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Ron Paul - The National ID Trojan Horse
House Web Site ^ | 2-14-2005 | Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX)

Posted on 02/14/2005 9:43:53 AM PST by jmc813

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a national ID bill last week that masqueraded as “immigration reform.” The bill does nothing to address immigration policy, however, nor does it propose deporting a single illegal alien already in our country. It does nothing to address the porous border between the U.S. and Mexico, which is the fundamental problem. In reality, the bill is a Trojan horse. It pretends to offer desperately needed border control in order to con a credulous Congress into sacrificing more of our constitutionally protected liberty.

Supporters claim the national ID scheme is voluntary. However, any state that opts out will automatically make non-persons out of its citizens. The citizens of that state will be unable to have any dealings with the federal government because their ID will not be accepted. They will not be able to fly or to take a train. In essence, in the eyes of the federal government they will cease to exist. It is absurd to call this voluntary, and the proponents of the national ID know that every state will have no choice but to comply. Federal legislation that nationalizes standards for drivers’ licenses and birth certificates creates a national ID system pure and simple.

It is just a matter of time until those who refuse to carry the new licenses will be denied the ability to drive or board an airplane. Such domestic travel restrictions are the hallmark of authoritarian states, not free republics.

This bill establishes a huge, centrally-coordinated database of highly personal information about American citizens: at a minimum their name, date of birth, place of residence, Social Security number, and physical and possibly other characteristics. The bill even provides for this sensitive information of American citizens to be shared with Canada and Mexico! Imagine a corrupt Mexican official selling thousands of identity files, including Social Security numbers, to criminals!

This legislation gives authority to the Secretary of Homeland Security to expand required information on drivers’ licenses, potentially including such biometric information as retina scans, finger prints, DNA information, and even Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) radio tracking technology. Including such technology as RFID means the federal government, as well as the governments of Canada and Mexico, could know where American citizens are at all times.

What will this mean for us? When this new program is implemented, every time we are required to show our drivers’ license we will, in fact, be showing a national identification card. We will be handing over a card that includes our personal and likely biometric information, information which is connected to a national and international database. This will further degrade our precious privacy, which is the hallmark of a civilized society. As Ayn Rand said, the “Savage’s whole existence is public.”

A national ID card will have the same effect as gun control laws: criminals will ignore it, while law abiding people lose freedom. A national ID card offers us nothing more than a false sense of security, while moving us ever closer to a police state. The national ID proposal should die a well-deserved death in the Senate, and it should be denounced as authoritarian and anti-American.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: aliens; bigbrother; driverslicense; homelandsecurity; id; idcards; license; nationalid; nationalidcard; paullist; privacy; ronpaul; ronpaullist; tancredo; tancretoids
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To: Condor51

Then why does this bill require "Proof of the person's social security account number" for a _driver's_license_? I'm sure it doesn't have anything to do with your federally-mandated retirement plan...


41 posted on 02/14/2005 11:05:13 AM PST by ctdonath2
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To: kandb

Ping.


42 posted on 02/14/2005 11:08:12 AM PST by OKSooner
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To: inquest

There is much more to the law. #29 above just lists what is required to get such a card, what shall be printed on it, what databases it shall be linked to and who has access to that information. Go to http://www.thomas.loc.gov and look up the bill number there.


43 posted on 02/14/2005 11:08:35 AM PST by ctdonath2
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To: Condor51

yes, i use Thomas.gov all the time.

between this and the crud at sd legistlature i have been staying pretty well PO'd at both the Fed Reps and my State Reps.

seems it is the law abiding citizen who must constantly be burdaned with more and more laws, rules and regulations for a bunch of worthless congress numbskulls trying to pass the buck and cover their hineys for past (percieved?) mistakes. someone please tell me how this law would have prevented all the 9/11 hijackers from carrying out ther act? i don't see it.. i just see our personal freedoms and privacy going further down the tubes.


44 posted on 02/14/2005 11:10:52 AM PST by sdpatriot ("If I know the answer I'll tell you the answer, and if I don't, I'll just respond, cleverly." Rummy)
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To: sdpatriot
Yes, I saw the 'linking of databases'. It's between the States, not Canada and Mexico as the article says. And if there already was a linked database in 2001, Mohamed Atta wouldn't have had 5(?) different DL's.

As to what SD is proposing, that has no correlation to this Bill.

45 posted on 02/14/2005 11:20:55 AM PST by Condor51 (May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't. - Gen G Patton)
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To: ctdonath2; Condor51
Thanks. Now I see that the portion you posted at #29 is the entire portion of the bill that's relevant to the thread.

By the way, Dr. Paul is correct that this information is to be shared with Mexico and Canada. Section 203(a) requires that "To be eligible to receive any grant or other type of financial assistance made available under this title, a State shall participate in the interstate compact regarding sharing of driver license data, known as the 'Driver License Agreement', in order to provide electronic access by a State to information contained in the motor vehicle databases of all other States."

This "Driver License Agreement", contrary to the impression contained in the bill, includes not only states of the USA but also any "territory of Canada or any state of the Republic of Mexico or the federal district of Mexico." Source

46 posted on 02/14/2005 11:21:56 AM PST by inquest (FTAA delenda est)
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To: jmc813

Bad idea! Repercussions are endless. Reminds a person of the unfolding of Revelations.


47 posted on 02/14/2005 11:28:51 AM PST by lilylangtree (Veni, Vidi, Vici)
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To: jmc813

48 posted on 02/14/2005 11:31:37 AM PST by agitator (...And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark)
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To: sdpatriot
(2) Motor vehicle drivers' histories, including motor vehicle violations, suspensions, and points on licenses.

In addition, it looks like the insurance companies have had their way with the senate on this. Can anyone come up with an actual "security" purpose for the above?

49 posted on 02/14/2005 11:32:06 AM PST by zeugma (Come to the Dark Side...... We have cookies!)
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To: inquest

Let me assure you that information IS shared. I got a normal speeding ticket near Ottawa Canada, and New York nearly pulled my license for it. (Ain't that sweet? NY punishing a US citizen for a traffic violation in another COUTNRY!)


50 posted on 02/14/2005 11:33:56 AM PST by ctdonath2
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To: inquest; Condor51
This "Driver License Agreement", contrary to the impression contained in the bill, includes not only states of the USA but also any "territory of Canada or any state of the Republic of Mexico or the federal district of Mexico."

Thanks for posting that inquest. What say ye Condor51?

51 posted on 02/14/2005 11:35:48 AM PST by zeugma (Come to the Dark Side...... We have cookies!)
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To: zeugma
No problem. (your tagline cracked me up, btw)
52 posted on 02/14/2005 11:39:30 AM PST by inquest (FTAA delenda est)
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To: inquest
My oldest daughter came up with the tag. Her sense of humor is twisted similar to mine. In light of the fact that my annual shipment of finely ground, and slightly minty girlscouts arrived today, I'm going to modify it in their memory.
53 posted on 02/14/2005 11:46:07 AM PST by zeugma (Come to the Dark Side...... We have cookies! (Made from the finest girlscouts!))
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To: teancumspirit
As contemporary conservatives, a better descriptor for the beliefs of most of us is "Jeffersonian liberal." Jefferson and the founding fathers were 'liberal' in terms of granting freedom and independence to the populace. They did so because they, too feared government.

It is wise to fear government. The cost of our liberty is eternal vigilance to ensure they do not become totalitarian, as a greater man than I once stated. A National ID card, which is a defacto national database of the citizenry is another step in that direction.

It's a shame we allowed the Leftists to co-opt the term "liberal," which they did as part of their redefining what freedom is so that it mean government control.
54 posted on 02/14/2005 11:56:01 AM PST by Ghost of Philip Marlowe (Liberals are blind. They are the dupes of Leftists who know exactly what they're doing.)
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To: Condor51

all he needed was one.

look, the Feds screwed up on Atta. mainly because of the Clinton era "wall" in place. that is a fact.

making new rules, regs, and laws that infringe on the privacy and freedoms of LAW ABIDING citizens is nothing but a cop out for the Reps and paying hommage to the allmighty 9/11 Committee.


as to the SD bill... i disagree. the SD HB 1209 is to make it possible for LE to have a data base on gun permit owners. before, if you forgot your permit, you had so many hours to bring it in to the local LE for proof. much like our 'proof of insurance' law.
but with this bill, that info will be in a LE data base connected with your DL. so if pulled over for a traffic violation and the LE runs a check on you DL it will show that you are a permit owner (gun owner). so when this Fed bill makes all that DL data available to all the states and to the Feds etc..... that makes it a connections between the two.

and it's dead wrong and unconstitutional.


55 posted on 02/14/2005 11:59:15 AM PST by sdpatriot ("If I know the answer I'll tell you the answer, and if I don't, I'll just respond, cleverly." Rummy)
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To: jmc813

self-ping


56 posted on 02/14/2005 12:05:14 PM PST by Free Vulcan
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To: Mr. K

"computers run everything"

Nope, people run everything, computers just do what the people tell them.


57 posted on 02/14/2005 12:17:01 PM PST by dljordan
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To: duk; Steven W.

Steven must be some kind of drive-by bomb thrower.


58 posted on 02/14/2005 12:26:26 PM PST by Veritas et equitas ad Votum (If the Constitution "lives and breathes", it dies.)
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To: ctdonath2
Because besides citizens, only those aliens here legally can get a SS card, that's why. Illegals can't get a SS card, ergo they can't get a DL (or state ID).
59 posted on 02/14/2005 12:51:59 PM PST by Condor51 (May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't. - Gen G Patton)
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To: xrp

Yep, and I'm one of them.


60 posted on 02/14/2005 1:01:08 PM PST by BushisTheMan
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