(Mods: if these articles are all already linked in one place, or if you feel this information is redundant, please remove this thread. It is not my
wish to clutter the board or detract from other less redundant discussions).
I consider myself a fairly rational individual. I consider many things to be possible, but reserve judgment on whether something is plausible or
probable unless there is overwhelming evidence in hand that can be demonstrated in a clear and undeniable fashion. For that reason, I must point out
that this post should not serve as an indication that I adhere to or support any particular theory or version of events espoused by any group,
organization, or person. Most of what I am suggesting herein consists of possibilities, without indicating any personal bias on my part toward
plausibility or implausibility one way or the other.
Following this post are links to articles from mainstream, "reputable" (for whatever that word is worth to you) news organizations. I chose these
because they reduce the potential of debunking or of being laughed off or ridiculed by those who only respect all things mainstream.
This is, to most of you, probably an obvious (or at the very least, commonly repeated) statement or belief by now. Nonetheless, I am posting today to
suggest the possibility (without any bias on my part toward belief or doubt) that what many fear is true; that the federal government and the security
apparatus responsible for protecting the United States of America MAY be engaged in a habitual and undaunted effort to establish a TIA-like (read:
data mining and/or surveillance) system for the purpose of monitoring and more tightly controlling the population, and are using the War on Terror as
justification.
Now, I know that seems obvious and entirely redundant to most of you. The suggestion is either firmly denied or immediately accepted by most members.
I am somewhere in the middle of the road on this. Nonetheless, the possibility remains. I haven't seen any other posts which compile these articles
(or articles like them) in a single place or in chronological order, and that is the first reason for this post. Please read them carefully (if you
haven't already) and then continue reading what I have to say. I thank you for indulging me and I apologize for the length of what probably seems
like an obvious or redundant post - but please bear with me.
Polls Indicated Americans Favored National ID Cards Following September 11 Attacks:
archives.cnn.com...
Operation TIPS (Terrorism Information and Prevention System) Concerns:
archives.cnn.com...
archives.cnn.com...
Congress Prohibits Operation TIPS and National ID Creation:
www.aclu.org...
Total Information Awareness (TIA) Development Concerns:
archives.cnn.com...
Further Attempts at Data Mining System Creation Despite TIA's Congressional Dismantling:
www.cnn.com...
States Pull Out of "MATRIX" Data Mining System:
www.cnn.com...
Examples of RFID Chip Use:
www.cnn.com...
FDA Approves RFID Chip Implantation:
news.com.com...
Congress Passes Intelligence Reform Bill Establishing National Intelligence Director and Requiring New Standards for DMV Licenses and Birth
Certificates:
www.cnn.com...
Biometric Passports Being, or Soon to Be, Adopted by Many Countries Throughout the World:
www.cnn.com...
Social Security Card Overhaul Proposed:
www.cnn.com...
Medical RFID Article:
news.bbc.co.uk...
Concerns Over Recently Passed "Real ID" Act:
www.cnn.com...
Real ID Act FAQ:
news.com.com...
Thanks.
The above, depending on who you are, will either represent a tireless effort on the part of our government and defense leadership to protect us from
potential and present threats, or a systematic and determined effort to establish a police state. I myself prefer to reserve judgment one way or the
other for the time being.
Regardless of how you interpret the true nature of a TIA-like data mining system, the fact remains that, whatever it's purpose, such a system has
been tirelessly pursued irrespective of privacy concerns, congressional prohibitions, and lawsuits. It seems inevitable that such a system will indeed
be established, if it hasn't already.
Now, to the second and main point of my post. As most of you know by now, the 'Real ID Act' of 2005 which has been passed requires that by 2008 new
standards for DMV issued ID cards be met by all states. Much has been made of the fact that this act will require all citizens to display this new ID
card in order to gain access to bank transactions, government buildings, and airlines, as well as the fact that it grants the Homeland Security Dpt
the power to establish further guidelines and requirements as it sees fit in the future. I am, again, in the middle of the road on that. However,
there is one aspect of this act which many overlook and which concerns me (it is also the reason for my perhaps seemingly inexplicable inclusion of
RFID tech articles in the above links). It is the requirement that these cards be, without exception, machine readable via a uniform standard which is
to be determined by the Dpt of Homeland Security, and that the Dpt of Homeland Security has repeatedly stated that it's preference leans towards RFID
tags for these new ID cards.
So, what's the big deal, you may ask? While not
legally mandatory, these cards will be
effectively mandatory. Now, consider the
extremely thin line that will exist between these "effectively mandatory" cards and "effectively mandatory" RFID chip implantation.
All that
would be required are an event or proclamation justifying a new policy stating that cards - which can be stolen, lost, handed off to terrorists, etc.
- are not a secure enough form of identification. It would be a simple matter then (legally speaking) given the sweeping powers our leaders now enjoy,
to replace ID cards with ID chips. The RFID reader infrastructure would already exist throughout the country, because the cards required from 2008 on
are required to be machine readable - and the Homeland Security Dpt's stated preferred uniform standard for this function is an RFID tag.
Now, as stated, I am undecided about many policies and events that have sprung to life in the years since 9-11. However, irrespective of religious,
political, or ethical stance, I would be forced to regard the mandatory implantation of human beings with RFID chips as intolerable and unethical.
This should not be an issue that polarizes us. Concern should not be limited to one political party, religious group, ethical camp, etc. Whether
you are a supporter of the security steps being taken or not, I am certain that you would most likely not agree to mandatory chipping of
American citizens. I'm not talking about someone choosing to avail themselves of a potentially helpful technology. I'm talking about mandatory
implantation for the sake of access to bank transactions, travel, and more. It would be easy - too easy - for this to be made policy if RFID tags
become the standard used for DMV issued IDs.
My ultimate point is this:
Too often political partisanship or moral polarization divides the only people who are, ultimately, more responsible than our leaders for the
policies that we must live under: the people of this nation. The purpose of this post is to point out that irrespective of all other elements of the
legal measures being taken to "protect" us, or how we feel about them, the potential for this particular development should be loathsome and
frightening to us all. Only through unity will things such as this be effectively opposed. That is all I have to say.
Thanks for reading, and I apologize if I've simply stated the obvious or wasted your time.
[edit on 10-9-2005 by AceWombat04]