The “Break it Down” Blog

The Village Voice is running a story that New York officials are lobbying to remove Geiger counters (and any other kind of air quality or asbestos detector) from the hands of citizens unless authorized to carry them by the police:

And it’s not just devices to detect weaponized anthrax that they want the power to control, but those that detect everything from industrial pollutants to asbestos in shoddy apartments. Want to test for pollution in low-income neighborhoods with high rates of childhood asthma? Gotta ask the cops for permission. Why? So you “will not lead to excessive false alarms and unwarranted anxiety,” the first draft of the law states.

I understand the reasoning behind the law, but I still declare shenanigans on it in the wake of:

1. Countless reports that the air quality was knowingly lied about and has lead to health problems for 1000s
2. Rudy “Dickbag” Giuliani is running for president, don’t want to leave a bad rep behind right?
3. I have to imagine these reports has effected tourism in New York and people’s pockets are getting shallower

I declare shenanigans on all this because of the timing and limitation the law is setting out. If it was legit, they could simply say that unauthorized devices could not be used to report infestation publicly or the person could be fined. So New York can go out and find the top of the line detectors and then certify them for public use… oh no, can’t do that. Instead what they want is a list of everyone’s name that “might cause trouble” for them because we know this isn’t about keeping the community safe or keeping down false positives… how the hell does having my name help keep down false positives if I’m still allowed to go buy any Geiger counter or air detector I want after you give me my permit? Even the faulty ones?

Oh that’s right, it doesn’t… you just want to know exactly who I am so you can keep tabs on me.

Suck it privacy!