Our Government in Action

To say that this is a stupid waste of money is to state the obvious. Any program like this if enacted would bankrupt the airlines as potential passengers find other ways to get to their destinations. Congress would be deluged with more protest mail, phone calls, e-mails, and Faxes than they received during debate over the McCain Kennedy Amnesty Bill. If enacted, look for civil disobedience to rise to all-time highs as people destroy their bracelets, stop paying taxes, and start defacing airport property. More subtle people would come up with more subtle forms of protest - remember the advice to always give the government computers more information than they need, and to make sure some of it is wrong (a different something on each form)?

Washington Times - Politics, Breaking News, US and World News - "Want some torture with your peanuts?" by Aviation Security:
"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 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

The Electronic ID Bracelet, as it’s referred to as, would be worn by every traveler “until they disembark the flight at their destination.”
. . .
So is the government really that interested in this bracelet? Yes!

According to a letter from DHS official, Paul S. Ruwaldt of the Science and Technology Directorate, office of Research and Development, to the inventor whom he had previously met with, he 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, came from the DHS 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, “It is conceivable to envision a use to improve air security, on passenger planes.”

Would every paying airline passenger flying on a commercial airplane be mandated to wear one of these devices? I cringe at the thought. Not only could it be used as a physical restraining device, but also as a method of interrogation, according to the same aforementioned letter from Mr. Ruwaldt.

Would you let them put one of those on your wrist? Would you allow the airline employees, which would be mandated by the government, to place such a bracelet on any member of your family?

Why are tax dollars being spent on something like this? Is this a police state or is it America?"

Buy an old car (without any computers), restore it, and enjoy travelling the USA - while it's still legal. If you're worried about the price of fuel, consider converting it to use propane.