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1st District candidates concerned about ID theft, port security
By Beverley Wang, Associated Press Writer | August 1, 2006

CONCORD, N.H. --Forcing people to show passports or national ID cards at Canadian border crossings is an inconvenient, money-wasting invasion of privacy that won't protect against terrorism, according to one Democrat running in the 1st Congressional District.

"Surely a terrorist could figure out how to walk through the woods to avoid the border guards," said Carol Shea-Porter of Rochester. "The program would cost billions of dollars to implement, inconvenience millions of honest people, and would only create the illusion of safety."

Libertarian Dan Belforti, of Portsmouth, also opposes the plan, part of the federal Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.

"Requiring passports will not discourage terrorists since they can and simply will obtain passports," he said. "For the sake of commerce and freedom, we should accept the risk of 'bad' people crossing our borders legally so we don't discourage the good people: those who spend money."

But most candidates in the district say people should be required to show more than a driver's license and a birth certificate to cross the border.

"We need to make sure that the people crossing our country's borders have proper and secure identification," said Rep. Jeb Bradley, who is seeking a third term. "At the same time, it is important that we balance border security provisions with protecting our valuable economic and trade relationship with Canada."

The seven candidates -- two Republicans, four Democrats and Belforti -- spelled out their views on homeland security in response to an Associated Press survey.

Belforti and three Democrats oppose the federal REAL ID Act, an anti-terrorism law that grew from recommendations by the Sept. 11 Commission. It requires that by 2008, states verify birth certificates, Social Security numbers, passports and immigration status when people get driver's licenses. Legislation blocking REAL ID in New Hampshire passed the House this year but was killed in the Senate.

"We rejected REAL ID in our state because it is of utmost importance that people's personal data is kept as secure as possible," said state Rep. Jim Craig, the House Democratic leader now running for Congress. "There are still important questions outstanding about REAL ID, including questions on the tremendous costs on states and state taxpayers for implementing this program, and about how personal data will be safeguarded."

Shea-Porter and Rye Democrat Gary Dodds also expressed concern about identity theft and pointed out that people already must prove who they are to get driver's licenses.

Democrat Dave Jarvis of Londonderry said he was undecided about REAL ID. But Eaton Republican Michael Callis liked the idea having people document their identities for the Division of Motor Vehicles.

He and most of the other candidates were less supportive of long-term, overseas deployments of National Guard troops.

"Our National Guard has been stretched to the limits with the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, flooding in the Gulf Coast region, patrolling our country's borders, confronting wildfires and many other state emergencies," Dodds said. "The U.S. should limit the amount of time our National Guard spends on foreign soil when it requires military action."

Bradley said he supports using National Guard members to assist border patrol agents, because those assignments are temporary. But he would push to increase the size of the active duty military to take the pressure off the Guard.

On funding, Bradley praised Congress' recent steps to spend hundreds of millions of dollars more to beef up port security. But Democrats, excluding Jarvis, who said he was undecided, said more needs to be done to screen U.S-bound cargo arriving by air and sea.

"We still are not checking all the cargo that comes in the United States, and we have security lapses at airports around the country," Shea-Porter said.

"Technology does not yet exist to screen every piece of cargo," Bradley said.

Dodds disagreed.

"U.S. container shipment and tracking technology is underutilized compared with other nations. A more comprehensive approach is essential in protecting our port security and our homeland," he said.

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On the Net:

Carol Shea-Porter: http://www.carolforcongress.com/

Dave Jarvis: http://www.jarvisforcongress.com/

Gary Dodds: http://www.doddsforcongress.com/index.php

Rep. Jim Craig: http://craigforcongress.org/

Michael Callis: http://www.frankensteinweb.com

U.S. Rep. Jeb Bradley: http://www.jebforcongress.com/ ; http://www.house.gov/bradley/