I’ve never been able to decide (and we’ll probably never know) if the neo-cons running America are consciously and cynically using the threat of terrorism to roll back hundreds of years of human and civil rights (and seriously, why would they want to do that? They don’t gain anything from that.) or if this pants-shitting cowardice is real, and they honestly believe that people living in caves on the other side of the world really are the “greatest threat this nation has even faced.”

Even in the current state of perpetual panic, however, every once something still makes me say “Shit! These morons are serious!”

It seems that the Department of Homeland Security and the TSA are quite excited about Lamperd’s “EMD Safety Bracelet.” There is a video on the site that really has to be seen to be believed, but I’ll explain briefly.

Under the plan, when we board a flight we would all be issued “safety bracelets” which could only be removed by security personal at the destination. If the airline crew decides we are misbehaving in flight, they will be able to remotely activate our bracelets to deliver a “debilitating electric shock that would render [us] unconscious for several minutes.”

What’s most disturbing is that these people were not laughed at or spat on, but are being actively encouraged by the US government.

Mt friend Stuart pointed me towards this article on how the British Government is now recognizing McDonald’s shift manager training as formal educational credits.

The article is full of quotes as to how this will provide greater eductionial oportunitys by allowing more people to get degrees and increase intentional competitiveness and result in a more skilled workforce, presumably because more people earn degrees.

It’s all nonsense, of course, giving more workers progressively more meaningless pieces of paper does not make the workforce more skilled any more than (as the US is finding out) printing more money makes the population any richer.

Just finished cleaning up after another home party. (It was a blast. We really have to have more of those.) Other than a mysterious green stain on the rug, everything looks just like it did last night. Quite a difference from the parites I used to throw in the US. The last one I threw there I woke up the next morning to find an enire pizza stuck to the ceiling. At least it made my breakfast choices easier.