Congress Considering National ID Card

The American Conservative Union ^ | October 18, 2004 | aculistmanager@laptoplobbyist.com

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

 

 

Dear Friend of the ACU:

Kiss your civil liberties and right to privacy goodbye!

Do you believe that you should be compelled to carry a National ID Card that is imprinted with your fingerprint or your DNA imprint or other highly personal and private information?

Do you believe that you should be required to produce this ID card on demand -- when you go to the grocery store or cross state lines or pay your taxes or at the whim of some petty government bureaucrat?

This is not science fiction folks -- nor is it a scene out of a futuristic "B-movie" -- the technology exists and if Congress gets its way -- it's going to be a reality.

Unless -- of course -- you join with me to take a stand today and urge the Senate and House Conference Committee to kill the National ID Card provisions from S.2845 and H.R. 10.

 

Use the hyperlink below and join with me in sending a personalized Blast Fax message to the thirteen key Senators and the nine key House Members who will be considering this legislation.  Tell them that any National ID Card provisions must be stripped from H.R. 10 and S.2845. Tell them that no amount of security is worth turning the United States into a Police State.

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Show Me Your Papers Please

"We beat the Germans in World War II. We don't want to be a show-us-your-papers kind of country."  Those are the words of author David Kopel.

But perhaps Congressman Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) said it best.

"The much-hailed 9/11 Commission report released in July recommends a federal identification card and, worse, a 'larger network of screening points' inside the United States. Does this mean we are to have 'screening points' inside our country where American citizens will be required to 'show their papers' to government officials? It certainly sounds that way!"

Paul goes on to say, "A national identification card, in whatever form it may take, will allow the federal government to inappropriately monitor the movements and transactions of every American. History shows that governments inevitably use the power to monitor the actions of people in harmful ways. Claims that the government will protect the privacy of Americans when implementing a national identification card ring hollow."

I don't know about you -- but the prospect of being told to produce my papers evokes visions of living in the former Soviet Union and -- even now -- I have a hard time believing our Congress is seriously considering it.

 

Use the hyperlink below and join with me in sending a personalized Blast Fax message to the thirteen key Senators and the nine key House Members who will be considering this legislation.  Tell them that any National ID Card provisions must be stripped from H.R. 10 and S.2845. Tell them that no amount of security is worth turning the United States into a Police State.

http://www.laptoplobbyist.com/acuid.html

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What Is Congress Saying?

In case you still don't think National ID Cards are a reality -- Here's what some Members of Congress are saying ...

 

Rep. Mary Bono (R-CA) said, "I think people are going to have to recognize that some of their conveniences are going to be gone...  I'm glad to show my identification where I need to go."
 

Rep. George Gekas (R-Pa.), chairman of the House Immigration Subcommittee, has told the press that "proposals to mandate national ID cards should not be dismissed out of hand."

 

These are REPUBLICANS  -- the folks who are suppose to take our civil liberties seriously!

 

Ron Paul in criticizing the measure said, "Congress has embraced the 9/11 Commission report uncritically since its release in July. Now Congress is rushing to write each 9/11 Commission recommendation into law before the November election."

 

Use the hyperlink below and join with me in sending a personalized Blast Fax message to the thirteen key Senators and the nine key House Members who will be considering this legislation.  Tell them that any National ID Card provisions must be stripped from H.R. 10 and S.2845. Tell them that no amount of security is worth turning the United States into a Police State.

http://www.laptoplobbyist.com/acuid.html

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National ID Cards Have Several Disadvantages

Proponents of the measure say that a National ID Card is essential in the wake of 9-11 and an increased terrorist threat. But that argument is simply a red-herring.

Of the 25 nations that have been the most frequent targets of terrorists attacks, 80 percent of them have a national identification card.

Furthermore, a National ID Card tells law enforcement nothing about a person's intent.  Timothy McVeigh, the D.C. Beltway sniper and a host of other criminals and terrorists would have no problem obtaining a National ID Card.

The program will cost billions of dollars; money that could be spent on tightening border security or beefing up law enforcement.

Identity theft will literally go through the roof.  Many of us have experienced the unfortunate situation of having a credit card or a Social Security number stolen.  Imagine what would happen if someone stole your entire identity.

Is a false panacea worth giving up your civil liberties? 

 

Use the hyperlink below and join with me in sending a personalized Blast Fax message to the thirteen key Senators and the nine key House Members who will be considering this legislation.  Tell them that any National ID Card provisions must be stripped from H.R. 10 and S.2845. Tell them that no amount of security is worth turning the United States into a Police State.

http://www.laptoplobbyist.com/acuid.html

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If the hyperlink does not work, please copy and paste it into the address bar of your browser.

 

 

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[steve-b]

ACLU driven

ACU, not ACLU. Please try to keep up with the class.

[sheltonmac]

Section 5. The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

There's your precious "Constituitional enumeration."

Okay, so which provision in that particular article allows for a national ID card?

[steve-b]

Bottom Line: The real agenda behind the "National ID Card" is to make it easier to catch trivial violations of regulations that are too much trouble to find and pursue when the evidence is scattered. This serves the obvious purpose of "revenue enhancement" via fines, and the long-term goal of insuring that everybody can be convicted of some offense if the people in power choose to pursue the matter (and may thereby be pressured to toe the government line).

[steve-b]

What I do not support is the abuse of it. The census, which is part of the constitution is abused by the leftists of this country.

That's why I encourage everyone to fill out all questions other than the Constutitionally valid one (how many citizens live at this address?) with gibberish.

[sheltonmac]

Bottom Line: Follow the money.

[steve-b]

Okay, so which provision in that particular article allows for a national ID card?

I'm sure Chemist_Geek will be able to find it if he stares at the emanations from the penumbra long and hard enough.

[Publius6961]

Do you believe that you should be compelled to carry a National ID Card that is imprinted with your fingerprint or your DNA imprint or other highly personal and private information?

In 1952? No.

In 1965? No.

In 1980? No.

In 1994? Maybe

On Sept 10, 2001? Maybe

In 2004? Yes.

The reason is simple. I consider the safety and lives of my family and neighbors more important than the "civil rights" of foreign killers.

Next question?

[steve-b]

In 1980? No.

In 1994? Maybe

Your homework assignment: List the Constitutional amendments adopted between 1980 and 1994, and explain their relevance to the question at hand.

[Publius6961]

There is not one single instance that I know of where scanning national ID cards helped catch terrorists.

Of course ther isn't, Einstein. We have never had any. D'OH!

By way of contrast, I had to show my passport and surrender it at the hotel, on my fisrt visit to Europe in 1969. I understand that the authorities came by the hotel daily to peruse the passports of all foreigners.

[Publius6961]

I'm talking about other countries, not this one.

I don't care about other countries.
I'll let Kerry and you worry about them.

[Publius6961]

What end times crowd? I just tune nutcases out...

[azhenfud]

"There is no way to devise an ID card that cant be forged and duplicated."

Yes there is. We only need to use the technology available today instead of that which was available circa 1949.

[Publius6961]

Not at all. It only confirms that you are holding a card. There are no guarantees that the information the card is valid nor that information linked from the card to a database is valid. (It can be guaranteed that such a database always compromised.)

Typical "progressive" crap. If it's not "perfect" it's not usefu.

Funny thing is, hundreds of millions of legitimate credit cards are daily verified around the world, using identical type of databases, and businesses have not abandoned the whole thing due to a small percentage of fraud.

As a bonus, constant checking produces a constant stream of busted criminals!

[sheltonmac]

I consider the safety and lives of my family and neighbors more important than the "civil rights" of foreign killers.

Just think--if we only required foreigners to have a visa or passport in 2001, we could have prevented the deaths of 3,000 Americans.

[steve-b]

Well, since you're comparing it to a credit card, then you're clearly advocating that it should work like a credit card (i.e. if you don't like it, don't get one). No problem.

[steve-b]

Yep. All you have to do is ask the question "What can be done with a National ID Card and associated database that cannot be done by simply enforcing our existing laws?" The answer is what I outline in Msg#143.

[Doctor Stochastic]

OK. Since you are willing to put up with the same amount of National ID fraud as credit card fraud, how much would this amount of fraud effect a presidential ellection?

[EQAndyBuzz]

What about photo scans at public events?
Or how about carrying a backpack?

[EQAndyBuzz]

"OK. Since you are willing to put up with the same amount of National ID fraud as credit card fraud, how much would this amount of fraud effect a presidential ellection?"

Depends on how many dogs and dead people get them. Do'H

[R. Scott]

Too many are sleeping - they will miss the wake up call.