Monday, July 07, 2008

Like Lambs to Slaughter

It looks like our incompetent buddies at the DHS have cooked up the ultimate scheme to keep us DFH's in line when we fly.

A senior government official with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has expressed great interest in a so-called safety bracelet that would serve as a stun device, similar to that of a police Taser®. According to this promotional video found at the Lamperd Less Lethal website, the bracelet would be worn by all airline passengers.

This bracelet would:

• take the place of an airline boarding pass

• contain personal information about the traveler

• be able to monitor the whereabouts of each passenger and his/her luggage

• shock the wearer on command, completely immobilizing him/her for several minutes

The Electronic ID Bracelet, as it’s referred to as, would be worn by every traveler “until they disembark the flight at their destination.” Yes, you read that correctly. Every airline passenger would be tracked by a government-funded GPS, containing personal, private and confidential information, and that it would shock the customer worse than an electronic dog collar if he/she got out of line


You notice, of course, that they are doing a "Carlin" and calling this thing an Electronic ID Bracelet when, in fact, it is nothing more than an Electroshock Bracelet. Granted that this is from the Times but all the links check.
I surely can't imagine letting some airline flunky strap one of these suckers on me or one of my family. Not only can it shock into immobility but it can be used to torture. Who is going to have the control device or will everyone in the freaking airport have one? If you are an old science fiction buff like me you will remember a story from many years ago about imprisonment with a collar that not only tracked the wearer but could be commanded to explode and decapitate when it was determined necessary. This is not far off that. This is what the idiots at DHS are thinking about. Next thing you know part of the standard equipment for flight attendants will be cattle prods.

h/t DailyKos

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