ACLU, Others Denounce National ID Card Plan . . .

ACLU, Conservative and Liberal Allies Denounce National ID Card Plan in Intelligence Reform Bill
www.aclu.org
November 15, 2004

http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/SafeandFree.cfm?ID=17019&c=206

WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today joined with organizations from across the political spectrum to run a full-page open letter advertisement in the Washington Times, asking the conference committee on intelligence reform to remove the national ID provisions from its final 9/11 intelligence reform legislation. The conferees are currently working to reconcile the House and Senate versions of the bill.

"When groups this diverse unite against an issue, it is clearly about poor policy - not partisan politics," said Laura W. Murphy, Director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office. "A national ID is a bad idea. It would strip Americans of their rights to privacy while doing nothing to protect America from future terrorist attacks."

The ad urges the committee to remove provisions from the final intelligence reform package that would create a national ID card. A national ID card, the open letter says, would create an unprecedented invasion of the privacy rights guaranteed by the Constitution and would allow the government to constantly monitor everyone with a driver’s license or identification card.

- more . . .

http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/SafeandFree.cfm?ID=17019&c=206

I'm really trying hard to find a problem with this, but I can't...

...any suggestions?

just one more step on the road to a police state . . . and just one step away from mandatory implants in place of the cards . . . and who knows what will end up encoded on your card or chip? . . . that you're a Democrat? a liberal? gay? a DU member? . . . it's a bad idea because I don't for one minute trust those who will be implementing it . . .

The issue at hand is a national ID card. Your argument would apply to driver's licenses, too, but I don't see anybody arguing against those.

these would be issued by BushCo's Department of Homeland Security . . . huge difference . . .

If you have a state-issued ID, the federal government has access to the information, too.

If you want to drive legally yes, but it is not mandatory.

;)

"would allow the government to constantly monitor everyone with a driver’s license or identification card."

like they don't do that already! why do you think there is that little magnetic strip on the back.

"their" databases already have much of that information. Their police; they have access to DL numbers already, and plate numbers... and the other info can be pulled out of a phone book. Hrm. Not a big deal.

What is a big deal is the flat-out certain knowledge that large corporations can and will pew forth more "targeted marketing" with these things, and from aaaaalllll over the country. You just know they won't bother to check if you've only been to Tower Records or some such once in your life; they'll keep sending you ads for that LA store or whatever to your home in Boston. Year after year after year. It wouldn't surprise me if we see a push to eliminate do-not-call lists and other such "liberal nonsense", because in the new era of "personal responsibility", we're responsible for ignoring it. Blech.

Oh, and if corporations can collect that information, you better believe police and homeland "security" will find a way to use that info. That's how they get around using it as a tracking device: they let private businesses not constrained by Constitutional bounds collect the information police aren't allowed to collect by doing it for business purposes. They can then claim legitimate access to the work product, for example when "conducting and investigation".

Feel safer yet? I don't.

Oh, and... http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=327e96ddb30c3c09

it over with.

America: Home of the no longer free, land of the slave.

There's an article about the tracking chips in schools. There's an article about embedded chips for medical information. You put the two together and it's obvious where this is going to go. I wish the people who support these ID's would tell me why they think embedded tracking chips aren't the next step.

I really don't.

Expensive and useless, yes.

Big brother... what? Where is this coming from?

My guess from a verity of reasons, but mostly from what I can understand that it seems to have a lot to do with this concept they call ownership (the word slave also comes to mind, but I am not a cynic ;-) )

What is the scenario in your end game :think:

Next: An ID Chip Planted in Your Body?
http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/tradecencrimes/idchip.htm

Like they're doing in that school in Spring, Texas. Pick up the protesters for traffic violations before they ever get to gather. Wish people could think 20 years down the line when they support this stupidity.

They could encode all sorts of crap on there.

When they require implanted chips in every single citizen
these same people be the ones saying "It's to protect you!"

We're discussing an ID card.

There's a world of difference.

national ID cards are a first but necessary step to establishing a national database that will contain EVERYTHING about you . . . imagine being pulled over by a cop who swipes your card through his onboard computer and essentially has access to your entire life history . . . your medical records, what books you ordered from amazon, what organizations you belong to, your charitable contributions, your credit history . . . basically, everything about you . . . is this the kind of society we want? . . . not me . . .

:D

What could they do about that? I personally think Tommy Ridge ans DHS should go Cheney themselves!!

And I'm the president of my law school ICLU chapter. I just think it's useless, and can only lead to a high price tag, litigation and headaches. I can envision scenarios where someone is found without one by the police... what happens? Can that person be brought in because they can't "prove" their identity? What's going to go on that little magnetic strip, and how does this jive with the radio tags in the new passports (which are also useless).

I'm not afraid of it. I'm puzzled.