Yay, Civil Liberties! Boo, Devil…

This looks to be good policy news:

On Wednesday, Virginia’s House of Delegates passed a bill that forbids companies from forcing their employees to be implanted with tracking devices, a move likely to be applauded by civil libertarians.

The sponsor of the bill has another reason for wanting it passed, though…

Del. Mark L. Cole (R-Fredericksburg), the bill’s sponsor, said that privacy issues are the chief concern behind his attempt to criminalize the involuntary implantation of microchips. But he also said he shared concerns that the devices could someday be used as the “mark of the beast” described in the Book of Revelation.

“My understanding — I’m not a theologian — but there’s a prophecy in the Bible that says you’ll have to receive a mark, or you can neither buy nor sell things in end times,” Cole said. “Some people think these computer chips might be that mark.”

*facepalm*

At least Del. Charles W. Carrico Sr. (R-Grayson) has the balls to say that Cole is just absurd:

“As a Christian, I believe there is a time that Christ will come back to receive his people home, and that’s just the basis of what the Bible shows, and that there will be an antichrist that arises during that time, and those that remain, to buy or sell anything, they will have to take on this mark,” Carrico said. “I don’t know that it’s a microchip.”

*repeat facepalm*

Virginians, are they this crazy when you elect them or do they just keep their mouths shut during the entire campaign season?

(Thanks to Indy for the link)

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Mike Meredith

catherine

I’d point and laugh, but then I remember some of the people who have been elected in my neck of the woods as well…sighhhh
Luther

I really don’t want a chip, but how much worse can it be than the god virus?

Perhaps the real fear is interfering with followers of another Mark: Mark Sanford
littlejohn

My cat has a chip implanted, and… Hey, wait! She IS the Anti-Christ! This explains a great deal.
Jeff Satterley

We should stop all farming, because a magic beanstalk might grow, and then we’d be attacked by giants!
Jason

Unfortunately this kind of mentality is the majority in VA.
Darwin’s Dagger

Oh, the ones who are crazy tend to be year round crazy. They believe all kinds of things, especially in the more rural parts of the state. But you’d think this guy would not be trying to block the prophecy laid out by his own God. Now the prophecy won’t come true and God will be revealed as fallible and Jebus will never come back.
Jeff Mark

What’s especially stupid is that if the guy really believes that these microchips could be the mark of the beast, and he believes that it’s his supposed God’s will that the events in the book of Revelation will happen, then by saying No to the implants, isn’t he standing in God’s way? Shouldn’t he welcome them as part of the whole prophecy to complete what his God wants? What a joke.
Ron in Houston

Historically, it’s interesting that the whole “Left Behind” theology is actually a relatively recent (late 1800’s I believe) belief system.

The problem is that idiot Republicans have their noses so far up the Religious rights arses that they’ll just about say any crap to pander to them.
Givesgoodemail

A few more details, a lovely quote, and some background on microchips, Revelations, and UPC barcodes here.
Tyler

I somehow read all of the Left Behind Series. It’s a lot of books. And they’re all very weird.
Carlie

Wait, WHAT? What business could possibly have any justification for implanting tracking microchips in their employees????
Alan E.

I had this weird conversation with a woman in Blacksburg, VA (where Virginia Tech is located in southwestern virginia). She said out there, they tried to beat the virgin Mary, as in they would get pregnant at an age younger than that of Mary in the Bible. She also called Richmond a “concrete jungle.”
Isabel Santos

I don’t know what is worse. Someone who believes that WWW is the simbol for 666 and who uses internet is following the beast or a company that owns its employees to the point that it can just put a mark on them. Inside them. That’s creep.
Charles

@Carlie:

What business could possibly have any justification for implanting tracking microchips in their employees?

It’s mostly not tracking that employers want, but identification. Badges with magnetic stripes or RFID chips can be lost, forgotten, or worse, stolen. An RFID implant under the skin is a little harder to lose, forget or steal.

Business-wise, it makes sense. I don’t know anybody that would actually volunteer to have it done to them, though.
littlejohn

Frankly, the only situation I can think of where the boss might want to keep track of his employees is if he’s a pimp. I vote with creepy.
Derek

I can’t imagine being okay with a company implanting me with anything, just so they can save a few bucks from time to time by not replacing a lost badge.

As for the delegates, I can’t really say much…I live in South Carolina. >.<
Jeff P

I’m from Virginia. In the vote game in Virginia, it is to the conservative candidate’s advantage to engage in “God talk”. Any votes they loose from the secular community that might have otherwise voted for them will more than be made up for in extra votes from the evangelical community. For the apathetic majority, the “God talk” probably won’t change their voting behavior if they even bother to vote. Due to this and gerrymandering we tend to get a number of religious crazies in office.
Blasphemous in KS

My work has locks that require scanning with a card to enter. Sometimes, in the winter, I shove the card into my glove and then I tell the people at the door with me that I elected for the experimental microchip instead of the employee card. They smile and chuckle politely, probably thinking I am insane, until I wave my hand in front of the scanner and the door opens!! The looks on their faces are priceless. I, for one, am against the legislation because my joke won’t be funny anymore.
Edmond

I for one would welcome a microchip implant, though not for the purposes of any business that I might work for, just for identification, possibly for tracking in case I were hurt and lost, for convenience of electronic transactions, and of course for the cool factor. I would also welcome a robotic limb, or an implanted computer/brain interface device of some sort. I find human augmentation fascinating, and look forward to seeing more of it in the future.
British Cat

I would not welcome microchipping, personally. I wouldn’t want to be tracked like that, not when there are people who actually would abuse that kind of power.
Neon Genesis

Obviously Mark Cole is the real mark of the beast. I mean, it’s even in his name!
Twin-Skies

Edmond.

Automail. ‘Nuff said.
muggle

Look I’m just glad he voted it down even if it was for the wrong (crazy) reason. It’s not as crazy as actually granting this to employers.

I, for the life of me, can’t see why anyone would find a job worth letting someone do this to them but the problem is once one employer gets away with the abuse, so many others do that it makes finding suitable other ways of earning a living difficult. Just look at what Walmart’s has done to this country.

So, go crazy loon! And thank you for planting that thought where I know it will make this move resisted.
stephanie

Sorry, I can’t get behind anyone implanting something in me without a medical reason behind it. I don’t even care what kind of religious hokum the crazy legislator is using to justify defending personal rights. Even prisoners get off with just an ankle bracelet.