Truth Frequency Radio
Aug 29, 2014

Mass Private I

Maine & Massachusetts residents may not be able to board a plane using their driver’s licenses starting in 2016 if the state does not start complying with the federal Real ID program.

In 2007, Maine became the first state to reject the federal regulations adopted in response to a study on national security after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Federal officials wanted to make driver’s licenses more uniform and secure, but opponents said the federal law was too sweeping and intrusive.

Non-compliance, however, has restricted the ability of residents from some states to access some federal buildings, and that is likely to increase.

The Real ID program is intended to make states’ requirements for driver’s licenses and identification cards more uniform and stringent.

The Real ID program is a REAL NIGHTMARE or a spying governments wet dream.

In July, the licenses were no longer adequate to access restricted federal facilities, such as the U.S. Mint and nuclear power plants. Residents from non-complying states need passports to enter those buildings. As of January, the licenses will not be adequate to get into semi-restricted federal facilities where a license or passport currently is required.

The act requires states to maintain a database of license applicants’ information that is accessible to the federal government, and take photos of applicants that can be scanned by facial recognition software.

Concerns about the Real ID program have united libertarian-minded citizens from both parties, especially over the portion of the law that creates a federal database of personal information that would be maintained by the state and accessible to federal officials.

“You might as well just repeal the Fourth Amendment,” Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap said, referring to the prohibition against unreasonable search and seizures of property.

“This proposal is one more step away from the Founding Fathers’ vision of a limited federal government. Our greatest homeland security is liberty, and the Founding Fathers believed our greatest threat to liberty was a central government grown too powerful. Accordingly, they set up checks on federal power by vesting authority at the individual and state levels.
REAL ID disrupts this delicate balance of power in two ways. First, it turns the Founders’ logic on its head by forcing states to act as agents for the federal government in creating a national ID card for federal purposes. Needing a REAL ID to board a plane or enter a federal building would also change the balance of power in something as seemingly insignificant as a visit to a member of Congress.”
— Gov. Mark Sanford, “Real ID Side Effects,” Washington Times

“States issue driver’s licenses, not the federal government,” Dunlap said. “They really can’t make us do it. That’s why it’s been such a disaster implementing it.”

“For any American citizen, they should find this whole program completely laughable and ridiculous” Dunlap said. Adding that “The whole thing has been kind of a bit of a farce.” “I don’t hold out an awful lot of confidence it will be implemented in a timely way and have any effect on border security or national security,” he said.

“The government claims that driver’s license “reform” will help combat illegal immigration and generally protect national security, but it fails to acknowledge that the Real ID Act seriously threatens privacy and civil liberties on a national scale.”

–Sophia Cope of Center for Democracy and Technology, “Why Real ID is a Flawed Law,” CNET News, January 31, 2008

Officials from Governor Deval Patrick’s administration did not respond to repeated requests for comment, and the Registry of Motor Vehicles declined an interview. Registrar Celia J. Blue said in a statement the Registry is reviewing the issue but did not commit to following the federal law.

“We are working with [the Department of Homeland Security] to address their outstanding concerns and we appreciate the guidance and various best practices they have shared with us from other states,” Blue said.

In March 2013, state Senators Bruce E. Tarr, Robert Hedlund, Michael Knapik, and Richard Ross – all Republicans – wrote a letter to Patrick urging Massachusetts to comply with the law. Tarr said he has not yet received an “effective response” from the administration.

“I do think what will happen is that Massachusetts driver’s licenses won’t have the same stature and validity across this country as they do now,” said Tarr, the state Senate minority leader.

Homeland Security said in December, when it unveiled its latest efforts to enforce compliance, that the rules for verifying citizenship and immigration status are “measured, fair and, responsible.” They will apply to places where identification is now required to enter, for the most part, but not to such places as the Smithsonian Institution’s museums on the National Mall.

Homeland Security “will continue to support states’ efforts to enhance the security in an achievable way that will make all of our communities safer,” spokeswoman Marsha Catron said in a statement.

There it is again DHS’s and every alphabet soup agencies B.S. response, it’s for our SAFETY. We need your Biometrics to make you safer, DON’T BELIEVE THEM. Ultimately a private company is getting rich while spying on you for our government!

“Big brother is bad enough.  Do you really want him working for the DMV?”

–Knute Berger, Seattle Weekly, January 18, 2006.

“Heavily criticized by concerned citizens, civil liberties groups, and state government agencies, the Real ID act is opposed by over 600 organizations including the National Governors Association.”  Ars Technica, 2007

http://www.pressherald.com/2014/08/27/maine-pays-price-for-resisting-real-id/
http://www.telegram.com/article/20140827/NEWS/308279971/1237
http://www.berkshireeagle.com/news/ci_26408324/without-real-id-compliance-massachusetts-driver-s-licenses
http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2014/02/07/massachusetts-other-states-defy-federal-rules-with-looming-consequences-for-residents/KUYDtWTQXHx0E0I2OmQTWJ/story.html

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