The Police Nanny State
Monday, March 24th, 2008I’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.