Homeland Security Proposal

[cloudy]

It looks like we've slid right past "paranoid" straight into something out of Big Brother:

From the Washington Times:

A senior government official with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has expressed great interest in a so-called safety bracelet that would serve as a stun device, similar to that of a police Taser®. According to the Lamperd Less Lethal, Inc. 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

The Electronic ID Bracelet, as it’s referred to, would be worn by every traveler “until they disembark the flight at their destination.” Yes, you read that correctly. Every airline passenger would be tracked by a government-funded GPS, containing personal, private and confidential information, and would shock the customer worse than an electronic dog collar if the passenger got out of line.

Clearly the Electronic ID Bracelet is a euphemism for the EMD Safety Bracelet, or at least it has a nefarious hidden ability (thus the term ID Bracelet is ambiguous at best). EMD stands for Electro-Musclar Disruption. Again, according to the promotional video, the bracelet can completely immobilize the wearer for several minutes.

So is the government really that interested in this bracelet?

Apparently so.

According to this letter from DHS official, Paul S. Ruwaldt of the Science and Technology Directorate, office of Research and Development, which was written to the inventor whom he had previously met with, Ruwaldt wrote, “To make it clear, we [the federal government] are interested in . . . the immobilizing security bracelet, and look forward to receiving a written proposal.”

The letterhead, in case you were wondering, is from a U.S. Department of Homeland Security office at the William J. Hughes Technical Center at the Atlantic City International Airport, or the Federal Aviation Administration headquarters.

In another part of the letter, Mr. Ruwaldt confirmed, “In addition, it is conceivable to envision a use to improve air security, on passenger planes.”

Full article here.

**********

WTF????? I'll give up air travel rather than submit to this rather Orwellian procedure.

The ACLU has set up a complaint letter that you can send directly to Congress asking them to reign in DHS travel abuses here.

 

[rgraham666]

I'm guessing Mr. Ruwaldt thinks that he won't have to wear the thing when he takes the plane, being one of 'the good guys'.

One way to tell if an idea is a bad one. Ask yourself, "Would I like it if it was applied to me?"

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I'd say it's a bunch of horseshit, but with Americans willing to give up more and more of their freedoms in the name of 'National Security' it just might come to pass.

Although I think if it does you can expect the airlines to loose more and more revenue as more and more people switch to some other form of transportation within the continental United States. I know I would...rail, auto, bus, but I don't travel much anymore and would drive anywhere I would need to go.

 

[Guest]

I'm done flying to Chicago, certainly. It's easier to drive. Way too much money and damn near the same amount of time to fly when it's all said and done, anyway.

(Though I still appreciate the ride to and from the airport you gave me, Zeb.)

I think people wouldn't mind wearing an identifying wrist band, certainly. My kids wore them while at camp, we wore them while visiting a theme park, etc.

But some sort of bracelet with complete financial information, and with the ability to have a disabling shock being administered at somebody's whim?

And you think I'm going to allow you to place one of those things on my children???

I don't think so.

 

[impressive]

I'll give up air travel rather than submit to this rather Orwellian procedure.

Our president and Congress should be required to wear them -- hooked up to a vast public approval polling system. If they tip too far, ZZZZZZZZZZZZZAP!

 

[john-the-author]

Jesus H. Christ in a baggie, the willingness of people to put up with fascism never ceases to amaze me.

Folks hearing this should stand up and threaten to punch the crap out of anyone who even tried putting one of these on them. And they should all collectively run to Washington and kick the shit out of the fuckwit who proposed this.

Let's see: would I actually trust the goons and retards in the TSA to administer this fairly, reasonably, responsibly? Are you fucking insane????

 

[Lisa Denton]

It sounds great but they need to improve it.

As is there could of course be accidental shocking incidents, like when peoples is shootin for the mile high club in the restroom.

Also, some people wouldn't want to wear it.

They should build one into the headrest of each seat, and increase the voltage.

Now, as take-off begins, with each passenger safely strapped in thier seats, a strap comes out of the headrest and wraps around thier head and shocks them unconscious for as long as the flight takes. Then, when they wake up upon landin everbody is happy and saying "geez, it seems like it didn't take no time."

And the airline will save money not having to serve snacks and drinks.

To make sure there is no unwanted hostilities towards this new technology, simply have it developed and implemented by the "Passenger Safety and Comfort" division of Homeland Security.

 

[3113]

• 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

This is one of those "What could possibly go wrong?" ideas, isn't it?

Don't worry. I don't think the airlines want to lose any more money then they're losing now, and they will lose big time if someone is accidently shocked to death (can you imagine the lawsuit?). I sincerely doubt this'll come to pass.

 

[impressive]

They should build one into the headrest of each seat, and increase the voltage.

Now, as take-off begins, with each passenger safely strapped in thier seats, a strap comes out of the headrest and wraps around thier head and shocks them unconscious for as long as the flight takes. Then, when they wake up upon landin everbody is happy and saying "geez, it seems like it didn't take no time."

And the airline will save money not having to serve snacks and drinks.

To make sure there is no unwanted hostilities towards this new technology, simply have it developed and implemented by the "Passenger Safety and Comfort" division of Homeland Security.

. .

 

[jomar]

I bet we'd be flabbergasted at what all zany ideas "they've" brainstormed in the name of homeland security. This idea just made it out of the building.

 

[john-the-author]

You know, as "Burn Notice" so eptly demonstrated last week, if you're holding on to someone when you get shocked, they get shocked, too. So you could have two terrorists on a plane armed with ~nothing~. One of them gets frisky and grabs on to an Air Marshall on the plane. He gets shocked and it shocks the Air Marshall, too. The second terrorist disables their bracelet (I've already thought of a couple ways to do that and I haven't even seen one!), grabs the gun from the Air Marshall, and now you have one conscious terrorist with a gun, one groggy terrorist, and one groggy Air Marshall, who could be shot/bashed over the head and knocked out to keep him out of the picture.

And guess what? The terrorists didn't need to smuggle jack shit on board to do it--everything they needed was already there waiting for them.

ONLY the Ministry of Homeland Security could come up with a clusterfuck this impressive.

Let's let them all wear the bracelets and field test the system. I'd pay money to watch that. I truly would.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

What mystifies me about the reactions to this shitforbrains proposal is the idea that somehow the flying public would accept it without a whimper. Did any one notice the firestorm that greeted the proposal to classify the Pill as an abortion? Some of us are selling the rest of us short.

 

[RicoLouis]

Please like this will ever pass.

Zzzztttt. Ouch damn braclet.

 

[Liar]

This is one of those "What could possibly go wrong?" ideas, isn't it?

Ten minutes til it's hacked by a teenager with a cell phone.

 

[RicoLouis]

there's a good question. I can't use my laptop or cell phone on the plane but I get an radio transmiter attached to my arm.

 

[3113]

there's a good question. I can't use my laptop or cell phone on the plane but I get an radio transmiter attached to my arm.

Now *there's* one hell of a "what could possibly go wrong" scenario! Zap the terrorist and the radio interferes with the plane's guidance system sending it plummeting....

Yeah, I know, not likely, but could you imagine the dialogue on the retrieved black box from that incident?

 

[Guest]

Anyone else getting plot bunnies from this?

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Anyone else getting plot bunnies from this?

Yeah, but it isn't about strapping a zapper to someone's arm.

 

[rgraham666]

Already wrote that story.

 

[TE999]

Sounds like one of the torture devices the Ministry of Love used on Winston Smith in '1984' to convince him he loved Big Brother.

Bring back passenger trains, privately operated ones, bullet trains, and not that fucking AMTRAK either.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Sounds like one of the torture devices the Ministry of Love used on Winston Smith in '1984' to convince him he loved Big Brother.

Bring back passenger trains, privately operated ones, bullet trains, and not that fucking AMTRAK either.

Man, I have wanted my own private rail car for years. I swear, if I ever win a lottery that may be the first true luxury I purchase. Then I can travel around in my own personal batchelor pad visiting all the lucious lovelies I've met here.

I might even swing by you and Desert Pirate for a drink.

 

[emap]

mythbusters proved that cell phones don't interfere with plane systems, not a powerful enough broadcast I think. They keep them banned from use on the plane because if you rig a booster they can, or the entire plane starts calling out or receiving it might be a problem.

There is a way to keep the system safeish for everyone, they only activate when you try and go up to the cockpit or other areas of the plane your not supposed to go. Which leads to a bigger problem, they would have to strip out every single plane to add the hardware to make that work, not going to happen. Would have to add it over time, which isn't a terribly good idea, those planes stay in service for decades. No airline would phase out the old planes for the compatible versions unless the government pays for it, which won't happen.

It's just a pipe dream anyway. Not to say them thinking about it is anything beyond what else can we make those idiots do.

 

[Guest]

mythbusters proved that cell phones don't interfere with plane systems, not a powerful enough broadcast I think. They keep them banned from use on the plane because if you rig a booster they can, or the entire plane starts calling out or receiving it might be a problem.

There is a way to keep the system safeish for everyone, they only activate when you try and go up to the cockpit or other areas of the plane your not supposed to go. Which leads to a bigger problem, they would have to strip out every single plane to add the hardware to make that work, not going to happen. Would have to add it over time, which isn't a terribly good idea, those planes stay in service for decades. No airline would phase out the old planes for the compatible versions unless the government pays for it, which won't happen.

It's just a pipe dream anyway. Not to say them thinking about it is anything beyond what else can we make those idiots do.

I love Mythbusters.

 

[cloudy]

There is a way to keep the system safeish for everyone, they only activate when you try and go up to the cockpit or other areas of the plane your not supposed to go. Which leads to a bigger problem, they would have to strip out every single plane to add the hardware to make that work, not going to happen. Would have to add it over time, which isn't a terribly good idea, those planes stay in service for decades. No airline would phase out the old planes for the compatible versions unless the government pays for it, which won't happen.

It's just a pipe dream anyway. Not to say them thinking about it is anything beyond what else can we make those idiots do.

Nope, I'm not wearing that, either.

 

[AvoidingRealWork]

If you're willing to voluntarily trap yourself in a small metal cylinder 6 miles above the earth kept aloft by an airfoil and a couple of turbine engines, then additionally submitting to having a stun device strapped to your wrist seems, to me, to be a trivial matter.

I hate to fly; they can strip search the passenger manifest for all I care.