200
Weekdays, only on Radio Free Georgia.

469
00:31:16,540 --> 00:31:25,420
Hey, everybody. Welcome back to the Morning Drip. Today is Tuesday. It's the 11th of August. You got Grady D and Mike B.

470
00:31:25,420 --> 00:31:37,440
So before we went to break, we did part one of Philip DeFranco's commentary on Flock Cameras. Anything you want to weigh in on before we get to part two?

471
00:31:37,700 --> 00:31:41,600
I mean, I got all kinds of things to say, but I'll wait.

472
00:31:41,600 --> 00:31:46,940
I'm curious to see where this Philip winds up.

473
00:31:46,940 --> 00:31:47,420
Okay.

474
00:31:47,420 --> 00:31:47,840
All right.

475
00:31:47,840 --> 00:31:48,960
Well, here we go with part two.

476
00:31:48,960 --> 00:31:52,560
And so you have people like a senior policy analyst from the ACLU saying,

477
00:31:52,560 --> 00:31:58,060
Much of the world hasn't quite caught up yet to how much more powerful a surveillance camera is today compared to a few years ago.

478
00:31:58,060 --> 00:32:03,980
AI video analytics means that giant oceans of video data can now be searched the same way big text files can be,

479
00:32:03,980 --> 00:32:07,600
including for sensitive content such as T-shirts, tattoos, and bumper stickers.

480
00:32:07,700 --> 00:32:09,000
Even without face recognition,

481
00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:11,500
that's a significant increase in surveillance capability.

482
00:32:11,500 --> 00:32:12,920
And you also had a policy council,

483
00:32:12,920 --> 00:32:14,280
the Center for Democracy and Technology,

484
00:32:14,280 --> 00:32:16,460
saying that these cameras, they're like a bait and switch.

485
00:32:16,460 --> 00:32:18,400
It's like being told that you're getting a smoke detector

486
00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:20,280
and then later learning that it also records

487
00:32:20,280 --> 00:32:21,300
all your conversations.

488
00:32:21,300 --> 00:32:24,200
And understand, Phlox cameras are already being abused

489
00:32:24,200 --> 00:32:25,760
by some of the police officers who use them

490
00:32:25,760 --> 00:32:27,800
for personal searches like stalking exes.

491
00:32:27,800 --> 00:32:29,960
Newsweek alone found examples in 12 states

492
00:32:29,960 --> 00:32:32,100
where officers have been accused of misusing these cams.

493
00:32:32,100 --> 00:32:34,480
And it's happened multiple times just here in Georgia,

494
00:32:34,480 --> 00:32:35,820
where some officers have been charged

495
00:32:35,820 --> 00:32:36,740
with violating their oath.

496
00:32:36,780 --> 00:32:37,260
And they're not alone.

497
00:32:37,260 --> 00:32:38,900
In Alabama, some officers have been fired

498
00:32:38,900 --> 00:32:40,800
or resigned for improperly using the cameras.

499
00:32:40,800 --> 00:32:42,380
In Milwaukee, an officer was sentenced

500
00:32:42,380 --> 00:32:44,420
to 12 months probation after using Flock

501
00:32:44,420 --> 00:32:46,220
to track his ex-girlfriend and her new partner,

502
00:32:46,220 --> 00:32:47,600
but apparently searching for her

503
00:32:47,600 --> 00:32:49,680
over 120 times in the system.

504
00:32:49,680 --> 00:32:51,760
And many also have issues with a lack of transparency

505
00:32:51,760 --> 00:32:53,780
for what exactly these cameras could be used for.

506
00:32:53,780 --> 00:32:55,300
Are you with the Electronic Frontier Foundation

507
00:32:55,300 --> 00:32:56,840
saying that there was this one case in Texas

508
00:32:56,840 --> 00:32:58,040
where deputies said that they were searching

509
00:32:58,040 --> 00:32:59,360
for a woman as a missing person,

510
00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:01,540
when in reality, they were using data on her

511
00:33:01,540 --> 00:33:03,120
as a part of an abortion investigation.

512
00:33:03,120 --> 00:33:04,220
There are then also reports

513
00:33:04,220 --> 00:33:05,460
that ICE are using these cameras

514
00:33:05,460 --> 00:33:06,460
for immigration enforcement.

515
00:33:06,460 --> 00:33:08,960
And in California, police allegedly illegally shared data

516
00:33:08,960 --> 00:33:10,300
from automatic license plate readers

517
00:33:10,300 --> 00:33:11,500
with ICE and Border Patrol.

518
00:33:11,500 --> 00:33:13,600
And then you also have just tons of these situations

519
00:33:13,600 --> 00:33:15,700
where these cameras [bleep] up and they misread plates

520
00:33:15,700 --> 00:33:17,440
and they cause confusion or even lead police

521
00:33:17,440 --> 00:33:18,560
to investigate the wrong person.

522
00:33:18,560 --> 00:33:19,780
Or you had Business Insider reporting

523
00:33:19,780 --> 00:33:20,920
that there was one town in California

524
00:33:20,920 --> 00:33:22,380
where Flock's machine learning software

525
00:33:22,380 --> 00:33:25,280
misread license plates in 71% of the alerts

526
00:33:25,280 --> 00:33:26,160
that it sent to officers.

527
00:33:26,160 --> 00:33:29,860
If you had an employee that failed 71% of the time,

528
00:33:29,860 --> 00:33:30,980
you would fire them.

529
00:33:30,980 --> 00:33:31,820
That's not an employee.

530
00:33:31,820 --> 00:33:34,220
That is a raccoon that somehow got into the building.

531
00:33:34,220 --> 00:33:35,300
And so some of the things you'd see

532
00:33:35,300 --> 00:33:36,200
He was like, in one case,

533
00:33:36,200 --> 00:33:37,980
he would repeatedly confuse a nine on a plate

534
00:33:37,980 --> 00:33:40,500
for an eight, falsely identifying a man's car as stolen.

535
00:33:40,500 --> 00:33:41,980
He also had CNN reported on a case

536
00:33:41,980 --> 00:33:43,240
where a car reviewer in Minnesota

537
00:33:43,240 --> 00:33:44,640
was test driving a Range Rover

538
00:33:44,640 --> 00:33:46,500
when all of a sudden an officer swarmed his car

539
00:33:46,500 --> 00:33:47,740
because it was reported as stolen,

540
00:33:47,740 --> 00:33:50,240
even though it was owned by Land Rover North America.

541
00:33:50,240 --> 00:33:52,520
But it then got mixed up with a car in Los Angeles

542
00:33:52,520 --> 00:33:54,180
with a similar plate that had been reported missing.

543
00:33:54,180 --> 00:33:55,260
And according to the ACLU,

544
00:33:55,260 --> 00:33:57,400
one in 10 license plate scans from Flock,

545
00:33:57,400 --> 00:33:58,480
they misread the state,

546
00:33:58,480 --> 00:34:00,020
and under 1% of the car scanned

547
00:34:00,020 --> 00:34:01,780
are connected to any crime or wrongdoing.

548
00:34:01,780 --> 00:34:03,340
And so it ends up really not being too surprising

549
00:34:03,340 --> 00:34:05,720
that as more people learn about what's happening here,

550
00:34:05,720 --> 00:34:07,560
there's just kind of this united hatred

551
00:34:07,560 --> 00:34:08,680
no matter your political party.

552
00:34:08,680 --> 00:34:10,040
He just said the likes of Nithya Raman,

553
00:34:10,040 --> 00:34:11,940
the left-wing mayoral candidate in Los Angeles,

554
00:34:11,940 --> 00:34:13,880
saying that the city should cut ties with Flock,

555
00:34:13,880 --> 00:34:15,680
arguing surveillance without oversight

556
00:34:15,680 --> 00:34:17,120
does not create public safety,

557
00:34:17,120 --> 00:34:19,100
saying it tracks innocent people, enables abuse,

558
00:34:19,100 --> 00:34:20,540
and puts Angelenos in danger.

559
00:34:20,540 --> 00:34:21,840
And then all the way on the other side of the aisle,

560
00:34:21,840 --> 00:34:22,920
you had Tucker Carlson devoting

561
00:34:22,920 --> 00:34:24,160
a whole episode of his show to this.

562
00:34:24,160 --> 00:34:25,060
And while he didn't offend people

563
00:34:25,060 --> 00:34:26,840
who were vandalizing the cameras, he did say,

564
00:34:26,840 --> 00:34:28,540
they're videos, in other words, of people

565
00:34:28,540 --> 00:34:31,420
who don't feel they have any other recourse whatsoever

566
00:34:31,420 --> 00:34:37,660
making one last-ditch attempt to preserve the one thing that makes them free in this or any other

567
00:34:37,660 --> 00:34:41,660
country, their birthright, by the way, and it's called privacy. They don't have it. They'd like

568
00:34:41,660 --> 00:34:46,300
it back. They think the Constitution guarantees it to them. Their lawmakers don't care. Their

569
00:34:46,300 --> 00:34:49,940
leaders don't care. Their police departments don't care. They don't think it's to make them

570
00:34:49,940 --> 00:34:55,160
safer. They understand that it's to strip them of their most basic humanity, which it is.

571
00:34:55,160 --> 00:34:59,100
And so with what seems to be at least some degree of a united sentiment, there do appear to be

572
00:34:59,100 --> 00:35:02,640
efforts in Congress to crack down on these cameras. And so, for example, you had Representative Thomas

573
00:35:02,640 --> 00:35:06,580
Massey promising to sponsor a bill that would withhold federal money from municipalities and

574
00:35:06,580 --> 00:35:10,640
police departments that deploy flock and other style cameras to surveil law-abiding citizens.

575
00:35:10,640 --> 00:35:14,640
Because again, a lot of the outrage here, yes, it's around that it's happening in the first place,

576
00:35:14,640 --> 00:35:19,100
but also because public funds or grants and gifts given to cities are being used to pay for these

577
00:35:19,100 --> 00:35:23,100
in a lot of cases. Even though the people that the money is meant to benefit do not always want

578
00:35:23,100 --> 00:35:26,560
these cameras watching them. And echoing that, you had Massey telling the Cincinnati Inquirer,

579
00:35:26,560 --> 00:35:28,080
I do not think that the federal government

580
00:35:28,080 --> 00:35:29,840
should be subsidizing the safety of cities

581
00:35:29,840 --> 00:35:31,400
who decided to go beyond the pale

582
00:35:31,400 --> 00:35:32,820
and basically turn their communities

583
00:35:32,820 --> 00:35:34,220
into a version of 1984.

584
00:35:34,220 --> 00:35:35,660
Saying as the constitution requires,

585
00:35:35,660 --> 00:35:37,160
you have to have probable cause

586
00:35:37,160 --> 00:35:39,040
and reasonable suspicion to spy on people.

587
00:35:39,040 --> 00:35:40,460
You can't just spy on everybody.

588
00:35:40,460 --> 00:35:42,520
And adding that the security provided by those cameras

589
00:35:42,520 --> 00:35:44,860
does not justify the privacy it strips away.

590
00:35:44,860 --> 00:35:46,480
Arguing you can solve every crime

591
00:35:46,480 --> 00:35:48,380
if you put tags in us and tracked us everywhere

592
00:35:48,380 --> 00:35:50,620
and made us all wear body cameras, but at what cost?

593
00:35:50,620 --> 00:35:52,720
But with all that said, I then got to turn it to you.

594
00:35:52,720 --> 00:35:53,600
What are your thoughts here?

595
00:35:53,600 --> 00:35:54,220
What's your opinion?

596
00:35:54,220 --> 00:35:55,040
What's your reaction?

597
00:35:55,040 --> 00:36:01,120
Whether, you know, this is how you're first learning about these cameras, if you've been a longtime flaccator or even if you land somewhere else.

598
00:36:01,120 --> 00:36:07,260
All right. So that was Philip DeFranco, who has been a longtime YouTuber for over 20 years now.

599
00:36:07,260 --> 00:36:11,340
And like I said, I'm going to put a link to that entire episode.

600
00:36:11,340 --> 00:36:23,600
He covers a lot more, but his first eight minutes, almost nine minutes of that episode from last week was this, which is the reason why I broke it up into two parts.

601
00:36:23,800 --> 00:36:31,540
And the fact that the 71% being wrong is startling.

602
00:36:31,540 --> 00:36:39,540
There was one incident where there was a woman, and I think she had two or three of her kids with her.

603
00:36:39,540 --> 00:36:41,500
They had pulled into the parking lot.

604
00:36:41,500 --> 00:36:44,160
They were going to like a Walmart or something.

605
00:36:44,160 --> 00:36:49,980
And then suddenly she was surrounded by five or six police cars.

606
00:36:49,980 --> 00:36:52,680
They got everybody out of the vehicle.

607
00:36:53,020 --> 00:36:59,440
They made them lay face down on the pavement, and the reason why was because the Flock camera

608
00:36:59,440 --> 00:37:03,740
system misidentified the tag number on her vehicle.

609
00:37:03,740 --> 00:37:12,060
It was the same tag number as a motorcycle in another state that had been stolen.

610
00:37:12,060 --> 00:37:17,420
So it wasn't even the right vehicle, wasn't even the right state.

611
00:37:17,900 --> 00:37:28,060
But they put this woman and her kids through this horrendous, probably 15, 20, 30 minutes before they figured out that they had screwed up.

612
00:37:28,060 --> 00:37:32,140
So anyway, now I will open the floor to you.

613
00:37:32,140 --> 00:37:35,200
What what are your comments on on what he shared here, Mike?

614
00:37:35,200 --> 00:37:41,680
I'm actually I'm not opposed to it or in favor of it.

615
00:37:41,680 --> 00:37:44,740
I mean, different.

616
00:37:44,740 --> 00:37:58,440
I mean, as soon as I get pulled over for no reason, because they got some information that led them somehow to a gray truck that is unmarked, I'm not going to have an issue.

617
00:37:58,440 --> 00:38:08,700
If they can use this nationwide to find kidnapped children or combat human trafficking, leave it up.

618
00:38:08,700 --> 00:38:10,540
There needs to be oversight.

619
00:38:10,540 --> 00:38:18,760
i'm not saying any cop can just pull up and start searching but you know a lot of unsolved crime

620
00:38:18,760 --> 00:38:26,360
out there well yeah but that's the problem is any police officer can pull it up and well that then

621
00:38:26,360 --> 00:38:31,300
that part needs to change yeah but they're not willing to to make those changes i mean i mean

622
00:38:31,300 --> 00:38:35,960
fox safety is literally coming out going hey we audit everything and we do this and blah blah blah

623
00:38:35,960 --> 00:38:56,760
blah, blah. Yet, I personally, I think that if you let's take Tiff County, for instance, if the if the flock is accurate, we have 16 flock cameras here in Tiff County, then only Tiff County law enforcement should have access to view those cameras.

624
00:38:56,760 --> 00:39:05,220
But the problem is somebody in fricking Texas can pull up those cameras because and they have been caught doing this.

625
00:39:05,220 --> 00:39:13,540
They were they were tracking a license plate of a particular vehicle that they claimed was for.

626
00:39:13,540 --> 00:39:16,500
I don't know, maybe the vehicle was stolen or whatever.

627
00:39:16,500 --> 00:39:28,940
But what it actually turned out to be was they were tracking a woman across state lines because she was a native Texan, but she was going to another state to get an abortion.

628
00:39:28,940 --> 00:39:32,680
That's the kind of scary [bleep] that that I don't like.

629
00:39:32,680 --> 00:39:36,120
And that's the reason why I understand what you're saying.

630
00:39:36,120 --> 00:39:42,020
But the problem is how much freedom are you willing to give up for safety?

631
00:39:42,580 --> 00:39:48,340
Because I'm going to bastardize that quote. But, you know, that's what Benjamin Franklin basically said.

632
00:39:48,340 --> 00:39:53,820
Yeah. You know, if if you give up that that freedom for security, you've basically given up everything.

633
00:39:53,820 --> 00:39:58,480
And I'm not willing to do that. I mean, like like.

634
00:39:58,480 --> 00:40:07,760
But so we can't have cameras. And if we can't have cameras, then then the crime may go unrecorded.

635
00:40:07,760 --> 00:40:11,220
But at the same time, I can't carry a weapon to protect myself.

636
00:40:12,320 --> 00:40:18,980
Well, but you can plus plus they're eating the pets of the people who live there.

637
00:40:18,980 --> 00:40:23,480
So look, I'm not I'm not against surveillance.

638
00:40:23,480 --> 00:40:26,160
And I think that's where a lot of people are getting confused.

639
00:40:26,160 --> 00:40:28,580
I'm not against surveillance.

640
00:40:28,580 --> 00:40:38,320
We've as someone inaccurately pointed out in the Facebook group, big cities have had surveillance cameras for for decades.

641
00:40:38,320 --> 00:40:39,760
I'm not against that.

642
00:40:39,760 --> 00:40:41,900
That's not what we're talking about here.

643
00:40:42,320 --> 00:40:47,540
You know, Flock safety cameras aren't just surveillance cameras.

644
00:40:47,540 --> 00:40:58,720
They're license plate trackers that store all this stuff in a database that is searchable by every person who has access to the Flock data systems.

645
00:40:58,720 --> 00:41:00,300
That's the issue.

646
00:41:00,300 --> 00:41:08,260
And the fact that they're unfortunately using some form of artificial intelligence, that is dumb.

647
00:41:08,260 --> 00:41:09,540
That's my concern.

648
00:41:09,540 --> 00:41:11,760
Surveillance is not an issue.

649
00:41:11,760 --> 00:41:18,000
Look at Great Britain. I mean, they've got, what, three or four cameras on every freaking corner, but they're not Flock.

650
00:41:18,000 --> 00:41:20,780
They've had surveillance for decades.

651
00:41:20,780 --> 00:41:23,720
Yeah. And they figured out how to use it.

652
00:41:23,720 --> 00:41:29,680
Yeah. So, again, I'm not against surveillance. I'm just against the way Flock is doing it.

653
00:41:29,680 --> 00:41:36,820
No, I'm not against the way Flock is doing it. I'm against the way the police are able to use it.

654
00:41:36,820 --> 00:41:41,340
But that's incumbent on Flock to be able to put in safeguards to prevent that.

655
00:41:41,340 --> 00:41:49,600
So if they just go to a different surveillance camera company that isn't Flock and they have access to the same kind of data?

656
00:41:49,600 --> 00:41:50,960
Well, they shouldn't.

657
00:41:50,960 --> 00:41:52,560
Is that better because it's not Flock?

658
00:41:52,560 --> 00:41:52,960
No.

659
00:41:52,960 --> 00:41:54,900
No, it's the same people using it.

660
00:41:54,900 --> 00:42:02,760
No company should be able, you know, I don't care if it's Flock or, you know, Joe's license plate reading company.

661
00:42:02,760 --> 00:42:14,200
None of them should should provide the ability for cross state searching because this this is exactly what they're touting it to be.

662
00:42:14,200 --> 00:42:20,680
This is search without a warrant because you're identifying data is being stored.

663
00:42:20,680 --> 00:42:24,980
Flop can sit there all day long and say, we don't do this and we don't do that.

664
00:42:24,980 --> 00:42:26,460
They're lying through their damn teeth.

665
00:42:26,460 --> 00:42:32,360
They've been caught and they know it, but they're they're pulling for somebody else's playbook that if you say a lie long enough,

666
00:42:32,440 --> 00:42:36,640
people will start believing it. All I want is, I'm not saying flock should go away necessarily.

667
00:42:36,640 --> 00:42:42,140
They need to implement some controls. Any other company that's doing this type of surveillance

668
00:42:42,140 --> 00:42:50,440
needs to implement controls and better auditing systems. I mean, legitimately, even at the police

669
00:42:50,440 --> 00:42:57,100
level, you know, if an officer goes to do a search, he needs to get a sign off from a higher

670
00:42:57,100 --> 00:43:03,800
up and then if we find that doesn't work then we have to figure out a way because ultimately

671
00:43:03,800 --> 00:43:09,720
you know as well as i do that it's it's not necessarily the technology it's what people

672
00:43:09,720 --> 00:43:18,400
do with it and as we've already discussed people are [bleep] it's it's nuclear power it is it is so

673
00:43:18,400 --> 00:43:27,160
So, and something, a funny thing that I saw from, is it Dave, Dave Weiner, Dave?

674
00:43:27,160 --> 00:43:32,280
Anyway, he's the guy who actually wrote the task manager application for Windows back in the day.

675
00:43:32,280 --> 00:43:33,520
Yeah, I know that guy.

676
00:43:33,520 --> 00:43:36,520
Dave's Garage, which I think is on YouTube.

677
00:43:36,520 --> 00:43:38,060
I just see him on X.

678
00:43:38,060 --> 00:43:38,740
Yeah.

679
00:43:38,740 --> 00:43:48,400
Did you see the thing he posted about the fact that every flat camera has two gigs of LDDR3 memory in it?

680
00:43:48,400 --> 00:43:49,620
No.

681
00:43:49,620 --> 00:43:55,520
His point was, that's where you can get some memory.

682
00:43:55,520 --> 00:43:58,900
It's DDR3.

683
00:43:58,900 --> 00:44:00,080
Yeah.

684
00:44:00,080 --> 00:44:03,380
We still have systems that use DDR3.

685
00:44:03,380 --> 00:44:04,280
Yeah.

686
00:44:04,280 --> 00:44:06,960
I mean, I'm not saying it's great, but anyway.

687
00:44:08,740 --> 00:44:11,980
So, you know, we'll throw it out to everybody out there.

688
00:44:11,980 --> 00:44:19,400
You know, if you want to weigh in, you can call us at 229-520-5957 or text 229-520-5957

689
00:44:19,400 --> 00:44:23,740
or shoot an email, morningdrip at wrto.fm.

690
00:44:23,740 --> 00:44:25,440
Tell us what you think about Flock Cameras.

691
00:44:25,440 --> 00:44:32,080
And again, you know, my problem is the fact that we've got a lot of people that don't

692
00:44:32,080 --> 00:44:32,640
understand.

693
00:44:32,640 --> 00:44:37,140
They just, they think Flock Cameras are just basic surveillance and they're not.

694
00:44:37,140 --> 00:44:55,080
They don't really know the ins and outs, which is the reason why I wanted to bring this up during the show and play this segment from Philip, because he covered it, I think, in a well-rounded format that exposes what the issues are.

695
00:44:55,080 --> 00:44:59,620
Not the fact that it's surveillance, but what's being done with it and what can be done with it.

696
00:44:59,620 --> 00:45:00,840
That's all.

697
00:45:00,840 --> 00:45:03,280
So, you know what?

698
00:45:03,280 --> 00:45:04,920
I think it's time to take one more break.

699
00:45:05,080 --> 00:45:11,260
We're probably going to have to wheedle down and cover one more story when we when we come back.

700
00:45:11,260 --> 00:45:14,840
So, yeah, let's get let's get to a break.

701
00:45:14,840 --> 00:45:15,580
We'll be right back.

702
00:45:15,580 --> 00:45:25,400
Your coffee is weak.

703
00:45:25,400 --> 00:45:26,700
Your commute is long.

704
00:45:26,700 --> 00:45:31,080
Your boss is, well, you know, it's time to wake up.

705
00:45:31,080 --> 00:45:33,120
Join the revolution of the caffeine addicted.

706
00:45:33,120 --> 00:45:34,420
The morning drip.

707
00:45:34,900 --> 00:45:36,980
Every morning on wrto.fl.

708
00:45:36,980 --> 00:45:40,420
It's not just a show, it's your daily jolt of reality.

709
00:45:40,420 --> 00:45:44,060
Warning, make all sudden outbursts of free thought.

710
00:45:44,060 --> 00:45:52,480
Hey everybody, welcome back to The Morning Drip

711
00:45:52,480 --> 00:45:55,280
for Tuesday, the 11th of August, 2026.

712
00:45:55,280 --> 00:45:57,580
You got me, Grady D, and Mike B in the house.

713
00:45:57,580 --> 00:46:04,200
Hey, I just saw your thing about the taxes.

714
00:46:04,900 --> 00:46:16,840
The first of the month, each fiscal year, FYI 2026, year to date, 2.492 billion, 2027, 2.57 billion, Delta, 78.1 million increase.

715
00:46:16,840 --> 00:46:19,100
So, yeah, it's probably a typo.

716
00:46:19,100 --> 00:46:21,700
They were literally talking about 2026.

717
00:46:21,700 --> 00:46:24,240
Yeah, it looks like the numbers match for 26, not 25.

718
00:46:25,100 --> 00:46:36,000
I was just curious if they were comparing, if they brought up 2025's numbers to show an increase, where maybe after 26, it was actually a decrease this year.

719
00:46:36,000 --> 00:46:36,440
Yeah.

720
00:46:36,440 --> 00:46:40,020
So I wanted to make sure they weren't hiding anything.

721
00:46:40,020 --> 00:46:44,540
Like, oh, we saw a 37% increase, but not since last year.

722
00:46:44,540 --> 00:46:46,160
Right, right.

723
00:46:46,160 --> 00:46:48,820
And, you know, typos, they happen.

724
00:46:48,820 --> 00:46:49,580
They happen.

725
00:46:49,580 --> 00:46:52,880
All right, 229-520-5957.

726
00:46:52,880 --> 00:46:54,700
Again, that is the call-in number.

727
00:46:54,800 --> 00:47:03,420
We're still active right now for the lines, but you can text 24-7-365-229-520-5957

728
00:47:03,420 --> 00:47:07,260
or shoot us an email, morningdrip at wrto.fm.

729
00:47:07,260 --> 00:47:11,440
After the broadcast, if you do call that number, you can leave a voicemail.

730
00:47:11,440 --> 00:47:16,220
Just be warned, we will use it if it fits into the program.

731
00:47:16,220 --> 00:47:18,020
So be careful what you say.

732
00:47:18,020 --> 00:47:21,180
All right, one last story.

733
00:47:23,420 --> 00:47:27,720
Americans are losing many of the places where people are gathered outside of home and work.

734
00:47:27,720 --> 00:47:33,760
These places are often called third places, which include movie theaters, bowling alleys,

735
00:47:33,760 --> 00:47:39,560
coffee shops, libraries, bars, recreational centers, rising operating costs, higher prices

736
00:47:39,560 --> 00:47:45,120
for customers, the lingering effects of the Great Recession and the pandemic, online shopping,

737
00:47:45,120 --> 00:47:47,480
changing urban development.

738
00:47:47,480 --> 00:47:50,120
These have all contributed to widespread closures.

739
00:47:50,400 --> 00:47:55,800
I mean, we haven't had a movie theater here in Tiff County, what, 10 years now?

740
00:47:55,800 --> 00:47:57,400
I forget when it got closed down.

741
00:47:57,400 --> 00:48:03,120
But it's been in the last five to 10 years it was closed down.

742
00:48:03,120 --> 00:48:04,740
It's been several years.

743
00:48:04,740 --> 00:48:05,180
Yeah.

744
00:48:05,180 --> 00:48:10,100
The one over in Ben Hill County, they haven't had one for decades.

745
00:48:10,100 --> 00:48:13,100
So, you know, it's kind of sad.

746
00:48:13,100 --> 00:48:17,320
I think the best place, what, Valdosta, maybe Albany,

747
00:48:17,560 --> 00:48:20,380
We're about the closest places to go to actually watch a movie now.

748
00:48:20,380 --> 00:48:22,140
Not that I go to movie theaters, but...

749
00:48:22,140 --> 00:48:23,240
I just go to the living room.

750
00:48:23,240 --> 00:48:23,960
Yeah, me too.

751
00:48:23,960 --> 00:48:26,940
I go to my bedroom.

752
00:48:26,940 --> 00:48:30,440
The remaining values have also become more expensive,

753
00:48:30,440 --> 00:48:33,460
making it harder for many people to regularly socialize in person.

754
00:48:33,460 --> 00:48:37,740
And researchers say the decline of these gathering places has serious health consequences.

755
00:48:37,740 --> 00:48:44,040
Chronic loneliness and social isolation have been linked to a significantly higher risk of premature death.

756
00:48:44,560 --> 00:48:48,340
Some studies comparing the health risk to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

757
00:48:48,340 --> 00:48:53,340
Surveys also show most Americans now spend time with friends or acquaintances in person

758
00:48:53,340 --> 00:49:00,560
only a couple of times a month, while participation in clubs and community organizations continues

759
00:49:00,560 --> 00:49:01,300
to decline.

760
00:49:01,300 --> 00:49:07,680
Experts argue that everyday interactions with neighbors and co-workers and even strangers

761
00:49:07,680 --> 00:49:12,880
play an important role in maintaining both physical and mental well-being, and some people

762
00:49:12,880 --> 00:49:17,620
are finding lower cost ways to connect through outdoor activities, skating, dancing, other

763
00:49:17,620 --> 00:49:18,620
interactive events.

764
00:49:18,620 --> 00:49:24,300
Researchers do say that communities still need affordable public gathering places or

765
00:49:24,300 --> 00:49:27,020
spaces where people can build relationships naturally.

766
00:49:27,020 --> 00:49:31,820
They warn that when neighborhoods lose these informal meeting places, they lose more than

767
00:49:31,820 --> 00:49:32,280
businesses.

768
00:49:32,280 --> 00:49:37,980
They lose opportunities for connection, community, and hope, and consequences that extend well

769
00:49:37,980 --> 00:49:41,920
beyond individual health to the broader economy and quality of life.

770
00:49:42,760 --> 00:50:01,500
Um, I've never been much to go to bars anyway. Even in my younger days, I think I only, I used to go to a place down in White Cross called Christopher's Classic. And yes, I was not old enough to get in. I was 19, but my, my fake ID said I was 24, I think.

771
00:50:01,500 --> 00:50:10,220
So I guess I looked the part. I mean, I could grow a beard at 19, so nobody ever really questioned it, but.

772
00:50:10,220 --> 00:50:12,560
If you kept it, you'd be closer to retirement.

773
00:50:12,560 --> 00:50:13,820
No, I know, right?

774
00:50:13,820 --> 00:50:14,660
I know.

775
00:50:14,660 --> 00:50:19,680
But yeah, I never really did go to places like that.

776
00:50:19,680 --> 00:50:28,640
And, you know, the last time I've been to a movie theater was 2002 or three, somewhere in there.

777
00:50:28,640 --> 00:50:30,340
Honestly, I can't remember.

778
00:50:30,340 --> 00:50:32,140
It's been that long ago.

779
00:50:32,140 --> 00:50:34,560
Yeah, I don't know the last movie I saw.

780
00:50:36,060 --> 00:50:44,260
I dropped my daughter off when she was in middle school, I guess, to go watch a movie with a boy.

781
00:50:44,260 --> 00:50:49,460
And that's the last time I've even walked up to that door.

782
00:50:49,460 --> 00:50:56,460
But I remember I was going to, I got there early to pick him up, to pick her up.

783
00:50:56,460 --> 00:51:01,940
And so I had a few minutes and I was like, I have to sit here and I'll just get a bag of popcorn and wait.

784
00:51:01,940 --> 00:51:04,580
That popcorn was $8.

785
00:51:06,060 --> 00:51:09,640
And that was whenever the place was open.

786
00:51:09,640 --> 00:51:13,180
So like the dollar was a little bit more valuable back then.

787
00:51:13,180 --> 00:51:16,960
But yeah, it wasn't even that good.

788
00:51:16,960 --> 00:51:23,160
You could take that $8 and go buy Orville Redenbacher microwave popcorn from the grocery store.

789
00:51:23,160 --> 00:51:24,240
Two boxes.

790
00:51:24,240 --> 00:51:24,900
Yeah.

791
00:51:24,900 --> 00:51:26,820
I mean, even to this day.

792
00:51:26,820 --> 00:51:31,460
And the way we go through popcorn is I think I bought one box last year.

793
00:51:31,460 --> 00:51:34,360
And I think I finished it this year somewhere along the line.

794
00:51:34,360 --> 00:51:37,240
I mean, yeah, I mean, don't get me wrong.

795
00:51:37,240 --> 00:51:38,320
I love popcorn.

796
00:51:38,320 --> 00:51:44,600
What I don't love is that the tiny little husks still get into my, in between my teeth

797
00:51:44,600 --> 00:51:45,260
and my gums.

798
00:51:45,260 --> 00:51:46,100
Everywhere.

799
00:51:46,100 --> 00:51:46,860
Yeah.

800
00:51:46,860 --> 00:51:51,820
And before I realize it, I start wondering why I've got a particular area in my gum that

801
00:51:51,820 --> 00:51:52,920
is really sore.

802
00:51:52,920 --> 00:51:57,420
And then I go in there with a dental pick and I pull that out and it's like this just

803
00:51:57,420 --> 00:52:01,340
enormous release of endorphins that happen.

804
00:52:01,340 --> 00:52:03,520
It's like, oh my God, that's like orgasmic.

805
00:52:03,520 --> 00:52:05,060
I just got this thing out of my gum.

806
00:52:05,060 --> 00:52:30,580
So, but yeah, you know, and a lot of this, a lot of this can be attributed to the fact that we went into lockdown during COVID and that cut off a lot of people being able to, I mean, when they talk about third spaces or third places, because it seems that they interchange those terminologies.

807
00:52:30,580 --> 00:52:44,740
You know, the first place is your home. The second place is your job. And your third place or space is usually, like they say, you go to a bowling alley, you go to a movie, you go to a bar, you socialize with friends and things like that.

808
00:52:45,860 --> 00:52:55,680
And COVID didn't necessarily kill that because we were we were already starting to see a trend before COVID hit of where people were backing off.

809
00:52:55,680 --> 00:53:04,460
And I don't know if it had to do with cost or if it was just changing attitudes or what have you, but COVID didn't help, you know.

810
00:53:04,460 --> 00:53:05,480
Yeah.

811
00:53:05,480 --> 00:53:07,220
No, it didn't.

812
00:53:07,220 --> 00:53:13,600
But I think it's been on a decline since probably the 60s, 70s.

813
00:53:13,600 --> 00:53:15,220
Yeah, I was talking.

814
00:53:15,860 --> 00:53:23,340
go ahead because you know in the 80s i just had to be home before dark yeah and and then and you

815
00:53:23,340 --> 00:53:32,280
know in the 90s and 2000s um kids weren't allowed to go outside that much because uh the kidnappings

816
00:53:32,280 --> 00:53:39,620
and uh crime and and whatnot and so they they were they were kept inside plus at the same time we got

817
00:53:39,620 --> 00:53:49,960
video games so we just we didn't we didn't grow up going out to to a place to see friends we just

818
00:53:49,960 --> 00:53:57,540
saw friends at school um and my neighbor who didn't even go to the same school but he was there during

819
00:53:57,540 --> 00:54:07,640
the summers we hung out other than that that was it yeah um so we've kind of technology has allowed

820
00:54:07,640 --> 00:54:17,220
us to to be together physically much less often but um i don't know we just and it's probably

821
00:54:17,220 --> 00:54:23,820
produced some introverts oh i'm sure i'm sure and you know you can connect this to work work from

822
00:54:23,820 --> 00:54:32,040
home as well because even after we came out of covid a lot of a lot of companies and especially

823
00:54:32,040 --> 00:54:38,420
employees realized that they could save a [bleep] ton of money by switching their insurance to

824
00:54:38,420 --> 00:54:44,380
Geico. No, they could save a lot of money by not having to go into the office. And then,

825
00:54:44,380 --> 00:54:47,800
of course, we started this whole hybrid, well, you need to come in a couple of days and blah,

826
00:54:47,800 --> 00:54:55,980
blah, blah, blah, blah. Well, there is a separate study that can be connected to this,

827
00:54:56,020 --> 00:55:04,400
I think, you know, a little bit is the fact that due to the work from home, depression is on the

828
00:55:04,400 --> 00:55:11,680
rise because it's not the same necessarily. You know, you and I are talking over discord.

829
00:55:11,680 --> 00:55:16,740
You've been in here when we were doing the tech show and we would actually record in person and

830
00:55:16,740 --> 00:55:24,400
that kind of stuff. But, you know, a lot of people never leave their apartment or never leave

831
00:55:24,400 --> 00:55:30,060
their house, but they communicate with their coworkers all day via Slack or Zoom calls and

832
00:55:30,060 --> 00:55:38,140
things like that. But because that physicality is not there, that has a tendency as they're

833
00:55:38,140 --> 00:55:45,620
discovering to increase depression. And I was actually talking to a friend slash client of mine

834
00:55:45,620 --> 00:55:52,920
the other day who's retired. And I made the comment that, see, what is it that I told him?

835
00:55:52,920 --> 00:56:03,040
I said. I'm a homebody. I like to stay home, but even I recognize that from time to time I need to get out and talk to somebody face to face.

836
00:56:03,040 --> 00:56:07,780
And he looked at me and he's like, I'm right there with you. I'm right there with you.

837
00:56:07,780 --> 00:56:20,360
So. Like later today, later this morning, I'm going to talk face to face to somebody at the liquor store, not for me, for my wife, she finally said, hey, I'm out of tequila.

838
00:56:20,360 --> 00:56:24,420
And I'm like, well, okay, I guess I'll go take out a small loan.

839
00:56:24,420 --> 00:56:29,700
I mean, I buy, I buy half gallons because it's more economical.

840
00:56:29,700 --> 00:56:34,080
You take down a flock camera and get the memory and go trade it for liquor.

841
00:56:34,080 --> 00:56:37,460
I don't think he cares about that memory.

842
00:56:37,460 --> 00:56:41,320
It's like, I walk up like, you know, in the trench coat and I was like, hey,

843
00:56:41,320 --> 00:56:44,780
you in need of some memory?

844
00:56:44,780 --> 00:56:48,620
Pull it out and I've got just, you know, ram sticks all up and down.

845
00:56:48,620 --> 00:56:52,000
I'm a walking multi-million dollar trench coat.

846
00:56:52,000 --> 00:56:53,360
I need to do that.

847
00:56:53,360 --> 00:56:56,980
Just like a Halloween costume.

848
00:56:56,980 --> 00:56:57,640
Yeah.

849
00:56:57,640 --> 00:56:58,900
Yeah.

850
00:56:58,900 --> 00:57:00,200
Only nerds would get it.

851
00:57:00,200 --> 00:57:01,340
Only nerds would get it.

852
00:57:01,340 --> 00:57:02,760
I don't hang out with anybody else.

853
00:57:02,760 --> 00:57:03,820
Well, I mean, that's true.

854
00:57:03,820 --> 00:57:05,060
I mean, we...

855
00:57:05,060 --> 00:57:08,360
And it would just be pictures I put online because I'm not going anywhere.

856
00:57:08,360 --> 00:57:11,880
It's like, here's my costume.

857
00:57:11,880 --> 00:57:13,040
Yeah.

858
00:57:13,040 --> 00:57:14,680
There's no Halloween party.

859
00:57:14,680 --> 00:57:16,080
We don't do that.

860
00:57:16,080 --> 00:57:17,120
But yeah.

861
00:57:17,120 --> 00:57:18,000
We don't either.

862
00:57:18,620 --> 00:57:19,780
We don't even give out candy.

863
00:57:19,780 --> 00:57:28,660
I mean, we actually put a, every year my wife prints out this picture of a little devil

864
00:57:28,660 --> 00:57:32,520
with a candy bucket and it says, we don't have any candy.

865
00:57:32,520 --> 00:57:35,180
Go away or something like that.

866
00:57:35,180 --> 00:57:36,940
I don't have to worry about it.

867
00:57:36,940 --> 00:57:38,240
Nobody comes out to this neighborhood.

868
00:57:38,240 --> 00:57:45,080
When we first moved here, the first couple of years, and what was irritating is they

869
00:57:45,080 --> 00:57:50,280
would come out here in minivans and there would be like 15 kids just pile out of the damn minivan

870
00:57:50,280 --> 00:57:56,080
and run around the neighborhood and some of them didn't even have on costumes yep you know i'm like

871
00:57:56,080 --> 00:58:00,560
if you're gonna if you're gonna go trick-or-treat wear a damn costume yeah don't dress up like a

872
00:58:00,560 --> 00:58:07,600
[bleep] exactly put some effort into it put some effort into it man you can't go to

873
00:58:07,600 --> 00:58:10,660
You can't be a lazy [bleep] for Halloween.

874
00:58:10,660 --> 00:58:13,580
Exactly.

875
00:58:13,580 --> 00:58:14,880
Exactly.

876
00:58:14,880 --> 00:58:15,820
All right.

877
00:58:15,820 --> 00:58:22,140
Well, that's going to wrap up today's broadcast of The Morning Drip right here on wrto.fm.

878
00:58:22,140 --> 00:58:29,240
Again, phone lines are now closed, but that number is 229-520-5957.

879
00:58:29,240 --> 00:58:36,560
You can call and leave a voicemail or you can text it 24-7-229-520-5957.

880
00:58:37,180 --> 00:58:38,720
Or you can shoot us an email.

881
00:58:38,720 --> 00:58:41,840
The email address is morningjeff at wrto.fm.

882
00:58:41,840 --> 00:58:44,900
We should be back tomorrow morning around 7.30.

883
00:58:44,900 --> 00:58:49,140
Again, we try to do this show Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday around 7.30 a.m.

884
00:58:49,140 --> 00:58:52,160
And I say around because you know what?

885
00:58:52,160 --> 00:58:53,320
It's my damn station.

886
00:58:53,320 --> 00:58:55,440
I can start it whenever I want to.

887
00:58:55,440 --> 00:58:58,880
As long as Mike over there doesn't beat me over the head and said, let's go.

888
00:58:58,880 --> 00:59:01,500
We're in the Eastern time zone, by the way.

889
00:59:01,500 --> 00:59:02,220
Yeah, we are.

890
00:59:02,220 --> 00:59:02,860
We're Eastern.

891
00:59:02,860 --> 00:59:09,960
We primarily focus because the radio station is broadcasting from the Tifton Media Works studios in Tifton, Georgia.

892
00:59:09,960 --> 00:59:15,200
But, you know, we are a South Georgia radio station, but you can listen to us worldwide.

893
00:59:15,200 --> 00:59:16,920
I hope you do.

894
00:59:16,920 --> 00:59:19,980
If you missed the live broadcast, don't worry.

895
00:59:19,980 --> 00:59:23,720
Go to MorningDrip.show or TiftonMediaWorks.com.

896
00:59:23,720 --> 00:59:29,680
I convert this into a podcast and it's usually up for the first 14 days.

897
00:59:29,680 --> 00:59:35,960
It is free, but then if you want to listen to it or go back to the catalog, it's just $7 a month.

898
00:59:35,960 --> 00:59:39,420
Become a member and get everything dealing with the morning drip.

899
00:59:39,420 --> 00:59:52,580
I'm also going to start sending out a built-in the function to the hosting platform to do newsletters because, you know, I figured it was something I needed to add.

900
00:59:52,580 --> 00:59:57,220
And not everything has to be sub-stack, you know, so there's that.

901
00:59:57,920 --> 01:00:00,000
Anyway, I want to thank everybody for joining us.

902
01:00:00,000 --> 01:00:05,760
If you joined us live, if not, grab the podcast and we'll see you in the morning, hopefully

903
01:00:05,760 --> 01:00:10,620
around 7.30 a.m. for another edition of The Morning Drip.

904
01:00:10,620 --> 01:00:11,480
Good morning, everybody.

905
01:00:11,480 --> 01:00:12,380
Good morning.
