Tommy Thompson gets chip implant

Newsmax ^ | July 24, 2005

[FeeinTennessee]

Tommy Thompson Gets Chip Implant

Implanted microchips are getting a plug from a heavy hitter - former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson.

Thompson plans to promote a product made by his new company � a medical info chip � by having one implanted in his arm.

"It doesn't cause any pain," Thompson told Paul Bedard, who writes the Washington Whispers column in U.S. News & World Report.

The chip is made by Florida-based VeriChip, which recently added Thompson to its board of directors.

The rice-size chip contains a 16-digit identification code that can be scanned at hospitals and then linked to a database containing the chip wearer's medical data.

So far about 2,000 medical chips have been implanted worldwide, and two hospitals in the U.S. are already equipped to scan them. "People are dying all the time," Thompson told Washington Whispers, "because they can't access their medical information overseas."

The chip was approved by the FDA last year. By that time more than 1,000 chips had been implanted in patients in Mexico. And nearly 200 people working in Mexico's attorney general's office were implanted with I.D. chips to access secure areas containing sensitive documents.

Others have put implanted chips to a more frivolous use: Baja Beach Club in Barcelona, Spain, has offered to inject chips made by VeriChip in the arms of big spenders and celebrities for quick admission to its snooty VIP lounge.

The chips are "implanted with a syringe by a club staffer who is a nurse licensed to give injections," Fortune magazine reported.

Some have suggested using an implanted chip to assist the military in locating a downed pilot, or to help find a lost or kidnapped child.

But not everyone is thrilled with the notion of an implanted chip that could contain a wide array of information about an individual.

Scott McDonald of the Web site Scan This News warned: "All movement, transactions, and interactions can be recorded and monitored once everyone has their own unique identifier. Every detail of a person's life will be finally accessible to authorities through the widespread use of implanted chips."

And writing for NewsMax, Geoff Metcalf said that with widespread use of an implanted chip, "privacy – the very concept of privacy – becomes an anachronism." (See: Sci Fi Reality Creep.)

[ChildOfThe60s]

What good is this going to do if you are in an ER in LA? You aren't going to see a doctor in time anyway.

[KarlInOhio]

If this ever took off, wouldn't the government need to standardize the chip's location? Otherwise, how could the cop's find the chip, without doing an outrageously expensive total body scan or X-ray.

Just run a scanner close enough to the body and the chip transmits its ID number. I don't know if the range would be in inches or a few feet. Even if inches, it wouldn't take any longer than someone wanding you with a hand held metal detector.

[TheDon]

Not if you want your tax deductions. :^)

[Atlas Sneezed]

I'm still trying to imagine the medical emergency that requires information stored on a chip. People with allergies and other ailments like diabetes can wear ID bracelets, if they are worried about needing emergency medical care while unconscious.

Heck, if it were an issue, I wouldn't care about an unobtrusive tattoo for my blood type.

Imagine a pattern of freckles between your toes. of the 4 spaces between the toes on one foot, they represent A, B, and +, plus a checkbit. If you are type AB+, you have a dot in each space. If you are O neg, you have only the checkbit.

Or, for specific ailments and allergies that emercencgy medical personnel should know about, a discreet but accessible location (under arm, behind ear, inside mouth) that could be tattooed with a tiny braille like dot code, with each code indicating a given condition.)

All voluntary, and all cheaply and effectively solving essentially every (non-nefarious) problem solved by these chips.

[DocRock]

"Is it just me or does this scream out "mark of the beast'?"

You spelled "mark" wrong. Try MARC... MARC of the beast. Now do a quick search on MARC.

Multi-technology Automated Reader Card (MARC)

Complements of our Dept. of Defense

[timsbella]

That's just tooooo creepy.

[CSM]

This is truly frightening. I can think of a ton of uses off the top of my head. Of course the chip will be required by:

1) Health ins. companies.
2) Secretary of state (Drivers Liscenses).
3) The courts.
4) To receive marriage liscenses.
5) The IRS.
6) Property tax collectors.
7) Sales tax collectors, gotta make sure you don't purchase anything outside your state boundaries.
8) Airlines.
9) Passport replacement.
10) Birth Certificates.

Then it is just an easy transition to replace your ATM card, Grocery Cards, Video rental cards, etc.

But make no mistake, it will never be required at the voting booth!

[timsbella]

"This is truly frightening. I can think of a ton of uses off the top of my head. "

Funny, I can't help but hear Richard Wagner playing in my head....

[joesnuffy]

It's all about people control...
and control is antithetical to freedom...

The Republicans form the tools the Democrats will use against us

imo

[Redcloak]

I hate to rain on Tommy's parade, but Bill Clinton was the first to have chips implanted in his body; usually sour cream and onion flavored ones.

[mabelkitty]

Screw 'im.
I'll take my chances and die in the street before I get an implant.

[BigFinn]

This describes Revelation 17 exactly. To expedite the chipping process they already have buses to come to your city.

VeriChip Chipmobile

Receive the mark (chip) and there is no forgiveness. Please be warned and take this very seriously.

[Marysecretary]

It sure does to me. It might not be the actual mark but it could be a precursor to it. Get people used to having one and they might not fight getting a second one.

[Marysecretary]

There will come a time when people can't buy or sell without one. Now THAT's a scary thought.

[Marysecretary]

Me, too mablekitty.

[foreverfree]

One chip will not be enough, just like Lays.

Or Utz's Russet Flavored Potato Chips. Especially a big bag.

ff

[massgopguy]

Dean Koontz fan?

[MEGoody]

I think it's an insane idea anyway.

Me too.

[Lazamataz]

They can put one of these things in my cold dead corpse.

[Terriergal]

Yep. If it's not, it's close enough that I would never allow them to put one in me or my family.