Thread: Support H.R.220 - Common Sense About Identity Theft & RE

Posted on Wed, Mar. 28, 2007
Camera-shy Mennonites are moving out of Missouri
By Steve Rock

McClatchy Newspapers

(MCT)

HUNTSVILLE, Mo. - Frank Christner built much of his home with his own hands on this 69-acre swath of rural Missouri farmland.

This is where he planned to settle down, to raise his eight children, to eventually grow old.

Not anymore.

Christner, 46, belongs to a small Mennonite church in Randolph County, Mo., that recently voted to pack up and move to Arkansas. Church members are leaving everything behind, from the businesses they started to the building where they worship.

The reason? They don't want to be photographed.

Since 2004, Missouri law has required that a driver's license have a full-face photo either on the license or on file with the Department of Revenue.

Members of Christner's church aren't willing to do that, citing a biblical passage from Exodus that serves as a cornerstone of one of the Ten Commandments: "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth."

So they're going to Arkansas, where state law provides an exemption for anyone who finds photographs "objectionable on the grounds of religious belief." Kansas has a similar provision. Missouri used to have one but wiped it off the books after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

"We've put a lot of work into this place," Christner said recently, gazing at his acreage and the animals, ponds and farm equipment sprinkled throughout. "Sometimes you just want to cry."

He needs that driver's license. As the owner of an excavating business, Christner has to drive from job site to job site.

Officials with the Department of Revenue know about the Mennonites' frustration. They spoke with Mennonite church leaders shortly after the law was passed, but know of no other group aggrieved by the law. And there's nothing they can do to help, they said, because they simply enforce laws created by the legislature.

"By the first of July, we'll be out of here," said Christner, who expects to have his home sold by then. "We're dedicated to our church, and we're dedicated to our religion.

"When we leave this world, we're not taking the stuff with us anyway."

Of the 15 families in the church, some already have purchased farmland in Arkansas. Some have put "For Sale by Owner" signs on their property. Others have gauged interest from local townsfolk who might want to buy their businesses.

The exodus frustrates many of their neighbors, who believe members of the church are pillars of the community. They own a grocery store, a meat processing plant and a carpentry business.

They're respectful, quiet.

"A credit to our community," said Rick Thornburg, who has lived in Randolph County since 1972. "They're good, honest people. Hard workers. I don't want to lose them."

And many of them don't want to leave.

Church members started arriving in 1999 after their church in Sedalia got too big. They bought sprawling parcels of land within an eight- to 10-mile radius of one another and eventually built a church.

There, about 30 children in first through eighth grades go to school in two basement classrooms in the church. During the school day, they can be seen in their distinctive attire - long dresses and headscarfs for girls, overalls for boys - playing baseball or climbing on the swing set.

Leo Kempf, 40, operates Kempf's Meat Processing on the same property where he lives with his wife and seven children.

"I'm not looking forward to leaving," Kempf said. "I am disappointed. But we don't feel like it's that important where we live. We're only here in this world for a short time until the Lord calls us home. Our citizenship shouldn't be in this world. Our citizenship is in heaven."

Church members are not anti-government, Kempf stresses. They're law-abiding citizens, he said - "as long as it's not against the word of God."

In other words, they believe there's an authority that trumps the state of Missouri.

Wes Newswanger, director of the Mennonite Information Center in Pennsylvania, said the church in Huntsville represents a small percentage of the 500,000 or so Mennonites in the United States. Most Mennonites embrace technology, he said, and it's "very, very uncommon" for them to be opposed to having their pictures taken.

"Most Mennonites are not as strict as that," said Newswanger, who is Mennonite. "Generally, Mennonites are more worldly and more open to change. Most of them would appear no different than anybody else."

And while members of the church in Huntsville are comfortable driving cars and using cell phones, they avoid negative influences from outside their church. For that reason, they own no TVs or radios or personal computers.

As far as photos go, different Mennonite churches in Missouri take different positions.

Members of a Mennonite church in Shelbyville, Mo. - about 60 miles northeast of Moberly - have reluctantly agreed to have their pictures taken.

"We're not planning to move at this point, but we're not exactly happy with the driver's license situation," said Lyle Hostetler, bishop of the 11-family church. "There are at least seven churches here in Missouri that are affected by this."

The Mennonite church near Maysville in northwest Missouri isn't one of them. Members there don't own TVs or radios, but they have no problem using cameras.

"We've had cameras for years," said church member John Sommers. "We don't think of (pictures) as a graven image. It's not something we make an idol of."

But members of Christner's church are steadfast, adamant.

Their next concern is whether the issue will come up once they've relocated to Arkansas. A federal law known as the Real ID Act is scheduled to take effect in 2008. It will set a national standard for the driver's license and could include a federal stipulation about photographs.

"If it comes to the point where we have to quit driving, we'll quit driving," Kempf said. "We'll just have to wait and see."

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentin ... 986548.htm

Letter: National ID law should be opposed


Published: Mar 28, 2007


Why have Louisiana’s politicians not stood up against the federal Real ID Act of 2005?

I have written most of the candidates for governor about their stand on the federal Real ID Act of 2005.

This federal legislation sets a national standard for driver’s licenses, and it requires states to link record-keeping systems to national databases.

Why have the citizens of Louisiana not become angry at this intrusive act on our liberty and freedom? How long must we be sheep?

It is time to inform not just our state politicians, but also the federal ones as well, to quit messing with our lives.

I encourage everyone to become informed, for you will wake up one day with a chip under your skin and nowhere to go but where they tell you!

Educate yourselves!

I encourage each of you to look up “America: Freedom to Fascism” on the Internet. It makes no difference what party you belong to; they are both leading to our destruction as a nation. In the future there will be showings of this documentary available to everyone in Louisiana. It is something you will never see or hear about in the mainstream media.

I leave you with a saying from a good friend. Look closely, “It’s all about the money.”

Jim Whitehead
pilot/technician
Ventress

http://www.2theadvocate.com/opinion/6739241.html

Washington state, DHS to build RFID-based driver's licenses
Can be used as passport for travel to some countries
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March 28, 2007 -- The state of Washington and the federal Department of Homeland Security plan to jointly develop a driver's license, likely embedded with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, for use in lieu of a passport for travel to some countries

The state and DHS last week announced plans for a pilot program to develop a license for residents in the state that complies with the recently passed Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) legislation.

The federal law, enacted by Congress in 2004 and currently being phased in, requires that all travelers to and from to and from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda countries carry a passport or other DHS-approved document to verify their identity.

"This pilot project is a way to boost security at our border without hampering trade and tourism," said Washington governor Chris Gregoire, in a statement. "Our effort to keep our border crossing moving is particularly important with the upcoming 2009 World Police and Fire Fighter Games and the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in British Columbia."

A spokesman for Gregoire said that the state and DHS have yet to decide on the technology to be used in the license, but he noted that it will likely include RFID chips.

The jointly developed card will cost more than a regular driver's license, which runs at about $25, but less than a passport, said the spokesman.

He noted that use of the new license is optional for residents. "We very much understand there are folks not interested in carrying around an ID card or license with a chip and so it's totally voluntary," he said.

The agreement with DHS came just after Gregoire signed state legislation requiring that the privacy of identification card bearers be protected, that RFID chips include encryption capabilities to prevent skimming, or the scanning of a document without the bearer's knowledge.

The spokesman said the new licenses are aimed primarily at residents without passports who travel to Canada for tourism purposes once or twice a year, he said. The complexity of obtaining passports might prevent such travel, he noted.

The spokesman also noted that the jointly developed license will probably comply with the federal REAL ID Act of 2005, whose technology requirements are still in development. The Act calls for the federal government to set guidelines to ensure the accuracy of for state identification documents.

A spokesman for the DHS said his agency will use this program to help it define the terms of the REAL ID Act.

The plan for using technology such as RFID in the new licenses drew criticism from some experts.

"An RFID-laced ID card is like a beacon that can transmit personal information to anyone with the right reader device," said Katherine Albrecht, an author and consumer privacy rights advocate. "The government is fooling itself, or trying to fool us, if it believes such a tempting target for identity theft can be kept secure. Having people carry ID cards that can be remotely read right through their purses, pockets, or backpacks is simply inviting criminals and Big Brother to skim their identities and track their movements."

The enhanced Washington driver licenses and ID cards are expected to be available by January 2008.

http://link.toolbot.com/computerworld.com/71267

Mar 28, 2007

Real ID Act: Smart Card ID Requirements Questioned

Senators and privacy advocates on Monday questioned a U.S. government plan to move ahead with smart card drivers license requirements, saying the cost will run into the billions of dollars and the cards could allow the government to track residents.

The Real ID Act, tacked on to a military spending bill in 2005, would require states to save digital copies of source documents such as birth certificates for drivers licenses and it would require states to share information in their drivers license databases. The goal of the new cards, which would include digital photographs and personal information in a machine-readable chip, would be to better ensure that the people carrying the ID cards are who they say they are.

Congress passed the Real ID Act in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the U.S. The 9/11 Commission recommended that the government take steps to better ensure the validity of U.S. IDs. The pilot of the airplane that crashed into the Pentagon held three state drivers licenses, all of them fake, said Robert Barth, assistant secretary for policy development at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

"Real ID is fundamental to the security of our nation," Barth told the Senate Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management.

But Senator George Voinovich, an Ohio Republican, complained that much of the cost for implementing Real ID would be passed on to states. DHS has estimated the cost of implementing Real ID at $14.6 billion over 10 years.

Voinovich also questioned how secure the cards would be. "You’re going to be able to guarantee that information is going to remain private?" he asked Barth.

No one can guarantee that any data will be 100 percent secure, Barth answered, but a federal system would be "vastly, vastly" more secure than 50 separate state drivers license systems. "Whenever you have human beings involved ... you can’t say there’s zero risk," he said.

Voinovich pressed the question, asking if there were technological methods of defeating the proposed ID cards.

"We’re going to provide the safeguards and do everything possible to prevent that from happening," Barth said.

Privacy advocates have also questioned the Real IDs, saying the data on the cards would allow the government to track citizens. "The machine readable zone on each Real ID license will provide a digital trail everywhere it is read," said Timothy Sparapani, legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union.

Members of Congress have proposed that the Real ID card be required in order to vote, get a new job, obtain government benefits and travel on airplanes and trains, Sparapani said. "Senators should expect that no person would be able to function in our society without providing a Real ID-compliance license," he said.

In addition, the advocacy group the Center for Democracy and Technology said during a press briefing last week that the legislation doesn’t restrict which employees of state drivers license bureaus can access the databases of private information. The Real ID act has no requirement for the security of the shared databases, said Jim Dempsey, CDT’s policy director.

"The act doesn’t mention the word privacy, and it barely mentions the word security," Dempsey said.

But Senator John Warner, a Virginia Republican, defended the Real ID Act. "We’ve got to come to the realization that the life before us is not the life behind us," he said. "We are facing some very, very serious threats."

-Grant Gross, IDG News Service


http://www2.csoonline.com/blog_view.html?CID=32731

REAL ID Would Bolster National Security

The REAL ID Act, which was signed into law May 11, 2005, sets Federal standards for the issuance of driver’s licenses and requires aliens to prove their "legal presence" in the United States. Among its critical reforms, REAL ID requires the expiration date of a temporary foreign visitor's driver's license to coincide with the visa expiration date, thereby strengthening the integrity of the driver's license as a form of identification. REAL ID also includes provisions to prevent terrorists from gaming our asylum system.

The 9/11 Commission’s report stated, "The federal government should set standards for the issuance of birth certificates and sources of identification, such as drivers' licenses." REAL ID was designed to close key loopholes that make the country vulnerable to attack.



The 19 terrorists who murdered almost 3,000 Americans on September 11, 2001, had dozens of state-issued driver's licenses and identification cards. They used these IDs to board the airplanes they turned into weapons as well as to rent cars and apartments, open bank accounts, take flying lessons, and otherwise blend into American society while they planned their attacks.

REAL ID establishes minimum standards for the issuance of driver's licenses and ID cards that states must meet if these documents are to be recognized by the Federal government as secure proof of identity – a critical step in improving national security. Moreover, by making a visitor’s license expire when his/her visa expires, REAL ID cracks down on the ability of visa overstayers – like two of the 9/11 terrorists – to drive.

It is important to note that REAL ID does NOT create a national ID card – to the contrary,9/11 Families for a Secure America believes REAL ID may be the only real way to avoid a national ID card in the post-9/11 world. That is because REAL ID removes a key tool terrorists used to attack us, and does so within the context of current state licensure guidelines. The law, which specifically precludes creation of a national ID card, does not create a national database of driver’s licenses. REAL ID also provides an alternative to a national ID card that could be used to fight illegal immigration – an employer can use a secure REAL ID license to verify a person’s eligibility to work in the United States. REAL ID licenses have a further benefit for U.S. citizens wanting to travel to Canada or Mexico starting on January 1, 2008 when passports are required for such travel: the license can be used as an alternative to a passport.

Since enactment, REAL ID has been under attack from some quarters. States complain that it would be too expensive to implement. Congress has provided funding for implementation, but states claim the amounts-to-date have been inadequate. The Bush Administration did not help matters by excluding implementation funding from its FY 2008 budget proposal. While NumbersUSA considers the states’ implementation cost estimates to be grossly overstated, they are correct about one thing: our national security requires that REAL ID implementation be adequately funded.

Rather than take the lead in helping states to acquire more resources for REAL ID implementation, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Rep. Tom Allen (D-Maine) introduced legislation (S. 563 and H.R. 1117, respectively) on February 13 to delay its implementation by two years.

Their bills also would establish a negotiated-rulemaking process (in the case of Collins’ bill, reinstate a disbanded process) to develop Federal driver's license and ID standards and it would broaden DHS’ authority to waive certain provisions for state compliance with REAL ID.

Collins, who chaired the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee when REAL ID was passed in 2005, and Allen may have taken this step because their state recently approved a non-binding resolution against the law. It is, however, a potentially dangerous setback that NumbersUSA strongly opposes, particularly in this fragile post-9/11 world.

http://www.numbersusa.com/hottopic/0125 ... renner.htm

REAL ID Proposed Guidelines: Questions & Answers
What is REAL ID?

REAL ID is a nationwide effort intended to prevent terrorism, reduce fraud, and improve the reliability and accuracy of identification documents that State governments issue.


Where did this effort originate?

The 9/11 Commission recommended that the U.S. improve its system for issuing secure identification documents. In the Commission’s words, “At many entry points to vulnerable facilities, including gates for boarding aircraft, sources of identification are the last opportunity to ensure that people are who they say they are and to check whether they are terrorists.” The Commission specifically urged the federal government to “set standards for the issuance of…sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses.” Congress responded to this key recommendation by passing the Real ID Act


What is a REAL ID license needed for?

The REAL ID Act requires that a REAL ID driver’s license be used for “official purposes,” as defined by DHS. In the proposed rule, DHS is proposing to limit the official purposes of a REAL ID license to those listed by Congress in the law: accessing a Federal facility; boarding Federally-regulated commercial aircraft; and entering nuclear power plants. DHS may consider expanding these official purposes through future rulemakings to maximize the security benefits of REAL ID.


What was released on March 1?

On March 1, 2007, DHS released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for the REAL ID act. This is a major step towards advancing the general requirements of the law into actionable plans for DHS and the States. The text of the NPRM is NOT the final rule. Rather, it is a draft of the rule that is being submitted for public comment. Constructive comments, both affirming and debating items in the NPRM, will help DHS determine the final rule.


Additionally, the NPRM, and the final rule, specify minimum requirements. States are encouraged to work beyond the minimum requirements as appropriate for their constituent’s needs.


Did DHS consult with the States in the development of the NPRM?

DHS consulted with State officials and State representative associations in the development of this proposed rule through meetings and conference calls in 2005 and 2006. Many States and State representative associations participated in these events and submitted written comments for consideration in the development of this proposed rule.


How does the NPRM protect Privacy of license holders?

Continuing to protect the privacy of license holders was a key consideration for DHS in the development of this NPRM, which contains a detailed analysis of the three key privacy issues posed by the Act: (1) the connectivity of the databases; (2) the protection of the personal information stored in the State databases; and (3) the protection of the personal information stored on machine readable technology on the DL/IDs. We invite comments on whether the steps outlined within the NPRM are appropriate and adequate.


Does DHS support an extension of the May 2008 deadline? Does DHS think that States will be ready?

DHS understands that the States are concerned about the tight timeline required to comply with the REAL ID Act. The Secretary and other DHS officials have discussed this matter with various Governors. Since DHS wants all States to be able to comply with the Act, DHS has set-up a procedure in the NPRM for States to obtain extensions until December 31, 2009. DHS expects States that have been granted an extension to begin issuing compliant licenses no later than January 1, 2010, in most cases with a roll-out of licenses as they expire.


What does a State have to do and when does it have to do it?

States that need an extension from DHS should file a request by February 1, 2008, though States are encouraged to inform DHS of its intention to request an extension as soon as October 1, 2007. DHS can grant an extension through December 31, 2009. A State that is complying with the REAL ID Act must begin issuing REAL ID-compliant licenses and identification cards no later than May 11, 2008. However, States that have been granted an extension will be required to issue compliant licenses and identification cards no later than January 1, 2010. All licenses and identification cards held by individuals from a State must be compliant by May 10, 2013.


The NPRM does not propose to change this practice and would not give the Federal government any greater access to this information than is currently accessible from individual State DMVs.


States contend they do not have the funds to implement REAL ID. How does DHS expect states to pay for REAL ID?

DHS will enable States to use up to 20% of a State’s Homeland Security Grant Program funds for REAL ID compliance efforts. This would make substantial funds available to States beginning this calendar year. Congress, not DHS, can appropriate additional funds to help States meet their compliance obligations.


What do DMV’s need to do to check documents establishing a person’s identity?

All source documents must be verified with their issuing agency. DHS has identified appropriate methods for verifying identity, lawful status, date of birth and SSN with the issuing agency. DHS is also assisting the States in the development of querying services that would assist states in querying other States to determine whether an individual currently holds an active license in another jurisdiction.


How long will a REAL ID license be valid for?

The proposed regulation requires that REAL ID licenses be valid for a period limited to eight years. If a state has maintained the source document images, the DMV may re-verify that information without requiring that the applicant re-present the source documents. If, however, the State does not have the information and images of source documents at the time of the renewal, the State would need to require the applicant to re-submit any appropriate, missing documentation.


Can states continue to accept remote renewals?

Under the proposal, States may continue or establish remote renewals for REAL ID licenses. However, the NPRM states that license holders would need to renew in-person at every other issuance for an updated photo.


Is this a National ID card?

No. The proposed regulations establish common standards for States to issue licenses. The Federal Government is not issuing the licenses, is not collecting information about license holders, and is not requiring States to transmit license holder information to the Federal Government that the Government does not already have (such as a Social Security Number). Most States already routinely collect the information required by the Act and the proposed regulations.


Who will have access to the information that the DMV will be required to collect?

As they do now, authorized DMV officials in the licensing State will have access to DMV records. DMV employees in one State cannot “fish” the records in another State. The proposed rule requires States to include a comprehensive security plan for safeguarding information collected, stored, or disseminated for purposes of complying with the REAL ID Act, including procedures to prevent unauthorized access, use, or dissemination of applicant information and images of source documents retained pursuant to the Act and standards and procedures for document retention and destruction.


Will a national database be created that stores information about every applicant?

No. The REAL ID Act and these regulations do not establish a national database of driver information. States will continue to collect and store information about applicants as they do today. The NPRM does not propose to change this practice and would not give the Federal government any greater access to this information.


Will REAL ID change how my license looks?

The proposed rule does not specify precise designs or layouts of state issued licenses. Instead, DHS is proposing minimum standards that will appear on the face of the card. The proposed regulation would require each of the following on the face of REAL IDs; space available for 39 characters for full legal name; address of principal residence; digital photograph; gender; date of birth; signature, document number; and machine readable technology. Additionally, temporary REAL IDs would need to clearly state that they are temporary. Non-REAL IDs issued by compliant States would need to clearly state on their face that they are not acceptable for Federal official purposes and use a unique design or color that clearly distinguishes them from REAL ID licenses.


Do the proposed regulations require States to collect fingerprints or iris images from drivers?

No. Though States may independently choose to implement biometrics into their driver’s license process, the NPRM does not require a State to collect fingerprints, iris images, or other biometric data in connection with obtaining a license and has no plans to serve as a repository for the face images the states will collect.


What is the Machine Readable Technology specified in the NPRM?

The regulations propose the use of the 2-D barcode already used by 46 jurisdictions (45 States and the District of Columbia). DHS leans towards encrypting the data on the barcode as a privacy protection and requests comments on how to proceed given operational considerations.


Will REAL ID driver’s licenses include RFID cards?

The NPRM does not specify the use of RFID cards as a minimum standard. States may independently choose to implement an RFID solution, in addition to the standard 2-D barcode, to meet their constituent’s needs.


How long is the comment period?

The comment period is 60 days. During this time, we look forward to closely reviewing each comment submitted in advance of issuing the final rule. Moreover, we will invite the Real ID Advisory Group, which was formed under the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, to the Department to provide oral comments on the proposed regulation.

http://www.dhs.gov/xprevprot/laws/gc_1172767635686.shtm

Why Secure Licenses are Important

The need to have a secure driver’s license has never been more dire. In a day and age when licenses (and state-issued ID cards) operate as this Nation’s most widely accepted and requested type of identification, it is crucial that we take steps to implement some kind of standards on our licenses, and it is equally important that each state abide by the same set of standards, given that one state’s license is accepted in every other state across the Union.

The 9/11 hijackers knew well that having a license in this country was the key to operating just under the radar screen, which is why they sought as few as 38 licenses (official number) and state-issued IDs between them, and as many as 63 (unconfirmed number). Not only did those licenses allow them to board airplanes that fateful morning, but more importantly, they allowed the hijackers to operate inside our borders plotting, scheming and executing important parts of their attacks for months and years before the September 11th.

The 9/11 Commission specifically recommended that the federal government establish a set of uniform standards for the states to follow in driver license issuance, and that is where the REAL ID Act came from. In short, it requires state DMVs to: (among other things)

establish an applicant is legally present;

tie license expiration to visa expiration;

include a biometric identifier (to be determined by the Department of Homeland Security);

check the validity of all social security numbers with the Social Security Administration;

provide all other state DMVs with access to each others records to ensure multiple licensing from state to state is not occurring.

Many people argue that the 9/11 hijackers were here legally and would still have gotten licenses anyway, even if REAL ID had been in place. But it’s not true that they were all here legally, many of them came to and left the country several times under different visas but kept their various driver licenses throughout. And specific provisions set forth under the driver license section of the REAL ID Act would have addressed this very issue first of all by tying visa expiration to license expiration, and secondly each state DMV would have been made aware when each of the hijackers attempted to obtain multiple licenses.

The REAL ID Act is certainly not going to stop terrorism – to suggest otherwise is irresponsible. But what it will do, is disrupt terrorist travel by making the terrorists who are here already and have licenses easier to track, and by denying terrorists the most common, widely recognized form if ID available in this country and thus the ability to blend in and get to work plotting more attacks, without fear of being noticed or uncovered.

Imagine what might have happened if Mohammed Atta and his henchmen were forced to produce their Saudi passports – instead of their driver licenses – when enrolling in flight school.

http://civics.typepad.com/realid/

Trust us, we wouldn’t lie. So what MW? What's your point to posting this? The NORTH AMERICA REAL ID isn’t a national id because DHS says so. Yeah and the FBI said to trust us, we will fix the abuse of power with the Patriot ACT.

Other politicians are promising "Immigration Reform" We don’t trust that either.


You may not want to admit it but you know that this is a NATIONAL ID and that this will do nothing but track law abiding Americans. If terrorists cant fly, do you not think they cant think of other ways to be destructive? With our wide open borders? Open your eyes RR.

Federal REAL ID Act Does Not Create National Identity Card: That’s a Good Thing

By Peter Gadiel

“The moon is made of green cheese.” “The Earth is flat.” These statements are false, but harmless, so even if someone tries to convince others that they are true, no danger can flow from them. Not all lies are so innocuous. Here’s one that’s just as false, but those who say it’s true are paving the way for the next 9/11 attacks. The falsehood is this: “The Federal REAL ID Act of 2005 creates a national identity card, is a threat to your privacy and should be repealed.”

To understand the enormity of the danger this statement poses to our country it’s necessary to recall a few facts about the terrorist plot that resulted in the murder of nearly 3000 innocent victims on September 11, 2001.

The 19 terrorists responsible for that holocaust had at least 35 and maybe as many as 68 or more authentic US driver’s licenses. These licenses were issued by Virginia, Florida, Maryland, Arizona and California. According the independent 9/11 Commission, those driver’s licenses allowed the terrorists to rent cars, rent apartments, open bank accounts, transfer money from the Middle East, get credit cards, buy airline tickets, and more. In short, the terrorists’ US driver’s licenses allowed them to obtain all the goods and services they needed to plan, rehearse, finance and carry out their conspiracy. And, said the Commission, on the morning of 9/11, the killers used their US licenses to breeze past security at airline gates and board the planes they turned into guided missiles. Janice Kephart, Counsel to the 9/11 Commission, told the US Senate Judiciary Committee on March 14, 2005: “The hijackers’ acquisition of driver’s licenses and identification cards was clearly part of the hijackers' overall travel strategy.”

American driver’s licenses were, and remain, a key terrorist tool and by issuing licenses to the terrorists, five states unintentionally helped the terrorists commit mass murder.

That being the case, one would think the practice of issuing licenses to illegal aliens would have ended everywhere in the USA by September 12, 2001. Amazingly, that’s not the case. A dozen states are still aiding the next 9/11 terrorists by giving them the same access to driver’s licenses as Mohammed Atta and his co-conspirators enjoyed. (Among those states are New Mexico, Utah, North Carolina, Maryland, and Maine.) Of course, officials in these states don’t say “we want to give licenses to terrorists.” Instead what they say is: “We want illegal aliens to be able to get licenses.”

There’s a little problem with that policy. Every illegal alien is a person whose true identity is unknown, (“undocumented”) meaning no one has ever verified his identity. Thus, any illegal alien can be a terrorist. And that means that when a state gives licenses to illegals they may be licensing the next 9/11 terrorists (or the next child rapist or Railroad Killer).

Why are states so intent on licensing illegals that they’re willing to expose us all to such unspeakable dangers? The reason is simple: an illegal alien who can’t drive to a job is a whole lot less valuable to the employer who wants to replace American workers with cheap, illegal alien labor. For this reason, the US Chamber of Commerce, the Wall Street Journal, beef packers, carpet manufacturers, agribusiness, the travel industry and more, they all want illegal aliens to be licensed.

Greedy employers are not alone in wanting to make licenses available to illegals and the unknown terrorists among them. The ACLU, the Ford Foundation, National Council of The Race, Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF), Communist Party of the United States, Green Party, Socialist Workers Party and other left wing groups want illegals licensed. So do the AFL-CIO and American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees and other unions whose membership consists largely of illegals or who provide taxpayer funded services to them.

These groups and many others provide buses and meals to get illegals and their allies to lobby at state legislatures. Members of 9/11 Families for a Secure America have been present when 600 illegals, led by unions or “philanthropic” groups have swarmed the halls of legislatures in Kansas, Illinois and other states demanding licenses (and instate college tuition rates, welfare or other “rights”) for illegals.

When legislators are subjected to such a continuous barrage of lobbying, human nature being what it is, they tend to cave in.

It was to encourage states not to give licenses to the next 9/11 killers that REAL ID was passed in 2005. That law says unless a state’s issuing practices for licenses or (non-driver IDs) meet certain minimum standards, licenses from that state will not be recognized as valid identification at federal buildings or in federally regulated transactions. In other words, licenses from sub-standard states won’t get you into a federal building or military base or be valid for buying a gun, as examples.

The standards that a state has to meet to maintain federal recognition are straightforward and plain common sense.

1. Licenses must have the license holder’s real legal name. (Currently, some states permit use of nicknames or middle names, thus allowing people to conceal their identity and obtain multiple licenses.)

2. The DMV must keep a digitized copy of the photo that’s on your license. (A digitized photo or a fingerprint guarantees that a single person does not hold multiple licenses obtained with disguises such as beards, different hairstyles, etc.)

3. The license must have a machine readable strip containing such information as the holder’s name, date of birth, eyeglass requirements, etc. REAL ID does NOT require personal information such as blood type, credit history, or other such personal non-driving related matters.

4. The issuing state must verify with the Social Security Administration that the applicant has provided a valid SSN that actually belongs to him or her. Non-citizens who are not eligible for SSNs must show their US visas or other federally issued documents showing that they are legally in the United States.

5. The issuing state must join other states in creating a database so that the limited information they obtain in the process of issuing licenses can be accessed by other states. This will permit, for example, a cop in California who arrests a guy selling cocaine who shows him a Maine license actually to check and be sure the license is real and the guy he’s arresting really is the guy to whom Maine issued the license.

6. Licenses issued to aliens with visas must expire on the same date as the visa expires.

Here is what REAL ID will accomplish:

1. It will prevent terrorists and illegal aliens from obtaining US drivers licenses.

2. It will prevent individuals whose licenses are revoked for say, drunk driving, in one state from getting license under an assumed name in another state or in the same state.

3. It will make it virtually impossible to steal another person’s identity.

4. It will provide some important side benefits as well, making it far more difficult for people to obtain welfare fraudulently or escape parental support obligation, and it will prevent non-citizens from voting.

Here is what REAL ID DOES NOT REQUIRE

1. It does NOT require you to carry your license, except when you’re driving a car on a public road.

2. It does NOT allow police officers to “demand your papers,” unless of course you are involved in a traffic stop, or are questioned in relation to a crime. In other words there’s no requirement to identify yourself to police in any circumstance not already covered by tradition and law.

3. It does NOT require or authorize states to obtain personal information about you not related to your ability to drive.

4. It does NOT authorize states to obtain information about your credit history, blood type, health history, gun ownership, education, your parents, your travels outside the country, employment, club memberships, or political involvement.

5. It does not authorize including such information on the magnetic strip on the back of the license nor in any data base containing your basic license information. There is no authorization for putting microchips in licenses for containing personal information.

Although REAL ID is not yet in force, a coalition of open borders lobbies has organized to repeal it; the most dangerous and well funded of the repeal lobbies is the ACLU. It’s so-called “Technology and Liberty Project” led by one Barry Steinhardt has used half truths and outright falsehoods to create a demand for the repeal of REAL ID. The ACLU on its websites (http://www.realnightmare.org/ ) and (http://www.aclu.org/safefree ) make many false statements. It claims that: REAL ID will create a "national ID"; increase identity theft; cost the states billions of dollars; subject applicants to great inconvenience and delay at their motor vehicle bureaus; “steeply” increase the cost of a drivers license; create a bureaucratic "quagmire."


In reality, most states already reach most of REAL ID’s standards. For example after the 1993 attacks on the World Trade Center, New York Governor George Pataki and his DMV Commissioner Ray Martinez implemented the practices contained in REAL ID and as they did so, they actually reduced the number of DMV employees, increased speed of service to customers, and reduced waiting times. In addition, Mr. Martinez informed me New York actually saved taxpayer money by catching deadbeat parents and welfare cheats who’d used multiple identities to escape their obligations or cheat the system.

The truth is that the ACLU isn’t really worried about the security, privacy, time or money of American citizens. The true motive for its objections to REAL ID is that it will make it harder for illegal aliens to enter and remain in the US. But ACLU’s lies about REAL ID are effective: on January 25 the Maine legislature passed a resolution demanding that Congress repeal REAL ID and it gloats it will eventually succeed in convincing Congress to repeal the law.

One of the great ironies in the growing movement to repeal REAL ID is that many conservatives have swallowed the ACLU’s propaganda and have joined forces with them. (In New Hampshire, for example, a Libertarian member of the state’s House of Representatives has succeeded in persuading a majority Republicans to join Democrats in demanding repeal. Other states are feeling heat from conservatives.)

But ask yourself these questions. When there’s another 9/11; and another after that; how strong will the pressure be to sacrifice our liberty to preserve our safety? How strong will the demands be for a true National ID after a second or third 9/11? In the panic that will ensue it will be difficult to avoid demands from Charles Schumer and his ilk for a true national I.D. as is required in France.

Those of us who really are concerned about privacy, terrorism, crime by illegal aliens, identity theft and many other threats to American security must recognize that REAL ID as the only way to forestall calls for true National ID cards. These Americans must oppose the ACLU and demand implementation of REAL ID.

FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor Peter Gadiel is the president of 9/11 Families for a Secure America.

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jp wrote:

Open your eyes RR.

Perhaps you should do the same. By the way, what's an "RR" (are you calling me a derogatory name ).