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THE CHAINS ARE FOR
YOUR PROTECTION.
(EXAMINING THE ROAD TO ACCEPTING MICROCHIP IMPLANTS)
Think about it. First came checks. Then along came credit cards. Then came e-commerce and the world of 'electronic shopping'. Then came the latest —smart cards— a kind of super credit card embedded with a tiny computer chip capable of storing data (such as bank balances). Soon, the need for cash will be eliminated altogether.
This is a step-by-step process of subliminal indoctrination. The spell of modernism and 'technosupremacy' are gradually coercing us into accepting the ultimate:
...an international cashless society.
Many of the necessary preparatory stages were completed right under our very noses. The mass mind was properly primed. All consumer goods were marked with bar codes. Unseen hands rapidly develop further related technology behind closed doors. The Great Plan is almost complete. Now it is time to take the final step and become one with the machine.
It is time to mark ourselves.
As always, the first move is a gradual process of indoctrination. A skeptical and squirmish John Q. Public must be won over by taking him on a series of baby steps towards final acceptance.
Enter an indepth report completed in 1997 by Dr. Elaine Ramesh on the development of microchip implants for humans and the use of them as a possible infringement on privacy rights. This helped 'baby' off on his first teetering march towards 'progress'.
In this report, Elaine Ramesh, an attorney in the 'Patent and Licensing Department' of the 'Nalco Chemical Company' (Naperville, Illinois) starts off by outlining how microchip implants are already widely in use as an identification system for animals:
Microchips are about the size of a grain of rice and coated with biocompatible glass. Upon implantation by syringe, connective tissue should form to prevent migration. The procedure is very low-cost and simple. All chips are implanted in the same place (between the shoulder blades) so that they will be easy to find and read. To identify a pet, a scanner passed over the animal reads a twelve character identifier from the implanted transponder microchip and displays it on a screen. The owner's name and address can be obtained from a registry with a toll-free phone call. The current market for these devices includes pet, livestock and laboratory animal industries.
She then describes the move towards using microchip implants in human beings as 'inevitable':
There are indications that science is moving inexorably closer to the use of microchips in humans. In fact, some have described human implantation as inevitable.
Ramesh was not adverse, however, to pointing out the cons of implementing an Orwellian style 'Big Brother' system of identification. She cites, among other examples, the objections to a proposed system of national identification in Australia:
...requiring each citizen to carry a government number is another step along the path of treating people as a 'national resource', which means government property, whereas the liberal democratic view has always been that the government is the people's property.
And although the gist of this report is to inspire the introduction of legislation to ensure mandatory implantation would not be exploited by the government, Ramesh naively assumes that the government is still in the hands of the people. Thus her closing statement, 'The time to prevent grievous intrusion into personal privacy by enacting appropriate legislative safeguards is now, rather than when it is too late...' is somewhat lost. Hundreds of thousands of people who demonstrate the world over against the ever-growing specter of globalization consistently observe one thing: the step between lip service to recognizing a problem and legislation enacted towards solving same said problem is immense and seldom taken.
In fact, strangely enough, the report reads (although presumably this was not the intent) like a blueprint to brainwash the masses into accepting mandatory implantation with computer microchips. Ramesh carefully outlines all the objections that might arise to oppose such a system citing common law and the US Constitution under the fourth, fifth and fourteenth amendments. However by doing so she subliminally outlines how these objections may be circumvented. She even suggests, in some situations, how objections may be outrightly ignored while considering a 'compensatory' action to assuage the overriding of constitutional rights. She also repeatedly mentions that 'novel and unique situations may spawn novel applications of laws'. In some of the most chilling sections of this report, Ramesh blatantly states:
Although microchip implantation might be introduced as a voluntary procedure, in time, there will be pressure to make it mandatory. A national identification system via microchip implants could be achieved in two stages. Upon introduction as a voluntary system, the microchip implantation will appear to be palatable. After there is a familiarity with the procedure and a knowledge of its benefits, implantation would be mandatory...
...A voluntary program will lead to the desensitization to the loss of legal rights. When the government subsequently announces a mandate, it is conceivable that the public would acquiese by reason of familiarity with the benefits obtained, without adequate consideration of the implications. If at that point, many people have already chosen implantation and reaped its benefits, then it is less likely that they will protest. [1]
Hence we see that this report itself is one of the very things that could be abused. It is like a manual describing the dangers of building a bomb which also describes exactly how to build that bomb.
One of the most important aspects of this report is the fact that it deals with mandatory implantation on a wholly secular level. The mark of the beast prophesied by Saint John the Divine is only mentioned once in the entire document and even then not in the report itself but rather in the footnotes. Even here it is only mentioned in passing. From this perspective, Ramesh's call to enact 'appropriate legislative safeguards' takes on a whole new meaning. For some who take biblical prophecy seriously, even considering these so-called 'safeguards' is simply out of the question. For some, mandatory implantation with computer microchips is an idea that is rejected altogether.
Suspiciously enough, this report completely fails to address this possibility.
Pushing fast-forward a little bit and moving into the daily news, we see a much more blatant process of indoctrinating the general public towards accepting microchip implants. The powers that be have long known that one of the best ways to breed familiarity with a new technology and overcome any fears of surrendering to a machine world is to seduce the masses with appeals to sophisticated modernism. Combining the routine of everyday business with advanced computer technology fits perfectly into this agenda. Becoming one with the machine is not the ultimate blasphemy. It's hip and convenient. Such was the main subject of the cover story of the April 1998 issue of Time Magazine entitled "The Future of Money" in which the author states:
Cash is already headed for a whole new dimension. MasterCard, for example, has invested millions in the development of an E-cash system called Mondex. Smart Mondex cards have tiny embedded microchips that can store not only electronic dollars but also five other types of currency, an abbreviated medical history and even a personalized electronic 'key' that can open everything from your apartment to your office.
He then further elaborates:
The fundamental idea driving this revolution is that technology and finance have become one and the same. As William Niskanen, chairman of the Washington-based CATO Institute, puts it, "The distinction between software and money is disappearing." And nowhere is that truer than in the world of cold, hard cash.
Then with the typically smug authority of the mainstream Western media, he calmly suggests:
Think about the $2,000 check you send to your daughter at college for expenses. How is that money really spent? Books...or beer? Electronic cash takes that relatively simple transaction--passing an allowance--and makes it into a much more intelligent process. And one that hardly requires something as old-fashioned as a bank. For starters, you can send the money over the Internet encoded in an E-mail instead of sending a check. This saves you the trouble of balancing the checkbook at the end of the month, and it gives you the option of transferring the money from wherever you want: mutual fund, money market, even an old-fashioned checking account. Your daughter can store the money any way she wants--on her laptop, on a debit card, even (in the not too distant future) on a chip implanted under her skin. [2]
On a chip implanted under her skin...
Was this a mere suggestion? Something for the bourgeoisie to muse about around the water cooler at the office or at their next dinner party? Science fiction that was many years away from becoming a reality?
A matter of months later, the answer was provided when science fiction suddenly became science fact. This was because in August 1998, Kevin Warwick, a professor in the department of cybernetics at the University of Reading in England successfully implanted a silicon chip transponder into his upper left arm and in doing so made international headlines. This implanted chip literally enabled sensors hooked up to a computer to track its movements and ultimately Warwick himself. Incorporating this technology, Warwick transformed his building at the university into a 'smart' building that, among other things, automatically opened doors as he entered, greeted him personally with a 'Hello Mr. Warwick' and pulled up his favourite websites on computers.
Although Warwick declined to name the manufacturer, it was known that the chip comprised of an electronics-filled glass capsule about an inch long and a tenth of an inch wide. It was surgically inserted. Similar chips were commercially available, adapted for use in computers and other products as a system of identification and, as previously mentioned, other archetypes had already been in use in many countries to track and identify animals. This whole process, however, went one step further when Warwick became the first human being to implant such a chip.
Initially BBC News reported Warwick's experiment as attempting to 'demonstrate the sinister side of the pushing the frontiers of technology forward'. Warwick stated that 'if their use became widespread we would never enjoy any privacy and could be followed and identified wherever we went'. [3] Initially this angle seemed noble enough.
However as other media sources picked up on what was soon called a publicity stunt, the position suddenly changed from 'Dr. Frankenstein, what have you done?' to promoting the inevitable way of the future. An article by PCWorld now quoted Warwick as saying in reference to his implant, "I'm feeling more at one with the computer. It's as though part of me is missing when I'm not in the building... In my house, I have to open doors and turn on lights. I don't feel lonely, but I don't feel complete." [4]
A NetworkWorld Fusion article opened a story on Warwick's experiment by immediately pushing the 'convenience' angle:
How much is convenience worth to you? How much would you pay (or give up) to:
- Have doors open (but only for you) whenever you walk near?
- Have your elevator recognize you and automatically select the correct floor?
- Have your car automatically unlock itself for you (only) and only be able to start when you (and nobody else) are sitting in the driver's seat?
- Have your computer configured to only allow you to gain full access, regardless of passwords or physical keys?
Well, all these things are now on the horizon, thanks to a gent by the name of Kevin Warwick... [5]
To cap it all off, a couple of months after Warwick's history-making experiment, a tabloid-style 'news bite' emerged and made the rounds describing how the rich and famous were now starting to use implanted microchips. In October 1998, The London Times reported that, "Film stars and the children of millionaires are among 45 people, including several Britons, who have been approached and fitted with the chips (called the Sky Eye) in secret tests."
Hence the move to alter the face of a 'sinister technology' was well under way and microchip implants were quickly given the allure of something that only the scientific or wealthy elite were permitted to indulge in. It only remained for the dutiful lapdog, John Q. Public, to prick up his ears and go panting after the heels of the upper crust which was enticingly shaking its keychain of fantastic new gadgetry.
The bait was set.
Remember Ramesh's warnings:
"If at that point, many people have already chosen implantation and reaped its benefits, then it is less likely that they will protest..."
A year later, Warwick, who had become known as 'Professor Cyborg', was reported as developing an even more complex implant project involving 'hardwiring' his brain directly to a computer. Having recently authored a book entitled, March of the Machines: Why the New Race of Robots Will Rule the World, his statements were starting to take on the leanings of a mad scientist. Salon.com quoted him as saying:
"Sure, we've got implants for people with disabilities, like pacemakers, but we're not looking ahead as to how we might possibly increase human brainpower. So really that's the direction I've been going -- with a view to maybe save the world." [6]
But before this megalomaniac could be brushed aside as just another pipe dreamer, modern science racing along in the wings at 'warpspeed' dropped another bombshell on the minds of the masses.
The time was now December 1999 and the bombshell was in the form of a patent recently acquired by a telecommunications company based in Palm Beach, Florida. The patent was for a miniature digital monitoring device that could be implanted in people and the company, Applied Digital Solutions (ADS), had announced that they had developed the device such that it could be used in conjunction with GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) technology for a variety of applications. These included locating missing children, abductees or lost hikers, keeping track of elderly with critical health risks by checking on their biological functions, and for use with military, diplomatic and other essential government personnel. ADS, a company with an internet and e-commerce focus, also stated that the device would have applications in e-business security as a means of identification.
The name that ADS selected for their freshly patented and ethically dubious development was enough in itself to blow the whistle on the whole deal. If they were trying to alert those who closely follow biblical prophecy and who are constantly on the lookout for some kind of machine-god antichrist-borne 'mark of the beast' without which no man could buy or sell then they couldn't have chosen a better name. This was because they had decided to call their new e-business ID implant 'Digital Angel'.
Although ADS clearly stated in their press release that the Digital Angel device was in the early developmental stage, the controversy over this announcement immediately went ballistic and has been going strong ever since, especially within the circles of Christian fundamentalism.
An article posted on CNN, a day after the initial announcement of Digital Angel, stated that freedom activists were concerned that the technology would eventually be exploited. It quoted Marc Rotenberg, director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington as saying, "It sounds dreadful. That's about as bad as it gets..." and "I think the use of implants for tracking is crossing into a new territory... It gets us closer to an Orwellian '1984.'" [7]
A New Scientist article published January 6th, 2000 also expressed concerns by a spokeswoman for the American Civil Liberties Union, Emily Whitfield who stated, "This kind of stuff has enormous potential for abuse by the authorities, or by anyone who can break into the information." [8]
Unfavourable reaction such as this eventually forced ADS to hide in the shadows on several occasions since concerning the implantable attributes of the 'Digital Angel'. In fact they began running defense on this particular issue almost immediately after their announcement of acquiring the patent rights. Note their description in the first press release, December 15th, 1999, announcing the patent acquisition:
...When implanted within the human body, the transceiver is powered electromechanically through the movement of muscles... [9]
And the description in a follow-up press release, January 7th, 2000, announcing the recent hiring of a noted scientist, Dr. Peter Zhou, to spearhead the development of the Digital Angel technology:
...When worn close to the body, the device is powered electromechanically through the movement of muscles... [10]
In the second press release, the name Digital Angel is mentioned ten times but not once is it stated that it could be 'implanted within the human body'. This phrase had surreptitiously been replaced by 'worn close to the body'. In fact the word 'implant' was nowhere in any shape or form to be found in the text of the second press release. This is in contrast to the original press release where the word 'implant' (or a derivative word such as 'implantable' or 'implanted') is found seven times including in the title. Clearly ADS was responding to a profoundly negative public reaction to this particular attribute of their latest development. A certain recent catastrophe in America however has allowed them to re-emerge with a renewed fervour and intent.
This was not before a slew of bad press emerged on the topic of mandatory implantation of microchips and the Digital Angel technology. Some of it spoke of an invasion of privacy rights.
But alot of it directly connected the Digital Angel device with the 'mark of the beast' foretold by Revelation 13: 16-18. A quick search in Google.com will verify this. [11]
Some of the bad press came at the issue with 'both barrels cocked' such as a WorldNetDaily article appearing in February 2000 entitled: Meet the 'Digital Angel' -- from Hell. Here the author pointed out that on January 31 of that same year, a mere six weeks after the announcement of patent acquisition, ADS accepted the special "Technology Pioneers" award from the World Economic Forum. This was reported to be for the company's contributions to worldwide economic development and social progress through technology advancements. The author of this article, however, then posed this haunting question:
"Why would an organization committed to breaking down nationalist barriers and moving the world toward global government give a technology award to a company that just acquired the patent to a sophisticated, implantable identification device?"
To true believers, there is only one answer. This article also adroitly pointed out that a company that projected in excess of a $100 billion dollar market for this technology could only have one thing in mind... implanting the entire global population. [12]
Despite this and other blatantly adverse public reaction, Dr. Peter Zhou (ADS) was quoted in March 2000 as saying,
"A few years ago there may have been resistance, but not anymore... People are getting used to having implants. New century, new trend." [13]
However, at this point (March 2000), microchip implants had yet to be mass marketed for human beings, so it was unclear exactly what he was referring to —if anything— when he stated that 'people are getting used to having implants'. This comment was made, no doubt, on account that a technology already strongly suspected of being that which would incite the ultimate wrath of God would require some skilfully crafted propaganda to whitewash its objectionable attributes. Zhou rose to the occasion quite readily with this and other statements designed to seduce and/or shame the mass mindset into blindly moving towards 'sophisticated modernism'. Statements such as:
"When vaccines came out, people were against them. But now we don't even think about it." [14]
OR:
"Fifty years from now this will be very, very popular. Fifty years ago the thought of a cell phone, where you could walk around talking on the phone, was unimaginable. Now they are everywhere..." [15]
OR HOW ABOUT THE CLASSIC 'WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING?':
"I am a Christian, but I don't think [that argument] makes sense... [referring to the 'mark of the beast' accusations] ...The purpose of the device is to save your life and improve the quality of life. There's no connection to the Bible.[???] There are different interpretations of the Bible. My interpretation is, anything to improve the quality of life is from God. The Bible says, 'I am the God of living people.' We not only live, we live well."
[16]
But of course this so-called 'Christian' didn't quite fully grasp the deep meaning of the prophecy of the 'mark of the beast'. Hence he blew the lid off the pot that he was trying so hard to keep from boiling over by making this astonishing comment concerning a future society using implants on a widespread basis:
"We will be a hybrid of electronic intelligence and our own soul." [17]
And despite continuing controversy, the following October (2000) Applied Digital Solutions announced that a prototype was ready...
A demonstration conducted by Dr. Peter Zhou and Dr. Keith Bolton on October 30th before a crowd of 300 special invitees at Capriani 42nd Street in New York City once again promoted the minature sensor device as 'designed to be implanted under the skin'. At this meeting, at which media presence was thin, the prototype 'Digital Angel' was touted as being able to capture data on vital signs and wirelessly transmit it to an Internet-integrated ground station. And living up to the patent acquisition of a mere eight months earlier, it could continuously track the location of the 'wearer' via a GPS system. [18]
Norman Mineta, U.S. Secretary of Commerce, was a notable presence at this hush-hush little-reported gathering and was a keynote speaker addressing the crowd of government officials, potential business partners and press representatives. Richard Sullivan, CEO of Applied Digital stated:
"We're extremely pleased that Secretary Mineta will attend our Digital Angel demonstration. Secretary Mineta has been a champion of 'digital inclusion' � making access to digital technologies more widely accessible to all segments of society. He has been an advocate of creating viable partnerships between the public and private sectors as part of a national digital inclusion campaign. We believe our Digital Angel technology has enormous potential along these lines." [19]
It was becoming increasingly apparent that the technology of microchip implants was intended for more than the privileged enjoyment of the wealthy elite. It was intended for commercial, worldwide use in tracking human beings and as a generalized system of consumer identification.
Meanwhile, a harbinger to the voluntary-come-mandatory implanted cashless society was busy at work blazing the trail. A mere six weeks prior to ADS's announcement of the Digital Angel prototype, VISA U.S.A announced its new "smart Visa" card, which supposedly provided better security than traditional credit cards by storing cardholders' identification within a microprocessor chip. According to Tim Scannell, industry analyst for Current Analysis:
"It's the first step that credit-card companies and banks are taking in terms of getting security down to a user level... They're very security conscious, especially as wireless comes along in mobile electronic commerce." [20]
The move towards the 'mark of the beast' through the implementation of new consumer gadgets such as smart cards, debit cards and so-called E-purses cannot be overstated. An electronic business system that requires personal identification is quietly supplanting the transactionally-anonymous cash-based system. Then as this new e-business ID system becomes widely popularized and the threat of criminal activity via fraudulent ID rears its ugly head, the need will be presented for greater security and more sophisticated applications . With these circumstances properly aligned and the continual and exaggerated focus of the mass media on petty crime, the general public is further indoctrinated towards accepting the ultimate ID: a microchip implanted directly into the body which could never be lost or stolen. The whole idea increasingly takes on the appearance of the only and inevitable solution.
Here we see the mantra that has been gaining momentum throughout the subtle transformation of the mass mind being softly whispered into unsuspecting ears:
"THE CHAINS ARE FOR YOUR PROTECTION."
This same ideal found expression in other developments revealed in an ABC NEWS story in January 2001 which examined the use of electronic tracking devices to monitor workers. The article reported that all sorts of industries were starting to use tracking devices to monitor employees including security guards, casino and restaurant workers, miners, street sweepers and nurses. And as always, the idea that increased restraints were for the 'benefit' of all worked its way into having a say in the matter. One example in this report described how the city of Aurora, Colorado had placed tracking devices inside of its street sweepers and snowplows to 'make sure they are being used as taxpayers intended'. A supervisor and project engineer for the city of Aurora, Colorado, stated:
"We have seen an overall increase in productivity for our units, about 15 per cent, just by having the units in the vehicles." [21]
And an equipment operator in Aurora, Co. chimed in her support:
"You know, it's Big Brother. It's watching you. It's making sure you do what you're supposed to do. But if you are doing what you're supposed to do then you shouldn't have a problem." [22]
The powers-that-be continuously employ this theory of if-you're-not-doing-anything-wrong-then-you-shouldn't-mind-being-watched as a powerful tool to literally override constitutional rights and ramrod increasing restraints. All for the common good, of course.
Better health is another trump card that proponents of 'mark of the beast' consistently use to promote the need for this technology. This also found expression in the ABC NEWS story which described tracking devices for nurses and the reasons why it was essential to 'improve care'. A nurse at the University of California-San Francisco Medical Center (SFMC) stated:
"...things that need to be accomplished right away__ you can actually find the nurse and get those things accomplished..." [23]
An article appearing in the March-April 2001 issue of American Nurse dealing with the issue of tracking devices for nurses presented this dramatic scenario involving a registered nurse in Wisconsin:
"She [the nurse] was in one patient's room, when the telemetry monitor watcher [the tracking device] located her to tell her that another patient's external pacer was no longer capturing. She told the monitor watcher to locate another nurse via the locator system, while she ran to grab the Lifepak. When she arrived at the patient's room, the other nurse already was checking connections and getting the patient ready in case they needed to pace the patient from the Lifepak, which they did."
The RN stated: "I felt that the locator saved a crucial minute -- at least for this patient." [24]
The tracking devices that these and many other nurses around the country are now required to wear while on duty are not microchip implants but small clip-on electronic I.D.'s about the size of a credit card. Nevertheless despite thier seemingly lifesaving capabilities, their use was considered by some —and rightfully so— to be a 'clear violation of privacy'. In the ABC NEWS story, a representative of the New York State Nurses Association described how the pressure to account for every moment as a threat to the nurses:
"These badges are worn every place they go. If they take their break, if they go to the bathroom, it reads out on a computer generated real-time screen and it's logged." [25]
She also described how it could affect the patients as well:
"...They are the ones [the patients] who are compromised when I'm feeling intimidated and can't spend the time with them. Or they're crying because they just found out that they have cancer and I can't stop for five minutes and hold their hand..." [26]
This article reported that the nurse's union had filed a grievance against wearing the sensors but lost that battle in arbitration.
Jeremy Gruber, legal director of the National Workrights Institute had this to say about tracking devices in the workplace:
"It can stifle all kinds of activity... It can stifle union organizing, it can stifle whistle-blower activity, not to mention the lack of privacy that employees will have when they have absolutely no ability to have some individual time for themselves." [27]
At this time it was reported that in the hospital industry alone, 55,000 employees were required to wear an electronic monitor as a condition of employment.
The pressure was mounting.
But at least people were not falling for the restraints of a mandatory tracking identification system hook, line and sinker. There was some resistance to the opening salvos of indoctrination. Perhaps if more and more people became aware of the dangers, the implementation of the 'mark of the beast' could be averted.
Unfortunately, later on that same year, any such hopes were abruptly dashed to pieces.
 The date was now September 11th, 2001. The suicide hijackings in America and the dramatic internationally televised collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York had just taken place.
Any --what could now be considered by the powers-that-be as trifling-- objections to 'too much security' were completely and conveniently eclipsed by these cataclysmic events. There was now, all of a sudden, unquestioning cause to dispense with all criticisms of a society over-burdened with restraints. Constitutional rights were literally suspended in the U.S.A as well as Canada and Britain as the 'Patriot Act' and other similar 'anti-terrorist' bills were quickly rubberstamped through legislation. The 'either-you're-with-us-or-against-us' rhetoric of the war on terrorism seemed to identify any dissenter to an excess of security in our society as some kind of potentially dangerous villian.
And while John Q. Public was still reeling from the psychological blow of September 11th and the ensuing 'war' on Afghanistan, Applied Digital Solutions tiptoed by with another press release in December 2001. This time they announced that an implantable device known as VeriChip measuring 12mm x 2.1 mm --about the size of the point of a typical ball point pen-- was now fully developed. The description of its sophisticated capabilities and the ease with which it could be implanted were truly horrifying:
...Each VeriChip will contain a unique identification number and other critical data. Utilizing an external scanner, radio frequency energy passes through the skin energizing the dormant VeriChip, which then emits a radio frequency signal transmitting the identification number and other data contained in the VeriChip. The scanner will display the identification number, but the VeriChip data can also be transmitted, via telephone or the Internet, to an FDA compliant, secure data-storage site. It will then be accessible by authorized personnel. Inserting the VeriChip device is a simple procedure performed in an outpatient, office setting. It requires only local anesthesia, a tiny incision and perhaps a small adhesive bandage. Sutures are not necessary. [28]
As ever, one of the angles promoted by this press release was improved health care. The VeriChip was initially labelled as a 'medical identification device'. This was in subtle contrast to what eventually transpired concerning FDA approval that was shortly to follow. It was also touted as a 'security or emergency-related identification'. This, in turn, capitalized on the immaculate timing of the VeriChip announcement which emerged just a few days after the release of the so-called 'smoking-gun' videotape of Osama Bin Laden. 'The chains are for your protection' was now an argument that was becoming increasingly difficult to counter.
Even still, shortly after the ADS press release, a story appearing in the LA Times quoted expressions of doubt concerning the VeriChip implant. The founder of a company developing wireless machine-to-machine communication systems stated:
"It's a glorified bar code, and there are not a lot of people who are going to want it." [29]
However this same article also stated that literally five days after the suicide hijackings of September 11th, a New Jersey surgeon working with Applied Digital Solutions, Richard Seelig, injected himself with not one, but two of the chip implants.One went in his left forearm and another into his right leg. He had originally intended to do a traditional scientific study using volunteers but changed his mind after the attacks.
His reasons? ...
"I was so compelled by what had happened. One of the potential applications suddenly jumped out--the ability to have a secure form of identification--and I felt I had to take the next step." [30]
Another publicity stunt following the footsteps of our original Professor Cyborg, Kevin Warwick? Perhaps. However in this post 9/11 landscape there were some key differences. Microchip implants were now on the verge of being mass produced and marketed to the general public instead of just having a limited access only enjoyed by a scientific and wealthy elite. On top of this, there was now a convenient and very compelling reason for everyone to acquire a 'security or emergency-related identification'. This reason?
Terrorism.
Applied Digital's CEO, Richard Sullivan, echoed this sentiment with these remarks:
"With the recent tragedy, it is our duty to expedite the development process and offer Digital Angel in its current beta form to the rescue efforts of all agencies connected with national and personal safety and security. Digital Angel has many applications that can be used during this national tragedy." [31]
And although, following the press release, the VeriChip was still awaiting FDA regulatory approval in the U.S. this was not required overseas. Consequently, ADS stated that they expected to be selling the chips in South America within 90 days. Even in the U.S., despite the continuing controversy over mandatory implantation and the 'mark of the beast', ADS's chief technology officer, Keith Bolton, stated that since the announcement of the VeriChip in December the company had been bombarded with queries of people interested in the device. One such query came from a family living in Boca Raton, Florida who offered themselves to be test subjects for the device once FDA approval was granted. 12 year old Derek Jacobs of the Jacobs family stated that he wanted to be the first kid to be implanted with the chip and said that he was inspired by Richard Seelig.
There's no doubt, however, that others were inspired to express enthusiastic support on account of the general public's growing love affair with cybernetics and futuristic applications. Even the Jacobs family themselves were dubbed the 'Chipsons', the name of which many will immediately associate with that of a sixties cartoon about a futuristic family known as The Jetsons. [32]
One might be hard pressed to draw a connection between a Hanna-Barbera television cartoon appearing over 35 years ago and propaganda designed specifically to coerce the masses towards accepting microchip implants. On the other hand, no such difficulty is found when analyzing today's television shows and cinematic expressions in which there are numerous examples of storylines dealing directly with microchip implants or similar themes. One example is a certain scene in the movie, Mission Impossible 2, where the hero Ethan Hunt injects a biometric chip into the foot of love interest Thandie Newton. The action is perceived as necessary and ultimately saves a damsel in distress. Another more profound example is found in the weekly T.V. series Dark Angel in which a race of humans or 'transgenics' genetically enhanced with superpowers are all implanted on the back of their necks with an actual 'barcode' which can be tracked by a... you guessed it... Global Positioning Satellite. Here we see the spin doctors working full throttle at conditioning the mass mind. It's no wonder that 2000 other kids have recently e-mailed Applied Digital Solutions wanting to have the VeriChip implanted. [33]
One of the latest developments in this infamous saga of the mark of the beast is the announcement that FDA has actually granted approval to the VeriChip implant and it is now all systems go as far as marketing it in the U.S. A WIRED.COM article appearing in April 4th (2002) stated:
The Food and Drug Administration has ruled that an implantable microchip used for ID purposes is not a regulated device, paving the way for the chip's immediate sale in the United States, the manufacturer announced today...
In the United States, the VeriChip has been marketed as a medical aid which would allow hospital workers to access patients' health records with a simple wave of the wand, or reader. While the FDA has not approved storing medical information on the chip, the device's ID could be cross-referenced with a computer database holding the patient's records. [34]
As ever, the pseudo-sacred mantra of 'the chains are for your protection' is subliminally repeated by connecting the VeriChip with the noble label of a 'medical aid' even as the FDA failed to specifically grant approval of storing medical information on the device. This article also repeated the idea that the younger generation thought that it would be cool to 'get chipped', a phrase that ADS intends to trademark. [35] Company president, Scott Silverman, casually commented that the 'rollout' would soon begin for 'Generation Y'. [36]
And it seems like there's no stopping them.
Thus in five short years we have gone from a call to push the government to impose legislation that would prevent the potential abuse of mandatory implantation --legislation which never materialized-- to the haunting reality of microchip implants actually being sold internationally on the open market.
Moving too fast for you?
You're not alone. Despite all excitement amongst technophiles in the younger generation, some polls have indicated that public support for the idea of microchip implantation still appears to be on the weak side, even amongst the secular crowd. This, however, is hard to truly ascertain on account of the comparitively little media attention given to this issue. And knowing how gullible public opinion can be and the immense power of the mass media over the mass mind, this one —literally one— remaining obstacle to worldwide implementation of the 'mark of the beast' is truly no obstacle at all. This is especially true when John Q. Public is constantly plied with daily reports of war and real or potential acts of terrorism.
When you are supposed to be living in perpetual fear of an impending meltdown, it is difficult to protest any increasing restraints that are said to be for the common good.
The chains are for your protection.
by Matthew Bell, April 21, 2002
TOP of 'Chains...' TOP of this webpage
LINKS AND SOURCES -
***
[1] - Time Enough? Consequences of Human Microchip Implantation
by Elaine M. Ramesh, Franklin Pierce Law Center, 1997
[2] - The Big Bank Theory and What It Says About The Future of Money
By Joshua Cooper Ramo, Time Magazine, 1998
[3] - Technology gets under skin
BBC NEWS - Sci-Tech, August 25, 1998
[4] - Cyberfuturist plants chip in arm to test human-computer interaction
by Jana Sanchez-Klein, PCWorld (CNN), August 28, 1998
[5] - Is that a chip in your shoulder, or are you just happy to see me?
by Fred McClimans, CNN.COM - (From... NetworkWorld Fusion), September 2, 1998
[6] - Professor-Cyborg
By Janelle Brown, Salon.com, Oct. 20, 1999
[7] - Tiny human-borne monitoring device sparks privacy fears
By Richard Stenger, CNN Interactive Writer, December 20, 1999
[8] - GPS implants will soon pinpoint people
By Kurt Kleiner, New Scientist, January 6, 2000
[9] - Applied Digital Solutions Acquires Rights to World's First Digital Device Implantable in Humans
Company press release, December 15, 1999.
[10] - Applied Digital Solutions Hires Dr. Peter Zhou As Chief Scientist To Spearhead Development of DIGITAL ANGEL� Technology
Company press release, January 7th, 2000.
[11] - Search in Google for: "digital angel" "mark +of +the beast"
[12] - Meet the 'Digital Angel' -- from Hell
By Joseph Farah, WorldNetDaily, Monday, February 14th, 2000
[13] - Big Brother gets under your skin
By Julie Foster, WorldNetDaily, March 20th, 2000
[14] - Ibid.
[15] - Ibid.
[16] - Ibid.
[17] - Ibid.
[18] - Digital Angel unveiled
Human-tracking subdermal implant technology makes debut
WorldNetDaily, November 1st, 2000
[19] - Post-9/11 security fears
usher in subdermal chips
By Sherrie Gossett, WorldNetDaily, February 4, 2002
[20] - Visa Gets Brainy With Smart Card
By Antone Gonsalves, TechWeb News, September 12, 2000
[21] - Every Step You Take... Companies Using Tracking Devices to Monitor Employees
By Betsy Stark, ABC NEWS, January 4, 2001
[22] - Ibid.
[23] - Ibid.
[24] - Tool or weapon? Nurses talk about being 'tracked'
by Susan Trossman, RN, The American Nurse (March-April issue)
[25] - Every Step You Take... Companies Using Tracking Devices to Monitor Employees
By Betsy Stark, ABC NEWS, January 4, 2001
[26] - Ibid.
[27] - Ibid.
[28] - Applied Digital Solutions Introduces VERICHIP�, A Miniaturized, Implantable Identification Device With A Variety Of Medical, Security And Emergency Applications
Company press release, December 19th, 2001
[29] - A Chip ID That's Only Skin Deep
By David Streitfeld, LA Times, December 19th, 2001
[30] - Ibid.
[31] - Post-9/11 security fears
usher in subdermal chips
By Sherrie Gossett, WorldNetDaily, February 4, 2002
[32] - Meet The Chipsons
By Lev Grossman, Time.com, March 3, 2002
[33] - They Want Their ID Chips Now
By Julia Scheeres, Wired.com, February 6th, 2002
[34] - Why, Hello, Mr. Chips
By Julia Scheeres, Wired.com, April 4, 2002
[35] - Meet The Chipsons
By Lev Grossman, Time.com, March 3, 2002
[36] - Why, Hello, Mr. Chips
By Julia Scheeres, Wired.com, April 4, 2002
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