When Will Americans Rise Up and Stop the Insanity?

From WorldNetDaily it has been reported:

HOMELAND INSECURITY
Latest buzz: Shock bracelets for all airline passengers
'Just when you thought you've heard it all'

---

Posted: July 08, 2008
10:52 pm Eastern
© 2008 WorldNetDaily

An official with the Department of Homeland Security says the U.S. should consider having airline passengers wear electronic bracelets that could track their movements, hold personal information and be triggered like a Taser to stun them into immobility.

Paul S. Ruwaldt of the DHS Science and Technology Directorate wrote the inventor of "the immobilizing security bracelet," a Canadian company, saying he looked forward to receiving a written proposal, according to Washington Times columnist Jeffrey Denning.

"It is conceivable to envision a use to improve air security, on passenger planes," said Ruwaldt's letter, posted on website of the company, Lamperd Less Lethal.

"Just when you thought you've heard it all," wrote Denning.

According to a company video, the bracelets would assist pilots and crew members on commercial air carriers as the "last line of defense" against terror attacks.

The video says passengers could be fitted with "electronic ID bracelets" they would wear until they disembark their flights. The device would replace a ticket, carry passenger information, track passengers through terminals and track carryon luggage.

But the key feature is that the bracelets could be discharged, as a gun, and leave the wearer "immobile for several minutes" although without causing "permanent injury."

"For a businessman on his way home, to a young family going south for a winter holiday, wearing an EMD bracelet during flight is a small inconvenience to assure their safe arrival," says the company. "Many, if not most, passengers would happily opt for the extra security."

The company acknowledged on its website the negative response to Denning's story about its product: "It is amazing how much controversy our new research project has created."

Denning, who writes an aviation safety blog for the Times, was horrified.

"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-Muscular Disruption," he wrote.

"So is the government really that interested in this bracelet? Yes!," he continued.

Ruwaldt wrote in his letter to the company, 'To make it clear, we [the federal government] are interested in … the immobilizing security bracelet, and look forward to receiving a written proposal."

Denning commented: "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?"

The Canadian company responded to the publicity about its proposal with a website statement:

"We wish to clear up any misconceptions regarding the EMD Safety Bracelet for Airline Security," the company said. "The bracelets remain inactive until a hijacking situation has been identified. At such time a designated crew member will activate the bracelets making them capable of delivering the punitive measure – but only to those that need to be restrained. We believe that all passengers will welcome deliverance from a hijacking, as will the families, carriers, insurance providers etc. The F-16 on the wingtip is not to reassure the passengers during a hijacking but rather to shoot them down. Besides activation using the grid screen, the steward/stewardess will have a laser activator that can activate any bracelet as needed by simply pointing the laser at the bracelet - that laser dot only needs to be within 10 inches of the bracelet to activate it."

On the Times forum page, some readers ridiculed the idea.

"If you boarded the plane with the intent of terrorism, what would you do first? 1. Try to light your bomb shoes on fire. 2. Place your plastic explosives on the flight door to gain access to the cockpit. 3. Wave your weapon about and start shouting. 4. Remove your bracelet," posed one contributor. "Ding ding ding, you chose #4, unless you sir are an idiot."

Lamperd, of Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, also provides training and designs specialized civil defense-related equipment. It boasts of expertise in "less-lethal tactics and equipment" used by military and police departments around the world for crowd control and "peacekeeping.

---

And just when I thought I might willing to start flying again. They implement this insanity and I believe Americans will stay away from flying by the droves. All it takes is one insane flight attendant, one paranoid pilot, someone with an agenda . . . or, I know, it goes down like it always does. What is put into place to protect turns back on us and bites us! I cannot believe our government, a perfectly useless department like Homeland Security, is even considering something like this. What do you want to bet the idiot who came up with plan is a Democrat.

I'm reconsidering the RV thing. Clearly flying is out of the question.