Sorry about that, Chief

In the news today there was an item that caught my eye. The U.S. Department of Defense has found 3 Canadian Coins with tiny radio frequency transmitters hidden inside of them. These coins were carried into the Pentagon by government contractors, with security clearances, who had recently been to Canada. The transmitters were tracking devices.

“Intelligence and technology experts said such transmitters, if they exist, could be used to surreptitiously track the movements of people carrying the spy coins.” The experts also think the coins may have been made in France. The French supposedly have a large spy network working out of Canada. If these transmitters were built into White Flags, I would be more apt to believe these “experts”.

It appears to me to be more like something that the Q Branch of MI6 would make for a James Bond movie. Or better yet something that Maxwell Smart would use to track KAOS agents.

Let’s face it, Canadian coins are worthless. Even with a pocket full of them you can’t even buy a beer in Canada. They are more worthless in the States. Vending machines don’t even take them.

So what do you do with your Canadian coins when you return from a visit to Canada? On my prior visits I gave those coins to the border crossing guards (Customs Agents). If not, I gave them to my coin collecting nephew. Or perhaps you could throw them into a bureau drawer. Either way, to me they seem to be worthless as a tracking devise.

My questions are: Why would anyone want to track the movements of a Defense Department Contractor in the first place and why would any Contractor keep these worthless coins in his pocket?

The Beach Bum