Remember Where You Heard This

At DownsizeDC.org we're fighting hard against this financial "reform" bill, but yesterday there was another issue too important to ignore, and I neglected to post it here:

http://www.downsizedc.org/blog/immigration-and-real-id-remember-where-you-heard-this

Quotes of the Day:

"Do to others as you would have them do to you." -- Jesus of Nazareth, Luke 6:31 (NIV)

"Liberty is the only thing you cannot have unless you are willing to give it to others." -- William Allen White

----

Once upon a time, in a country known as the land of the free and the home of the brave, these words were rarely heard:

"May I see your papers please?"

But, increasingly, the free and the brave became dependent and cowardly. They begged to wear chains.

Many fought the trend, but even they were undone, because some in their ranks harbored fears greater than their love of freedom.

Remember where you heard this . . .

If American freedom dies, the widespread desire to control immigration will have been a major factor.

And remember where you heard this . . .

If the fight to defeat the creation of a national ID card FAILS, it will be because of the widespread desire to control immigration. Let us not forget, we have drawn the line on Real ID. Five years have gone by, and we've stalled implementation. But now, other Real ID Jr. proposals are building a head of steam.

So remember where you heard this . . .

Americans will have to carry internal passports, and show them to State officials constantly, and have every aspect of their lives controlled by far off know-it-alls in the federal bureaucracy. Your federal overlords will gain increased control over . . .

* Where, how, and even if you can earn a living
* Whether or not you can board a train, or enter a federal building
* Whether or not you can cash a check, or buy guns or alcohol
* What kind of healthcare you receive
* How long you'll stand in line at the DMV, and whether you can have a license
* Whether or not you can be stopped on our streets, and even detained, for failure to display your card
* And many other aspects of your life

This total control will be made possible by a national identification system that was put in place in order to control immigration. But it will really control YOU!

In this way, immigration control and registration is just like gun control and registration -- it most deeply affects law-abiding citizens.

Remember where you heard this . . .

The immigration debate is NOT about what Mexicans will be allowed to do, IT'S about what YOU will be allowed to do. It's about YOUR freedom . . .

* First the politicians wanted to curtail your freedom to protect you from terrorists
* Now they want to curtail your freedom to protect you from Mexicans

Remember where you heard this . . .

The immigration debate is a scam. It's fear-mongering, foisted by busy-bodies of all varieties. The result will be Bigger Government in Washington, DC. It will control YOU. And now, it's up to YOU to decide . . .

Are you afraid of terrorists and Mexicans? ...or whatever hobgoblin the Big Government Fearmongers will conjure next?

Will you be free and brave, or dependent and cowardly? Will you trade YOUR FREEDOM for a false promise of protection?

This is how we see the issue. And if you end up in chains, remember who warned you. We did.

Meanwhile, for the brave who want to remain free, let the spirit of resistance continue . . .

Please send a letter to Congress opposing all national identification schemes, including the new attempt by Senators Schumer and Graham, to MAKE ALL OF US CARRY Social Security cards with biometric identifiers.

In addition to this campaign's hardwired letter to Congress, which reads as follows -- "Please don't try to fix the REAL ID Act. Please, just repeal it." -- we suggest you add the following in your personal comments . . .

"Please oppose any legislation that contains any support for any kind of national identification system. I specifically oppose plans for a Social Security card containing biometric identifiers. I do not want ANY national identification scheme, and I reject your claim that I need such a system in order to be protected from terrorists and Mexican immigrants. I am not afraid! And I want you to stop being afraid on my behalf."

You can send your letter to Congress here: https://secure.downsizedc.org/etp/campaigns/30

Our thanks go to those who prefer bravery and freedom.

Jim Babka & Perry Willis
President & Vice President
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.

Let's pass on PASS ID

http://www.downsizedc.org/blog/let-s-pass-on-pass-id

There is good news and bad news on the REAL ID front . . .

* The good news: 46 states were not in compliance with REAL ID by December 31, forcing DHS Secretary Napolitano to extend the deadline to May, 2011 - and there's no sign the states have any intention of complying with it by then
* The bad news: the Senate could pass REAL ID's equally-bad replacement, the PASS Act, this month

Please tell Congress to oppose the PASS Act and instead repeal the REAL ID Act with NO replacement.

You may copy or borrow from the following letter . . .

The refusal of states to comply with REAL ID has led to its virtual nullification. This rebellion was one of the few bright spots of the past decade. Indeed, I hope the states get into the habit of opposing federal intrusion.

However, I realize the states opposed REAL ID primarily because of costs and technological problems. While these are valid concerns, the main reason I oppose REAL ID is because I value my privacy and freedom.

I therefore ask that you ignore the requests of governors and other state politicians to replace REAL ID with the S. 1261, the PASS Act. While the PASS Act does give the states more flexibility and financial aid, it still fails to guard my privacy or keep me safe. Here are just some of PASS ID's problems: http://www.realnightmare.org/about/114/

* It requires innocent Americans to provide a broad array of identity documents, snarling them in long lines and bureaucratic red tape
* By requiring storage of identity documents like birth certificates in a central location for even longer periods than Real ID, PASS ID will cause identity theft
* PASS ID permits "enhanced drivers’ licenses," which contain long-range radio frequency identification (RFID) chips, which can be used for tracking by anyone with a reader.
* If passed, the PASS ID will likely be expanded to serve other purposes, like riding a bus, purchasing a gun, or registering to vote.

The PASS Act will impose new burdens on the American people and actually make us less safe.

I therefore insist that you oppose the PASS Act. I also demand that you repeal REAL ID and replace it with nothing.

END LETTER

You can send your letter using DownsizeDC.org's Educate the Powerful System

And please consider making a donation to further our work.

James Wilson
Assistant Communications Director
DownsizeDC.org

Did you hear about these big mistakes?

http://www.downsizedc.org/blog/did-you-hear-about-these-big-mistakes

Quote of the Day:
"The whole reason we have elected officials is so we don't have to think all the time."
-- Homer Simpson

Subject: Did you hear about these big mistakes?

A Fox News report claims that the World Bank's computer network was hacked several times over the past year. The World Bank has tried to downplay this, but one internal email referred to it as an "unprecedented crisis." [Source: Information Week]

The World Bank is an organization of 180 national governments, originally intended to reduce world poverty. The Bank manages tens of billions of dollars and employs 10,000 people. The United States government is its largest donor and shareholder, and names its President.

One might assume the World Bank's computer network is as well-protected as any.

But we must never make assumptions about the efficiency of government institutions -- just because government can spend billions of dollars to address a problem, doesn't mean the problem will actually be addressed, fixed, or handled competently.

For instance, the United States spends more on its Air Force than any other country, by far. And yet, as you may recall,

*In August, 2007, the Air Force lost 6 nuclear warheads for 36 hours.
* In March, it was discovered that in 2005 four electrical fuses for nuclear weapons were shipped to Taiwan, instead of the helicopter batteries that Taiwan had ordered.

Think about that, and then remember last week's Dispatch, where it is revealed that NSA agents listen in on the intimate phone conversations of unwitting, law-abiding Americans, when they are supposed to be eaves-dropping on suspected terrorists only.

To say the least, government workers are vulnerable to lapses, and government systems are vulnerable to breakdown.

The same is true of the private sector as well. But at least, in the private sector, if you don't trust the intentions, the staff, or the systems of a private firm, you're always free to take your business elsewhere.

Government, on the other hand, doesn't give you that choice.

If the federal government gets its way, more and more of us will be required to carry a national ID card, with personal information to be stored in a central database. The long-term goal is called REAL ID, applicable to everybody. Because many states have refused to comply with REAL ID, the feds are trying to impose it on us industry-by-industry, beginning with the transportation worker TWIC card. They also want to force workers to pay for these cards, to get around the fact that state governments don't want to pay for REAL ID.

As if that's not enough, the feds also want to implement a National Animal Identification System (NAIS). Under NAIS, farmers would register their farms and place RFID-chipped tags on all their animals so they can be entered in a centralized system - with the farmers paying the costs.

The government will no doubt claim that "safeguards" will be in place to protect people from identity theft, and that these centralized systems will be protected from hacking.

Who knows, the government officials who make these claims may actually believe it.

But similar officials probably also thought that the World Bank's computers were safe. They probably also thought their nuclear warheads were safely stored and accounted for, and that Forest Service employees would never start forest fires (destroying 133 homes, a commercial building and 466 outbuildings).

The problem with government assurances is, they're not very reassuring.

Each of these programs - REAL ID, TWIC, and NAIS - are frightening in their own right. We urge you to learn more about each program, and tell Congress to put an end to them once and for all. Please hit Congress on all of these issues. It's important to keep hammering on these programs, even amidst the current economic turmoil.

- For Real ID, go here.

- For TWIC, go here.

- For NAIS, go here.

Thank you for being part of our growing Downsize DC Army.

James Wilson
Assistant to the President
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.

Real ID: Expensive and Unnecessary

QUOTES OF THE DAY:
“The legislation that created the Department of Homeland Security was very specific on the question of a national ID card. They said there will be no national ID card.” - Tom Ridge

"I was very protective as governor of my prerogatives in the federal system. One thing I never liked from the federal government were unfunded mandates, or the federal government telling me how to run Pennsylvania." - Tom Ridge

SUBJECT: Real ID, Expensive and Unnecessary

The remarks above, by then-Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, were made in September, 2004. They seemed to rule out something like Real ID. But Ridge did go on to say that he was working with governors to develop some "basic standards" for drivers' licenses, and that he wanted uniform identification for workers in security-sensitive fields.

But the drift of his comments suggested a collaborative process, not an unfunded mandate.

Ridge retired from public service shortly thereafter and was replaced by Michael Chertoff, co-author of the Patriot Act. The following May, the REAL ID Act was attached to a "must-pass" Iraq bill, and passed without debate.

Real ID would standardize state drivers' licenses to make a de facto National ID card. Chertoff envisions it to be used to "cash a check, hire a baby sitter, board a plane or engage in countless other activities." http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/636479.html

Real ID is also an expensive unfunded mandate. Homeland Security optimistically projects that Real ID implementation will cost the states a whopping $9.9 billion that they don't have. Homeland Security is "helping" the states with $280 million in funding and $80 million in grants, which combined amount to less than 4% of the cost.

We have a better idea. Why not just abolish Real ID altogether?

The original implementation deadline, May 11, 2008, has passed. Every state has been given an extension for complete implementation by 2017, though many have no intention of ever doing so. Indeed, twenty states have passed anti-Real ID statutes or resolutions.

It appears that such a lengthy extension is a means for the Bush Administration and all who voted for Real ID to save face. Based on the backlash by the people and the states, they know the program will never be implemented. Real ID is on the way out. Let's kill it now before any more time and money is wasted.

Even if there were no privacy and identity theft concerns with Real ID, and even if the feds would pay for the entire program, what stands out about Real ID is that it is just plain unnecessary. As Tom Ridge said four years ago, "I notice in the private sector, without any encouragement from the federal government, there are a lot of employers that are using biometrics for their employees to gain access to their places of work and places of business." In other words, the private sector doesn't need government mandates to be concerned about security.

But Michael Chertoff doesn't get it. He thinks that without Real ID . . .

* banks will cash checks for anyone off the street
* "unauthorized personnel" would have access to sensitive and dangerous areas on government or private property
* parents will hire unknown strangers to babysit their kids
* airlines would be unconcerned with security, and
* states wouldn't know to whom they issued driver's licenses

Real ID will solve no problem that state government and private sector can't already address, but it will make our personal information more vulnerable to identity thieves and make it easier for government to track our movements.

That the Real ID saddles the states with a gigantic unfunded mandate is bad enough. But the solution is not to offset a tiny portion of it with federal funds.

Instead, we must tell Congress that Real ID is unnecessary, that the costs far outweigh the benefits, and that it creates more problems than it solves. We must tell Congress to repeal Real ID. You can do so using our easy-to-use Educate the Powerful System.

Thank you for being part of our growing Downsize DC Army.

James Wilson
Assistant to the President
DownsizeDC.org