Comments on: Some States Balk At Real ID

By: Diane C. Russell

Diane C. Russell — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 22:42:05 +0000

When the moonbats take over, Real-ID will make it real easy for them to round up all of the crazy subversives who believe in liberty and think the government should serve the people rather that the people being slaves of the government.

I just don't understand all the so-called conservatives who want to give our government more tools of identifying and oppressing than Hitler and Stalin had.

And why are we claiming to fight terrorism? Real-ID is just another example of how we are turning ourselves into the kind of society the terrorists want.

By: Jackie

Jackie — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 21:41:58 +0000

Thankfully Washington State is one of several states resisting. If the Federal gov is going to insist on Real ID, then they can pay for it.

By: legion

legion — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 20:02:13 +0000

Your headline is misleading, James; a boatload of states are balking at Real ID. You are correct though about the reasons. Privacy, while a real concern given the Keystone Kops-emulating executive branch we're currently cursed with, the real problem is the monumental unfunded mandate it puts to the states. For example, in South Carolina (one of the most vocally-defiant states right now), a driver's license that currently costs citizens $10 and is good for 10 years will have to be jacked up to costing $60 and only be good for 8 years.

By: Jeffrey W. Baker

Jeffrey W. Baker — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 19:50:01 +0000

Of course not. It's security theater. All of the 9/11 guys had valid papers and a number of them were already on FBI watch lists. The problem was that the govt had their thumbs up their butts. Different styles of ID would have done nothing to prevent that attack.

By: Patrick T. McGuire

Patrick T. McGuire — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 18:10:19 +0000

The seven years since the attacks of September 11, 2001, and the three years since the passage of the Real ID Act are more than adequate time for our leaders to provide our nation with true security.

Would the Real ID Act have prevented Mohammed Atta et al from boarding the planes on 9-11?

By: bob

bob — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:43:25 +0000

Cutler is beyond being biased on this, and most people who think they know what REAL ID is all about have never read the final rules. REAL ID permanently puts the federal government in charge of both what the card will be required for and what technology it uses. These so called final rules are not a one time thing, and the final rules point out many times how DHS reserves the right to change things in the future without going back to Congress, or the States. REAL ID hijacks the 911 report and uses it for a powergrab instead of trying to create sensible new rules. Despite what Chertoff contends, it is the architecture of a national ID card. Do we need one? Maybe. But lets have that real debate, rather than just taking over states licenses and trying to pretend that nothing funny is going on. If REAL ID is not changed in some substantial way, it will require RFID, more biometrics, and be necessary for more things in the very near future.