Posted on 02/10/2005 8:53:28 PM PST by tbird5
The U.S. House of Representatives approved on Thursday a sweeping set of rules aimed at forcing states to issue all adults federally approved electronic ID cards, including driver's licenses.
Under the rules, federal employees would reject licenses or identity cards that don't comply, which could curb Americans' access to airplanes, trains, national parks, federal courthouses and other areas controlled by the federal government. The bill was approved by a 261-161 vote.
The measure, called the Real ID Act, says that driver's licenses and other ID cards must include a digital photograph, anticounterfeiting features and undefined "machine-readable technology, with defined minimum data elements" that could include a magnetic strip or RFID tag. The Department of Homeland Security would be charged with drafting the details of the regulation.
Republican politicians argued that the new rules were necessary to thwart terrorists, saying that four of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers possessed valid state-issued driver's licenses. "When I get on an airplane and someone shows ID, I'd like to be sure they are who they say they are," said Rep. Tom Davis, a Virginia Republican, during a floor debate that started Wednesday
A passport inside your own country. Nah, that's not so bad.
You seem to have a lot of faith in the government. I know several people in my area who have no cards of any sort, speak Spanish, look Mexican and work for cash. Nothing ever happens to them and nothing ever will, but the rest of us will all be stuck with this damn card.
You're kidding right? You're advocating the step from a check for proper operation of a motor vehicle to government controlled movement and surveillance of it's citizens.
I'm amazed at how many people, here at FR even, are so afraid of terrorism (isn't that the whole point?) that they'll slough off the last vestiges of freedom because the fed says it'll keep them safe.
I think he was being sarcastic.
I thought so, but wasn't sure considering the others that advocate this without a second thought.
Ask yourself: "What would President Rodham do?"
I didn't know the government required every citizen to have a passport.
I hate it when people don't finish their sentences.
Why not just deny illegal aliens driver's licenses in the first place? Too simple a solution?
This is getting absolutely nuts! So we issue Federal standards for state ID and drivers' licenses, but it's not a national ID card - it only contains Federally-mandated requirements for state IDs. Then we allow the states to issue them to anyone - including illegal aliens - because we can't "profile" or "discriminate". We'll only be able to require a certain percentage of Arabs/Muslims to produce the "REAL (not-national) ID" before we're accused of profiling. And this is going to protect us from the threat of terrorism how...?!
You nailed it perfectly. This should be called the "Make life easy for Criminals, Terrorists and Tyrants Act."
Correction: "Then we allow require the states to issue them to anyone everyone -" See the provision about withholding federal assistance to States that don't comply.
Then there's this:
SEC. 202. MINIMUM DOCUMENT REQUIREMENTS AND ISSUANCE STANDARDS FOR FEDERAL RECOGNITION.(a) Minimum Standards for Federal Use-
(1) IN GENERAL- Beginning 3 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, a Federal agency may not accept, for any official purpose, a driver's license or identification card issued by a State to any person unless the State is meeting the requirements of this section.
That is the essence of this chickenpoop Bill. It basically concedes that "It is too hard to control terrorists so we will control you."
"Stop illegals...COOL. "
Nope. Illegals get driver's licenses today. If nothing else, this measure would make them defacto citizens as no one would doubt the authenticity of such an ID.
The following section is scary.
SEC. 102. WAIVER OF LAWS NECESSARY FOR IMPROVEMENT OF BARRIERS AT BORDERS.
Section 102(c) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1103 note) is amended to read as follows:
`(c) Waiver-
`(1) IN GENERAL- Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall have the authority to waive, and shall waive, all laws such Secretary, in such Secretary's sole discretion, determines necessary to ensure expeditious construction of the barriers and roads under this section.
`(2) NO JUDICIAL REVIEW- Notwithstanding any other provision of law (statutory or nonstatutory), no court shall have jurisdiction--
`(A) to hear any cause or claim arising from any action undertaken, or any decision made, by the Secretary of Homeland Security pursuant to paragraph (1); or
`(B) to order compensatory, declaratory, injunctive, equitable, or any other relief for damage alleged to arise from any such action or decision.'.
Sorry, southack, this IS national ID as it requires sharing by the states of ID information or else the state's face non-payment:
SEC. 203. LINKING OF DATABASES.
(a) In General- 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.
(b) Requirements for Information- A State motor vehicle database shall contain, at a minimum, the following information:
(1) All data fields printed on drivers' licenses and identification cards issued by the State.
(2) Motor vehicle drivers' histories, including motor vehicle violations, suspensions, and points on licenses.
SEC.
That's a lot of authority for an appointed bureaucrat isn't it?
Sure seems so. He can ignore any law he desires. It doesn't say in what regard or what set of laws, just any law. It would be one thing to say, "Build any fence you need and ignore the tree-huggers."
Citizenship is possession of paper. This bill makes the driver's license the default paper in practice.
That's probably the main purpose of this piece of legiscrap. Sensenbrenner himself said that he didn't like the fact that people with points could get a license from another state with a clean record.
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