Bush Administration: Dismiss RFID 'Mark of the Beast' Lawsuit

[meegbear]

The Bush administration on Thursday urged a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit brought by a group of Amish farmers in Michigan claiming RFID chips required on cattle "are a mark of the beast."

The Amish farmers claim (.pdf) Michigan regulations requiring them to use radio frequency identification devices on their cattle "constitutes some form of a 'mark of the beast' and/or represents an infringement of their 'dominion over cattle and all living things' in violation of their fundamental religious beliefs," according to the farmers' lawsuit filed in September in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

In response to the charges, the United States Department of Agriculture wrote (.pdf) Thursday that its RFID tagging program is a voluntary measure to help agricultural officials track bovine and other livestock diseases. The USDA said the lawsuit should be directed at Michigan, which adopted RFID requirements last year.

The case should be dismissed, the administration wrote, "because plaintiffs cannot establish that any rule issued or action taken by the USDA either mandates the use of RFID tags on livestock located within Michigan, or, conversely, prevents the Michigan Department of Agriculture from granting appropriate religious exemptions imposed by that department."

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http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/11/bush-administra.html

[Eryemil]

1. You really can't make up that kind of crazy. Damn.

[ProfessorPlum]

2. It's truly the mark of the beast!

I wonder if the cattle will be allowed to buy or sell without it!

[ipfilter]

3. Do these people even read their Bibles?

Where does it mention RFID tags or barcodes?

[atreides1]

4. I'm sure they read their Bibles!

What did you think it was going to be, a brand like they do with cattle?

[Turbineguy]

6. It's in the Apocrypha

"For Ezechiel loved his neighbor Albam's wife's ass so much he placed a tracking device in her g-string. And Albam slew Ezeciel and ate his liver, served with onions."

[Ezlivin]

5. Next they'll remove the hide from cattle and make covers for their holy book!

Or cook and eat their internal organs.

[surrealAmerican]

7. This isn't so much 'Mark of the Beast' as it is 'Mark on the Beast'

Why would this differ theologically from branding or ear-tag numbering?

[ipfilter]

9. Because it's new and scary.

New and scary things are always the Mark of the Beast.

[bperci108]

8. Hey... I'm rooting for the Amish.

I don't care about their motivations. I'm glad they are fighting the Corporate-shill filled Bush USDA.

This "Real Animal ID" plan is a bad, bad idea. And it AIN'T "voluntary" either, no matter what the spin-merchants claim... It's only real purpose is to regulate and harass small (and in most cases natural and organic) farmers out of existence and leave only Big Ag, Inc. to control the nation's food supply.


(And before you suggest I get out the :tinfoilhat: you should look at what The Small Farmer's Journal has been writing about it for the past 4 or so years. The small guys out here see it for what it is.)