Posted on 02/05/2006 5:08:15 PM PST by Calpernia
Because of 9/11, our national government has decided to issue electronically readable, standardized ID cards to every human being within our borders.
By 2008, you'll need the card, embedded with a radio-frequency chip, to board planes, open a bank account or use government services. The goal is to make it tougher for terrorists to move freely among us.
When Pat Showalter heard of the cards, the 71-year-old great-grandmother who lives in the woods near Snohomish shook her head and wondered what the U.S. was coming to.
She soon found out. They want to radio-tag all the animals, too.
"I tell people about this, and they think I've gone nuts."
She's talking about an extraordinary plan under way to register, and track, every livestock animal in the U.S. That's all the cows, horses, sheep, goats, chickens, turkeys, pigs, even llamas.
It's called the National Animal Identification System. It seeks to assign each animal a 15-digit ID number and physical tag such as a radio-frequency device. So far it's voluntary, but it's slated to be mandatory in 2009 for any animal that moves from one property to another (i.e. if they're sold, borrowed, displayed at a fair, or just wander around a lot.)
It's well-meaning. If we know where all the animals are at all times, then we can quickly quell outbreaks of disease, such as mad-cow or avian flu.
But there are more than 10 billion such animals in the U.S. We kill 9 billion chickens a year. Keeping track of them all, even if some are registered in groups, will require massive government record keeping.
Another problem: It's insane. Especially for people who own just a handful of animals.
Take Showalter. She keeps 30 goats, 50 Muscovy ducks and "several dozen chickens, some of them feral," on her five-acre Zederkamm Farm near the Snohomish River.
She says radio-tagging them is doable, though pricey. But she'll have to file reports whenever they leave her land — such as when children borrow a goat to pull a cart, or she sells some ducks, or a coyote runs off with a chicken. She figures she won't have time for much else.
It's one thing to track animals at big feedlots. But goats in the woods in Snohomish?
This program will no doubt be softened. It's too burdensome and creepy to survive as advertised.
It has already radicalized at least one great-grandmother.
Showalter says she's never been an activist. She's a conservative, a Christian, a seller of goat-milk soap.
"But I absolutely will not go along with this," she said. "I refuse. I guess I'm just going to hold out up here until the government comes to get me."
This is about more than this one program. It's about who we're becoming. That we're considering radio-tagging all our people and animals, even if it's to fight terrorism and disease, is a mark of a country gone round the bend with fear.
As Showalter puts it:
"We're looking over our shoulders so much, afraid of something terrible happening, that we can't see that this is no way to live."
The CFRs from the NGO grant monies makes everything the monies touch, theirs.
All the data collected from tagging and premise registration goes into the GLOBAL database.
Here is the companies press release.
GLOBAL VERICHIP SUBSCRIBER (GVS) REGISTRY READY FOR FIRST-EVER VERICHIP "CHIPPING" PROCEDURE ON MAY 10TH AND LAUNCH OF VERICHIP INTO U.S. MARKET
Secure database and 24/7 operations center will support VeriChip subscribers, affiliates and authorized centers.
PALM BEACH, FL �May 2, 2002 -- Applied Digital Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADSX), an advanced technology development company, announced today that its Global VeriChip Subscriber (GVS) Registry service is ready for the first-ever VeriChip "chipping" procedure on May 10, 2002 and VeriChip's official market launch in the United States.
The GVS Registry service, first announced April 9, 2002, supports VeriChip subscribers, authorized VeriChip centers and VeriChip System Affiliates (such as hospitals, EMTs, search and rescue units, and urgent care clinics) by providing immediate access to vital subscriber information in an emergency.
Full-scale marketplace operation of the GVS Registry service will begin with the historic Jacobs family "chipping" procedure on May 10, 2002. The procedure will be followed by a press conference and an invitation-only brunch for business partners and community leaders.
During the press conference and the business brunch, Applied Digital executives will unveil more details about VeriChip's rollout plans.
VeriChip is a miniaturized, implantable, radio frequency identification device (RFID) that can be used in a variety of security, emergency and healthcare applications. About the size of a grain of rice, each VeriChip is composed of FDA-accepted materials and contains a unique verification number that can seamlessly integrate to the GVS Registry via a proprietary VeriChip scanner. Instant access to such vital information as allergies to medications, medical device implants, pre-existing medical conditions and emergency contact numbers could save lives in an emergency and enhance the peace of mind of subscribers and their loved ones.
The new GVS Registry Service is hosted and maintained by Digital Angel Corporation's (Amex: DOC) state-of-the-art, FDA-compliant operations centers in Riverside, California and Owings, Maryland. Complementary, 24/7 call-center services are provided by a physician-supervised staff of support associates in Owings, Maryland.
The GVS Registry service will initially support VeriChip subscribers in South Florida who will be "chipped" during the company's initial product rollout beginning with the Jacobs family on May 10, 2002.
Performed under the supervision of the company's first Authorized VeriChip Center in Palm Beach County, the rollout will feature the use of the first ChipMobile� � a state of the art, medically equipped mobile unit that will deliver VeriChip to initial target markets such as elder care centers, critical care facilities and Generation Y events. The Palm Beach County rollout will last until June 30, 2002, at which time the company expects to move into other geographic markets and initiate nationwide distributor alliance programs.
Commenting on this announcement, Scott R. Silverman, President of Applied Digital Solutions, said: "As promised, the GVS Registry is now fully operational and is prepared to securely house subscriber information so it can be accessed by Authorized VeriChip Affiliates such as hospitals and EMS units. We're confident the GVS Registry's secure software and database will integrate seamlessly with the VeriChip product and proprietary scanners to provide our subscribers with instant access to potentially life-saving, accurate, complete emergency healthcare information stored in the Registry."
About VeriChip� VeriChip, first announced on December 19, 2001, is a miniaturized, implantable, radio frequency identification device (RFID) that can be used in a variety of security, emergency and healthcare applications.
On April 4, 2002, the company announced that it had received written guidance that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not consider VeriChip's personal verification device to be a regulated medical device, enabling the company to begin sales, marketing and distribution of VeriChip in the United States. About the size of a grain of rice, each VeriChip is composed of FDA-accepted materials and contains a unique verification number. That number is captured by briefly passing a proprietary, external scanner over the VeriChip. A small amount of radio frequency energy passes through the skin energizing the dormant VeriChip, which then emits a radio frequency signal transmitting the verification number. The company believes its first-mover advantage will enable it to gain significant market share in the emergency information and verification market that is estimated to exceed $15 billion. VeriChip Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Applied Digital Solutions.
About Digital Angel Corporation Digital Angel Corporation (Amex: DOC) was formed on March 27, 2002, in a merger between Digital Angel Corporation and Medical Advisory Systems, a global leader in telemedicine that has operated a 24/7, physician-staffed call center in Owings, Maryland, for two decades.
Prior to the merger, Digital Angel Corporation was a wholly owned subsidiary of Applied Digital Solutions. Applied Digital Solutions is the beneficial owner of 19.6 million shares of Digital Angel Corporation. Digital Angel� technology represents the first-ever combination of advanced biosensors and Web-enabled wireless telecommunications linked to the Global Positioning System (GPS). By utilizing advanced biosensor capabilities, Digital Angel will be able to monitor key body functions � such as temperature and pulse � and transmit that data, along with accurate emergency location information, to a ground station or monitoring facility. For more information about Digital Angel, visit www.digitalangel.net.
About Applied Digital Solutions Applied Digital Solutions (Nasdaq: ADSX) is an advanced technology development company that focuses on a range of early warning alert, miniaturized power sources and security monitoring systems combined with the comprehensive data management services required to support them. Through its Advanced Technology Group, the company specializes in security-related data collection, value-added data intelligence and complex data delivery systems for a wide variety of end users including commercial operations, government agencies and consumers.
For more information, visit the company's website at http://www.adsx.com.
Statements about the Company's future expectations, including future revenues and earnings, and all other statements in this press release other than historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and as that term is defined in the Private Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time, and the Company's actual results could differ materially from expected results. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequently occurring events or circumstances.
Investor Contact---------------------------Media Contact Lynn Anderson-------------------------Matthew Cossolotto Phone: 561-805-8007------------------Phone: 914-245-9721
I can see this part of the law is going to be observed more in the breach than in the observance, and country people being as they are, almost nobody is going to snitch. A little more contempt for overbearing feds is always a good thing.
It seems Digital Angel already thought of that and circled the wagon.
They already went and made partnerships and business deals with feedlots, Vets, and multiple types of Ag businesses where you won't be able to do any business without being scanned or providing premise information.
http://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/animalID/FactSheets/ProviderTable.pdf
I just see a big black market opportunity here.
Where there are buyers, there will be sellers.
Thank you.
I misunderstood and thought that the article said the government was planning to require HUMANS to have these chips. I looked at one government site and was somewhat relieved with this Q&A:
"Courtney, from Birmingham writes:
This Verichip news that was in the Birmingham Times today concerns me, and should concern any American who likes and deserves their: 1. freedom 2.privacy What is the current administration's policy on the Verichip matter other than medical. Will we one day be required by law to submit ourselves to this technology for global numbering and tracking? Thank You.
Harriet Miers
Hello, Courtney. Not on our watch."
from http://www.whitehouse.gov/ask/20041014.html
Oh thank you for that link. Going to read now.
I remember thinking that people worried about 'the mark of the beast' were paranoid. OK. Time to reset my thinking.
L
I was thinking about the "human" aspects of this article.
So are the insurance companies.
Did the people behind this honestly expect little Susie to file a report to the feds every time she rides her shetland pony up the road to visit the neighbor kid?""
The people behind this insanity don't have any exposure to large animals or farm animals, IMO.
I have horses, and this "law" will make me an instant criminal.
I can ride/train from my driveway, and I will NOT report my every movement, much less the movement of my horses and dogs. Hell, the dogs leave the property every day to greet people at the mailbox across the street. Good luck to the officials with that problem.
This is more than "just tagging the critters with a microchip at the cost of $25 each". The owner must also have a scanner- cost about $800 on hand at all times to scan the critters for any official and prove they are yours, etc. If I take any of my horses to an event, I must
take the scanner with me and be prepared to scan them if I am stopped enroute, and they must be scanned when they enter and leave the event, and the time recorded.
This is so over the top, it proves that some government employees have waaaayyy toooo much time on their hands.
This is the same government that cannot keep track of convicted sex offenders, for crying out loud!!!!! Seems to me that is far more important than where my mares are at all times.
USA has had VIN numbers in vehicles and trailers for decades. It hasn't slowed down thefts, nor has it speeded up getting the vehicles back to their rightful owners.
This is a serious intrusion into your freedom of travel, and I for one won't do it. The government can come and get my critters and take care of them. I doubt they will do anywhere near as good a job of that as I do and have been doing for over 2 decades.
If owning horses is making me an outlaw, then perhaps only outlaws will own horses???
Remember- you can freak out the city slickers with this:
Chickens egs exit the chicken out the same orifice that their manure comes out of......
Wonder how much money Indiana will lose when there are no more county or state fairs???
By 2008, you'll need the card, embedded with a radio-frequency chip, to board planes, open a bank account or use government services. The goal is to make it tougher for terrorists to move freely among us. ""
This will permanently bankrupt the airline industry. Sell your travel stocks now. Resorts and hotels will fold, also.
Yes, that's exactly what this law is about. If you ride a horse off one "premises location" (and every one of them is to be registered in this stupid system) to another, you have twenty-four hours to get it into the system. ""
Are they expecting to rely on government employees answering the phones?
I know horse owners that do not have computers, and even a couple that do not have phones. Try making them comply.
Remember- you can freak out the city slickers with this:
Chickens egs exit the chicken out the same orifice that their manure comes out of......
I'm thinking of how we can get barcodes on individual eggs (and why we would wish to do that).
I know who is behind it. The vegetarians!
>>>I have horses, and this "law" will make me an instant criminal.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1570889/posts
TENNESSEE LAUNCHES EQUINE PASSPORT PROGRAM
http://nationalpropertyowners.org/holt.ppt
Animal Passports - EQUINE INTERSTATE PASSPORT CONCEPT
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