… courtesy of the U.S. military and the war in Afghanistan.
The stated goal of the Afghan effort is no less than the collection of biometric data for every living person in Afghanistan. At a conference with Afghan officials in 2010, the commander of the U.S. Army’s Task Force Biometrics Col. Craig Osborne told the attendees that the collection of biometric data is not simply about “identifying terrorists and criminals,” but that “it can be used to enable progress in society and has countless applications for the provision of services to the citizens of Afghanistan.” According to Osborne, biometrics provide the Afghan government with “identity dominance” enabling them to know who their citizens are and link actions with actors.
Yep. It’s always tried out first on prisoners, “enemies,” the mentally defective, children, and others who aren’t in a position to resist effectively. Then it comes to our neighborhoods.
But no problem! Hey, it’s to help “provision of services”! I’m sure they’ll drop the creepy “identity dominance” discription when it comes time to apply all this to us. It’ll go away. Just like “Total Information Awareness” did.
(Article is from April. I just found it this morning — and I don’t think much will have changed (at least not changed for the better) since it was published.)
Yup. Sad, but this is nothing new. Look at Germany in the thirties. Look at East Berlin and its Stazi. Then look at how most of Americans view the current situation. Little by little we have been conditioned to “accept”. Of late I have been noticing more and more disinformation, be it directly by the government or via the news be it TV or the newspaper. To be honest, I am damm mad over the stupidity of those that think “everything is fine”. Also look at what is happening in the medical field with some hospitals….taaking kids away from their parents just because the hospital has its own agenda about its ability to diagnose ailments. To be honest, i believe what we are seeing now is only the beginning and will become horrific over time. Sad…..
Until the revolution makes it all go away.
Claire, when they are talking of providing services to people, I think they mean this definition of service:
14. ( tr ) Also: service (of a male animal) to copulate with (a female animal)
—from the World English Dictionary.
That BAAT/HIIDE thing is an overly complicated turd. Just to throw that out there.
Voter ID?
What has voter ID have to do with anything? It’s merely a means of ensuring that anyone who casts a ballot is legally entitled to do so. We can debate all day long whether voting really means anything, but it is supposed to be the means by which the citizens control their government. Anyone who casts a ballot but is not legally entitled to do so is committing fraud on the rest of the electorate, and anyone who opposes the idea of voter ID is aiding and abetting that fraud. Whether any particular method of verifying someone’s right to vote is reasonable is a topic worthy of debate, but not the concept itself.
[We can debate all day long whether voting really means anything, but it is supposed to be the means by which the citizens control their government.]
Yeah, that’s what the Ministry of Propaganda tells us. I suspect though, in reality it is the other way around: the means by which government controls citizens.
[anyone who opposes the idea of voter ID is aiding and abetting that fraud]
Government is itself one gigantic fraud. Kinda puts things in a different light…
When I think about what a free world will look like, I realize reputation will be important, and that will be implemented through personal interactions and through devices like ebay and gunbroker. But I don’t imagine any room for an official identification facility with what amounts to serial numbers tattoo’ed on our foreheads, for some reason.
A stupid comment, Paul. No one is talking about tattooed serial numbers, just some form of photo ID to prove that you are who you claim to be. That’s not asking too much. And if you don’t think voting is worth anything (and I understand that many libertarians feel that way), don’t vote. That’s fine with me. But don’t abet fraud by obstructing the efforts of those of us who feel differently to protect whatever value the franchise holds.
My “Voter ID” comment was meant as something of a joke. I probably should have qualified it. Any ID methodology is an intrusion on liberty regardless of the justification. Protecting the voter franchise is easily accomplished by other means.
R.L.: Such as?
At first glance the idea of voter ID is good….BUT….suppose the goobermint decides just who gets to have such an ID? Hmmmmm. I can see it now…..Oh! You’re one of those conservatives….no ID for you…..
Laird, the only legitimate “vote” is made with _your_ money, _your_ time, _your_ body. Marks on paper result in zero personal responsibility for the outcome.
When you vote with your wallet, time and body, you have skin in the game, and the resulting in changes are to your own life and property.
The political “vote” is always an attempt to manipulate and, usually, rob other people.
I consider such a vote an act of aggression.
Well, I don’t go quite that far. Obviously there is such a thing as defensive voting (voting against a tax measure for example) that cannot harm others. I might even do that myself now and then.
[No one is talking about tattooed serial numbers, just some form of photo ID to prove that you are who you claim to be.]
Actually, I kinda think they are talking about that, although the implementation might be a little less obvious, such as getting yourself chipped.
I have no problem with the concept of an ID. If people want to have an ID, who am I to stop it? It’s none of my business. My problem is 1) with government doing it, and 2) government mandating it be done. When the government “chippers” show up at my door, bad things are going to happen.
Clearly, in a free world, there will be no government (except for that wanted by and limited to those who like such things). So that’s why there will be no universal ID.