REAL ID coming to a Department of Public Safety/Transportation Near You!!

Well, it looks like the terrorists have won again.

From cnn.com, "Tighter driver's license rules coming out. Americans born after Dec. 1, 1964, will have to get more secure driver's licenses in the next six years under ambitious post-9/11 security rules to be unveiled Friday by federal officials."

This is not "new" news though. Apparently, Congress passed the law about this "secure ID initiative" back in 2005. Now the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has decided to plan a deadline in 2011.

It seems that every "post-9/11" tactic proposed by the DHS seems to make us that more susceptible to another major terrorist attack. Think about it, this department was created in response to the attacks on 9/11. They continue to do things to better our lives and increase our security to prevent another 9/11-like tragedy; but in reality everything they do just shows how afraid of terrorism this nation has become. My dad always says the terrorists won not because of how many people they killed and continue to kill in the war, but because of how terrified they have made out nation to do anything and how much extra time it now takes to go anywhere and do anything because of all the added security. This REAL ID is a perfect example of this.

Now before I continue, I was to talk briefly about the term "post 9/11." It seems everything now has that attached to it. It is such a bullshit term. I mean I am sick of hearing it everywhere; and with all the presidential-candidate debates, it seems like we hear it more and more everyday. You don't hear things referred to before 9/11 as "pre-9/11;" for example, I graduated from high school in 1999, does that mean I graduated "pre-9/11" or in a "pre-9/11 world?" Can we stop using this term. Yes, we are in a "post-9/11" world. But we are also in a post-dinosaur world.

Now back to this REAL ID. Back in 2005, when the law was first passed the original idea was to put a microchip in the ID. That would mean when you carry your driver's license the government will know exactly where you are at any given time. This chip would also carry finger print information, health information, nationality, etc.

Notice the chip would include your nationality. Yup you guessed it, the second "target" in this REAL ID Act is illegal immigrants.

Now don't fret. This REAL ID is being challenged by many states and has been since it was first introduced in 2005. The original plan was for this to begin taking effect in 2008/2009. However because of stiff opposition from civil liberties groups and many states the new deadline is 2011. And according to CNN, "by 2014, anyone seeking to board an airplane or enter a federal building would have to present a REAL ID-compliant driver's license, with the notable exception of those more than 50 years old, Homeland Security officials said."

So, basically it seems like 50+ year-old people get a "go straight to 'GO' card and collect $200" or something like that. Can't a 50 yr old person still be considered a terrorist? Apparently the giant military men at the Lubbock airport think they can; last summer when I flew home I noticed security felt the need to pull an old lady, who had to be at least in her sixties, aside after the normal security check and give her the "wand treatment" and go through her carry on more closely. I stood there and watched this happen. It was amazing that someone could possibly pull her "randomly" out of all the other people coming through the security gate. I'll tell you one thing, while I was walking by I saw about three or four "questionable" individuals that DID NOT get "randomly" pulled aside for a further security check.

OH WAIT, CNN further explains:
"The over-50 exemption was created to give states more time to get everyone new licenses, and officials say the risk of someone in that age group being a terrorist, illegal immigrant or con artist is much less. By 2017, even those over 50 must have a REAL ID-compliant card to board a plane."

For some reason, I really want to see a rise in 50+ yr old illegal immigrants and terrorists. I am not saying I want to see more people die, I just want to see our government humiliated and proven wrong...again.


More about the REAL ID plan:

" - The traditional driver's license photograph would be taken at the beginning of the application instead of the end so that should someone be rejected for failure to prove identity and citizenship, the applicant's photo would be kept on file and checked in the future if that person attempted to con the system again.

- The cards will have three layers of security measures but will not contain microchips as some had expected. States will be able to choose from a menu which security measures they will put in their cards.

- Over the next year, the government expects all states to begin checking both the Social Security numbers and immigration status of license applicants."

Now, I guess I was wrong with this, but I thought when you renewed your driver's license you had to show your social security card.

I really hope this does not pass. I found a video about this, in it DHS's Michael Chertoff claims another "9/11" will happen without REAL ID. (There is a really loud audio clip at the very end, I apologize.)


The 11 billion cost in the video is part of the opposition from states. In the CNN article, "in order to make the plan more appealing to cost-conscious states, federal authorities drastically reduced the expected cost from $14.6 billion to $3.9 billion, a 73 percent decline, according to Homeland Security officials familiar with the plan."

Either way you look at this, it is a bad idea. But sadly it looks like by 2017 we will all have a REAL ID.

What a better time to move to Canada while continuing to live in this post-dinosaur world.