Wednesday, July 09, 2008

The Collar of Obedience

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 [More]
Allow me to present an overview of video highlights:

ARGHHHH!!! We don't know what to do!!!
IT'S 9/11!!!!
We have the technology...


...but God forbid we profile with it...

Still, we can run old ladies and war veterans through the Fargo wood chipper...


Or get a little more intimate if the mood strikes us...

All administered by giving the lowest-paid and least qualified among us "Authoritah."

Yeah, there are air marshals, but we all know about "The Only Ones"...


Is that door locked? Why, I guess you're on your own...

Well I thought there was, but I have a feeling you have something else in mind...
EMD? How does it work?

Collars of Obedience!

Fortunately, it can only be activated by a Master Thrall.

"100 quatloos on the new comers!"

And if it works on planes, why not in society at large? After all, terrorism can happen anywhere, and if you're not doing anything wrong, why would you object?

I guess there's some controversy on whether or not this has government sanction--yet. Still, it proves the "capitalists will sell us the rope" adage the totalitarians are depending on.

And rats--I see one of the commentators also noticed the "Gamesters of Triskelion" parallel--probably not that unusual a reaction if you think about it...

[Via Stephen S and Cigar Rollers]

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gosh, it would do away with the need for background checks on passengers. But I can hear them now "Why not keep BOTH!"

I won't be getting on a plane again, unless it's a charter flight with no TSA nonsense.
Gotta wonder. Those bracelets. They have metal contacts on the underside? Some kind of insulating material stuffed in between could disable them. There are always countermeasures.
They could just put everyone in a private cage, straitjacket, or sedate them. Every plane a cargo plane. Arrive rested and refreshed.
I think the "too far" that we talk about is very near.

Anonymous said...

I'm not normally a betting man, but I'll wager 1000 quatloos that these will appear next in public schools as substitutes for Ritalin and in-school "law enforcement resource officers."

Anonymous said...

Not in any school where I work.

I will never accept these devices anywhere in society, and if this is the route we are taking, I guess I have to look forward to being arrested.

I am not wearing a dog collar. That's where I draw the line.

Ken said...

All I can say to the promulgators of that idea is, "Ye maun try...."

Anonymous said...

"By: S&Tspokesman

Shocking, but False

Sometimes it just amazes me how these stories evolve. Let me start off by saying that the Department of Homeland Security’s Science & Technology Directorate nor TSA have been pursuing shock bracelets for airline passengers as alleged by the Washington Times Blog.

This allegation stemmed from a misleading video posted on the Lamberd Website which depicts an ID bracelet that would contain identifying information as well as the ability to stun the wearer. The company claims to connect use of such a device to DHS and TSA, but no discussions between these agencies has ever taken place.

This all originated from a meeting held two years ago with a private company representative (not Lamberd) who proposed bracelet technology in response to the TSA's desire to find less-than-lethal means to detain an apprehended suspect.

The bracelet was never intended to replace boarding passes, contain ID information or be worn by all passengers as asserted in the Lamberd video and discussed in the Washington Times Blog.

The hypothetical use of the bracelet would have been for transporting already apprehended prisoners and detainees at prisons and border patrol facilities, and DHS was looking to see if there were potential air travel applications for apprehended suspects.

This concept was never funded or supported by the DHS or TSA and hasn’t even been discussed for two years. The letter circulating throughout the blogosphere from Paul Ruwaldt was not addressed to Lamberd and merely states the DHS was interested in learning more about the technology. Neither side followed up.

DHS/TSA does NOT support the asserted use and has not pursued the development of such technology.
July 8, 2008 at 5:08 p.m. "


Move along... nothing to see here....

;-)

David Codrea said...

Sure there is, 1894C. I specifically alluded to that controversy, and also that I'd read the comments, but the fact remains this is the kind of stuff companies are coming up with to help enslave us--whether it's the opportunists hawking microstamping, to mercenaries, to ventures developing "smart guns"...and the fact is, DHS was looking at using it on "prisoners"--so we can't say there was no government interest, and it doesn't seem a stretch to acknowledge that government applications tend to grow, not shrink. If not on airplanes, then where else...?

The best way to make sure there's always "nothing to see here" is to shine a light and bang pots--not to throw cold water on those efforts by automatically assuming an anonymous comment poster identifying himself as an "S&T Spokesman" should be the final word on the matter.

Anonymous said...

David,

I agree with your assessment.


I included the ;-) at the end of my comment to show sarcasm.

I thought the fact that the article shined a light and was followed up by a supposed TSA rep doing damage control was typical MO for the .GOV when caught considering particularly insidious new ways to infringe on the populous.

That comment made me say (tongue in cheek) "move along, nothing to see here"

Thanks again for all you do to bring such insults to liberty to light.

Best regards,

1894C

Anonymous said...

The first Chip will be external, just like this. People already have their gas station SpeedPass. Just wave the little key fob at the pump, and you're paid up and ready to roll. You can buy deli sandwiches and anything else with it too. You wouldn't be driving unless you had your keys and your license on you. The Chip can fit in either.
Conditioning. People want to get into Disney parks enough to have their hands scanned. Breathalyzers integrated into car ignitions? How bad do you want to drive, or ride the Rock 'n' Rollercoaster? Hmmmm?
Idaho is looking mighty good.

David Codrea said...

Gotcha, 1894C. I should have known you were on board.

Kent McManigal said...

I can see one good use for these things: congress, the supreme courtjesters, and the Terrorist-in-Chief should wear these things all the time. They could be activated by logging onto a website whenever one of these Clowns of Coercion pisses off a "citizen". Maybe a toll-free number could activate them too. I don't know if you could make a big enough battery to power them.

Anonymous said...

Seeing as how any of us could be reclassified a terrorist, thought y'all might be interested in comments from the defense lawyer for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, a planner of the 9/11 attacks:

“The government has the ability to use hearsay evidence against my client. I may not have the right to confront the people who are accusing my client. You don’t appreciate the Sixth Amendment until you’re told you’re going to have to live without it.”
Prince also is appalled by the government’s plan to use information coerced from Mohammed through waterboarding, which would be unthinkable in a civilian court.
“Would you have ever thought that confessions extracted forcibly could be used in any kind of proceedings under an American flag?” Prince said.
After World War II, Prince noted, “we in fact executed Japanese that extracted confessions [from U.S. military personnel] through waterboarding. The people who carried it out were considered war criminals.”

Anonymous said...

Related to Kent's idea: a SciFi story I read many years ago had the politicians wearing an explosive collar. If enough of the citizens, at the same time, pushed the "I'm pissed at you" button then the politician's head was blown off. Sound like a good idea to me -- I say we start them off with the "shock" collar version and then progress to the "real deal" if they don't straighten up their act.

Anonymous said...

"Citizens, it's 11:00. Do you know where your politicians are at?"

Anonymous said...

S&Tspokesman:
"...the TSA's desire to find less-than-lethal means to detain an apprehended suspect."


This CYA memo doesn't change anything. The TSA asked for a device to tag and incapacitate "suspicious" travelers. Nowhere does the spokesman mention unruly, or dangerous behavior -- or even a legal arrest performed within the bounds of the powers granted the TSA by the Constitution. (Which are...?) A traveler may be suspicious if he shares a name with a wanted criminal or attempts to carry a shampoo bottle on board.

If I'm going to be detained and electrocuted by the State, I would like the benefit of trial by jury of peers, or a padded room, happy pills and three free meals a day.

Anonymous said...

I suggest that they only train people they don't like as installers.

Anonymous said...

defender,
There is no need for them to reclassify us, as we are already classified as domestic terrorists. The definition is already in the criminal justice textbooks.