Yeah. I am one, but you know what, when I get shit like this it really pisses me off. If there’s one thing I can’t stand is an uninformed activist. Be for a cause. Be against something. Thats cool with me. But you’d better know what the hell it is your against before you send out a mass email railing on it.
I got an email from an old friend that worked at EB with me. I’ll paste the interesing bits to save time…
“Last week, The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed by a 261-161 vote, the Real ID Act. This far reaching bill, which will now go to the Senate where it will pass due to Republican majority, will come in the next decade to impact our lives more than any bill or measure that has gone through congress in ages. The Real ID act, cunningly attached to last week’s vote to further fund the Iraq war, passed with flying colors and little to no public or media protest because as we all know with today’s state of affairs, to vote against funding our troops when they “need us most” would be political suicide.
…
The Real ID Act calls for the adoption of a nationwide, electronic identification card which must be carried on your person at all times, otherwise facing penalty of temporary and immediate imprisonment until you can be re-identified.
…
To start, your U.S. Real ID card will have encrypted on it your social security number, a digital photograph of you, your immigration status and your birth certificate. The bill further states that all states of the union must link their Department of Motor Vehicle databases to the Department of Homeland Security to supplement information to be carried on your Real ID, including your complete driver history, motor vehicle violations, suspensions and any points you have. Any state that does not comply with this linking of their DMV will no longer be eligible for federal funding.
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This same RFID technology, although with a different federal level of encryption technology, will soon be built into all U.S. Passports. After that is achieved and the Real ID roll-out has begun, your Passport and your Real ID will merge, thereby your Real ID will gain RFID technology. Your Real ID will then be tracked by radio signal, recording where and when you go near federal and state establishments – But now, without the need for electronic scanners. As you walk, your Real ID’s RFID chip will be communicating with structures around you that will be required by law to report your movements into the national database. “
After that it goes on about how we’re all doomed, how we’ll be implanted with chips, hurded like cattle and the US will fall under a Nazi-like despotism and we’ll all be royally fucked. Listen, and listen good. I INVENTED THIS PARANOID SHIT! If anyone is going to rail against RFID, National ID systems and the like, it’s me!
But, that’s not what THIS perticular fight it about. This is about House bill 418 (H.R 418), aka “The Real ID” act. This is a very small bill that was quietly added onto a defense spending bill. It’s already passed. You can’t do anything about it. But thats ok. Why? Because anyone who actually read the bill itself would see that it’s really not a threat. Let me go back and forth from this email I got and to my responses. We’ll talk about the bill itself more indepth in a minute.
“The Real ID Act calls for the adoption of a nationwide, electronic identification card which must be carried on your person at all times, otherwise facing penalty of temporary and immediate imprisonment until you can be re-identified. “
I’ve already got one. It’s called my drivers license. You don’t think that magnetic strip on the back is there for looks do you? Any person with out a drivers license is already suspect to “temporary and immediate imprisonment”. Ever get caught speeding without your license? Trust me, you sit in the back of the police cruiser for quite some time.
“To start, your U.S. Real ID card will have encrypted on it your social security number, a digital photograph of you, your immigration status and your birth certificate. The bill further states that all states of the union must link their Department of Motor Vehicle databases to the Department of Homeland Security”
You’re drivers license already has both your social security number as well as a photo. If you’re an alien, you drivers license has that too. In addition, aliens are required to carry green cards, student visas or work papers with them already. Also, the bill itself, if you read it says NOTHING about a birth certificate being part of the card. The link between the DMV and DHS is never mentioned once and the DHS already has all your drivers records anyway. Honestly though, if they didn’t (which they do), would it really be hard for them to get a copy?
What the bill DOES say is that STATES must improve their drivers license and license systems to meet basic requirements to help prevent fakes. Thats it. There’s a whopping 3 sections to this bill. The first is about boarder patrols, the second is about people asking for politcal asylum and the last is about how states should meet some pretty basic requirements for drivers licenses.
Directly from the bill…
Sec 202. Minimum Document Requirements and Issuance Standards for Federal Recognition
1. Beginning 3 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, a Federal agency may not accept, for any official purpose, a driver’s license or identification card issued by a State to any person unless the State is meeting the requirements of this section.
Translation: You’ll need to get a new drivers license because the old ones suck
B) Minimum Document Requirements- To meet the requirements of this section, a State shall include, at a minimum, the following information and features on each driver’s license and identification card issued to a person by the State:
(1) The person’s full legal name
(2) The person’s date of birth
(3) The person’s gender.
(4) The person’s driver’s license or identification card number.
(5) A digital photograph of the person.
(6) The person’s address of principle residence.
(7) The person’s signature.
(8) Physical security features designed to prevent tampering, counterfeiting, or duplication of the document for fraudulent purposes
(9) A common machine-readable technology, with defined minimum data elements.
Wow. That list seems like a real threat to my personal freedoms….
Now, you’re probably curious over #9, but all that means is the magnetic strip. Read it again. Common machine readable… RFID tags are not common and are not globally readable by different readers from different manufactures. Trust me, I’ve read more about them than anyone. Next, “with defined minimum data elements”. That would be #1-7. That information is already on the magnetic strips on your drivers licenses. I know because if you’re ever been to Avalon in Boston and had you ID scanned by their magical “detect a fake” machine, all that junk is exactly what comes up. They check to see if it matches whats on the front of the card. I also know for a fact that the New Hampshire drivers licenses are SIMPLE to fake. Why, because I’ve seen a fake one. I also seen a New York, Virgina and a Oregon as well (it was art school, people were bored). My current drivers license in Texas has more holograms and security crap than I’ve ever seen before in my life. It’s crazy. But relax, cause thats all they’re talking about in this bill. An upgrade to your easily fakeable drivers licenses.
If you actually take the time to read the bill, none of the things mentioned (RFID, DHS, databases, etc) are even remotely hinted at, let alone mentioned. Literally, all the bill says is that there should be country wide improvements in drivers licenses to help prevent fakes. I, for one, don’t have a problem with that. Now, if they stick an RF chip (that I can’t easily remove) in there, or make everyone get bar codes on their arms, I’ll be the first one signing up for the revolution. But until then, I don’t really see the problem with adding a couple holograms to Kentucky’s drivers licenses if it’ll help Ackmed not to be able to board a plane.
Geez, hippy liberal fucks. Read the shit you’re protesting against before your get your panties in a bunch. Ok? Also, in case anyone else would like to read that bill, the Library of Congress just so happens to have a copy. Enjoy.
Oh, and incase you’re still worried… better find the tin-foil hats, because you never know when the aliens will be coming back for whats left of your brain.
Matt out.
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