Jim Hightower

You'll be excited to learn that your government is protecting you with a new surveillance program!

It's the National Animal Identification System, authorized by the Patriot Act, but being implemented by the U.S. department of agriculture. This thing will compel every owner of even one cow, horse, pig, goat, sheep, llama, chicken, turkey, duck, goose, or any other form of livestock to be registered in a federal database and to have each and every one of their animals tracked 24/7, from birth to death.

By "every" owner, I don't merely mean the commercial producers with big herds and flocks. NAIS's database will also include old granny who keeps one laying hen in the backyard, city dwellers with a pot bellied pig, families who own a riding horse, someone with a pet goat or goose – everyone.

And by "tracked," I mean that every home, farm, horse stable, county fairground, pigeon coop, or other location that has as many as one of these animals on it will be compelled to register with the government and get a "Premise ID." It will include not only the name, address, phone number, and other personal data on the owner, but also the GPS coordinates of the premises for constant satellite monitoring. The owner will pay an annual fee for the privilege of registering their premises.

Second, owners will be required to have every single one of their animals implanted with RFID tags for constant tracking. Another fee will be assessed for this. There's also a time tax, for owners must report, within 24 hours, all animal "events" – births, deaths, or any trips off the premises. Go to the vet, a horse show, or take your kid's chicken to the county fair, and you must report ... or be subject to a stiff fine.

This is Jim Hightower saying... I'm told that the people who created NAIS did exempt jackasses – because they didn't want to put a chip in their own hides! To fight this insanity, go to stopanimalid.org.