Former Health Secretary Pushes for VeriChip Implants 638
An anonymous reader writes "Tommy Thompson, the former Bush Health Secretary after implanting a chip into himself, is going to submit a proposal within the next 50 days to promote it for everyone in the USA. VeriChip spokesperson John Procter said 'virtually everyone could benefit from having a chip inserted.' Enjoy your assimilation in the land of the free, citizen."
In the NEWS (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Just a "health chip"? (Score:2, Interesting)
Chips vulnerable to EMP? (Score:1, Interesting)
What about MRI machines? Will we fortfeit the use of MRI machines because it'll screw up our identity (chip) ?
Re:Medical uses are realistic (Score:1, Interesting)
Well whether or not it is a good idea sort of depends upon the circumstances now doesn't it?
serutan (259622) : It's a matter of their choice, not your convenience
Yes and no. The doctor doesn't always have a choice when it comes to treating the patient.
Sure a doctor can say "Brittney I'm not comfortable making your boobies one more size" and probably not be faulted for it.
But suppose a doctor treating an accident victim or a stroke victim or anyone who is unable to supply important information about their medical condition for whatever reason, makes a bad treatment decision due to not having timely acces to a patient's medical history that results in serious complications or death?
Doesn't seem like a matter of convenience for the doctor to have rapid access to the patient's medical history now does it? Seems more like a necessity.
The doctor just can't up and say "I don't have the information I need to make a properly informed decision regaring treatment so I'm not going to treat the patient."
Re:Just a "health chip"? (Score:4, Interesting)
The Bible says that "spiritual Israel" will exist, that is, the people who actually want to serve God will be his approved people and will have his protection. It also says that the "war of the great day of God the Almighty" will happen when they "gather at the place that is, in Hebrew, called Har-magedon". That literally translates to "mountain of Megiddo" but there isn't a mountain anywhere near the plains of Megiddo.
Megiddo was a place where many decisive battles took place in ancient times. A battle on a mountain would be something everyone would see for miles around. So when all the nations gather at the "mountain of Megiddo", expect a battle of all the nations of the world vs. God's kingdom army. Everyone will see it, and it will be a decisive battle. As it says numerous times in Ezekiel, "and they shall come to know that I am Jehovah." There will be no escape from this conclusion. It will be completely evident to all onlookers, and that will include everyone in the entire world.
The nation of Israel has no more to do with this than any other nation. They'll be destroyed like all the rest. Why? Because God rejected them when they rejected and killed his son. Their rulership was "cut down" in 607 BC, but they were restored to freedom. But when they out-and-out rejected the Messiah, that was the end of any favor shown to them by God. The Romans destroyed their "nation" in 70 AD and there wasn't even a fight. Even when they were "punished" in 617-607 BC, there was a 10-year fight. The literal nation of Israel no longer has any backing from God. Heck, they went completely out of existence for almost 2000 years.
Of course, you're correct in your assertion that Bush (and the rest of the world's leaders) are pushing toward that final battle. "The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one." So said the apostle Paul in an inspired letter to a first-century Christian congregation. Satan has control of the political, economic and religious systems of the world. That makes George W. Bush a tool of the devil. (Along with every other president in history, and all other kings, chancellors, prime ministers, premieres, dictators, etc...)
Jeremiah 10:23 states that "It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step." Man should not, cannot, and will not rule himself. Only God's kingdom has the ability to rule mankind. And that is the issue here.
People think that the number "666" is going to literally show up on tax forms or something. It's not. 6 is a number that signifies something falling short of heavenly perfection (which is symbolized by 7). 3 is used for emphasis. So the number 6 repeated 3 times is something emphatically deficient. The failing governments of the world fit that bill perfectly.
Perhaps you're an atheist because of all the "fundie" idiots out there that sound crazy. (And truly, they are!) Don't misunderstand the Bible and reject it because people have twisted it. Read it. Study it. Perhaps you too may learn what it says and why it says that. Then you can calm down, enjoy life, have a happy hope for the future, and laugh when people start mingling conspiracy theories with biblical allusions. (Yes, I laughed before I posted all this. It's quite refreshing to be able to laugh and shrug something off when it's as disturbing as this story is.)
Good luck (Score:4, Interesting)
I don't disagree with you. But, if this sort of thing becomes "mandatory by law", that reaction will generally mean you either get killed in the shoot-out, or incarcerated -- and doubtless when you are incarcerated, you get implanted involuntarily. So it's death or implantation. Maybe you'll choose death. I might just make that choice as well, if it came right down to it. But I suspect most people won't make that choice, and I'm not just talking about the mindless sheep. Most people value their lives more then their freedom.
Re:Medical Purposes Only (Score:3, Interesting)
And if that's what Tommy Thompson is going to sell it as, then here's my proposal to him.
Any VeriChip enabling legislation has to come with an amendment to the US Constitution saying...
a.) No person shall be required to have a VeriChip if they don't want one
b.) Verichips may contain useful health background data, but they may not carry personally identifiable information. (Such as name, bday, SSN, et cetera.)
If that occurs, and passes, you may possibly have my support.
Re:Medical Purposes Only (Score:3, Interesting)
You are absolutely right; good security IS about people keeping their eyes open and noticing when things don't seem quite right. Having work in secure environments for several years, it has always been people who have noticed something amiss that stopped a problem before it happened, not gadgets that were installed to "secure" a building.
Technology and gadgets can only let you know about something bad happening AFTER the the intrusion has started. Human beings have the ability to sense when something is out of place, suspicious, or not quite right before something bad happens. Remember, an FBI agent tried to raise an alarm as to the number of people from the Middle East attending piloting school. Unfortunately, no one in the administration paid attention to it.
Re:Disgusting (Score:5, Interesting)
I define it as "deliberately doing something I believe is wrong", usually "because I wouldn't want it done to me". Example: murder. I don't do it, and I hope nobody does it to me. Yes, there are fine shades of meaning I'm leaving out: is it murder to execute a murderer? What if he's a mass murderer? What if he killed your wife/kids? How about if you're drafted and forced to fight in a war where it's kill or be killed? What if you believe in the cause the war is about? You have to answer these yourself, honestly, and there will be no quiz after class. I won't hate you for answering them differently than I would, and I won't try to force you to see things my way.
I don't believe there is an easy yardstick to measure this stuff by. I also know that not everyone agrees, and I don't believe everybody should agree. I can only be responsible for my own choices and my own behaviour. Yours are up to you.
There is no "one size fits all" morality. You've asked me to define "sin" in a self-consistent way, but it's not self-consistent, any more than concepts like "love", "hate", or "fear" are. I decide what's right and wrong for me, and you decide what's right and wrong for you... or you accept a predefined "right and wrong" model from a religion (or maybe you start with a template and customize it a bit). Life is full of this sort of illogical stuff. To deny it, or to try to assign meaning where there is none, is an exercise in self-delusion.
At this point, a religious man would say "that's because God/Buddha/Allah/Odin/Whoever made things that way". I don't know the reasons (and neither do the truly faithful: they have faith, which doesn't require knowledge). I'm just stating what I've observed: the Universe doesn't always make sense to me (and to a lot of other people).
Sometimes I do ask myself, "What would Dad do?"... sometimes I call him up and ask. But ultimately I'm responsible for my own actions... because I hold myself responsible. (I find circular logic makes me dizzy, don't you?)
Wow, that was a long off-topic ramble. But you did ask...