U.S. National ID Card May Become Reality

CBN News ^ | 10/12/04 | CBN

[MineralMan]

(CBN News) - Americans might be one step closer to getting what critics say amounts to a national identification card.

The House and Senate have passed bills to overhaul the U.S. intelligence community. The measures would require all states to use the same standards when issuing driver's licenses.

An ACLU official tells The New York Times that the new card would have to be shown for any type of travel.

Eventually, that could include subways or even highways; a kind of in-country passport.

The Senate version would allow the Homeland Security secretary to decide what data should be provided on driver's licenses -- that could include fingerprints and iris scans.

[MineralMan]

I did some checking. The ACLU is fighting this bill, based on their long-time opposition to a National ID. I find that interesting. Many Freepers oppose this part of the bill, as well. Where is the common ground in this opposition, and on what is it based?

[tkathy]

If done right, the only hope to end voter fraud and hiring of illegals.

[Crazieman]

Creeped out by a national ID card in general. Already kept track of enough.

This is the sort of thing Drudge vehemontly opposes as well.

[MineralMan]

"If done right, the only hope to end voter fraud and hiring of illegals."

I agree with you. I'm in favor of this plan, which will standardize all states' drivers' licenses and promote communication between the states.

However, in other threads, many freepers state their opposition to this provision in the bill. I'm wondering if they have the same arguments as the ACLU does.

Since the ACLU is so well-known for promoting liberal policies, how are Freepers justifying their alignment with the point of view of the ACLU?

[finnman69]

I thought we have one, it's called a Passport.

[MineralMan]

"I thought we have one, it's called a Passport."

That's true, but it is used primarily for foreign travel and is absolutely voluntary. The percentage of US citizens who hold passports is rather small.

The idea of this bill is to standardize the ID that most citizens already hold, a driver's license or state-issued ID. It makes sense to me.

But, the ACLU is opposed to it, and that seems to lend even more credibility to the concept. But, lots of freepers appear to be aligned with the ACLU's point of view on this.

[Anvilhead]

Can't reply for all Freepers but I simply see it as one more opportunity for an increase in the level of central control.

I oppose central control because of the inherent corruptive nature of power. Central control precludes checks and balances. Without those the speed of the fall may vary but the descent is inexorable.

[DSBull]

We already have a national ID card, it is called the Social Security Card, but there are too many instances of fraud because they don't have pics on them.

The government can already track you anyway, so having a national id card will not be any different really than what we are at now, although now there will be pictures on these things, that will make it harder to forge, or steal id's.

I hope that this will cause Illegals to stop buying stolen ID's and make it harder for Terrorist to get in..

I don't see any privacy issues here, but if there are any ACLU lurkers slithering around I am sure they will point them out for me.

[X-Ecutioner]

I'm creeped out too.

[DoughtyOne]

I cannot believe that we have come this far, and yet foreign invaders are still allowed to pass into our nation with ease.

Foreign nationals from terrorist states are still allowed to enter our nation. Does anyone get that?

We see citizens the focus of about 99% of the homeland security.

My vision of airport security goes something like this. A naked man and woman stand before the airport security in a photo published in the newspaper. Under that photo is the following caption. "If the above couple thought security was tight now, just wait until they see the next levels to be implemented tomorrow."

We won't get our borders under control, but we'll put a leash on our citizens that the federal government will control. What saps the American public have turned out to be.

[MineralMan]

"I oppose central control because of the inherent corruptive nature of power. "

That seems to be the ACLU's position, too.

[RightWhale]

How can illegal immigration be stopped without a national ID?

[MineralMan]

From the ACLU's web site, here's part of their argument. It sounds a lot like the arguments I've read from Freepers in other threads:

---

ARGUMENTS, FACTS, QUOTES
The ACLU does not object to efforts to make current documents more fraud or tamper-resistant as long as individual privacy is protected. The ACLU has, however, consistently opposed proposals that would establish a single document that serves as the sole form of employment identification for citizens and residents.

Many Americans have an almost visceral reaction against the use -- and abuse -- of technology for intrusive purposes. A national I.D. card poses a grave threat to the civil liberties of all by creating a powerful tool for abuse of privacy rights. The system could not work without a national governmental database of every person in the U.S., with identifying information subject to continual updating. The linkage of government databases with corporate databases increases the likelihood that intimate personal information -- credit histories, spending habits, unlisted telephone numbers, voting, medical and employment histories -- could be easily accessed without a person's knowledge.

A national I.D. card would essentially serve as an internal passport. It would create an easy new tool for government surveillance and could be used to target critics of the government, as has happened periodically throughout our nation's history. While the Social Security Act originally contained strict prohibitions against use of the Social Security card for unrelated purposes, over the past 50 years those prohibitions have been ignored or legislated into oblivion and restrictions on a national I.D. card would follow the same path. In his seminal book, Databanks in a Free Society, author Alan Westin wrote that "many dissenting and minority groups in [American] society ... view the establishment of such an identifier ... as a giant step toward tightening government control over the citizen for repressive purposes."

[pabianice]

Why don't we start with an ID card for VOTING??

[SJSAMPLE]

I'm a bit lacking on the National ID card issue.

What would be the drawbacks to requiring this ID for ANY FEDERAL government assistance or services? I recognize privacy issues, so I'd like to hear the entire arguement.

[Conspiracy Guy]

I've been for National ID for a while. Now that I know the ACLU is against it I know my position is sound.

[MineralMan]

"How can illegal immigration be stopped without a national ID?"

Good question. Personally, I'm in favor of some sort of standardized ID for US citizens. That seems to be what this bill is going for.

[infowars_victory]

people can choose if they get a passport or driver's license, national ID's will not be an option. please oppose this.

[Bikers4Bush]

What is the benefit of creating a new ID as opposed to making SS cards more secure and impossible to forge?

This is a central control attempt that could easily be abused by the states and the feds.

Fix the SS issue and you don't need a NEW id and all bureaucratic crap and additional spending that goes with it. The conservative position is for a smaller less intrusive government not a larger more instrusive one.

[DSBull]

And improved SS Card with a picture and a thumb print scan into the card would do that.
It would be difficult to forge and could be used as an ID to vote, obtain DL's, open Bank Accounts, and the like.

We already use our SS anyway in most of those, this would be a more secure form of the same.