INDIO, Calif. -- As usual, the civil libertarians are mistaken. There's no "national ID card," let alone one that will destroy our civil liberties.
A 2005 federal statute provided that in 2008 "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."
"'Official purpose' includes but is not limited to

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RIGHT ON.

"'Official purpose' includes but is not limited to accessing federal facilities, boarding federally regulated commercial aircraft, entering nuclear power plants, and any other purpose that the secretary (of homeland security) may determine."

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There needs to be a form of ID that the federal government can rely on for those purposes.

If you don't want to enter a federal building, board an aircraft or nuclear plant, etc, you should not be required to have that ID card.

You should not have to show such an ID card when stopped by a cop.

But when you access federal facilities that require high security, then you need ID commensurate with those circumstances.


States should provide citizens with the option of getting non-secure driver's licenses. That provides a way that those who have civil liberties objections to the secure ID from having to get one, and still be able to drive. They just won't be able to enter federal facilities.

Real ID provides the states the flexibility to do this.

The only objection I can see is if someone has a legal necessity to enter a federal facility, e.g. a federal courthouse, but has an objection to the secure ID. There ought to be the flexibility in the law to accomodate this issue. I'm not sure whether there is. If not, there should be modifications made to accmodate this.

But there is no question we need the Real ID system.

lance_sjogren wrote:

RIGHT ON.

"'Official purpose' includes but is not limited to accessing federal facilities, boarding federally regulated commercial aircraft, entering nuclear power plants, and any other purpose that the secretary (of homeland security) may determine."

------------

There needs to be a form of ID that the federal government can rely on for those purposes.

If you don't want to enter a federal building, board an aircraft or nuclear plant, etc, you should not be required to have that ID card.

You should not have to show such an ID card when stopped by a cop.

But when you access federal facilities that require high security, then you need ID commensurate with those circumstances.


States should provide citizens with the option of getting non-secure driver's licenses. That provides a way that those who have civil liberties objections to the secure ID from having to get one, and still be able to drive. They just won't be able to enter federal facilities.

Real ID provides the states the flexibility to do this.

The only objection I can see is if someone has a legal necessity to enter a federal facility, e.g. a federal courthouse, but has an objection to the secure ID. There ought to be the flexibility in the law to accomodate this issue. I'm not sure whether there is. If not, there should be modifications made to accmodate this.

But there is no question we need the Real ID system.


If you have to show "ID" just to see your public servants, it's not much more of a jump requiring you to have a microchip right between your eyes in order to buy and sell!

I disagree. We don't need a national ID. We don't need a REAL ID Act. We don't need a Patriot Act.

What we need is actual, legitimate enforcement of our immigration laws.

We would not have had a 9/11 at all, if we had a functioning system in place to track foreigners on our soil - and throw their asses out when their VISA expires. We don't bother to monitor who comes, and as a result, we think we can fix this problem with a band aid by harassing our citizens.

OUR citizens are not a larger problem than before all this infringement of our civil rights started.

If we are ever going to get a handle on any of these issues, we are going to HAVE TO begin controlling our border, know who is here, what their intentions are, and get the rest of the people presently illegally here - out of here.

That is the solution, not a national ID. We have to convince congress and our president to stop ignoring our laws. If we cannot do that, then we must replace them and get someone in place that will do so.