Several States Revolting Against Real ID

[cui bono]

While we are distracted by premature polling and debates on the 2008 presidential race a serious erosion of our right to privacy, a major big brother tool, is in the works. The Real ID. This is the beginnings of the government being able to track our every move and control our assets as well, which is what the radio frequency chips will be able to do, and they're coming too. Imagine having all your medical and financial records stored in a chip and at any moment having it be rendered inactive. What do you do then? Well that's where we're headed so let's stop it now before it gets started. Not to mention the fact that it's very costly and while the Feds are mandating it they are not providing the necessary funds to implement it. Thankfully states are revolting in a bipartisan manner.

The enactment date for Real ID is May 2008. We need to contact our representatives in congress and let them know we oppose this so they can kill it now.

National ID cards on the way?
Recent congressional vote on standardized, electronically readable driver's licenses raises fears about imminence of national IDs.
Photos: Biometrics on guard
By Declan McCullagh
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Published: February 14, 2005, 4:00 AM PST

In a vote that largely divided along party lines, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a Republican-backed measure that would compel states to design their driver's licenses by 2008 to comply with federal antiterrorist standards. Federal employees would reject licenses or identity cards that don't comply, which could curb Americans' access to everything from airplanes to national parks and some courthouses.

The congressional maneuvering takes place as governments are growing more interested in implanting technology in ID cards to make them smarter and more secure. The U.S. State Department soon will begin issuing passports with radio frequency identification, or RFID, chips embedded in them, and Virginia may become the first state to glue RFID tags into all its driver's licenses.

"Supporters claim it is not a national ID because it is voluntary," Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, one of the eight Republicans to object to the measure, said during the floor debate this week. "However, any state that opts out will automatically make nonpersons out of its citizens. They will not be able to fly or to take a train."

Paul warned that the legislation, called the Real ID Act, gives unfettered authority to the Department of Homeland Security to design state ID cards and driver's licenses. Among the possibilities: biometric information such as retinal scans, fingerprints, DNA data and RFID tracking technology.

more...
http://news.com.com/National+ID+cards+on+the+way/2100-1028_3-5573414.html

Dump Real ID now
Originally published February 1, 2007

With a May 2008 start date looming, Congress' requirement that states use their driver's licensing authority to police illegal immigration and enforce a national identity program is sparking a nationwide rumble of resistance.

Mainers went first, with the state legislature voting nearly unanimously last week to call for the federal Real ID law's repeal. Montana, Hawaii, Georgia, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Vermont and Washington are not far behind. As many as 30 states, possibly including Maryland, are expected to join the cause. Once America's 245 million drivers discover the cost and inconvenience in store for them, the bellowing could be deafening.

<snip>

The penalty for states that refuse to comply is that their driver's license will no longer be considered valid identification for air travel and other federal purposes.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/bal-ed.license01feb01,0,6834259.story?coll=bal-opinion-headlines

State lawmakers oppose Real ID law
By UPI Staff
United Press International
February 1, 2007

HELENA, Mont. (UPI) -- Legislatures in states including Montana and Maine have taken steps to oppose a U.S. federal law that makes driver's licenses more difficult to obtain.

The Maine State Legislature approved a resolution urging the U.S. Congress to invalidate the law, which is designed to help fight terrorism, before it takes effect in May 2008. The Montana House of Representatives is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a bill that would exempt the state from the Real ID law, USA Today reported Wednesday. If approved, the bill would also need approval from the state Senate.

<snip>

Other states with pending legislation opposing the law include Hawaii, Georgia, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Vermont and Washington.

http://www.gopusa.com/news/2007/february/0201_real_id.shtml

House panel: Feds should repeal Real ID Act

By Steve Terrell | The New Mexican
January 30, 2007

A move for New Mexico to oppose the so-called Real ID Act got a boost Monday when a House Committee voted unanimously in favor of legislation asking Congress to repeal a federal law that established tougher driver’s license requirements.

The House Judiciary Committee voted for a do-pass recommendation for House Joint Memorial 13, sponsored by House Majority Leader Kenny Martinez, D-Grants.

Martinez argued that the 2005 federal law — which requires states to issue federally approved driver’s licenses or identification cards starting in May 2008 and prohibits such forms of identification from being issued to undocumented immigrants — will cost the state $37 million over five years.

“This is a $37 million unfunded mandate,” said Rep. Elias Barela, D-Belen. He said the law — whose state goal is to guard against terrorism — will “further chip away at our civil rights.”

more...
http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/56127.html