Talk About Big Brother watching you- is anyone else upset about the NAIS?
By patladd Posted in User Blogs — Comments (12) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
I don't know, maybe its because I'm a little slow on the uptake, or maybe I don't follow national politics enough, but I just found out about the NAIS and I just can't even believe it! I called my daughter up as soon as I found out and she said she knew, she said they have been doing it in Europe already. For anyone out there who shares my ignorance, NAIS stands for the National Animal Identification System- a supposedly "voluntary" project aimed at "keeping our food supply safe" by tagging livestock with ID chips that can be tracked by satelite. I know this sounds like something out of a George Orwell novel, but the real plan is to make it mandatory by the year 2008. (You can get information about their "projected agenda" on the USDA's website. Or read about it in their "strategic agenda" at the following url:
http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/about/pdf/NAIS_Draft_Strategic_Plan_425
05.pdf)
Anyway, most people I've spoken with regarding the NAIS have had a "so what's wrong with that?" attitude. It's not like I'm against keeping the food supply safe, I tried the organic farmer thing for several years. But if its about the food supply, then why do I have to have my horses tagged (at my own expense) and my farm registered with the USDA, complete with satelite photos depicting its boundries? I'm not planning on eating my horses anytime soon. I ride horses, I don't eat them, but I guess I will shoot them before I let the government make me put an ID chip in them. And another thing that's weird about all this is, why should I have to tell the federal government every single time I saddle up to go for a trail ride? People get in their cars whenever they like and take a jaunt down the road without having to first tell Uncle Sam where they're going- Oh yeah, that's right, most of you probably have OnStar so you don't have to tell them, they already know where you are.
The really creapy thing about this is that they are also wanting to put ID chips in people, too. Many states are considering, or have already passed, legislation requiring parolees and certain types of registered criminal offenders to be subject to satelite surveilance. "Good," you may say, "the government needs to be able to keep track of those people." I am reminded of a poem I had to read in 7th grade, called The Hangman, by Maurice Ogden. The hangman came and built a gallows and started picking people out to hang, first a foreigner, then a jew, then a black, and so on, until he hung the last guy (for his complicity in the murder of everyone else). You see, you couldn't get everyone to go for this crap all at once, you have to be more subtle. First the child molesters, to keep us safe from them, then our children, so we can keep them safe from the child molesters, then the old and infirm, that way they will have someone watching out for them- and on and on. Apart from the distasteful business of losing your privacy, freedom and autonomy, there's also the matter of losing your soul. Yes, I said soul. Could anything else better fit the description of the Mark of the Beast from the Book of Revelations than this? "And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads (for those without hands?) and that no man might buy or sell, except he that has the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." Revelations 13:16&17. It doesn't say "on" your hand, like you see in Hollywood movies about the devil and the end times, it says "in", as in an ID chip insterted neatly beneath the skin. Also it doesn't just call it a mark, its also a name, and a number. Virtually everything we buy today has a number in the form of a bar code on it. I recall when they first started doing that, it began with items like cigarettes, you know, the kinds of things the government needs to regulate. Now its on everything. You can't buy a roll of toilet paper without it having that bar code, or "mark" on it. I also remember when they started using the scanners at the checkout. No one even knows how to work a cash register anymore, they slide the product over the window, or use the bar code reader wand to enter the item on the register. The next step will be a quick swipe of your hand over the scanner window. Only thing is, if you get the ID chip, Revelations 14:9 warns that anyone who gets it will be damned and "the smoke of their torment ascends up forever and ever and they have no rest day nor night . . . whosoever receives the mark of his name.
Just some crazy lunatic finding conspiracies in coincindence? What about the number- 666 (rev. 13:18) I'm pretty sure everyone by now knows that the "bars" on the bar codes represent numbers. If you will notice, not all bar codes have the same amount of numbers, but all bar codes have a start code, a middle code and an end code that tells the bar code reader when it has read one complete code. That start, middle, and end code is 6.
So what's my point? We are so close to the rapture, the tribulation and the second coming I just don't see why anyone cares who is guarding what port. What difference does it make? We are already headed down the irreversible path to destruction and there is only one way out- accept Jesus death on the cross as full and complete payment for your sins. He is coming very soon to take His church (and I don't mean any particular demonination- any who are saved by faith in his attonement for their sins are part of His church regardless of what they call themselves) Don't you want to go? Don't you want to fly away with him from this horrible place full of greed, corruption, lies, and cruelty?
RFIDs are not the end of the world. Furthermore, you're misinterpreting the "mark of the beast". Take a few deep breaths now. Get a grip and keep your feet on the ground: don't let yourself be flushed down the latrine of despair. "Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world".
Just some crazy lunatic finding conspiracies in coincindence? What about the number- 666 (rev. 13:18) I'm pretty sure everyone by now knows that the "bars" on the bar codes represent numbers. If you will notice, not all bar codes have the same amount of numbers, but all bar codes have a start code, a middle code and an end code that tells the bar code reader when it has read one complete code. That start, middle, and end code is 6.
No, actually, not all of us do know that. As a Roman Catholic, my eschatological framework is completely different than the Hal Lindsay pre-millenial dispensationalism on which your article is based.
I'm sure that just proves to you that I am damned, but be that as it may, I am intensely concerned about the things of this world because I plan to inhabit it until the true Second Coming. That means I plan to be here through the 'Tribulation,' if it comes in my lifetime, and since I am told that it will be rather nasty, I have no wish to accelerate it in the slightest.
No one should be forced into any kind of ID scheme that invades their body. I will fight that tooth and nail. But at the same time, I don't plan to spend my waking hours caught up in the kind of Eschatological fervor you seem caught up in.
Thanks jacz for giving some elaboration of a more Biblical perspective on eschatology, one also that many Protestants from the beginning of the Reformation have largely agreed with.
bluewill, check out II Thessalonians (esp 2:15; 3:6-13) - Paul's admonition to a group of believers caught up in eschatological panic.
Sorry bluewill, I got confused on the author's identity; I meant to address patladd.
Where does it say anything about reading the tags from space? RFID tags have very limited range since they have no power source in them... they are dependent on a strong enough field (generated by the tag reader) to energize them. Unless these tags are the size of sat phones with antennas and the need to get recharged every night I'm not seeing it.
I'm pretty sure everyone by now knows that the "bars" on the bar codes represent numbers. If you will notice, not all bar codes have the same amount of numbers, but all bar codes have a start code, a middle code and an end code that tells the bar code reader when it has read one complete code. That start, middle, and end code is 6.
Not only that, but this is false. First, there are dozens of different kinds of barcodes formats in common use. And no, they don't all have 3 6s in them. Just look at any barcode. The numbers on any UPC are all there, printed under the code. This is so they can be entered in manually if the code is damaged or wont scan.
The funny part is, you probably think that's a joke.
I agree that NAIS is all wrong. First, it is one size fits all. Exporters to own use raisers which I fall into and while the rules state I have to buy a tag for every animal, the big boys like Tyson go by huge lots for the same price. Then the 24 hour reporting rule will wipe out most non-computer small or own use raisers. We import more than we export and the imported is not tagged or traced or most 96% not inspected. This whole mess is for Big Business Exporters and that is fine. Those who export should do this to increase their exports but one size does not fit all. For those not in agriculture most do not realize the number of patents and joint business ventures that the USDA holds and does for royalties and licensing fees with exchange of personnel. With those in industry coming over to USDA to work after making the original document to submit to USDA and then approving the same document as a USDA employee. NAIS is not for security but for big business, we have been able to trace animals quickly even from foreign countries without ids unless smuggled in which no ID system can tract or stop. If disease was an issue then why keep Canada beef coming in or others. Why in Nov. did USDA ask to allow chickens from China to be imported? We already have reporting laws even for pets in place that work and work well. It is easy to check this all out with simple goggle searches or on the USDA.gov sites. http://www.biordc.com/about/a1.htm this is a group of investors that answer to the USDA and USDA is on the board.
goggle USDA and Monsanto read the connections for yourself.
Then after learning all you can about the program that will wipe out most of the small producers and self producers who actually supply the local economies never exporting you still want only Big Global companies supplying and controlling all foods then tell your representatives you want NAIS. The global producers hope you will for their sake, I hope you won't for my sake. I have been a conservative since my first vote many, many years ago and pray my grandchildren will be free to enjoy life on the farm for more than a few more months. My sons are Military and have been in the middle east so I am not some liberal. I do see a threat to all farms in America. Close the boarders, check imported trucks, containers and port shipments first, then our present systems will work even better and they do work...NAIS is not needed except for exporters and even then most have excellent breeding to slaughter records, crooks won't do NAIS.
NAIS is bad news for small farmers, homesteaders, livestock pet owners and ultimately consumers. The government is giving itself too much power and everyone will pay in the end with significantly higher prices and less choice as our national food supply is concentrated into the hands of fewer large corporations.
Visit http://NoNAIS.org to find out more about how NAIS is bad for us but good for the large corporate meat exporters.
-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
in Vermont
Not all of the numerical values represented by the bars in the bar code are printed underneath the code. There are usually beginning, middle, and ending bars that are not represented underneath by printed numerals. In the beginning, the value of 6 was pretty easy to spot in the unmarked bars, but since then they have changed some of the bars in the code to hide this. This may sound like some crazy conspiracy theory, but even if you ignore the 666 part of it, ask yourself one question- Do you want the government to implant an ID chip in your hand? Oh, it will be for your convenience- you won't have to worry about losing your license, or your cash or credit cards- all you will have to do is scan your hand at the check out. How convenient! All I'm saying is a book written about 2000 years ago describes it pretty close. And considering that I believe what that book says- literally- I will not be getting any chip implanted, if it comes to that. They will have to shoot me, first.
I'm always amused at the way when an ostrich sticks his head in the sand, he also shows his . . . well, you figure it out, that is, if you can.
Switch to decaf.