Bush signs National id card/chip into law

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  • Dialectic
    Fresh Peossy
    • Apr 2005
    • 18

    Bush signs National id card/chip into law

    this is some really scary shit...read the article.



    What's all the fuss with the Real ID Act about?
    President Bush is expected to sign an $82 billion
    military spending bill soon that will, in part, create
    electronically readable, federally approved ID cards
    for Americans. The House of Representatives
    overwhelmingly approved the package--which includes
    the Real ID Act--on Thursday.

    What does that mean for me?
    Starting three years from now, if you live or work in
    the United States, you'll need a federally approved ID
    card to travel on an airplane, open a bank account,
    collect Social Security payments, or take advantage of
    nearly any government service. Practically speaking,
    your driver's license likely will have to be reissued
    to meet federal standards.

    News.context

    What's new:
    The House of Representatives has approved an $82
    billion military spending bill with an attachment that
    would mandate electronically readable ID cards for
    Americans. President Bush is expected to sign the
    bill.
    Bottom line:
    The Real ID Act would establish what amounts to a
    national identity card. State drivers' licenses and
    other such documents would have to meet federal ID
    standards established by the Department of Homeland
    Security.

    More stories on this topic

    The Real ID Act hands the Department of Homeland
    Security the power to set these standards and
    determine whether state drivers' licenses and other ID
    cards pass muster. Only ID cards approved by Homeland
    Security can be accepted "for any official purpose" by
    the feds.

    How will I get one of these new ID cards?
    You'll still get one through your state motor vehicle
    agency, and it will likely take the place of your
    drivers' license. But the identification process will
    be more rigorous.

    For instance, you'll need to bring a "photo identity
    document," document your birth date and address, and
    show that your Social Security number is what you had
    claimed it to be. U.S. citizens will have to prove
    that status, and foreigners will have to show a valid
    visa.

    State DMVs will have to verify that these identity
    documents are legitimate, digitize them and store them
    permanently. In addition, Social Security numbers must
    be verified with the Social Security Administration.

    What's going to be stored on this ID card?
    At a minimum: name, birth date, sex, ID number, a
    digital photograph, address, and a "common
    machine-readable technology" that Homeland Security
    will decide on. The card must also sport "physical
    security features designed to prevent tampering,
    counterfeiting, or duplication of the document for
    fraudulent purposes."

    Homeland Security is permitted to add additional
    requirements--such as a fingerprint or retinal
    scan--on top of those. We won't know for a while what
    these additional requirements will be.

    Why did these ID requirements get attached to an
    "emergency" military spending bill?
    Because it's difficult for politicians to vote against
    money that will go to the troops in Iraq and tsunami
    relief. The funds cover ammunition, weapons, tracked
    combat vehicles, aircraft, troop housing, death
    benefits, and so on.

    The House already approved a standalone version of the
    Real ID Act in February, but by a relatively close
    margin of 261-161. It was expected to run into some
    trouble in the Senate. Now that it's part of an Iraq
    spending bill, senators won't want to vote against it.


    What's the justification for this legislation anyway?
    Its supporters say that the Real ID Act is necessary
    to hinder terrorists, and to follow the ID card
    recommendations that the 9/11 Commission made last
    year.

    It will "hamper the ability of terrorist and criminal
    aliens to move freely throughout our society by
    requiring that all states require proof of lawful
    presence in the U.S. for their drivers' licenses to be
    accepted as identification for federal purposes such
    as boarding a commercial airplane, entering a federal
    building, or a nuclear power plant," Rep. F. James
    Sensenbrenner, a Wisconsin Republican, said during the
    debate Thursday.

    You said the ID card will be electronically readable.
    What does that mean?
    The Real ID Act says federally accepted ID cards must
    be "machine readable," and lets Homeland Security
    determine the details. That could end up being a
    magnetic strip, enhanced bar code, or radio frequency
    identification (RFID) chips.

    In the past, Homeland Security has indicated it likes
    the concept of RFID chips. The State Department is
    already going to be embedding RFID devices in
    passports, and Homeland Security wants to issue
    RFID-outfitted IDs to foreign visitors who enter the
    country at the Mexican and Canadian borders. The
    agency plans to start a yearlong test of the
    technology in July at checkpoints in Arizona, New York
    and Washington state.

    Will state DMVs share this information?
    Yes. In exchange for federal cash, states must agree
    to link up their databases. Specifically, the Real ID
    Act says it hopes to "provide electronic access by a
    state to information contained in the motor vehicle
    databases of all other states."

    Is this legislation a done deal?
    Pretty much. The House of Representatives approved the
    package on Thursday by a vote of 368-58. Only three of
    the "nay" votes were Republicans; the rest were
    Democrats. The Senate is scheduled to vote on it next
    week and is expected to approve it as well.

    White House spokesman Scott McClellan has told
    reporters "the president supports" the standalone Real
    ID Act, and the Bush administration has come out with
    an official endorsement. As far back as July 2002, the
    Bush administration has been talking about assisting
    "the states in crafting solutions to curtail the
    future abuse of drivers' licenses by terrorist
    organizations."

    Who were the three Republicans who voted against it?
    Reps. Howard Coble of North Carolina, John Duncan of
    Tennessee, and Ron Paul of Texas.

    Paul has warned that the Real ID Act "establishes a
    national ID card" and "gives authority to the
    Secretary of Homeland Security to unilaterally add
    requirements as he sees fit."

    Is this a national ID card?
    It depends on whom you ask. Barry Steinhardt, director
    of the American Civil Liberties Union's technology and
    liberty program, says: "It's going to result in
    everyone, from the 7-Eleven store to the bank and
    airlines, demanding to see the ID card. They're going
    to scan it in. They're going to have all the data on
    it from the front of the card...It's going to be not
    just a national ID card but a national database."

    At the moment, state driver's licenses aren't easy for
    bars, banks, airlines and so on to swipe through card
    readers because they're not uniform; some may have
    barcodes but no magnetic stripes, for instance, and
    some may lack both. Steinhardt predicts the
    federalized IDs will be a gold mine for government
    agencies and marketers. Also, he notes that the
    Supreme Court ruled last year that police can demand
    to see ID from law-abiding U.S. citizens.

    Will it be challenged in court?
    Maybe. "We're exploring whether there are any
    litigation possibilities here," says the ACLU's
    Steinhardt.

    One possible legal argument would challenge any
    requirement for a photograph on the ID card as a
    violation of religious freedom. A second would argue
    that the legislation imposes costs on states without
    properly reimbursing them.

    When does it take effect?
    The Real ID Act takes effect "three years after the
    date of the enactment" of the legislation. So if the
    Senate and Bush give it the thumbs-up this month, its
    effective date would be sometime in May 2008.
  • Yao
    DUDERZ get a life!!!
    • Jun 2004
    • 8167

    #2
    Re: Bush signs National id card/chip into law

    Three more years of free criminal activity guys...get yer groove on while you still can
    Blowkick visual & graphic design - No Civilization. Now With Broadband.

    There are but three true sports -- bullfighting, mountain climbing, and motor-racing. The rest are merely games. -Hemingway

    Comment

    • superdave
      Platinum Poster
      • Jun 2004
      • 1366

      #3
      Re: Bush signs National id card/chip into law

      Sounds like a good idea and glad they passed it. Hopefully it will cut down on terrorists entering the country and help curb illegal immigration.

      The religious people who think the world is ending soon will freak about this though.
      Never interrupt your enemy when he's making a mistake - Napoleon Bonaparte

      Comment

      • Kobe
        I wish I had an interesting User title
        • Jun 2004
        • 2589

        #4
        Re: Bush signs National id card/chip into law

        I'm suspicious of this. Whlie there are some obvious benefits on the surface, it all sounds just a bit too "Big Brother" for me.
        Beats are my crack.

        Comment

        • runningman
          Playa I'm a Sooth Saya
          • Jun 2004
          • 5995

          #5
          Re: Bush signs National id card/chip into law

          This sounds like a little bit of "Big Brother" syndrome. I don't like it. People are losing there freedoms over there by the second..pretty soon you won't be able to take a piss on the side of the road..

          Comment

          • rewing3
            I really don't care
            • Jun 2004
            • 5504

            #6
            Re: Bush signs National id card/chip into law

            Originally posted by Kobe
            I'm suspicious of this. Whlie there are some obvious benefits on the surface, it all sounds just a bit too "Big Brother" for me.

            That was my thought as well. Just another way for the gov't to control us. I really don't believe there is any terrorists out there anymore. Well have all of them jail.
            Common Sense is not Common at all.

            Comment

            • mylexicon
              Addiction started
              • Jun 2004
              • 339

              #7
              Re: Bush signs National id card/chip into law

              yeah, this national i.d. thing is bullshit. I faxed my senators to let them know I don't approve. The bill didn't even receive one dissenting vote in the Senate. I really really hate the government already and they certainly aren't
              doing anything to try to win my affection.

              Nationalized anything is trouble because it means that more people will be controlled
              by fewer more corrupt Washington officials. Makes me wanna puke my guts out. Washington was targeted on 9/11, Washington needs rich business people
              to continue giving them money and Washington needs to write this legislation
              to protect itself primarily.

              It isn't that difficult to figure out who this legislation is going to help directly........
              about 2-3% of us. And it isn't any harder to figure out who this legislation is going to
              directly affect........100% of us.
              Be a vegan......eat freedom fries..

              Comment

              • Jenks
                I'm kind of a big deal.
                • Jun 2004
                • 10250

                #8
                Re: Bush signs National id card/chip into law

                Originally posted by runningman
                People are losing there freedoms over there by the second..pretty soon you won't be able to take a piss on the side of the road..
                Pissing in public is already illegal. THOSE BASTARDS!

                Comment

                • chemicalbeavis
                  Are you Kidding me??
                  • Jun 2004
                  • 3607

                  #9
                  Re: Bush signs National id card/chip into law

                  its not illegal here, well, pissing isnt illegal if you are in an uninhabited area and you need to stop for a piss, but if you are in a city and you piss by the road then thats indecent exposure

                  Comment

                  • Morgan
                    Platinum Poster
                    • Jun 2004
                    • 2234

                    #10
                    Re: Bush signs National id card/chip into law

                    Originally posted by chemicalbeavis
                    but if you are in a city and you piss by the road then thats indecent exposure
                    And urinating in a public place. A friend of mine got stung for ?30.
                    "Pain is only weakness leaving the body."

                    Comment

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