The Means to Keep Safe Driver’s Licenses
The Means to Keep Safe Driver’s Licenses Commentary by Donald A. Collins
March 7, 2005
Let’s just get the facts straight on the HR 418, which recently passed the House of Representatives. This Real ID Act, which passed 261 to 161, would block states from issuing standard drivers' licenses to illegal immigrants and make it easier for judges to expel asylum seekers.
Representative F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., Republican of Wisconsin and sponsor of the bill, said that the measures were necessary to fulfill recommendations of the commission that investigated the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Noting that several of the men involved in those attacks were illegal immigrants who had American drivers' licenses, which they used as identification when boarding planes, Mr. Sensenbrenner said the bill "aims to prevent another 9/11-type attack by disrupting terrorist travel."
There is of course opposition. According to the Federation for American Immigration (FAIR) spokesperson, Sandra Gunn, “Some organizations that identify themselves as supporting immigration limitation are asking the public to urge the Senate to dilute the provisions of the recently passed REAL ID Act, H.R.418.� The argument they make is that by providing for linkage of state motor vehicle databases among the states, the bill would create a national ID card.
Good grief, Charlie Brown, isn’t having knowledge of who folks are the whole point? Ms. Gunn continues by noting that “The argument about driver's licenses becoming a national ID ignores the fact that the only time that DMVs would have any reason to use the law's specified inter-operable database capability would be when they check whether an applicant for a license already has a driver's license issued by another state.�
Therefore, the purpose of this measure is important. It is to prevent persons from using multiple identity documents to avoid the law. The nation's experience with the 9/11 terrorists having multiple state-issued driver's licenses/ID cards demonstrates how criminals and terrorists currently take advantage of the absence of an inter-operable database of driver's licenses.
On February 14, 2005 in the NY Post, Amanda Bowman, President of the Coalition for a Secure Driver’s License (web site: www.securelicense.org) wrote about “The bone-chilling film ‘Dirty War’...running on both HBO and PBS....The film depicts the planning and execution of a ‘dirty bomb’ attackâ€â€
The Means to Keep Safe Driver’s Licenses
The Means to Keep Safe Driver’s Licenses Commentary by Donald A. Collins
March 7, 2005
Let’s just get the facts straight on the HR 418, which recently passed the House of Representatives. This Real ID Act, which passed 261 to 161, would block states from issuing standard drivers' licenses to illegal immigrants and make it easier for judges to expel asylum seekers.
Representative F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., Republican of Wisconsin and sponsor of the bill, said that the measures were necessary to fulfill recommendations of the commission that investigated the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Noting that several of the men involved in those attacks were illegal immigrants who had American drivers' licenses, which they used as identification when boarding planes, Mr. Sensenbrenner said the bill "aims to prevent another 9/11-type attack by disrupting terrorist travel."
There is of course opposition. According to the Federation for American Immigration (FAIR) spokesperson, Sandra Gunn, “Some organizations that identify themselves as supporting immigration limitation are asking the public to urge the Senate to dilute the provisions of the recently passed REAL ID Act, H.R.418.� The argument they make is that by providing for linkage of state motor vehicle databases among the states, the bill would create a national ID card.
Good grief, Charlie Brown, isn’t having knowledge of who folks are the whole point? Ms. Gunn continues by noting that “The argument about driver's licenses becoming a national ID ignores the fact that the only time that DMVs would have any reason to use the law's specified inter-operable database capability would be when they check whether an applicant for a license already has a driver's license issued by another state.�
Therefore, the purpose of this measure is important. It is to prevent persons from using multiple identity documents to avoid the law. The nation's experience with the 9/11 terrorists having multiple state-issued driver's licenses/ID cards demonstrates how criminals and terrorists currently take advantage of the absence of an inter-operable database of driver's licenses.
On February 14, 2005 in the NY Post, Amanda Bowman, President of the Coalition for a Secure Driver’s License (web site: www.securelicense.org) wrote about “The bone-chilling film ‘Dirty War’...running on both HBO and PBS....The film depicts the planning and execution of a ‘dirty bomb’ attackâ€â€
