Instead of RFID tagging people tag their food and let nature take it's course.

Awww damn that's me helping the forces of oppression again if only I new when to keep my mouth shut.

So could I complain about The Authorities imposing on my religious beliefs, if those religious beliefs required me to blow up a busload of unbelievers with an exploding rucksack?

The sooner religion is outlawed, the better.

This suit looks like a bunch of Libertarian cranks cooked it up, and got a few Amish to provide cover.

Ok, so they are scared about numbering every single thing. Ignoring the baleful gaze of the Flying Spaghetti Monster pointing out that his is the only true religion, I have a question about this "numbering".

Who is going to number the termites (or ants, I can't remember which)? I understand that there's around 40 metric tonnes of them for each human on the planet, and that's a lot of small insects to number.

Oh, and how many bacteria are there on my colleagues five-year-old unwashed, lunched over, coffee-ridden keyboard? (Ick, I can't even look at it. It growls when I go past)

I am no lawyer, but I reckon that demolishes the central "it's the beginning of the scheme" argument. What's the next joke from the US legal system?

"..wild animals that have proved remarkably reluctant to be RFID tagged. .."

I bet they all have arguments as to why they shouldn't have to carry ID cards as well.

Quote: "It's hard to see how replacing a metal tag with a radio one can be a religious offence, but the same could be said for most things proscribed by the various theological creeds"

Perhaps the Amish understand what others don't: That is, government is evil.

"Religion is a private thing, and should be kept private."

Agreed. Until your RFID tag lets world+dog know you are Amish, of course funny hats & beards notwithstanding.

Been following this issue for a while since I live in the Midwest of the US and have family that raise cattle. One thing this article doesn't talk about is the fact that much of the genetic diversity in the cattle market is due to the Amish and other like them. The keep meticulous records on the breeding of their stock to insure its genetic health. They don't feed their livestock animal protein which means they don't have mad cow problems which is one of the reasons they claim the tags are needed.

One thing they have stated is that they won't go along with the tagging and that they would rather sell/destroy their herds that go along with the tagging. Scientists have warned that if they do that it could put the entire US beef industry in peril of being wiped out due to the large beef producers lack of genetic diversity.

"so much mower powerful"

WTF? like 15 or 20 horsepower lawn tractor powerful?

I usually take the stance, that all religious beliefs and doctrines is a negatve thing for the individual. That any removal of freedom is a crime against humanity (that is me, you, and everyone else).

What you need to realise though, is that when liberties is taken away from people whom you might not agree with, or whose lifestyle has little to do with your own, it gets a little bit closer to the day when they get around to tackling your liberties, or clamping down on the things that you feel are essential to being free and happy (for some reason the two seem to be closely related, but that might just be me).

Remember, if a government wants to introduce something silly like ID cards (I have one already, it's called a passport... oh, i see, it's _actually_ optional to hold one... never mind then, different thing altogether)... they always make them optional, then mandatory for a small group of people who doesn't have enough voices to make themselves heard and who are not well liked enough for the rest to cry out...

example: I'm norwegian, I live and work in the UK, I'm registered as a taxpayer here (So I have a NI number) and just to get into the UK in the first place I needed to have a passport, so I am registered with the 'system', and I hold a form of identification which is accepted by all governments in the world as proof of my ID. now tell me why it is that the UK government thinks that giving all foreign workers ID cards is necessary?

(Appologies btw, as this post has wandered off the subject of the Amish getting their cattle tagged.)

Of course, there is no conceivable reason for me to hold a 'UK' ID card except for one: I belong to a minority group that has only a few voices, and I am unlikely to speak up against something like this, and besides, as I am only a resident and not a citizen, they don't even need to lock me up if I start causing trouble, they can simply kick me out :o)

I am also very unlikely to object, as I am only working over here (Oil related if you must know), and if things get to hairy (you know, mandatory blue hats for all foreigners, curfews, special queues at the supermarked), I'll just pick up my things and go work for the norwegian oil industry in stead.

No, the reason why you should care that I will need to carry an ID card is this:

For me it's just a silly piece of paper/plastic that I will only need as long as I reside on these isles (much like my NI number and my council tax bill). For you (assuming 'you' are a UK citizen) it's one step closer to the day that you need to speak to your local government recreation office before you're allowed to go for a picnic in the local park... but I guess you would be used to it by then... after all you had to have a disclosure on yourself, your partner and your families before you were allowed to apply to have kids.

Ok, that last bit is a tiny bit orwellian, but the point is that most people wouldn't like to end up in that situation... even if it did mean that crime was at 0% and no kids got abused anymore... and of course there would be no more foreigners anymore either, as we would all have gone back to our own countries a long time ago... to live free from opression and tyranny...

If I see you again in Norway, you can be sure I'll voice my opinion when the Norwegian government tries to give all the UK asylum seekers ID cards ;o)\

Anon, as I don't want to get stopped at the border when I've had enough and want to leave :P

Mine's the coat with the planetickets and the passport (International ID Card).

Some group: 'We don't want to tag our cows.'

USDA: 'Calm down, you don't have to.'

Clear-cut example of Jackbooted Owellian oppression, right there. I'm actually painting it on to a banner in my own blood as we speak.

I read about the Longhorn records being down to some half dozen ranchers a few decades back. They'd be extinct now, in the USA, I imagine.

So how does the guvmint decide a religious outlook should be ignored because of the size of the herds?

"Small farmers were expected to be excluded, so, argues the submission (pdf), there can be no imposition on the religious beliefs of the Amish."

Is it illegal for Amish farmers to be big farmers?

And gators have eaten far more people than you've had gator steaks.

Don't worry, they don't eat you whole.

They spit that bit out.

(they love long pork)

You won't get any Amish reading all this and commenting back...

--Paris 'cos I work there.

They also coped without indoor lavvies, central heating, clean drinking water and penicillin. Your point was?

""And gators have eaten far more people than you've had gator steaks."

So an entire collection of species (coroccodilians) has eaten more of one other species (humanity) than a single member of that species (humanity) has eaten of the first group? Obviously they're the superior species."

Yup. The OP had said we pwned all other creatures and put up as "proof" he'd eaten a bit of one.

Pointing out that gators have eaten WHOLE PEOPLE would then prove they pwn us.

Or he was talking bollocks.

either works.

The point is that RFID doesn't make us healthier. It doesn't even make the cattle healthier (not feeding them sheep would be a good start). So given that we don't need RFID and that RFID will not have the benefits of even lavatory paper, why the FUCK should they be mandatorally introduced?

NOTE: The US don't want GM labelling but they DO want non-GM foods labelled with an RFID. Why the difference?

I already have an ID card. A drivers license. So why are they brining in a completely new ID card?

Because the new card will require the NIR sit behind it with all our history to hand, all indexed by one number.

Do you have an NIR in Denmark? No? Then how do you survive the terrorists?!?!??!?!?