Proposal to implant tracking chips in Immigrants...

[b]Proposal to Implant Tracking Chips in Immigrants[/b]
[i]By Bill Christensen[/i]
Technology Correspondant, Technology.com
31 May 2006

Scott Silverman, Chairman of the Board of VeriChip Corporation, has proposed implanting the company's RFID tracking tags in immigrant and guest workers. He made the statement on national television earlier this week.

Silverman was being interviewed on "Fox & Friends." Responding to the Bush administration's call to know "who is in our country and why they are here," he proposed using VeriChip RFID implants to register workers at the border, and then verify their identities in the workplace. He added, "We have talked to many people in Washington about using it...."

The VeriChip is a very small Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag about the size of a large grain of rice. It can be injected directly into the body; a special coating on the casing helps the VeriChip bond with living tissue and stay in place. A special RFID reader broadcasts a signal, and the antenna in the VeriChip draws power from the signal and sends its data. The VeriChip is a passive RFID tag; since it does not require a battery, it has a virtually unlimited life span.

RFID tags have long been used to identify animals in a variety of settings; livestock, laboratory animals and pets have been "chipped" for decades. Privacy advocates have long expressed concerns about this technology being used in human beings.

In a related story, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe allegedly remarked to visiting U.S. senators Jeff Sessions (Alabama) and Arlen Specter (Pennsylvania) that microchips could be used to track seasonal workers. "President Uribe said he would consider having Colombian workers have microchips implanted in their bodies before they are permitted to enter the U.S. for seasonal work," Specter told Congress on April 25.

Implanting microchips in human beings for the purpose of monitoring is not exactly news for science fiction fans; Alfred Bester wrote about "skull bugs" in his 1974 novel The Computer Connection:

"...you don't know what's going on in the crazy culture outside. It's a bugged and drugged world. Ninety percent of the bods have bugs implanted in their skulls in hospital when they're born. They're monitored constantly."

Click [url=http://www.livescience.com/scienceoffiction/060531_rfid_chips.html]HERE[/url] to read the entire article.

[i]Even so, come, Lord Jesus![/i]

:-)

I think statements like this could be an ominous signal of what's to come later, but in my opinion the current winds of discussion regarding immigrants are blowing in the opposite direction for now. Presently, any lawmaker who would propose to tag immigrants like animals would be committing political suicide. The press would have a picnic with this one.

However, winds are known to change their course. ;-) And this paragraph shows the standard operating procedure of US politicians...

Wisconsin's former governor Tommy Thompson supported the idea of chip implantation for medical identification reasons; he even joined Verichip's board of directors. However, he hasn't gotten the chip himself.

Uh-huh.

MC

I think using these on immigrants coming into the country is a good thing, until they are citizens, they have to abide by our immigration rules, but too many do not.

bro Mike

Uh-huh.

UUHHH-HHUUHHH YEAH!

bro Matt
i'm not sure where it will all lead if such a program is implemented. most people who come here legally, ie getting the necessary visa and so on do follow the laws which allows the alteration of status to permanant resident and citizenship. my wife came here on a student visa and was out of status for a while since she wasn't in school. we got married, got a lawyer and ammended her status to permanent resident. according to our lawyer (and i agree) some of the laws for coming here as a studend are rather draconian such as not being able to work, where would one find the money for the fees?

one could argue that the way in which this land was taken could hardly be called legal in the first place...

at the end of the day, the Lord knows all and sees all.

Hi IRONMAN...

i'm not sure where it will all lead if such a program is implemented. most people who come here legally, ie getting the necessary visa and so on do follow the laws which allows the alteration of status to permanant resident and citizenship. my wife came here on a student visa and was out of status for a while since she wasn't in school. we got married, got a lawyer and ammended her status to permanent resident. according to our lawyer (and i agree) some of the laws for coming here as a studend are rather draconian such as not being able to work, where would one find the money for the fees?

one could argue that the way in which this land was taken could hardly be called legal in the first place...

at the end of the day, the Lord knows all and sees all.

This reminds me of something that happened a few years ago. I was telling a computer tech at our Church about Bible prophecy. He was not a christian, but he was asking alot of questions. When I explained some of the possibilities about "the mark" (including how it might be a possible bank-card type of chip), he got really excited. "[i]THAT'S A GREAT IDEA[/i]!!!" he exclaimed. He was really keen on the idea of not loosing cash or credit cards. Up to that point, I hadn't really thought about how "good" an idea such a thing might be perceived by people in this world.

:-)

bro Chris

Good point. I suppose that alot of such ideas will be brought about in the name of "good intentions." This will not happen right now (it wouldn't pass in American courts -- and it's not part of the Administration's plan to stop illegal immigration). But imagine what would happen following a worldwide global catastrophe. I currently lean toward a pre-trib rapture -- and such a rapture itself could be reason enough to implement such a GPS identifiable chip.

i don't think it'll fly right now either but the fact that it is even being considered is cause for concern. as far as the rapture is concerned, the scale of it will be much smaller than is commonly assumed/taught so i don't think that this will usher in the widespread use of such chips. the mark of the beast which is both spiritual (ties the marked to the beast in worship) and physical, (required for buying and selling) comes a good way into the tribulation.

This reminds me of something that happened a few years ago. I was telling a computer tech at our Church about Bible prophecy. He was not a christian, but he was asking alot of questions. When I explained some of the possibilities about "the mark" (including how it might be a possible bank-card type of chip), he got really excited. "THAT'S A GREAT IDEA!!!" he exclaimed. He was really keen on the idea of not loosing cash or credit cards. Up to that point, I hadn't really thought about how "good" an idea such a thing might be perceived by people in this world.

well as believers we see things very differently from the heathen. because the Lord has quickened us to what is the deeper spiritual implication of what's going on, we see beyond the surface. let this be an example of the Lord's grace and mercy on us for if it were not so, we too would be just as lost as your workmate. let us remember we are saved by the grace and mercy of God and not of our own effort lest we think we can earn our way into heaven.

I think its rather silly to try and tag all immigrants. Imagine this... If I was a shady character from another country I would enter the states legally, get the chip, then sell it for a hefty profit to those that want the appearance of being in the states legally. Now if I was really shady, I would go wide scale and sponsor hundreds of people to get this chip and get big dollars for it.

Granted its better than having ID cards but you can still steal and sell such devices for profit.