I've added my voice in opposition to this alleged anti-terrorism act which sounds like it was drafted by the same morons who created the Patriot Act.
EFF: The Real ID Act :
The federal government is trying to force states to turn your drivers license into a national ID. Unless you tell your state legislator to push back, the Real ID Act will create grave dangers to privacy and impose massive financial burdens without improving national security in the least.
Signed into law in May 2005 without meaningful debate, the Real ID Act states that drivers licenses will only be accepted for “federal purposes”—like accessing planes, trains, national parks, and court houses—if they conform to certain uniform standards. The law also requires a vast national database linking all of the ID records together.
... But with state legislatures and Congressional representatives increasingly turning against the REAL ID Act, you can help stop this costly, privacy- invasive mandate -- voice your opposition now: http://action.eff.org/site/Advocacy?id=275On Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released draft regulations for implementing REAL ID, which makes states standardize drivers' licenses and create a
vast national database linking all of the ID records together. Once in place, uses of the IDs and database will inevitably expand to facilitate a wide range of tracking
and surveillance activities. Remember, the Social Security number started innocuously enough, but it has become a prerequisite for a host of government services and has been co-opted by private companies to create massive databases of personal information.
From the ACLU's Real Nightmare site
There are several reasons the Act remains controversial.1. The Act was not passed through a true democratic process. It was slipped through Congress in May 2005 in a “must-pass” Iraq War/Tsunami relief supplemental bill, as part of a deal reached between the powerful Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R, Wis.) and the Congressional leadership. There was no time for sufficient consideration of the Act and its sweeping implications; in the Senate, there was not even a single hearing held on the Act. The result is that Real ID lacks the legitimacy that comes from having been studied, debated, considered, and directly voted upon by Americans’ elected representatives.
2. The game is not over, it has just moved into the states. Although the Act was passed by Congress, Real ID cannot go into effect without a multitude of actions in the states. State legislatures must appropriate money and, in most cases, change state laws. State executives must remake or build anew all the administrative machinery required to comply with the Act’s numerous mandates. And a lot of people at the state level do not like what they see.
3. Broad interest-group opposition. Opponents range from privacy and civil liberties organizations like the ACLU to conservative groups to immigration groups.
4. It’s a bad Act. Most fundamentally, the Real ID Act has sparked opposition because it would not be good for our country.
The opposition to Real ID is broad and deep, and despite its passage by Congress, there remains an excellent chance that it will be reversed in part or in whole.
Why is Real ID bad for our country?
Simply put, Real ID would offer significant costs and disadvantages without any corresponding advantages:
By definitively turning driver’s licenses into a form of national identity documents, Real ID would have a tremendously destructive impact on privacy.
The Act would impose significant administrative burdens and expenses on state governments, and would mean higher fees, longer lines, repeat visits to the DMV, and bureaucratic nightmares for individuals.Yet, it would not be effective at increasing security against terrorism or bring any other benefits which would justify those costs.
Takes about 1 minute to send your thoughts to your two Senators and 1 Representative (slightly longer if you tweak the language of the form letter) - cain't hurt.
Technorati Tags: civil_liberties, civil_rights, privacy
In Brazil, a federation as opposed to a union of states, there is an obligatory ID when one reaches the age of 18. A non-national gets a special one. There is a thumbprint on the ID, the process is for life. But in Brazil there are ID cards for everything, for your tax ID, for this and for that. I understand this ca nbe dangerous in the wrong hands. It seems our country has been in the wrong hands.