Not surprising. I was waiting for the chip implant to be raised in this context, since it had already been raised in local press (and the BBC) after the tsunami. Story here.
More on chip: Years ago I reported ADS was claiming they wanted to push the chip as a universal biometric identifier a la Donna Shalala. PR only? On July 31, London's The Business reported that Tommy Thompson "is putting the final touches to a plan that could result in US citizens having [an RFID] chip inserted under their skin...The RFID capsules would be linked to a database being created by the Department of Health and Human Services to store and manage the nation's health records." About the Applied Digital Solutions' (maker of the chip) CEO, WebMD reported, "soon he expects that millions of people will get VeriChip implants every year." Well those reports have a tone of projective interpretation about them, don't they?
ADS has always been big on grandiose announcements, leading some short-sellers to consider them little more than hawkers of P.T. Barnum-style hoopla. And there's no doubt that Thompson, who has to earn his keep now that he's officially part of ADS, is doing this for PR purposes. However, in 2000 ADS reported a $70 billion market projection (for the US alone) made by McKinsey & Co.
Critics who consider the product worthless and silly, should note that that has never prevented the fed govt from spending millions or billions on such items.
Furthermore, there are the costs of identification of bodies in disasters. Many local budgets are already strained to the max in the US. Anyone who wanted to sell governments on this would point to cost-savings benefits, including the benefits of aid in solving crime were the whole populace be required to be chipped (previous location via records from RFID portals at shops, subways, places of employment could be checked).
There are reasons people are taking the prospect seriously.
Also see: Why not implant a microchip? - Cato Institute
Beasty-emails: That being said, given all the articles I've written on the chip, I keep getting emails from people who believe the implant is the "mark of the beast" written about in the book of Revelation. I even get emails from people who say they've referenced my articles in books they've written on the subject. (Along with articles by Wired magazine and others who have also followed the issue.) Thanks for all the love-letters but folks, but I'm not in the same 'zip code' as they say. I don't currently believe, nor have I ever believed, that the chip is the 'mark of the beast.' I do find the biblical prophetic literature in both the Old and New Testaments fascinating but my interpretation of what the author meant by such passages is very different. So I'm glad you've enjoyed the articles, but if I were you, I'd take another look at the issue. (Another interesting thing to come out of this was the odd alliance between such Christians and the Black Radical Congress, ACLU and techies in opposing the chip.)
That being said, if it's Tommy Thomspon -not a Hillary- that comes out with a proposal to tag people like cattle - will we see the Xtan right suddenly clam up on this issue? Hmnnn? If so, that's proof support of the GOP governs and supercedes their religious beliefs.
A few of my articles on the subject:
Post-9/11 security fears usher in subdermal chips
Implantable-chip company attacks WND
Implantable-chip company in financial straits
And
Return to private sector means a microchip for Tommy Thompson -Tom Sheehan
Chipping away at our freedom -Marcia Thurnbauer
Nashville Health Care Council Hears Thompson Proposal for a Disease Management Model (for a view of what else TT is doing).
