“Where are your papers?” the Officer Demanded
Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both. ~ Benjamin Franklin
RealID (H.R. 418 and H.R. 1268) is being touted by the American federal government and the Department of Homeland Security (herein referred to as DHS) as a programme that will help Americans live more secure lives in their nation by having a single piece of federally approved ID that consolidates all their information, including biometric data into a single use entity. But that is not the reality as we know it. The reality is that this is one more step by the American government toward a police state, in which people pay for their “security” with their freedom, a cost too dear.
With each piece of information that each citizen provides to their government, that is one more piece of information the government can use against you. Each revelation hands your private life into the hands of those who can easily destroy it. With the surrendering of valuable information into a single mega-database, the likelihood of identity theft occurring is increased tenfold. That sensitive information is easily available to those who don’t need to know certain things.
Without this piece of federally sanctioned ID, Americans would be denied entry into federal buildings. For this, RealID is dangerous, for it limits the freedom that would have other wise be guaranteed for Americans through the constitution. The restrictions include and are not limited to:
- Driving your car
- Boarding a plane, train, or bus
- Entering any federal building
- Opening a bank account
- Holding a job
Scary. To think. A simple piece of ID would limit one’s mobility rights. It would effectively violate the right to travel (mobility rights). In Saenz v. Roe, it was ruled that the right to travel is protected by the Fourteenth Amendment. This would override a constitutional right that would have otherwise been a natural right for all American citizens.
Imagine, not being able to board a city bus without proof of ID. The right to go about your business without being tracked would be compromised. We as humans have the right to do stupid shit. We also have the right to travel within our own nation without worrying about being stopped just because someone in a position of authority is on a power trip.
Or trying to open a bank account. You wouldn’t even have a safe place to put your money. If it was bad enough to think the government could access your library borrow records, imagine if they could find out your financial information? While some might say that it’ll lower rates of tax fraud, it would also limit a person’s right to object to paying federal income tax, as this frequently clashes with state law, in that if you’ve paid your state taxes, you don’t pay federal.
This wouldn’t do anything to deter terrorism. It is another step to limit democracy, and remove control from the people. These documents may be able to tell the government who you are and what your blood type is and when you last took a shit and where but not what matters, your intent. It will not be able to stop terrorism because these papers will not contain anything on intent.
This data will not only land in the hands of the government but also private organizations who would be able to hold onto that data and then in turn sell it. A whole lot is at stake with this system and yet there was no way to effective way to combat terrorism. The cost is too great to justify something that will not curb terrorism.
The initial cost of programme implementation is estimated at 23-billion US dollars. There is no guarantee of federal coverage, placing the burden on the state, a good number of which could easily be considered “poor” and “cash-strapped”. What’s more important, enforcing a national ID system or repairing ageing, crumbling infrastructure? Fixing those levies or making sure that everyone has their papers?
Someone might tell you that you ought to accept it because it’s for the good of national security. That this is part of the war on terrorism. But, no one has to accept this kind of abuse, this loss and invasion of privacy. There are ways to fight back even if you feel powerless. There are ways to do it without taking too much time. It is as simple as supporting and donating to groups that are oppose to RealID and are taking the fight all the way to the top.
There are states that are opposed to it, much to the dismay of the DHS. There are 17 states to date that have decided that this system is detrimental to the well being of their citizens. The states currently opposing RealID are: Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and Washington…
There are a handful of other states where anti-RealID legislations are pending. They include and are not limited to Alaska, Kentucky, Ohio, Wisconsin. There are others that have similar pending pieces of legislation that still needs to be voted upon. These are many states that are defying the federal government in the name of what is good for the people.
Of course, not all states are opposed. The DHS has praised the following states as being ‘progressive’: California, Alabama and North Dakota. Michigan is also showing signs that it favours the oppressive move.
Four out of fifty isn’t enough to make a difference.
It is odd isn’t it? Two of those favouring the measure are traditionally blue states, and two are red states. Odd that a blue state would welcome such an oppressive measure. Or that anyone would be in favour of such measures.
Bush is indeed a uniter. He has united the nation against him, and against his administration.
Traditional groups that have been labelled as ‘liberal’ like the Sierra Club and the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) are on the same page as many religious organizations in their opposition to the RealID act. A common cause is what these different factions have in common. An enemy greater than their ideologies.
For this measure to fail, Americans have to reject it. Even a small, token rejection goes a long way. If the government meets a resistance force greater than the enforcement force it will be forced to look into the jaws of failure because the people have spoken.
1930s Germany had a national ID system. The people thought it was for their own good. But in this era, we have a great amount of information available to us. Fight tyranny before it can take root in your own backyard.
Like the good Harper ass-sucking Tory he is, Maxime Bernier, the Foreign Affairs Minister has come out (sorry, it’s not a closet; Harper won’;t give up the key for it), assuring America and Israel that it was simply an error and that it was never meant to be. He attempted to make it crystal clear that they, the Tories would never see to displease their extraterritorial overlords ever again. This pleased Israel’s Ambassador to Canada, Alan Baker, who had been most displeased upon seeing the document naming Israel along with the rogue state of Iran. He was most insulted but was placated upon receiving reassurances from Bernier that it would never happen again.
