Sick of this Pod

There are roughly 120,000 Flock cameras installed across the U.S., yet fewer than 1% of the cars they scan have been connected to a crime.Because there aren’t strict laws on how camera data can be collected, stored, and used, companies like Flock end up with enormous control over your personal information.Many communities across the country have already ended their Flock contracts or forced changes to how the cameras operate, from stricter data retention rules to limits on sharing with federal agencies.The de-Flock efforts are proof that public pressure can get a city to walk away from mass surveillance.The should matter to you because your State and local governments can quietly hand federal agencies a surveillance network they’d otherwise need a warrant to build.Flock’s database can be searched across agencies.ICE, the FBI, and other federal bodies have also reportedly tapped into local Flock networks -- combined with Wired’s reporting of AI based individual movement tracking without a license plate or suspected crime -- this is letting the federal government directly track people’s movements nationwide without oversight or mechanisms for accountability.Flock profits whether or not the system is used responsibly. Its business model depends on installing as many cameras as possible and collecting as much data as possible, giving the company little incentive to limit access, even as officers and agencies misuse the system for personal or political reasons.Oversight is nearly nonexistent. With no strict laws governing this data, there’s little to stop officials from using it to track political rivals, activists, journalists, or ordinary residents, turning a “public safety” tool into a means of unchecked government power.Actions You Can TakeGet your Sick of this Shit merch!* Check out the Sick of this Shop!Join the efforts to unmask law enforcement and de-flock the States:* deflock.meService members can get un-biased information on legal vs illegal orders:* Orders Project* Reach out on Signal: @TheOrdersProject.76Learn empathy forward, human centered, experiment based Leadership & Growth Courses for Higher Ed & Non-Profit Professionals:* B. Cognition LabsNick’s NotesI’m Nick Paro, and I’m sick of the shit going on. So, I’m using poetry, podcasting, and lives to discuss the intersections of chronic illness and mental wellbeing, masculinity, veteran’s issues, politics, and so much more. I am only able to have these conversations, bring visibility to my communities, and fill the void through your support — this is a publication where engagement is encouraged, creativity is a cornerstone, and transparency is key — please consider becoming a paid subscriber today and grow the community!Join the uncensored media at the 1A CollectiveSupport as a paid subscriber however you can — to help get you started, here are a few discounted options for you* Forever at 50% off* Forever at 60% offFor support, contact us at: [email protected] This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sickofthis.substack.com/subscribe

The first thing Maj. Jason Watson wants you to understand is that what he did on the Capitol steps was not a good thing. He said it plainly: this is not a first to be celebrated, it is not “oh, goody, we had a military member do this.” An active duty officer had to throw away a career to say out loud what tens of millions of Americans already know, and the only reason it landed the way it did is that nobody else was doing it. He was explicit that other service members should not copy him — there are legal pathways to refuse illegal orders, and the people who should be stopping those orders are the ones in the chain of command with the authority to say no, not the person at the trigger. He asked members who can stomach staying in to stay in, because a military hollowed out of people who understand what is happening is how you end up with a military that looks like ICE. What he did was an act of defiance aimed at us, not a model for them.If you take the courage and leave the assignment, you’ve missed the whole point.The assignment starts with red lines. Maj. Watson’s argument is that a person who has never defined the moment at which they will act has already decided to do nothing — they’ve outsourced their freedom to whoever shows up to defend it. He defined his in advance: would this president defy a 9-0 Supreme Court ruling? He did, in April, and the Oval Office victory lap after the Kilmar Abrego Garcia decision made the contempt unmistakable. The one he didn’t see coming was the murder of Alex Pretti — the second in a sequence, filmed, with a government narrative so far from what any American could see and hear with their own eyes that the gaslighting itself became the line. That’s the exercise. Not a mood, not a feeling that things are bad. A specific line, named in advance, with an answer attached to it. Because the checks and balances were never built for a President who tests every boundary and waits to be told no, and you do not need the Supreme Court’s permission to recognize unconstitutional conduct when you’re looking straight at it.So here’s what he’s actually asking, and it’s smaller than you’re bracing for. The Trump regime is weak. The projection of strength is what a shrinking minority requires to keep ruling from a position of weakness, and Congress still works for us — if we genuinely demanded removal and held our representatives accountable for answering to us, we would be rid of this government. The only thing standing in the way is the perception that it’s impossible and the unwillingness to be uncomfortable. There is something you could be doing right now that you are not. Take that step. You don’t know whether it will be enough, because you haven’t taken it. And for those of us already in the fight, Keira Havens of Citizens' Impeachment gave Maj. Watson the line that should reorganize the rest of our year: it is not enough to be right, you have to be effective.Brave is not the metric. Sincere is not the metric. Ask whether what you’re doing is working, and if there’s something more effective available to you, go do that instead. Millions have shown resolve. It isn’t enough yet. The hardest step is the first one — after that, you’ll want the next.We’re done being sick of this shit, so now we’re doing this shit.— Nick ParoMore with Maj. Watson* On Monday, August 17th, Maj. Watson made his first nationally televised public appearance on CNN’s Outfront with Erin Burnett stating clearly that Trump ‘has failed us’ and calls for Impeachment, Conviction, and Removal.* AngryMaleVet sat down for A Discussion with Major Jason Watson.* You can find previous writings by Maj. Watson on Defenders of Our Republic.Nick’s NotesI’m Nick Paro, and I’m sick of the shit going on. So, I’m using poetry, podcasting, and lives to discuss the intersections of chronic illness and mental wellbeing, masculinity, veteran’s issues, politics, and so much more. I am only able to have these conversations, bring visibility to my communities, and fill the void through your support — this is a publication where engagement is encouraged, creativity is a cornerstone, and transparency is key — please consider becoming a paid subscriber today and grow the community!Join the uncensored media at the 1A CollectiveSupport as a paid subscriber however you can — to help get you started, here are a few discounted options for you* Forever at 50% off* Forever at 60% offFor support, contact us at: [email protected] This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sickofthis.substack.com/subscribe

On July 31st Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, launched an investigation into Trump Media & Technology Group’s plan to sell Wall Street firms early access to President Donald Trump’s market-moving Truth Social posts through a new “Truth API” which launched on August 1st.The service is marketed to high-frequency traders, hedge funds, and other major investment firms, and is set to cost $100,000 per month.Donald Trump, who controls a trust owning more than 40% of Trump Media’s shares, stands to directly profit from this arrangement.As of August 13th, The Economic Times, Time Magazine, AP News, and others have reported that the Intercept and Freedom of the Press Foundation have filed a lawsuit in a Manhattan Federal Court to block the release of the Truth API—the plaintiffs call the service “profoundly corrupt” and argue it violates the First Amendment’s equal access principle and seeks to prevent official government announcements from being exclusively posted on Truth Social.This clear pattern of pay-to-access fits into Donald Trump’s past actions and statements, from tariff announcements to statements on the Iran war, which have instantly moved markets and affected the value of publicly traded companies. Now, firms paying $100,000 per month could act on that information before the broader public. This scheme would allow wealthy institutional investors to profit from price swings triggered by presidential statements, while leaving everyday investors, pension funds, and retirement accounts at a fundamental disadvantage.Having free and equal access to official government statements—especially from the office of the President—is essential for all citizens to build and maintain public trust and to ensure companies and wealthy individuals are not buying Executive power.The Legislative branch leveraging it’s Constitutional authority to conduct oversight hearing and investigations—combined with Companies and citizens filing lawsuits at the Federal and State levels—provide the needed mechanisms to hold public officials, and companies, accountable for violations of the law.~ Nick ParoActions You Can TakeGet your Sick of this Shit merch!* Check out the Sick of this Shop!Join the efforts to unmask law enforcement and de-flock the States:* deflock.meService members can get un-biased information on legal vs illegal orders:* Orders Project* Reach out on Signal: @TheOrdersProject.76Learn empathy forward, human centered, experiment based Leadership & Growth Courses for Higher Ed & Non-Profit Professionals:* B. Cognition LabsNick’s NotesI’m Nick Paro, and I’m sick of the shit going on. So, I’m using poetry, podcasting, and lives to discuss the intersections of chronic illness and mental wellbeing, masculinity, veteran’s issues, politics, and so much more. I am only able to have these conversations, bring visibility to my communities, and fill the void through your support — this is a publication where engagement is encouraged, creativity is a cornerstone, and transparency is key — please consider becoming a paid subscriber today and grow the community!Join the uncensored media at the 1A CollectiveSupport as a paid subscriber however you can — to help get you started, here are a few discounted options for you* Forever at 50% off* Forever at 60% offFor support, contact us at: [email protected] This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sickofthis.substack.com/subscribe

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sickofthis.substack.com/subscribe

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sickofthis.substack.com/subscribe

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sickofthis.substack.com/subscribe