chip of the beast

Some religious nuts complain that UPC codes (you know, those bar codes on the bottom of your box of Frosted Flakes) are some sort of mark of the beast. But implanted ID chips with your medical records contained on them sound closer to the mark.

I clearly see the medical utility. If you're unconscious when you arrive at the hospital, a scan could establish your identity and flag any conditions or allergies you have -- that's useful. But this system looks like it has few security features, making it vulnerable to identity theft by the use of hand-held scanners or hacking into the computer database where the info is stored.

It's ironic, the opposition many on the left and right have to any idea of the federal government issuing a national ID card is much greater than concerns about leaving extremely sensitive personal information in the hands of commercial interests who buy and sell data about you as a commodity and have little responsibility or liability should the information be wrong or fall into the wrong hands. I think I'll pass on the medical chip.