If this report is true and there actually comes a day when passengers are forced to wear a stun bracelet, then I will find another way to my destination:
In order to enhance the security of air travel and to help manage illegal immigration, the Department of Homeland Security has solicited a proposal from a Canadian security company to develop a passenger stun bracelet.
[...]
Anticipating questions about passenger willingness to don a shock bracelet, Hahne was quick to defend the idea. “When people say they’re not going to wear one, they need to be made aware that the bracelets are totally inert until the flight is airborne and the flight crew determines an attack is underway,” he said.
Sorry that’s not enough of an incentive. It’s bad enough that we have to be put through hours of screening just to get on the plane, I’m not going to submit willingly to the potential of being incapacitated at the whim of the flight crew.
(via)
posted July 9, 2008 at 2:46 pm
Gee, Michele, you object to wearing a little ol’ stun bracelet but not to being spied upon by your government without a warrant? I guess the spying is more abstract–until it isn’t, of course.
posted July 9, 2008 at 3:04 pm
I don’t care if they spy on me or not. I’ve got nothing to hide.
Anyway, warrantless wiretapping is not spying. It’s withing the President’s authority, he can suspend habeus corpus if he wants to. Read the Constitution.
posted July 9, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Is the government willing to go through the trouble of screening pilots and flight attendants to make sure they can accept this responsibility? I doubt it. Flight crews are already background checked, of course, but to have that responsibility is something else entirely. In fact, I wouldn’t trust anyone with that power. This has bad idea written all over it.
posted July 9, 2008 at 3:09 pm
One word for this airline – bankrupt.
posted July 9, 2008 at 3:17 pm
I believe the phrase, “Hell no! We won’t go!” has just taken on new meaning.
posted July 9, 2008 at 4:32 pm
“I’ve got nothing to hide.” Right, ZZ. People told themselves much the same thing throughout history as their freedoms evaporated: prewar Germany, for example. “I’m not Jewish.” “I’m a law-abiding citizen.” “Maybe there was something wrong with those books they burned.” “Those people being tortured must be guilty.” “Security is more important than freedom, after all.” “Those stories about people being held indefinitely without a hearing are just exaggerations.” “The leader knows best.”
It’s certainly true that as long as you keep quiet and go along with the program, no one’s going to bother with you. Maybe.
posted July 9, 2008 at 5:29 pm
I’m not sure how this would help cases of illegal immigration.
And how, exactly, would this effect folks with a pace maker or an insulin pump?
posted July 9, 2008 at 7:47 pm
“Gee, Michele, you object to wearing a little ol’ stun bracelet but not to being spied upon by your government without a warrant? I guess the spying is more abstract–until it isn’t, of course.”
Since I don’t make overseas calls to terrorists, I’m not so concerned by this.
posted July 10, 2008 at 12:12 am
That’s not the point. It is illegal for the government to spy on an American citizen without a warrant, or at least it was when we upheld the Constitution. I’m surprised at you; I would have thought you’d have more respect for civil liberties, but I see it’s only the Second Amendment that you care about. Certainly you are utterly cavalier about the Fourth.
It’s bizarre how distorted one’s thinking becomes when one is forced to ignore a host of unassailable facts in order to hold on to a fiction. You Bushies make a fascinating case study.
posted July 10, 2008 at 10:09 am
Osborn 4, this would be an ideal way to get people with pacemakers and insulin pumps off the Medicare/high-risk insurance rolls and blame terrorists. Terrorists selectively attack our elderly….
posted July 10, 2008 at 10:09 am
Yelladawg, comparing the US to prewar Germany is so over the top it merits no response.
posted July 10, 2008 at 11:20 am
The article is odd, I wonder if they meant “terrorism” rather than “illegal immigration” – I don’t think most illegals come in on the plane.
posted July 12, 2008 at 8:41 am
I have a better idea, instead of using stun bracelets for airline passengers, its simple just have remote controlled airline passenger seatbelts so any airline crew personell can automatically lock the unruly passenger in his or her place by the push of a button, simply announce for everyone to put the seatbelts on because of “turbulence” shh!! don’t let him or her know, every seat should have a code for the seatbelt, push the button and wham unruly passenger is locked!! Who ever wants to go 50/50 on this patented idea let me know.
posted July 12, 2008 at 8:47 am
“I have a better idea, instead of using stun bracelets for airline passengers, its simple just have remote controlled airline passenger seatbelts so any airline crew personell can automatically lock the unruly passenger in his or her place by the push of a button, simply announce for everyone to put the seatbelts on because of “turbulence” shh!! don’t let him or her know, every seat should have a code for the seatbelt, push the button and wham unruly passenger is locked!! Who ever wants to go 50/50 on this patented idea let me know.”
I thought of putting using a stun belt instead of a stun bracelet but I realize it would be pretty easy to defeat. Just don’t clip the belt. And the crew go by and check, just unclick it when they walk by.