Papers, please? For those who aren’t aware of the origin of this phrase, Nazi Germany circa the early 1940’s certainly comes to mind. As Nazi Germany descended into a full authoritarian regime it was common for the “Stasi” (think: homeland security) to monitor and/or limit travel around the country. They began by requiring their constituents to possess “papers” (or identification) that allowed them move about the country or travel to certain areas. This ridiculous overreach is one of the reasons we have the 4th amendment in this country, yet here we are 70 years later and we seem to be allowing organizations and other “authoritarian” regimes to do the same thing! It starts with Ticketmaster requiring your private health information to be able to attend a concert. WTF Ticketmaster?

The idea of traveling (anywhere, frankly) without having to produce papers or other identification is a right guaranteed by our constitution. The 4th amendment states specifically: “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause…” In other words, YOU don’t get to ask me where I’m going and I don’t have to show you identification to go there, assuming I am not entering another country. This is far deeper and more philosophical than just a “constitutional” right; it is a human right. If I do not trespass, I should have the right to travel freely, where ever I choose on this earth, without being impeded by checkpoints and documentation verification. This seemingly small thing, called FREEDOM, is what separates our country, our society, our people from those imprisoned by fascist regimes both past and present. Why would we ever give this up for any reason? This is a question that everyone needs to take a minute to seriously ponder at this point in our history because we are headed that way.

The reason is that as a public, we are beginning to see the encroachment of that freedom. I say beginning somewhat cynically–we have already given up many of our privacy rights. However in this case, it starts with harmlessly requiring your health documentation to attend or visit certain locations. It then evolves into a caste system of sorts, where only the “privileged” will be able to move about freely; the rest of us plebes will be negated for one reason or another because of the status of our papers. Your “papers” will soon turn into a credit score, accruing data from your own health and vaccine history, social commentary, financial viability and even political and philosophical leanings. Unless you are part of the accepted groupthink, you’re not going anywhere. Do as your told!

For those that follow our musings here at Luxuryville, this concept is nothing new. In fact, it was outlined very concisely at the start of the Covid-19 “Great Reset” (GOOGLE IT!) scam that has detrimentally affected each and every one of us since March, especially us musicians. Pro-tip: They’re not done. This is just the beginning of the outer space of stasi-land. “Identification” (aka your new health, social and credit score) is going to become commonplace in our new normal. You will not be able to go anywhere without being checked and that will include your health and vaccination history. It is likely that many readers thought this take was a little too extreme, even with the emergence of new “vaccine passport” companies like Immunosafety and PassporthealthUSA. However, as recently realized, Ticketmaster has now entered into the fray.

Just what is Ticketmaster’s plan? From Billboard magazine (emphasis and capitalization mine):

“…Here’s how it would work, if approved: After purchasing a ticket for a concert, fans would need to VERIFY that they have already been vaccinated (which would provide approximately one year of COVID-19 protection–btw, how do they know how long vaccine immunity lasts?) or test negative for coronavirus approximately 24 to 72 hours prior to the concert (what happens if you are infected within 12 hours?). The length of coverage a test would provide would be governed by regional health authorities — if attendees of a Friday night concert had to be tested 48 hours in advance, most could start the testing process the day before the event. If it was a 24-hour window,  most people would likely be tested the same day of the event at a lab or a health clinic.

Once the test was complete, the fan would instruct the lab to deliver the results to their health pass company (hmmm…where have I heard that idea before?), like CLEAR or IBM. If the tests were negative, or the fan was vaccinated, the health pass company would verify the attendee’s COVID-19 status to Ticketmaster, which would then issue the fan the credentials needed to access the event. If a fan tested positive or didn’t take a test to verify their status, they would not be granted access to the event. There are still many details to work out, but the goal of the program is for fans to take care of vaccines and testing prior to the concert and not show up hoping to be tested onsite.”

And just how would Ticketmaster implement this new identification system? “For Ticketmaster, two new technologies at the companies will help its clients scale the program. The first is digital ticketing that’s linked to a fan’s identity, eliminates paper tickets and can be restricted from being transferred or resold. Ticketmaster also plans to deploy its new SmartEvent system, which helps event organizers and fans manage social distancing, delayed entry and provide possible opportunities for contact tracing (aka “tracking”). Many of the safety parameters will be set by regional health officials and event organizers. Event organizers also have the ability to set their own prevention protocols, like sanitation, mask compliance and social distancing.”

Sounds like fun, no? Now, to gain entrance into something as simple as a concert, you have to allow Ticketmaster to review YOUR data, health history, etc, prior to attendance. How about a complete invasion of privacy, including massive HIPPA violations? Oh, I almost forgot, HIPPA actually makes it easier for 3rd parties to gain access and share YOUR health info. Further, what happens if you inadvertently test positive after you’ve traveled hundreds or thousands of miles to attend a show? Think I’m going overboard yet? Listen to one of the many excited asshats explain–“In order for live events to return, technology and science are going to play huge roles in establishing integrated protocols so that fans, artists, and employees feel safe returning to venues,” says Marianne Herman, co-founder and principal reBUILD20, which focuses on helping entertainment and live events companies develop COVID-19 strategies. These mental midgets are the ones who are investing and making money from this new stasi element. They are EXCITED to implement this crap and yet seem to be totally ignorant of the larger, completely stasi picture this paints moving into the future. What if I already “feel safe” from covid with a 99.87% survival rate? Why do I have to accept someone else’s standard of “safety” for my own health?

Do you now see what’s going on here? The old days are gone. You WILL follow the new normal or you WON’T be able to go anywhere. This will continue with all travel, all sporting events and even simple things like going to the grocery store. Having an “immunity passport” will become as regular as carrying your driver’s license. It either checks out or your access is denied. Before the concern shills comment ignorantly, if this was only about keeping the population “healthy” there wouldn’t be a problem. However, this is really just a trojan horse into the larger world of total identity tracking, the complete destruction of privacy; full authoritarianism. It’s 70 years later from WWII and we are literally going backwards in time. For all the kvetching that Jews have done about Nazi Germany since the holocaust, it seems awfully hypocritical that these same “people” are at the center of this new anti-privacy and identity tracking paradigm. It’s morally and ethically disgusting on a level akin to the rest of us being referred to as “goy.”

As I write this, many of the last bastions of freedom of thought are being subdued, censored and eradicated from the interwebs. I don’t know how much longer many of you (who aren’t yet aware of what’s coming) will be able to read and review independent thought, or even what may be viewed as contrarian ideology to the going “status quo”. Make no mistake though–you either HAVE freedom or you DON’T. Once we start to limit our own freedoms, under any circumstances, it is a slippery slope downhill to the loss of ALL freedom. It is all too common for our overzealous overlords to introduce something malevolent into our civilization under the guise of benevolence.

Don’t fall for it. It starts with YOU. It is as simple as saying “NO.” I know it sucks to have to think about foregoing your favorite show or musical act–as a musician it is downright painful to think about it–but this is what needs to be done sooner rather than later if we want to have any chance of reclaiming our original, constitutionally guaranteed FREEDOMS. Don’t be a dolt and try and argue that “it’s just this one small thing.” It isn’t. As aforementioned, this is only the beginning of a complete control grid system that will dictate where you go, who you see and what you do for the rest of your life. You don’t have to believe me; trust all the WWII survivors of Nazi Germany, many of whom were confined to concentration camps during this time because their papers didn’t check out–YOU DO NOT WANT THIS IMPLEMENTED AGAIN!