Get informed, then act on the National Identity Card Legislation

[katinmn]

Last night I heard our own LaLa RawRaw speak on the Brad's Blog radio program about this bill and how it will affect all of us.

Last-minute maneuvering is taking place in Washington as backers of the REAL ID Act seek to attach the controversial proposal to unrelated legislation, hoping to avoid a public hearing on the national ID plan. The REAL ID Act seeks to impose federal identification standards upon the states and mandate that state DMVs collect sensitive personal information.

We must act now, before it's too late!

Link to the actual bill:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:h.r.00418 :

Comprehensive site, with excellent links on history, opponents and supporters, and news articles:
http://www.epic.org/privacy/id_cards /

Petition:
http://www.usalone.com/realid.htm

Surveillance as a global issue:
http://www.privacy.org/pi/activities/idcard /
Privacy International is a global human rights group that acts as a watchdog on surveillance and privacy invasions by governments and corporations. PI is based in London, England, and has an office in Washington, D.C.

CATO Institute articles on National ID Cards:
http://search.cato.org/query.html?col=allcato&qc=allcat...

[katinmn]

1. kick!

[emcguffie]

2. Diane Feinstein urging retinal scans?

Did anyone see that? From one of the articles by the Cato Institute:

For the first time ever, employers would have to receive the government's permission to hire a new worker. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has even urged that the ID cards contain individuals' photographs, fingerprints, and even retina scans.

[amazona]

3. what risk of eye disease would be caused by retina scans?

I can't imagine that this procedure would be entirely safe. Don't we get X-rayed enough already? Frequent flyers such as pilots already have elevated risks of cancer; it is all blamed on spending so much time high in the atmosphere however it is difficult to believe that security X-rays don't contribute their bit. I don't think we need anything that messes with people's eyes. I might be completely off-base here but it seems to me it would increase your risk of cataracts.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[katinmn]

4. We need to get up to speed on this legislation, and keep track

of any amendments that get tagged on.

I think this is really scarey -- and most people won't know what's hit them till after the fact.

[emcguffie]

6. She's supposed to be a dem, no?

She sure doesn't ever seem to act like one.


How do you keep track of the amendments? I'm buried at work now, but this sounds absolutely hideous to me, and dangerous. And I can't believe Dems are for it. Like the bankruptcy bil.

[katinmn]

5. kick!