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02/22/2005 Archived Entry: "Brian Doherty on the "Real ID Act""

BRIAN DOHERTY ON THE "REAL ID ACT": Cutting to the rotted core of the matter.

No, Real I.D. only forces states to follow federal guidelines in setting up its driver's licenses by essentially making all that state's citizens exiles in their own land if the states don't go along. ...

The Real I.D. act in effect declares that we can't live in this country anymore without a federally specified biometric I.D.—even though there isn't any act of suicidal terror (remember 9/11!) I can imagine that couldn't be done, if needed, by someone with a perfectly legal passport or domestic I.D. ...

In a nation where federalism is meant to be a founding standard, not a bitter joke, the feds don't even order the states to give up on their former prerogative of running driver's license bureaus—because they don't have to. The feds are so thoroughly in charge in this abusive federal relationship that they know, as with issues like speed limits and drug laws, they are going to win no matter what the states—or, God forbid, citizens—want. ...

But laws like H.R. 418 are designed to severely tighten those gaps in which we can live and do business, with our government or with others, with privacy and dignity intact. Things have changed since 9/11, it's true. Given the paltry amount of verifiable terrorist activity on our shores since then, though, they've mostly changed as a result of the wars waged and laws passed by our leaders who keep assuring us that, hey, things have changed since 9/11, not because of anything inherent in the hideous new age allegedly launched with that evil attack. ...

This beast of a bill must still pass the Senate. But if it does, Our Glorious Leader will sign it with great glee, as he has already indicated.

Posted by Claire @ 09:08 AM CST
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