Involuntary Organ Donation

This kind of brainstorming is now "a fixture at Department of Homeland Security science and technology conferences":

Among the group’s approximately 24 members is Larry Niven, the bestselling and award-winning author of such books as “Ringworld” and “Lucifer’s Hammer,” which he co-wrote with SIGMA member Jerry Pournelle.

Niven said a good way to help hospitals stem financial losses is to spread rumors in Spanish within the Latino community that emergency rooms are killing patients in order to harvest their organs for transplants.

“The problem [of hospitals going broke] is hugely exaggerated by illegal aliens who aren’t going to pay for anything anyway,” Niven said.

Fortunately, this isn't just random nutbags tossing out ideas, these are serious people:

The 45-minute panel discussion quickly deteriorated as federal, local and state homeland security officials, and at least one congressional aid, attempted to ask questions, which were largely ignored.

Instead the writers used their time to pontificate on a variety of tangentially related topics, including their past roles advising the government, predictions in their stories that have come to pass, the demise of the paperback book market, and low-cost launch into space.

David Brin, keeping on the topic of empowering citizens with mobile phone technology, delivered a self-described “rant” on the lack of funds being spent to support citizen reservists to back up the military, homeland security officials and first responders in times of crisis.

“It is impossible for you to succeed without us!” he shouted at the assembled officials, while banging his fist on the table and at one point jumping off his chair to wave a mobile phone in their faces.

You know, I have one simple request. And that is to have sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads! Now evidently my cycloptic colleague informs me that that cannot be done. Ah, would you remind me what I pay you people for, honestly? Throw me a bone here! What do we have?\

(Via Mr. Leonard Pierce.)

                                                                     

Comments

[Michele]

Imagine the possibilities if Orson Scott Card directed foreign policy.

[Mithras]

Or domestic policy.

[Nan]

“I cannot guarantee I’m going to be a great help to Homeland Security,” Niven said earlier.

No kidding.

Nothing pisses me off faster (well, almost nothing) than seeing climbing medical costs being blamed on the scapegoat du jour: undocumented immigrants. You'd think Niven would have some grasp on reality, but apparently not.