National ID Cards Coming Up For A Vote This Week

Gun Owner of America ^ | February 9, 2005 | Larry Pratt

[kimber]

The National ID card is back in the news, as Congress is getting set once again to debate the issue.

You will remember that late last year, Congress passed (and the President signed) legislation which starts us down the road to a National ID card. In the name of preventing alien terrorists from operating in this country, the so-called Intelligence Reform bill gave federal bureaucrats unprecedented new powers to force changes in state-issued driver's licenses -- including, possibly, the addition of computer chip technology that can facilitate the tracking of all U.S. citizens.

Now, the House will be debating new legislation, H.R. 418, that was recently introduced by Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI). In considering this bill, the U.S. House will vote on whether to empower the federal government to determine who can get a driver's license -- and under what conditions.

Since you need a driver's license to purchase a gun from a dealer, this will give BATFE the expanded ability to impose even greater forms of gun control -- something which it has long coveted. This will become even more apparent if an anti-gun Democrat like Hillary Clinton wins the presidency in 2008.

H.R. 418 is, unfortunately, supported by many Republicans who believe that repealing our liberties will somehow make us "secure." But GOA joined a large coalition of citizen-activist organizations this week in opposition to H.R. 418. In a letter to Congress, the coalition stated:

Standardization of driver's licenses has long been recognized as a bureaucratic back-door to implementation of a national ID card. With its required linking of databases and ability of the Secretary of Homeland Security to require a prescribed format, HR 418 takes us well along that road. Concerns are further heightened when the bill fails to even provide lip service to privacy concerns, and proposes to share all of our data on the driver's license database with Canada and Mexico.

Realizing government's tendency towards mission creep, no one should be surprised if this database grows to contain far more information than that which is relevant to driving. HR 418 requires that the database shall contain "at a minimum," all information contained on the driver's license as well as driving history. There is no limit to what other information may eventually be contained in the database -- something which should definitely concern gun owners.

H.R. 418 is being touted as a way of cleaning up some of the problems with the law that was enacted last December. But this bill is still an attack on states' rights. It still takes us down the road to a National ID card. And it would still do nothing to keep real terrorists from operating in our country.

[WakeUpAndVote]

This is the way to go.

Imagine election day...........

Every id has the data like your voter reg contained on the magnetic stripe on the back of a photo ID. The ID also has your right index finger print on it. The machines have a scanner for that finger. You swipe, scan, and if it matches you can vote. You try to vote again, go ahead. Dupes will not be counted.

[MikefromOhio]

I don't mean to start a fight. But I am afraid that the national ID will be our federal government's answer to the illegal alien issue.

People have been screaming on FR for God knows how long now for the Feds to do something and now they are reacting like the bureaucrats they are. Hope you all are happy.

flame away, but we brought it on ourselves to a certain extent.

[blaze]

How about 90 days in the slammer!For a second vote!

[paleocon patriarch]

Is this 2005 or 1984?

Check out these pictures of Emmanual Goldstein and Michael Chertoff and get back to me.

[TChris]

IMHO, we already have an at-least pseudo national id card - it's call a social security card.

I agree. This war was already lost when SSN was allowed to become a de facto personal ID number, contrary to its creators' stated intentions. And it was only "with a whimper."

[Flyer]

Yep.

[tkathy]

I can hardly wait to see a national election with a voter ID. I predict that the dims will lose by 10 to 15 points.

IMO all that is needed is a picture front and side brought up on a screen (with no godawful head rags)

[MikefromOhio]

I mean realistically, what else could we have expected?

It's just me I guess, but having worked in the government for a few years now, fixing something generally means regulation of some kind ON TOP OF what is already there....

[taxcontrol]

[sigh] Larry, Larry, Larry. Please get your facts straight. You have provided quite a bit of missinformation.

#1 "....the U.S. House will vote on whether to empower the federal government to determine who can get a driver's license -- and under what conditions.".

This is patently false. .

Section 202 – minimum standards for licenses/ID cards: Establishes minimum standards states must meet within three years of enactment in issuing driver’s licenses and identification cards if these documents are to be recognized by the federal government and requires DHS to certify states’ compliance. Requires inclusion of the following on a license or ID card: .

• Full legal name;
• Date of birth;
• Gender;
• Driver’s license number;
• Digital photo;
• Principal address;
• Signature;
• Physical security features; and
• Machine-readable technology.

Requires applicants to provide, and states to verify, the following before a license or ID card may be issued:

• Documents stating the applicant’s full legal name and date of birth;

• Proof of social security number or verification that the applicant is not eligible for one;

• A document stating the applicant’s name and primary address; and

• Evidence of U.S. citizenship or lawful presence in the United States.

Requires the expiration date of the license or ID card issued to a temporary visa holder to match the expiration date of the visa. Requires the license or ID card to expire in one year if the temporary visa has no expiration date. Requires the expiration date to be displayed on the card. Prohibits states from accepting foreign documents, except passports, to satisfy the above requirements. Requires states to:

• Use, by no later than September 11, 2005, the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system to verify lawful presence of noncitizen applicants;

• Retain either digital or paper copies of identity source documents presented by applicants;

• Capture the facial image of each applicant;

• Establish a procedure to confirm or verify a renewing applicant’s information

• Verify with SSA the social security numbers of applicants and ensure that no other license or ID is associated with that number in any state;

• Confirm that an applicant from another state terminates a license or ID card issued by that state prior to the issuance of a new card;

• Secure license/ID card production materials and locations;

• Conduct background checks on all manufacturers and producers of licenses/ID cards; and

• Train appropriate employees to recognize fraudulent documents.

Section 203 – information sharing: Requires states, in order to be eligible for grants available under this Act, to give other states electronic access to their motor vehicle database.

Section 204 – fraudulent ID: Makes trafficking in actual document authentication features (e.g., holographic images on licenses) a felony.



#2 "Since you need a driver's license to purchase a gun from a dealer,....."

Also false or at the very least, not true for all states. In fact, in the states that I'm aware of, only a government issued photo id must be presented. It might be a Drivers License but could be Military ID, Passport, etc.

[ActionNewsBill]

Check out these pictures of Emmanual Goldstein and Michael Chertoff and get back to me.

Wow! What an eerie resemblance.

[Flyer]

I put my tinfoil on for a minute and it told me illegal immigration was allowed to get to where it is so we would beg for this.

[MikefromOhio]

nah....

unless the Republican party is becoming the Nazi party (which I seriously doubt) it couldnt be that way.

I honestly think that it was bound to happen. I dont know about the computer chip and all that, but the national ID card was honestly realistically going to happen sooner or later.

Besides, think of the amount of information that would be gathered from those computer chips. Literally mountains.

[NorCalRepub]

I agree with you for the most part.....I see both sides of the issue and am open to suggentions but I would think our security if the most important......I'm not so fearful of a nat'l id card per se.....these guys can come get you anytime they want in the night and no one will be the wiser..but if it will help with security and illegal immigration, then I would be reluctantly for it....otherwise, like we say to the Dems all the time, let's hear your ideas

[MikefromOhio]

it's an extremely complicated issue I think. and the issue is enormous, daunting and critical.

The national ID isnt the problem. Illegal immigration is. You are correct.

[DC Bound]

I want laws that affect non-citizens. Leave us citizens the hell alone. We're obeying the laws of our nation and should be none of the government's GD business.

I don't know if your plan would work, but your final sentiment is dead-on.

[CORedneck]

This sharing of Driver License data with Canada and Mexico is part of the American Assoc. of Motor Vehicle Administrator's - http://www.aamva.org (AAMVA) newly written Driver License Agreement (DLA). Your SS# will be included in the database which can be accessed by any police officer anywhere within North America. The DLA will also require the state you are licensed in to assess points for a ticket received anywhere in the US, Canada and Mexico. I am sure when CAFTA is signed, the DLA can easily be revised to include the Central American countries as well as South American. I am sure the EU is in the AAMVA sights for these types of DL reciprocity provisions as well. Sound crazy but wouldn't be surprised. About 15 years ago, if this was mentioned about reciprocity with Canada and Mexico, it would have received laughs as a response.

This is bad ! The House is hell bent of shoving this down our throats and in fact, people like Tom Davis and Sensebrenner mentioned that they will keep trying until they get their way. It will pass the House but the right thing for the Senate to do is when it comes over, kill it !

[processing please hold]

I see a lot of Americans need to take the 'RED' pill. It would blow them away the shadowy things 'OUR' government does for the betterment of all.

[Gilbo_3]

All I really saw as needed was BORDER ENFORCEMENT. Combine that with any kind of ALIEN ID card for use in enforcing immigration laws and require some kind of assimilation and I think the problem would be mostly solved...

[CORedneck]

This is the section to require states to join the Driver License Agreement (DLA). Not only will the databases be shared between the states but also Canada and Mexico. Refer to http://tinyurl.com/633y5 (PDF Document). Look on Page 4, item 11 - Jurisdictions. Mexico and Canada are included.

The DLA is basically about non-resident drivers getting punished (license points) for an out of state traffic offense that has occurred anywhere in North America.

[ SNIP ]

Section 203 – information sharing: Requires states, in order to be eligible for grants available under this Act, to give other states electronic access to their motor vehicle database.

[maine-iac7]

Not everyone that can vote, drives. So that's not a viable reason -

Why not go back to the old rule that if someone wants to vote - they need to register far enough ahead to have their eligibility verified - and a "VOTERS" card issued. One person, one card, one vote.

If a person has moved since getting their card - they can get a verification slip (after all, if they moved, they'd also also have a different address on drivers license) - but once that card is used (voted) from wherever, it is registered on the data base and can't be used again. No one without a card, votes.