House Passes Bill Allowing Government to Microchip Citizens with “Mental Disabilities”
Credit – Neon Nettle
Though the bill only targets those with
conditions such as Alzheimers and autism, critics say the bill’s passage
will open a “pandora’s box” of invasive government surveillance.
Six years ago, NBC Nightly News boldly predicted
that all Americans would be fitted with RFID microchips by the year
2017. Though at the time, NBC’s prediction seemed far-fetched, the House
recently passed a bill
that would bring a micro-chipped populace closer to reality before
year’s end. Last Thursday, the House passed HR 4919, also known as Kevin
and Avonte’s Law, which would allow the US attorney general to award
grants to law enforcement for the creation and operation of “locative
tracking technology programs.” Though the program’s mission is to find
“individuals with forms of dementia or children with developmental
disabilities who have wandered from safe environments,” it provides no
restriction on the tracking programs inclusion of other individuals. The
bill would also require the attorney general to work with the secretary
of health and human services and unnamed health organizations to
establish the “best practices” for the use of tracking devices.
Those in support of the legislation maintain that such
programs could prevent tragedies where those with mental or cognitive
disabilities wandered into dangerous circumstances. Yet, others have
called these good intentions a “Trojan horse” for the expansion of a
North American police state as the bill’s language could be very broadly
interpreted.
“While this initiative may have noble intentions,
‘small and temporary’ programs in the name of safety and security often
evolve into permanent and enlarged bureaucracies that infringe on the
American people’s freedoms. That is exactly what we have here. A safety
problem exists for people with Alzheimer’s, autism and other mental
health issues, so the fix, we are told, is to have the Department of
Justice, start a tracking program so we can use some device or method to
track these individuals 24/7,” Representative Louie Gohmert (R-TX) said
in a floor speech opposing the bill.
Gohmert’s assessment is spot-on. Giving local police the
authority to decide who is micro-chipped and who is not based on their
mental soundness is a recipe for disaster. Though the bill specifically
mentions those with Alzheimer and autism, how long before these tracking
programs are extended to those with ADHD and Bipolar disorder among
other officially recognized disorders. Even the dislike of authority is
considered a mental disorder known as “Oppositional Defiant Disorder,”
which could also warrant micro-chipping in the future. If these
programs expand unchecked, how long will it be before all Americans are
told that mass microchipping is necessary so that law enforcement and
the government can better “protect” them? Many Americans have been
content to trade their liberties for increased “security” in the
post-9/11 world, particularly when the state uses these talking points.
Yet, as Benjamin Franklin once said, “those who surrender freedom for security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.”
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