Delusions, the Legislature and an implanted microchip
We often say that insanity reigns at the state Capitol.
But when we do, we do not literally accuse the people inside of letting their grip on reality slip. We simply mean that our ability to fathom their motives, or their ability to express them, has fallen short.
Referring to a politician as delusional is simply entertaining hyperbole. But it is something that becomes much less funny when a truly tortured soul bears her torment.
Last Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee entertained SB 235, the bill sponsored by Sen. Chip Pearson (R-Dawsonville) to prohibit the involuntary implantation of microchips in human beings.
In Gov. Roy Barnes’ stump speech, the bill has become a routine example of the Republican tendency to attack problems that don’t exist, and ignore the ones that do. Besides, Barnes argues, if someone holds him down to insert a microchip in his head, “it should be more than a damned misdemeanor.”
Three states have instituted bans, and others have considered the legislation. In Virginia, a bill supporter declared microchips to be the “666″ mark of the beast referred to in the Book of Revelation.
Pearson has said his motivation isn’t biblical or religious – that he is simply working in advance of technology’s next assault on personal privacy. Not unlike limiting the uses of DNA testing by health insurance companies, he argues.
At the House hearing, state Rep. Ed Setzler (R-Kennesaw), who is shouldering the legislation in the House, spoke earnestly for better than a half hour on microchips as a literal invasion of privacy.
He was followed by a hefty woman who described herself as a resident of DeKalb County. “I’m also one of the people in Georgia who has a microchip,” the woman said. Slowly, she began to lead the assembled lawmakers down a path they didn’t want to take.
Microchips, the woman began, “infringe on issues that are fundamental to our very existence. Our rights to privacy, our rights to bodily integrity, the right to say no to foreign objects being put in our body.”
She spoke of the “right to work without being tortured by co-workers who are activating these microchips by using their cell phones and other electronic devices.”
She continued. “Microchips are like little beepers. Just imagine, if you will, having a beeper in your rectum or genital area, the most sensitive area of your body. And your beeper numbers displayed on billboards throughout the city. All done without your permission,” she said.
It was not funny, and no one laughed.
“Ma’am, did you say you have a microchip?” asked state Rep. Tom Weldon (R-Ringgold).
“Yes, I do. This microchip was put in my vaginal-rectum area,” she replied. Setzler, the sponsoring lawmaker, sat next to the witness – his head bowed.
“You’re saying this was involuntary?” Weldon continued.
The woman said she had been pushing a court case through the system for the last eight years to have the device removed.
Wendell Willard (R-Atlanta), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, picked up the questioning.
“Who implanted this in you?” he asked.
“Researchers with the federal government,” she said.
“And who in the federal government implanted it?” Willard asked.
“The Department of Defense.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
The woman was allowed to go about her business, and the House Judiciary Committee approved passage of SB 235.
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138 comments Add your comment
Sherman
April 20th, 2010
4:14 pm
Good thing there are no serious issues for Georgia to address…
Republican turned Democrat
April 20th, 2010
4:22 pm
Hey, some people probably like having the chip and the way it makes them feel when someone makes a cell phone call while in their vicinity. This is Atlanta after all.
WTF? GOP Officials Draft Policy to Protect Against Involuntary Genital Microchips? « SpeakEasy
April 20th, 2010
4:22 pm
[...] This report, from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Jim Galloway, is disconcerting on its face, but it also raises questions about the larger connection between conservatives and their microchip-related concerns. [...]
Harpie
April 20th, 2010
4:23 pm
@Pharmacist: Citizens of the State are allowed to come and speak on behalf of any piece of legislation WITHOUT being “put up” by legislators. If the chairman of the committee is accepting testimony, anyone in the room can stand and speak in support or against a piece of legislation. I am fairly certain that the sponsors of this legislation quickly became aware of this womans problems the minute she opened her mouth to speak, and I am 100% sure that this woman was not “put up” by either of the sponsors of this bill.
@ everyone else: Do you understand the term “proactive?” The purpose of this legislation is to protect the citizens of Georgia. The bill is closing a loophole before it opens. Microchips exist, and even if they aren’t being implanted in humans for whatever purpose, they could be one day. And, just like anything else in the world, COULD be used for ill purposes. Frankly, I appreciate the foresight on the part of these legislators!
Republican turned Democrat
April 20th, 2010
4:24 pm
Probably explains why people in Midtown walk the way they do.
Anita Bryant
April 20th, 2010
4:54 pm
Defense Dept. charges way too much for implantation. Try that great doc in Mexico City.
Andrea Stone
April 20th, 2010
5:31 pm
Microchips aren’t all. Check this out about other health care myths: http://www.aolnews.com/2010/04/20/muslims-are-exempt-and-more-new-obamacare-myths/19447382/
We Are Controlling Transmission
April 20th, 2010
5:55 pm
[...] reform go? Pretty far. Exhibit A: the Georgia state legislature has been debating legislation that will prevent anyone from being implanted with a microchip against their will. [...]
Ruminations of an Expatriate » Blog Archive » Plying The Lunatic Fringe
April 20th, 2010
6:45 pm
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution reports on a proposed bill in the state house “sponsored by Sen. Chip Pearson (R-Dawsonville) and [...]
And it taint no joke « Blog on the Run: Reloaded
April 20th, 2010
8:53 pm
[...] } You know why there are no great humor novels about state legislatures? Because real life outdoes anything a novelist could conjure: Last Wednesday, the [Georgia] House Judiciary Committee [...]
edwords
April 20th, 2010
9:10 pm
This is no crazier than creationism.
Pax facio ipso wacko!
.
This guy Chip was implanted in our legislature againt my will
April 20th, 2010
10:25 pm
there ought to be a law against that.
Some Christians have expressed concern that the development of implantable microchips and RFIDs are a precursor to events prophesied in the Bible’s Book of Revelation.
So my tax dollars are going towards preventing a prophecy from coming true. (forehead slap).
durden
April 20th, 2010
10:39 pm
Someone got fired over that lady….. No one asked her about her story before she took the floor? Awesome use of vetting.
Stephanie W.
April 20th, 2010
10:42 pm
Wow, our wonderful state made the Rachel Maddow show again! She actually made fun of our 2 Chips and the microchips.
Jack Bauer
April 20th, 2010
10:43 pm
Implanted microchips were SO season two on ‘24′.
eddie
April 20th, 2010
10:55 pm
Commenting on the comments. Microchips before WWI, huh? Reverend, you need an education. Pharmacist says legislators need to screen people who testify. Can a group of lunatics be expected to screen other lunatics? Also, while they were at it, why didn’t the legislature ban other acts that we must be protected against such as government beaming of signals into peoples’ brains via television and radio, abducting people in flying saucers to perform experiments on their reproductive organs, etc. It’s enough to make you want ot pick up your pitchfork and rake and march on Washington, by gum. When is some courageous Republican going to stand up and point out that the majority of the members of his party aren’t wearing any clothes?
jr
April 20th, 2010
11:05 pm
Obviously, this lady was crazy. However, is there anybody on this thread that thinks you ought to be able to implant a microchip into somebody against their will? If so, then why?
It passed the Senate by a vote of 47-2…overwhelming bipartisan support.
Donald
April 20th, 2010
11:11 pm
So, who was crazier – the lady who claimed that DoD planted a microchip in her vagina (was that part of President Obama’s stimulus package?), or the state senators who subsequently approved that nonsensical bill anyway after listening to her?
Donald
April 20th, 2010
11:20 pm
David: “As states work to pass laws in attempts to protect their citizens from the onslaught of the feds with healthcare it is nice to see that a few are looking at all the ways the government has planned for invading the sanctity of our lives and our bodies.”
Dude, when you double down on the stupid like that, I don’t even think that a planted microchip could help you.
The Republicans Have Found Their Next VP Nominee « MikeSouth.Com
April 21st, 2010
12:12 am
[...] to be implanted with a microchip," and would make violating the ban a misdemeanor. According to a report in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, one exchange from the hearing could have been ripped right [...]
Georgia Woman: US Military Beeping My Bum « The GO Report
April 21st, 2010
12:29 am
[...] prohibiting “requiring a person to be implanted with a microchip.” According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, testimony over the bill got weird when a woman told the committee, ”I’m also one of [...]
Chris
April 21st, 2010
12:35 am
Assuming , of course that there really IS an implant, I’d like to know why she has to file suit to have the chip removed. Wouldn’t she want to go to a dermatologist or general surgeon or gynecologist instead of a lawyer? Every RFID that I’ve seen is inserted through a large gauge needle right under the skin. A nick in the skin, a pair of tweezers, and viola! No need for the aluminum foil panties anymore! Not something a barrister can help with, though.
What I REALLY want to know is where the billboard with her “beeper number” is. Now that everyone knows about what it does to her (for her?), I can imagine that she’s not getting much rest these days. Oh, except that RFIDs don’t vibrate, sing, dance, talk, or move for that matter. That’s troublesome. They’re chips sealed in glass tubes the size of an extra long grain of rice. No battery, no lights, no wires, zip, nil, nada. Again troublesome.
Hmmm…If it’s not a beeping-vibrating-RFID, I wonder what she REALLY has in her…region.
Chris
April 21st, 2010
12:55 am
@ Harpie I’m afraid she WAS known to Setzler before she testified before the committee. She may not have been “put up” but one of the sponsors of the bill (Setzler) was aware of her testimony beforehand.
Chris
April 21st, 2010
12:59 am
Pharmacist, I couldn’t agree more. I still don’t understand why she would choose to file suit to have it removed instead of seeking medical attention.
Rep. Ed Setzler
April 21st, 2010
1:31 am
For the record, the DeKalb County woman that testified in committee came to the Capitol on her own behalf and was in NO WAY invited by me or Senator Pearson. As this regrettable incident shows, a bill’s sponsor has no control of who from the public comes to speak on a bill – any implication that this woman was brought in by the sponsors is a misrepresentation of the facts that any person in attendance could attest to. As a legislator who has been working hard for months on transportation and the state budget, I am frankly disappointed in this report that reflects reality about as closely as the testimony of the witness herself. Will anyone join me in hoping that this troubled woman gets the kind of help she truly needs…
Brian
April 21st, 2010
4:49 am
Rep Setzler, what’s really regrettable about this incident is that you’re nutty enough to think that humans are actually implanted with microchips.
Do you actually know what they are and what they do? Your local veterinarian will be happy to point out that all RFID tags do is return a digital number when scanned with a reader device. They do not acquire data- they record nothing- and they can only be read by a scanning device located within an inch or so of the tag.
Most regrettably, your committee actually sallied forth, recommending criminalizing an act which simply doesn’t happen. You validated that mentally ill woman’s nutball theory and most likely that of hundreds of other wackos across your state- and the USA for that matter.
As an American living overseas, I’m frankly disappointed that I have to admit to everyone who knows me as the sole example of an American that they know first-hand, that there’s people in my motherland who are as full-tilt-boogie insane as you and the lady from DeKalb County.
*facepalm*
John K
April 21st, 2010
8:22 am
Sorry Rep. Setzler, when you hop in bed with the crazies, you get what you deserve.
jovan
April 21st, 2010
9:13 am
But, here is the thing: the Georgia state legislature wants to implant their OWN microchips inside of every woman to prevent her from exercising her God-given right to abortion.
Georgia Bill Bans Implanted Chips
April 21st, 2010
10:06 am
[...] via Delusions, the Legislature and an implanted microchip [...]
Freehawk
April 21st, 2010
10:33 am
Is Chip Pearson’s son named “Microchip?”
But I digress. Note that the bill does not prohibit microchips, just somebody requiring them to be implanted. Wouldn’t SATAN just ask nicely? He’s fairly persuasive, you know. I have just proved that our Legislators are not Satan, incidentally, because they are too darned stupid.
Georgia To Ban Implanting Microchips In People Against Their Will | Disinformation
April 21st, 2010
11:31 am
[...] SB235, which now awaits the governor’s signature, following some insane testimony. From the Atlanta Journal Constitution: Three states have instituted bans, and others have considered the legislation. In Virginia, a bill [...]
the Captain
April 21st, 2010
12:06 pm
It seems that way, way, to many people here in GA some of whom apparently are even state legislators, don’t have a good enough grip on reality to understand the X-Files was fiction!
Woman Tells State Judiciary Committee, “DoD Implanted A Microchip Inside Me” | JetLib News
April 21st, 2010
12:40 pm
[...] WP Greet Box WordPress PluginThe Georgia House Judiciary Committee took up a bill that would “prohibit requiring a person to be implanted with a microchip,” and would make violating the ban a misdemeanor. Things started to get weird at the hearing [...]
Inplant chip « The Ghostfighters
April 21st, 2010
12:52 pm
[...] pm April 19, 2010, by Jim Galloway http://blogs.ajc.com/political-insider-jim-galloway/2010/04/19/delusions-the-legislature-and-an-impl... http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/votes/sv0486.htm Web Searches [...]
YouGottaBeKiddingMe
April 21st, 2010
12:56 pm
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA – the Department of Defense put the microchip in her hoo-hah? Okay. Gee Lady, if that’s the case ya think maybe the gubbmint isn’t the right authority to go to for recourse? Then again I guess it’s easier than dealing with the jurisdiction problems trying to go after the aliens that are probably the REAL cuprits!
Jimmy D
April 21st, 2010
1:03 pm
She’s obviously a Republican.
Jeremy
April 21st, 2010
1:26 pm
Ummmm, someone who is experiencing mysterious sensations isn’t necessarily crazy. It is not a crime to be technologically ignorant.
The fact is, electronic harassment technologies used in state-to-person warfare campaigns (think 21st century Stasi) don’t require implants.
http://areyoutargeted.com/orientation/electronic-harassment/
Really?
April 21st, 2010
2:00 pm
The Legislation: While the legislators should have other things to focus on during the worst economic crisis likely in American history, this does have it’s place. As early as 2006 a private sector company REQUIRED it’s datacenter employees to be chipped or lose their jobs. 2 of them got the chips (I don’t remember of how many). Had something like this been in place…
The Government: Is anyone really naive enough to believe that this sort of thing is beyond some of the people who work in our government? How then, do you explain the Tuskegee experiments, J Edgar Hoover, Sen. Joe McCarthy, 1980’s CIA drug running, Iran / Contra, the post 911 nationwide wiretapping and the corporate immunity for it? There’s a buzz starting too that there’s a declassified FBI report that might lend some credence to the famous NYC subway / LSD rumor.
Is the US government nothing but an Illuminati construct, and we it’s guinea pigs? No. Is it so honest, upright and principled the thought of citizens being abused is absurd? No.
The Witness: I know laughter is an interruptive defense mechanism, but c’maaaaan. The woman’s sick. Can you imagine LIVING that way? 24 hour fear and anxiety, not to mention whatever else is or isn’t going on in her head. Someone amongst a room full of elected officials likely sworn to serve, protect and defend it’s citizens should have gotten her some help. The whole thing’s sad.
Wasn’t This On An Episode Of “Outer Limits” | Revelations From An Unwashed Brain
April 21st, 2010
2:45 pm
[...] The Georgia House Judiciary Committee took up a bill that would "prohibit requiring a person to be implanted with a microchip," and would make violating the ban a misdemeanor. Things started to get weird at the hearing [...]
Chip implantation: banning a problem that doesn’t exist - SmartPlanet
April 21st, 2010
3:15 pm
[...] there’s much more pressing matters for state legislatures to take up. Just for kicks, read the anecdote included in Galloway’s column about a victim of an implanted chip and decide for yourself if these bans have even a whiff of [...]
Cathy in Virginia
April 21st, 2010
3:55 pm
Rep. Setzler, I do join you in hoping that this poor woman gets help for her mental illness. My first question to you is: haven’t you cut the state funding to mental health services that would allow her to get just the help she needs? My further question to you: Since the new health reform bill recently passed by Congress will provide parity for mental health treatment, and will allow citizens like this woman to receive treatment, why don’t you support it?
TJAtl
April 21st, 2010
7:04 pm
This poor woman obviously suffers from paranoid delusions. There is but a fine line between her condition and the priorities of many of our legislators.
Lary
April 21st, 2010
9:44 pm
I’ve got a better story than that. I was touring the White House a few months ago and something very strange happened. While entering a restroom I was tackled by sever large black suited sun glassed men. They wrestled me into the corner, pulled down my pants and low and behold, Nancy Pelocy crammed a small put painful electronic device strait up my ass! She told me that I was an experiment on body function control and would be monitored for six years.. She said that she was going to have one implanted in herself, but was told that she had too much stuff stuck up her ass. I feel fine with my new device and I don:t mind the government monitoring all my body functions.
Kathy
April 21st, 2010
10:04 pm
All I can say….what about the evidence and proof, especially since this is the judiciary committee….
This is a tragedy and a real embarassment for people in this state.
Jo Diggs
April 21st, 2010
10:18 pm
Wow, this is amazing stuff dude.
Lou
http://www.ultimate-privacy.at.tc
captain red defense
April 21st, 2010
10:24 pm
has anyone seen a microchip I seem to have misplaced?
Tom
April 21st, 2010
11:25 pm
I don’t understand these comments. Were you all so snark-happy when California passed the exact same law in 2008? And far from being an exercise in paranoia, the law was enacted in RESPONSE to employers who demanded that their workers be either implanted or fired. There’s already a precedent for this sort of thing. So to Brian who said, “Rep Setzler, what’s really regrettable about this incident is that you’re nutty enough to think that humans are actually implanted with microchips,” it turns out you’re right, people aren’t being implanted, but only because California has a law against it.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/420694/california_no_rfid_chip_implants_to.html?cat=17
Scott M
April 21st, 2010
11:38 pm
I cannot believe that people are this stupid…and seriously accepted testimony from a woman who is a half-step from mumbling to herself under a bridge somewhere.
But…welcome to the GOP Republican Party…where paranoia is kind, and rationality is “liberal”.
Scrawny Kayaker
April 22nd, 2010
12:10 am
Pharmacist “why are [Repug. legislators] entertaining this ‘make-believe’ topic?”
Because A. the Repugs are addicted to divisive non-issues to try to whip up their base, and B. they and their base are fundamentalist religious lunatics.
Colin Sparrow
April 22nd, 2010
1:30 am
OK so let me get this straight. The plans of the anti-christ to dominate the planet and herald in the sovereign rule of Lucifer will be thwarted by a piece of [American] State legislation? Cunning.