Slashdot Mirror
Congress Debating National Driver's License Rules
hamelis writes "The NYT [FRR: bugmenot]reporting on Congress' attempt to set national standards for issuing driver's licenses. The Secretary of Homeland Security could require licenses to contain fingerprints or retinal scans, and while states are not required to cooperate, if your license doesn't conform to federal standards, you can be denied "access to planes, trains and other modes of transportation." Additionally, the House version would require states to keep all license data in a linked database for quick access, and calls for "an integrated network of screening points that includes the nation's border security system, transportation system and critical infrastructure facilities." How is this functionally different from a national ID card?"
Papers, please?
Some people might exclaim that it is a genuine attempt by the government to shed and protect the US public from terrorists and if everyone followed the rules, sure it would. Terrorists follow the rules? No chance in hell,
Also, let's repeat once again that all the 9/11 terrorists were travelling on perfectly valid, non-faked passports. This wouldn't have helped one bit.
I believe posters are recognized by their sig. So I made one.
Driver's licenses are not compulsory.
Conformity is the jailer of freedom and enemy of growth. -JFK
The way I see it, this is a clear issue of states' rights.
The thing is, Supreme Court precedent is strongly against this point of view. The problem is that the government isn't directly mandating a federal ID, but rather refusing highway funding to those states who don't participate. It's the reason we have a drinking age of 21 in the US, and South Dakota v. Dole answered the question of whether or not it's Constitutional.
Frankly, with all the caving the Supreme Court has done over the last 200 years wrt states rights, we should just get it over with and abolish states rights altogether. Let the states exist like counties or incorporated cities, they basically already do.
The UK is being used as a testbed for biometric ID cards.
Soon we will be issued them with our Passports & Driving Licences
There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
Hitler's police power grab after the wake of the Reichstag Fire to defend against terrorists included a lot of unnecessary powers as well. Funny, that.
One definite -- once you allow the federal government a power, they never release it -- they will have it forever.
May we never see th
At least in CA, you can get an identification card from the DMV. AFAIK, you go through the same identification procedures that you go through when you get your drivers license, you just don't take any of the driving test stuff.
"The first time I am walking down the street minding my own busisness and some cop tells me to show some ID or go to jail is the last time I ever carry ID"
I feel the same, but the bad news is that it has already happened.
U.S. Supreme Court: Public Anonymity No Right
I submitted a similar story last week [2004-10-05 18:44:25 National ID Card proposed (Index,Privacy) (rejected)] and when I saw this headline, I assumed it was about the same bill. Turns out it's not.
There is another bill proposed by three Republicans and a Texas Democrat that would make the Social Security card a national ID, one that would also be linked to a country-wide database containing information about your "employability."
However, since our SSNo. is also required for banking, tax, and medical records, the potential for database linking and tracking is even higher.
Except the UK of course, they still have to carry their passport whenever they go abroad.
The Swedes have to do that as well.
^^
More detail here, under the "Constitutional Issues" section. (References are given.)