George Bush is diving in the polls in relation to Iraq, but these last several months, he’s had virtually no trouble moving this country closer to a corporate/fascist state, and he’s accomplished this, with the aid of many democrats in Congress.
Born of paranoia and fear, there is the Real ID Act.
Voted down last fall, this legislation slid through Congress in the spring, tacked onto the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Defense, the Global War on Terror and Tsunami Relief. No one in Congress dared to debate more support for the troops. There were no hearings, no debates, on one of the potentially greatest threats to our right to privacy to ever pass as “law” in Congress. One must question, at this point, if there is any real, active form of democracy left in Congress.
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.
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.
Various groups have warned us about this legislation, but apparently, not many were listening.
More than 600 organizations have expressed concern over the Real ID Act. Organizations such as the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, the American Library Association the Association for Computing Machinery, the National Council of State Legislatures, the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the National Governors Association are among them.
This bill is going to be one hell of a monster to pay for. Even CNN is calling it a mess:
It will be nearly impossible to live without such an ID. That creates a huge incentive for citizens and residents to get IDs and for states to comply with this unfunded mandate: If they didn’t, their citizens and residents wouldn’t be able to get access to any of the services or benefits listed above. Estimates of the cost of compliance range from $80 to $100 million — and states will have to pay.
The potential for abusing the power in such ID requirements, according to some commentators is as real as Mussolini was real:
Many commentators predict that radio frequency identification (RFID) tags will be placed in our licenses. (Other alternatives include a magnetic strip or enhanced bar code). In the past, the Department of Homeland Security has indicated it likes the concept of RFID chips.
RFID tags emit radio frequency signals. Significantly, those signals would allow the government to track the movement of our cards and us.
Private businesses may be able to use remote scanners to read RFID tags too, and add to the digital dossiers they may already be compiling. If different merchants combine their data — you can imagine the sorts of profiles that will develop. And unlike with a grocery store checkout, we may have no idea the scan is even occurring; no telltale beep will alert us.
The Real ID Act potentially violates international law, though this should be of no surprise in this administration.
Let’s begin by taking a look at the ICCPR – a treaty ratified by the United States – and how the REAL ID Act violates, and abrogates, it.
Article 14 of the ICCPR provides that persons convicted under law shall have the right to review by a higher court. But REAL ID purports to eliminate all habeas corpus review for immigrants who claim they have been treated unlawfully by the Department of Homeland Security. It is also purports to strip federal judges of the power to temporarily stay the immigrants’ deportation, pending appeal of a negative determination.
Article 22 of the ICCPR, and Articles 7 and 8 of the ICESCR, provide for the right to organize collectively at the workplace, and the right to strike. But the REAL ID Act allows the Department of Homeland Security to ignore local, state and federal laws to the extent that the Secretary believes necessary to “expeditiously” complete the security border fences with Mexico and Canada. Collective bargaining laws are not exempt. (Nor are laws on environmental protection, safety and discrimination).
Article 17 of the ICCPR – like Article 12 of the Universal Declaration – provides for a right to privacy. Yet, as discussed earlier, the REAL ID Act sets complex federal standards for all drivers’ licenses, and compels states to scan all passports and visas and share the massive database of information created -without privacy protections. This collected information will include social security number, phone numbers, residence addresses, and in some cases, medical history (on vision, needed medication, and more).
We the people, need to respond. Bad legislation, can be repealed. And this is one maggot infested whopper that doesn’t deserve consideration in a true democracy.
