Posted on 11/20/2001 7:40:04 AM PST by freeeee
MIAMI (AP) - Several states, including Florida, are pursuing changes in the way residents obtain a driver's license in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Before the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the nation's main form of identification was issued with loosely enforced standards set by each state.
Florida, North Carolina, Michigan and many other states are now tightening regulations, particularly for foreign nationals. The states are considering new driver's licenses that would include biometric data such as fingerprints or retinal scans embedded in microchips.
States are also considering connecting the computer networks of all 50 states, elevating the licenses into de facto national ID cards.
''We don't need a new national ID card. We already have one. We just have to make it better,'' said Jason King, spokesman for the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators.
Advocates caution that the stricter licenses might not have thwarted the attacks. But they say it would make it tougher for would-be terrorists to slip unnoticed into society. Law enforcement officials say the 19 hijackers used licenses to open bank accounts and rent cars and apartments.
''No single thing will provide absolute total security,'' said Bob Sanchez, spokesman for the Florida Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles.
Under an executive order signed last month by Gov. Jeb Bush, foreigners applying for new licenses in Florida will get 30-day temporary permits while police examine copies of identification documents. If cleared, they'll be granted licenses that expire at the same time as their visas.
Some offices will be set to handle foreign applicants. All noncitizens - including those holding permanent residency green cards - will be funneled to only about 10 of the state's 143 license offices, which will be equipped with specially trained staff members and equipment to store document images.
Other states have pursued changes:
- North Carolina and Virginia now require proof of residency, such as a utility bill or a bank statement, to obtain a driver's license.
- In Michigan, which has one of the nation's largest Arab populations, Secretary of State Candice Miller is proposing a bill that would bar illegal immigrants from receiving licenses.
- Wisconsin has suspended acceptance of the I-94 visa form, which foreign visitors fill out and the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service checks, as proof of residency.
Florida and North Carolina also are closing loopholes that allowed drivers the option of refusing to be photographed for religious reasons.
Florida, for instance, gave a license this year to an Orlando-area Muslim woman who was photographed in a veil shrouding everything but her eyes.
Some of the proposals could face legal challenges.
''It does seem to have a very Big Brother atmosphere to it,'' said Randall Marshall, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union chapter in Florida. ''The question becomes how much of our day-to-day privacy is going to be sacrificed in the name of fighting terrorism.''
If you don't want your fingerprints or retina scans in a database, if you value your freedom and privacy, now is the only time to prevent it, while the plan is still in the works.
Contact your state representatives immediately and tell them de-facto national ID/drivers licenses will cost them your vote.
Online Sunshine, Official Internet Site of the Florida Legislature
This was done purposely by the Democrats and for one reason, to illegal expand their voter base so they could steal elections. Clinton(s) and Gore knew they were exposing this country to terrorists and other undesirables but they didn't care. Their personal gain was much more important to them than the safety of the country. The gifting, or selling, of our military secrets to our biggest enemy, China, is additional evidence of that.
Wait until you have an enemy that targets your reputation and assets, then you'll understand what privacy is all about. But that's just paranoia, right? Yeah, right.
I'd prefer another method of dealing with voter fraud than having biometric information stored in a database. Lots of far more serious crimes occur that don't justify fingerprinting and retina scanning the innocent.
If that's the only cure, the solution is worse than the problem.
The best argument I have heard so far. You are correct, honest men have nothing to fear from honest men. It is the evil and dishonest men the honest man has to worry about and that is what a national ID card would facilitate, the exploitation of the good by the evil, just as you say.
Exactly. I think it is shameful and despicable to exploit the attacks to further an anti-freedom agenda. These opportunists are doing more damage to America than any terrorist could ever do.
This is BAD NEWS for DemonRats!! Motor voting will no longer be so easy for illegal alien invaders (oops, excuse me, I meant to say undocumented immigrants!)
My guess is people aren't willing to give their biometric data so they aren't renewing their driver's licenses.
So the State has managed to increase the number of unlicensed drivers. This law is creating criminals from honest people, not reducing crime.
Of course now that there are more unlicensed drivers, the State has to do something about them, like conduct road blocks….
We should at least attempt to use it. It doesn't cost us anything to try.
And it may not be futile after all. I think this attempt at de-facto national ID is caused by strong opposition to traditional attempts to implement national ID. We need to keep the pressure up to make this new method as politically difficult as their first try.
Illegal immigration cannot be completely stamped out, but better enforcement that would make it difficult for 15-20 MILLION (that's one out of twenty people!!) illegals to live here would be an excellent start. If they drive without licenses, they can be pulled over, arrested, and deported. Good! In many areas the local cops could pull EVERYONE over and bust them on the basis that 99% probability of them being illegal is more reliable than most probably cause findings.
Let's have controlled guest-worker programs so Mexicans are not exploited, pay taxes, and stay the hell out of voting booths.
Passports do not require databasing of fingerprints and retina scans. You aren't required to have a passport, and it isn't needed for anything but international travel.
In many areas the local cops could pull EVERYONE over and bust them on the basis that 99% probability of them being illegal is more reliable than most probably cause findings.
The 4th Amendment explicitly requires probable cause for a search. The probability of finding an illegal immigrant by pulling everyone over is irrelevant.
If we resorted to such tactics, we would be no better than repressive nations we consider inferior to our own. Denying unalienable rights is worse than illegal immigration. That solution us outrageously unconstitutional and is worse than the problem.
Let's have controlled guest-worker programs so Mexicans are not exploited, pay taxes, and stay the hell out of voting booths.
Agreed. I like this solution better. It solves the problem while preserving the 4th Amendment.
I like how you think.
Did you hear him, FReepers? This man's wise words should be heeded!
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