Real ID -- activism's topics - tribe.net

Senate hearing Wed. July 15, 2009

2009-07-16T18:24:30Z

Pass ID would repeal Real ID (yay) but is so close to Real ID that it is almost as bad.

There's a senate hearing tomorrow on Real ID and the Pass ID bill. The panels are stacked against us, as you can see below. Ari Schwartz of CDT is usually with us, but not on this issue. CDT is going to testify that Pass ID should go into effect while Real ID should be repealed. Other than Ari, there's no one who would take the civil liberties side.

Here's the info:

http://hsgac.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=3d9a52cd-c442-4dee-9a1f-b02ed3b38000

Wednesday, July 15, 2009
10:00 AM
Dirksen Senate Office Building, room 342

Add To My Calendar (vCal)
Witnesses
Panel 1

* The Honorable Janet A. Napolitano
Secretary
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
* The Honorable Jim Douglas
Governor
State of Vermont

Panel 2

* The Honorable Stewart A. Baker
Former Assistant Secretary
of Homeland Security
* The Honorable Leroy D. Baca
Sheriff
Los Angeles County, California
* David Quam
Director of Federal Relations
National Governors Association
* Ari Schwartz
Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Center for Democracy and Technology

posted in Real ID -- activism - 1 reply

Administration Plans to Scale Back Real ID Law

2009-06-19T00:22:38Z

By Spencer S. Hsu
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, June 14, 2009

Yielding to a rebellion by states that refused to pay for it, the Obama administration is moving to scale back a federal law passed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that was designed to tighten security requirements for driver's licenses, Homeland Security Department and congressional officials said.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano wants to repeal and replace the controversial, $4 billion domestic security initiative known as Real ID, which calls for placing more secure licenses in the hands of 245 million Americans by 2017. The new proposal, called Pass ID, would be cheaper, less rigorous and partly funded by federal grants, according to draft legislation that Napolitano's Senate allies plan to introduce as early as tomorrow.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/13/AR2009061302036.html

The question is, does this represent a serious diminution of the proposal or simply a "rebranding" as the Washington Post calls it...

posted in Real ID -- activism - 2 replies

Quick update on Real ID

2009-06-04T18:36:33Z

I'm listening to a panel right now at the Computers, Freedom, and Privacy conference about the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative and enhanced driver's licenses.

The general consensus is that Real ID as Real ID is pretty dead. However there is a move afoot to change the name and bring most of the 'features' into a new card. The new bill to do this might be called The PASS ID Act, although I couldn't find it in Thomas. Here's a link to an article Jim Harper has written on the subject. http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/2009/05/19/trouble-with-your-national-id-change-the-name/

posted in Real ID -- activism - 0 replies

Janet Napolitano and REAL ID

2009-01-02T22:06:10Z

Obama has been against REAL ID in the past, and she's been against it as well. We'll see what happens next.

I expect REAL ID to heat up as an issue around January.

Nominee Would Lead ID Program She Opposed
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/02/us/politics/02license.html?_r=1&scp=6&sq=privacy&st=cse

By MATTHEW L. WALD
December 2, 2008

WASHINGTON - As governor of Arizona, Janet Napolitano, President-elect
Barack Obama's choice for homeland security secretary, pledged that her
state would not cooperate with a major domestic security initiative, the
Real ID drivers' license program.

The program, which she would direct if confirmed as secretary, imposes
stringent requirements on states for confirming the identity and legal
residency of people who want drivers' licenses. Ms. Napolitano said the law
would impose huge costs on the states without reimbursement from Washington.

In June, she signed into law a bill that forbids Arizona from cooperating
with the federal requirements. The state law had no immediate effect,
because Arizona already had a federal waiver allowing it to delay enactment
until 2009.

Last year, as the chairwoman of the National Governors Association, Ms.
Napolitano testified before a Senate committee that the program would cost
the states $11 billion. Since then, Congress has appropriated $100 million
to meet some of the costs.

Real ID follows the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission; it was passed
without hearings or debate, attached to a mostly unrelated bill.

Janice L. Kephart, a staff member for the 9/11 Commission, said, "I'm hoping
she will see this program from the federal government side and see it with
new eyes."

A stronger national driver's license system would help the states improve
highway safety by assuring that drivers do not obtain more than one license,
Ms. Kephart said, and it could cut Medicare and Medicaid fraud.

Hani Hanjour, the hijacker flew the plane that crashed into the Pentagon on
Sept. 11, 2001, had an Arizona license, she said.

The federal government has said that people carrying drivers' licenses that
do not comply with its requirements will not be allowed into federal
buildings and will have difficulty boarding planes. The American Civil
Liberties Union and some state legislators say that the program amounts to a
national identification card, with civil liberties and privacy implications.
Ms. Napolitano, however, has mostly focused on the cost. Mr. Obama, as a
candidate, did the same.

The rules issued by the Bush administration require each state to verify the
authenticity of an applicant's documents and keep copies, along with digital
photos, so the information can be shared with other states. The department
issued the regulations so late that nearly all the deadlines fall after Mr.
Bush leaves office.

Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

posted in Real ID -- activism - 9 replies

FlyClear

2008-12-13T05:29:10Z

On an unrelated note...

Has anyone heard of this thing called "FlyClear?" I have been hearing these commercials about them and how they get you through the airport without waiting. I was wondering if this was some type of "other" ID. I looked into their site and it sounds like they are just something you can pay to get ahead of the line. Any info on what they actually are? Do they do some type of "background" check to determine you are not a terrorist?

http://www.flyclear.com/

I am wondering how this will line up with and potentially affect the RealIDs...
Just pondering...

posted in Real ID -- activism - 3 replies

Sunday afternoon radio

2008-05-27T01:02:07Z

D o w n s i z e r - D i s p a t c h

On May 11, 2005, the Real ID Act was signed into law.

Today, Sunday, May 11, 2008, was the day, by which, the Real ID Act was to be implemented in every state.

And today, Sunday, May 11, 2008, the Real ID Act will be the subject of my TWO-HOUR radio show, the Downsize DC Conference Call.

Our show sponsor, DownsizeDC.org, began fighting the Real ID Act back in October, 2004. DownsizeDC.org was only a few months old at the time.

Twice the House passed it. But public pressure worked. The Senate defeated it once. The second time the Senate refused to bring it to a vote. Real ID was dead . . .

. . . or so we thought. As we reported to you Thursday, we lost ONLY because the House and Senate leadership inserted it into an unrelated bill that was sure to pass.

One month after Real ID was passed, DownsizeDC.org began a "grudge campaign." Scores of groups did the same, working in the various states. Soon, a full-fledged "Real ID Rebellion" was underway. That surge of activism has delayed implementation in EVERY state until December, 2009, and we've got a real chance to kill this bill for good.

On today's show, you'll hear from a diverse cross-section of this movement:

* Noam Biale, American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU.org
* Craig Treadwell, Endtime Magazine, Endtime.com
* Aaron Bolinger, National Veteran's Committee on Constitutional Affairs, NVCCA.net

You'll also hear an update from show sponsor, Gun Owners of America. And it too will be about the Real ID Act.

The program starts at 3:06 PM Eastern (2:06 PM Central, 1:06 PM Mountain, and 12:06 PM Pacific).

The toll-free call-in number is 1-800-259-9231.

Or you can email me. The address is "CALL at DOWNSIZEDC dot ORG" (Just type it in as it sounds).

You can listen live online at gcnlive.com/Listen_Live.html

Or you can hear the show on these stations,

* WCER 900-AM Canton, Ohio
* WBCR 1470-AM Maryville, Tennessee
* KLID 1340-AM, Poplar Bluff, Missouri
* KGEZ 600-AM, Great Falls, Montana

And if for some reason you can't catch the live show, my network, Genesis Communications provides a podcast of the show, available a couple of hours after it goes off air, up through the next broadcast.

By the way, that Real ID "grudge campaign" continues today. Please send Congress a message telling them you remember this infamous date in their sordid history, and you want them to defund and repeal the Real ID Act.

Happy Listening to you,

Jim Babka
Host
Downsize DC Conference Call

* The Downsize DC Conference Call is Jim Babka's show and DownsizeDC.org, Inc is merely a sponsor. The views expressed on the program are not necessarily those of the Downsize DC boards, staff, or supporters. This message is distributed as part of a promotional arrangement.

** If you have technical issues with the podcast, please contact the webmaster at GCNLive.com, directly.
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posted in Real ID -- activism - 5 replies

Real ID as a wedge issue?

2008-03-23T23:34:27Z

Good topic discussion on Daily Kos.
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/3/23/14321/1510/353/482716

Check out the very informative map at the bottom too. This can be very useful for activism purposes. :)

posted in Real ID -- activism - 0 replies

Strong arm tactics by Chertoff

2008-03-23T19:24:37Z

I'd argue that Chertoff and DHS is doing more to hurt security than to help it. Just because a state doesn't get a waiver doesn't mean anyone from that state is more likely to be a terrorist. All of the time spent doing secondary screenings of people from those states (essentially to beat states into submission) could be better used spending time looking for real threats.

Chertoff says states must comply on IDs
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20080321/ap_tr_ge/travel_brief_secure_driver_s_licenses;_ylt=A0WTUdHVVORHna4AAAis0NUE

By DEVLIN BARRETT, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 49 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff rebuked lawmakers Friday for seeking to stall new rules on driver's licenses that could cause big headaches for air travelers starting in May.

Federal authorities are currently at a standoff with a handful of states over a law called Real ID, which would require new security measures for state-issued driver's licenses.

South Carolina, Maine, and Montana are the only states that have not sought extensions to comply, or already started toward compliance with Real ID, which was passed after the 2001 terror attacks on New York and Washington.

A fourth state, New Hampshire, has asked to be exempted, but homeland security officials do not view that letter as a legally acceptable request, so the Granite State has not received an extension.

Chertoff has warned that if holdout states do not send a letter by the end of March seeking an extension, come May, residents of such states will no longer be able to use their driver's licenses as valid ID to board airplanes or enter federal buildings.

Such travelers would instead have to present a passport or be subjected to secondary screening.

Five senators — Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine, Jon Tester and Max Baucus of Montana, and John Sununu of New Hampshire — appealed to Chertoff last week to exempt all 50 states from the looming deadline.

Chertoff responded Friday that it was not he, but Congress who picked the date when the law went into effect in 2005.

"You may disagree with the foregoing law, but I cannot ignore it," Chertoff said in the letter.

The law, he said, is necessary for national security according to recommendations from the commission that studied the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

"Secure identification is a cornerstone of protecting our communities," he said.

The nation's top homeland security official also offered a blunt warning to those critics who claim the government is bluffing when it says it will impose harsher security reviews in states that do not seek an extension from the Real ID law.

"Showing up at the airport with only a driver's license from such a state will be no better than showing up without identification," he wrote. "No doubt this will impel many to choose the inconvenience of traveling with a passport."

Chertoff has offered a plan to gradually implement Real ID requirements over a period of ten years, so that eventually all driver's licenses would have several layers of security features to prevent forgery. They would also be issued only after a number of identity checks, including immigration status and verification of birth certificates.

Critics of the plan say it is too expensive, an invasion of privacy, and won't actually make the country safer.

The most outspoken, Montana Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer, has said the federal government can "go to hell." He argues that Real ID won't work and the Bush administration won't be around long enough to prove it.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 3 replies

NORTH AMERICAN UNION & VCHIP - VIDEO

2008-03-18T04:01:16Z

NORTH AMERICAN UNION & VCHIP TRUTH - VIDEO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuBo4E77ZXo

;

A clip from Zeitgeist

posted in Real ID -- activism - 0 replies

chips and shit aside

2008-03-17T17:39:13Z

I like the idea of a well vetted ID like the NJ driver's license. You can't get one without going through some hoops and the thing is costly to forge.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 15 replies

California joins the crowd

2008-03-16T03:31:23Z

This is fantastic news. If you live in California, now would be a great time to give your representatives a call and voice your support. A call thanking Pedro Nava (who is introducing the resolution) would also be a good thing. :)

Anti-Real ID Rebellion Spreads to California
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/03/anti-real-id-re.html

By Ryan Singel EmailMarch 10, 2008 | 6:24:19 PM

California's powerful congressional delegation needs to go back to Congress to reconsider the Real ID Act that requires states to issue driver's licenses that meet federal standards, according to the head of the California Assembly's Transportation Committee.

Assemblyman Pedro Nava (D-35) introduced a non-binding resolution to that effect Monday afternoon in response to concerns about privacy, security and the high price of the federal mandate -- which the government's most recent estimate pegs at $4 billion nationally. The feds are only ponying up a token amount of money, but say states can dip into their federal homeland security grants to help pay down the bill.

Howard Posner, a policy consultant to the Transportation Committee, said that last year the committee contemplated moving legislation to accept Real ID, but reconsidered after "looking at the cost, and the incredible inconvenience for driver's license holder and the privacy issues."

"We heard the feds had enacted this without any kind of review process or holding hearings," Posner said. "We thought someone ought to step back and see if this is the most cost effective way to secure driver's licenses."

When asked who the resolution's allies were, Posner named three groups -- the ACLU, AARP, and the conservative group Eagle Forum.

Congressman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) added the the Real ID mandate to a must-pass defense spending bill in 2005, leaving the details to be determined by the Department of Homeland Security. After much delay, the final regulations were issued in February of 2008.

The resolution, which needs to go through a set of committees in both of California's legislative bodies before coming to a floor vote, would tentatively join California to a group of 17 states that have expressed opposition to the unfunded mandate.

Three states have outright rejected Real ID, setting up a showdown on May 11, when the federal government says it will not allow residents of Montana, Maine, South Carolina and New Hampshire to use their state I.D. cards for federal purposes.

That means that residents of those states will not be able to use their driver's licenses to board planes (they'll have to get pat-downs), and will be barred from federal courthouses or Social Security Administration buildings unless they have a passport.

California's resolution doesn't go nearly that far, since the state has already gotten the extension, but still might boost the anti-Real ID movement given the state's size, clout and dire finances.

If passed, the California resolution (.pdf), known as AJR 51, does not need the signature of California's Republican governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to go into effect.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 5 replies

Retina scanners

2008-03-15T01:20:51Z

I havent read up on them and am wondering if they work through sunglasses? Maybe that's why Tom Cruise and other celebs wear glasses and ballcaps while in public. Hmm.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 13 replies

Your Papers Please

2008-03-10T19:18:46Z

By Shenna Bellows, executive director, Maine Civil Liberties Union:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/3/5/135043/3580/134/469722

posted in Real ID -- activism - 3 replies

You know, it's all such chicken shit billshit anyway.

2008-03-10T19:17:04Z

My neighbors just returned from visiting the woman's family in the Phillipines. When they returned to Los Angeles, her boyfriend (a white-trash kinda guy from the ghetto with a heart as big as an airplane) waltzed right past all the DHS/Immigration/Security at the airport and nobody even blinked.

He finally returned and said, "um, hey, what's up - aren;t you supposed to be checking me out?"

I would have kept walking.

IT'S ALL JUST LUDICROUS. NONE OF THIS MAKES US SAFER. IT IS ALL AN INVASION OF PRIVACY, PERIOD, THE END.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 2 replies

VERICHIP IMPLANTS

2008-02-06T17:58:28Z

QUESTION:

Is there any legislation that says the REAL ID numbers that we get on cards will someday be implanted in verichips?
The conspiracy people assume this, and they may be right, but I want to know if anyone in politics or industry has admitted this.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 9 replies

Montana fighting back

2008-02-06T14:27:57Z

http://realnightmare.org/news/16/

Apparently the governor of Montana is fighting back against Homeland Security, and asking for other states' support in doing the same.

I say, "YAY" to that... 'bout time to end this government tyranny!

posted in Real ID -- activism - 5 replies

A radio interview with Deborah on Real ID radio interview today (1/26) at 1 p.m. PST

2008-01-27T21:34:43Z

If you're in the Bay Area, Deborah Pierce is doing a radio interview on Real ID at 1pm. Pirate Cat Radio - 87.9FM

Not sure if podcasts will be available ... we'll keep you posted.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 1 reply

VeriChip RFID Implant and YOU

2008-01-18T07:45:58Z

VeriChip RFID Implant and *YOU*

View this section of the Zeitgeist movie part 3 at time 1:47:30
http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com

http://www.swc.net/healthcare/security-verichip.tpl

http://www.verichipcorp.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VeriChip

"No VeriChip Inside - We the People Will Not Be Chipped Movement"
http://noverichipinside.com

Books - "Spychips: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track Your Every Move with RFID" (2006) and "The Spychips Threat: Why Christians Should Resist RFID and Electronic Surveillance"

http://www.antichips.org

;

posted in Real ID -- activism - 1 reply

Heads up -- Final Real ID regs due to be published tomorrow - Jan.11

2008-01-12T03:43:50Z

They're due out in the morning (pacific time). We're having a conference call at 11am.

I'll post more after the call and I know more. I'm pretty sure there will be activism opportunities around this.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 5 replies

Real ID news round-up

2007-12-22T01:57:17Z

Virginia is having financial woes implementing Real ID

Va. Braces for Driver's License Changes
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/16/AR2007121601754.html

By Anita Kumar
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, December 17, 2007; B01

RICHMOND -- Virginia officials are struggling over how to implement and pay
for new federal regulations that will require the state's 5.5 million
drivers to wait in line to get a driver's license in what is expected to be
a lengthy process similar to getting a passport.

Some states are refusing to comply with the strict regulations. Others are
asking Congress to change or repeal the costly program. But in Virginia, a
state where nearly half of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers got their driver's
licenses, many lawmakers generally welcome the safeguards designed to help
prevent terrorist attacks and reduce the number of licenses granted to
illegal immigrants.

========

DHS is releasing grant money to help states implement Real ID

DHS unveils Real ID grants
http://www.washingtontechnology.com/online/1_1/31975-1.html

By Alice Lipowicz
12/14/07 -- 05:16 PM

The Homeland Security Department released grant guidelines this week to
assist states in applying for $35 million to begin implementing Real ID
requirements for handling personal information associated with driver's
licenses.

"These funds will advance the ability of states to verify the legitimacy of
documents that applicants present and to confirm that the applicants are who
they say they are," said Secretary Michael Chertoff.

============

The ACLU wants candidates to state their positions on Real ID - and aim for repeal

ACLU presses candidates to repeal Real ID card law
http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=ACLU+presses+candidates+to+repeal+Real+ID+card+law&articleId=af6c8956-b540-485b-ad8b-0d170ac0b42c

Monday, Dec. 17, 2007

MANCHESTER - The American Civil Liberties Union and its New Hampshire
affiliate are trying to use the state's First in the Nation Primary to
pressure Presidential candidates to publicly reject the Real ID law and to
pledge to repeal it.

"It's important to know where the next President stands," said NHCLU
Executive Director Claire

Begun in July, the national and state organizations' efforts to get the
candidates to publicly reject the plan to turn the state driver's license
into a de facto national identification card haven't had much success.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 0 replies

Good op ed piece in Michigan

2007-12-22T01:45:25Z

Don't revamp state driver's licenses
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071219/OPINION01/712190318/1008

Onerous federal law is headed for repeal; state
proposal bans illegal immigrants

Shikha Dalmia - Opinion
Wednesday, December 19, 2007

REAL ID, the draconian federal law that would make Americans "show their
papers" before doing anything involving the federal government, may be on
its death bed in Washington. So why is Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land
redoubling her efforts to comply with it now?

The reason is that her proposal to comply with the 2005 federal law is
simply a cover for her to withhold driver's licenses from illegal
immigrants.

Land last week submitted a package of bills that would require Michigan's
7.2 million Michigan motorists -- and another 800,000 residents with state
ID cards -- to obtain upgraded licenses that would supposedly put Michigan
on the path to compliance with REAL ID. Otherwise, when the law goes into
effect in 2009, her office argues, state residents won't be able to board
planes, enter federal buildings, open bank accounts or collect their Social
Security checks.

Proposals unneeded
That would be serious. But the rub is that her proposals may be unnecessary.

Vermont Democratic U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Judiciary
Committee, this summer obtained 25 bipartisan co-sponsors for his bill to
kill the law because, he argues, it is an unwarranted federal intrusion into
a state function, raising huge privacy and identity theft issues. The House
is working on its own version of the Leahy bill.

Because of such doubts, Congress refused this summer to appropriate a paltry
$300 million of the $23 billion that the Department of Homeland Security,
the federal agency responsible for implementing the law, estimates states
will need to implement it.

Even with this appropriation, the law would be a huge unfunded federal
mandate. That's in part why 33 states have approved laws or passed
resolutions against REAL ID, some pledging not to comply. Both chambers in
the Michigan Legislature have issued resolutions demanding its repeal. The
House resolution went so far as to instruct the Legislature to "not
appropriate funds nor enact legislation" to implement the law.

Illegal immigrant ban
But Kelly Chesney, Land's spokeswoman, maintains that the secretary of state
still wants to upgrade Michigan driver's licenses. Why? "Because the
Secretary of State's office does not condone giving driver's licenses to
illegal immigrants," she says.

Michigan is one of only a few states, Chesney says, that cannot inquire into
the immigration status of people applying for driver's licenses because of a
1995 attorney general ruling. Land's proposal would change that, she said.

Denying licenses to illegals would certainly go down well with the
conservative base of Land, a term-limited elected official who might run for
governor in 2010. But this is a terrible way to make state policy.

The Department of Homeland Security already has twice missed its deadline to
issue final implementing rules. There are already questions about current
regulations that it wants states to meet, such as requiring the
establishment of the authenticity of documents verifying applicants' name,
Social Security number, home address and citizenship/legal residency status.
For example, there is no central database that Department of Motor Vehicle
folks in one state could log on to verify the birth certificates issued in
another.

Until such question are resolved, Gov. Jennifer Granholm's administration
correctly says the state should hold off on revamping Michigan's licenses.
This would avoid a lot of confusion and cost.

If Land is convinced that handing licenses to visa-less foreigners picking
fruit and hanging dry wall for below-minimum wage poses a security threat to
Michigan, she should ask Lansing to consider a stand-alone bill to ban that.
Using the federal REAL ID law as cover to accomplish that end will hurt
Land's reputation of putting pragmatics ahead of politics, while inflicting
unnecessary costs on Michigan residents.

Shikha Dalmia of Metro Detroit is a senior analyst at Los Angeles-based
Reason Foundation. Fax comments to (313) 222-6417 or e-mail to
letters@detnews.com.

© Copyright 2007 The Detroit News. All rights reserved.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 0 replies

Upcoming

2007-12-22T01:42:26Z

Missouri state legislator Jim Guest (very anti-Real ID) found this tribe earlier this week. We spoke on the phone a couple of days ago and I'm going to do his radio show Dec. 28th. We'll discuss Real ID, and probably the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (since it's closely related to Real ID).

Here's the link to his radio show page: http://thejimguestshow.com/

Also, there are a lot of budget shenanigans going on in CA -- Real ID is beginning to be funded in CA piecemeal and pretty much in secret.

I have a couple of good articles on Real ID to post as well.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 0 replies

http://www.washingtonwatch.com/

2007-12-22T00:00:07Z

http://www.washingtonwatch.com/

posted in Real ID -- activism - 3 replies

Pictures ???

2007-12-15T07:01:27Z

I posted the below in the CONSPIRACY tribe. Please excuse the foul language but WTF???!!!

http://tribes.tribe.net/conspiracypureevil/thread/e5d03ce8-720a-4862-8a3b-c8f13724165f?newpostingid=033ac900-1604-4353-b54a-91fedae530e5#033ac900-1604-4353-b54a-91fedae530e5

WTF???!!! Half the pictures on the "FUCK" tribe have a red X and cannot be seen now. I thought it had to do maybe with the "obscene" sexual nature of the pics. Then I come on this tribe and check the gallery and notice ALOT of the pics in here are not viewable either? They are just the covers of books. Does anyone know why this has happened and if it's going to be fixed? I didnt put the time into posting these things for nothing. Alot of them still have active links under them so you can still see what they are but the pic not showing in the gallery is really irritating? Is this why they were down for a day? Does this have something to do with them "fixing" their image server? This is so completely fucked up! Gary asked me in a pm about the pics on some tribe I'm not even aware of. He asked what happened to them. I said I have no idea what that tribe is so have no clue. lol But seriously. This sux major fucking ass! I want it fixed asap. Is it a glich? Is it on purpose. Is there a logical explanation? Is it a conspiracy? : )

Is it possible to make a site just like tribe that know wtf theyre doing? I wonder how well this is going over with the people that are paying for "premium" membership? Fix that shit and I might continue to support it. Until then, no more dollars from me. Maybe it's sabotage? This fucking sucks major ass!!!!

Does it have anything to do with the size of the images? What? WTF? Does anyone know what's up?

posted in Real ID -- activism - 21 replies

FIREFIGHTERS AND EMS TO BE USED AS SPYS FOR THE GOVERNMENT!

2007-12-09T01:05:16Z

I know that this has nothing to do with the 'Real ID' Act but since LA is one of the cities participating I thought that you might find it of interest. Of Course you won't be reading much about it in the American Press.

Firefighters Taking New Role As Anti-Terrorist Eyes Of The US Government

The Associated Press
Friday.23.November.2007

WASHINGTON.D.C.

Firefighters in major U.S. cities are being trained to take on a new role as lookouts for terrorism, raising concerns of eroding their standing as trusted American icons and infringing on people's privacy.

Unlike police, firefighters and Emergency Medical Service Personnel need no warrants to enter hundreds of thousands of homes and buildings each year, which puts them in position to spot behavior that could indicate terror activity or planning.

There are fears, however, that they could lose the faith of a skeptical public by becoming the eyes of the government, looking for suspicious items like building blueprints or bomb-making manuals or materials.

Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, Americans have surrendered some privacy rights in an effort to prevent future strikes. The government monitors telephone calls and e-mails; people who fly have their belongings searched before boarding and are limited in what they can carry; and some people have trouble traveling because their names are similar to those on terrorist watch lists.

The American Civil Liberties Union says using firefighters to gather intelligence is another step in that direction. Mike German, a former FBI agent who now is national security policy counsel to the ACLU, said the concept is dangerously close to the Bush administration's 2002 proposal to have workers with access to private homes, such as postal carriers and telephone repairmen, report suspicious behavior to the FBI.

"Americans universally abhorred that idea," German said.

The Homeland Security Department is testing a program with the New York City fire department to share intelligence information so firefighters are better prepared when they respond to emergency calls. Homeland Security also trains the New York City fire service how to identify material or behavior that may indicate terrorist activities. If it is successful, the government intends to expand the program to other major metropolitan areas.

As part of the program, which started last December, Homeland Security gave secret clearances to nine New York fire chiefs, according to reports obtained by The Associated Press.

"They're really doing technical inspections, and if perchance they find something like, you know, a bunch of Rocket-Propelled Grenade rounds in somebody's basement, I think it's a no-brainer," said Jack Tomarchio, a senior official in Homeland Security's intelligence division. "The police ought to know about that; the fire service ought to know about that; and potentially maybe somebody in the intelligence community should know about that."

Even before the federal program began, New York firefighters and inspectors had been training to recognize materials and behavior the government identifies as "signs of planning and support for terrorism."

When going to private residences, for example, they are told to be alert for a person who is hostile, uncooperative or expressing hate or discontent with the United States; unusual chemicals or other materials that seem out of place; ammunition, firearms or weapons boxes; surveillance equipment; still and video cameras; night-vision goggles; maps, photos, blueprints; police manuals, training manuals, flight manuals; and little or no furniture other than a bed or mattress.

The trial program with Homeland Security opens a clear information-sharing channel that did not exist before between the fire service and Homeland Security's intelligence division.

"We're there to help people, and by discovering these type of events, we're helping people," said New York City Fire Chief Salvatore Cassano. "There are many things that firefighters do that other law enforcement or other agents aren't able to do." He added, "A normal person that doesn't have this training wouldn't be looking for it."

Cassano would not discuss specifics, but he said some terror-related information has been passed along to law enforcement since firefighters and officers began the training three years ago. "They've had some hits," Cassano said. "It's working."

Separately, the fire services in Washington, the nation's capital, Phoenix, Arizona, and Atlanta, Georgia, also have received terror-related intelligence training. Los Angeles County provides intelligence training so firefighters and inspectors can spot dangerous chemicals or other materials that could be used in bombs. And the fire service is also represented in at least 13 state and regional intelligence "fusion" centers across the country, where local, state and federal agencies share information about terror and other crimes.

In Washington, the fire service made its first foray into the intelligence world about two years ago, and now District of Columbia Fire/EMS has access to the same terrorism-related intelligence as the police, said Larry Schultz, an assistant fire chief in charge of operations.

D.C. firefighters and Emergency Medical Service providers are in 170,000 homes and businesses each year on routine calls, Schultz said.

"So we see things and observe things that may be useful to law enforcement," he said. "We can walk into your house. We don't need a search warrant." If an ambulance team should show up at a house and see detailed maps of the district's public transit system on the wall, that is something the EMS provider would pass along, he said.

"It's the evolution of the fire service," said Bob Khan, the fire chief in Phoenix, which has created an information-sharing arrangement between the fire service and law enforcement through terrorism liaison officers.

Because firefighters are on the front lines, the fire service needs to know about intelligence that could somehow affect what they do, said Gregory Cade, who as head of the U.S. Fire Administration is the nation's top fire chief.

If, for example, Washington is hosting an International Monetary Fund meeting where there will be a large group of protesters and a truckload of gasoline has been stolen in Baltimore, firefighters need to know about intelligence from overseas that terrorists are trying to make explosive devices out of gasoline, Schultz said.

"Getting appropriate, actionable intelligence is important for a fire chief in deciding what to do and how to allocate resources and to know what's going on," Cade said. "No one is expecting us to be the analyst person who is sitting down, trying to connect all of this stuff together and determining, 'Oh, yes, this looks like a terrorist plot.'"

But Cade said that until recently, there has been no mechanism for fire departments to share what they learn with law enforcement and intelligence analysts who could use it.

"If in the conduct of doing their jobs they come across evidence of a crime, of course they should report that to the police," said the ACLU's German. "But you don't want them being intelligence agents."

It's of particular concern for communities already under law enforcement scrutiny. "Do we want them to fear the fire department as well as the police?" German asked.

The Detroit, Michigan, area, which has one of the largest concentrations of Arab-Americans in the country, does not conduct this type of intelligence training, nor does it plan to. "That's a touchy area," said Detroit's deputy fire commissioner, Seth Doyle. Detroit firefighters receive training about hazardous materials, but not the details New York and D.C. firefighters are now on the lookout for.

A structural diagram of the Ambassador Bridge linking Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, materials and literature to make a bomb and a bomb prototype are things firefighters should pay attention to, Doyle said. But the bridge diagram by itself might not be enough. "I don't want our folks to be put in a position where they're reporting something that creates a situation where there was really no real problem in the first place," Doyle said.

VIEW ARTICLE AT:
http://www.iht.com/bin/printfriendly.php?id=8463023

posted in Real ID -- activism - 5 replies

It's not over till it's over, but..... a bit of good news

2007-11-05T06:40:14Z

:)

We're getting there.

We had been expecting the final rule to come out in September, but it never came. A lot of us had suspected that this was going to be the case given the way the draft rule was written (very defensively).

DHS Plans to Water Down Real ID
in Last-Ditch Effort to Lure States In; Privacy Threats Remain
http://www.aclu.org/safefree/general/32519prs20071101.html

DHS plans to hollow out original Real ID plans
to save flawed, doomed program, state officials say

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: (202) 675-2312, media@dcaclu.org
(11/1/2007)

Washington, DC - State officials across the country were told in a private
conference call with the Department of Homeland Security that Real ID
restrictions on Americans would be weakened to the point that they would
negate the original intent of the program, those officials told the ACLU.

Crucial parts of original DHS plans for Real ID have been scrapped,
including the requirements that all airline passengers show their Real IDs
at the gate. In an effort to save the doomed program from failure, driver's
licenses would no longer have to follow a strict national standard, state
officials said, recounting what DHS Assistant Secretary Richard Barth told
them in a telephone conference call last month. This news has raised ACLU
suspicions that these provisions may have been empty threats all along.

"In discussions I participated in with the Department of Homeland Security,
they were asked point blank, 'What will happen to states that don't
participate?'" said Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, who was on the
phone call with Barth. "The response was, 'Nothing will happen. There will
be no penalty. You can still get on a plane.'"

But a weakened Real ID does not mean weakened privacy concerns. Americans'
information would still be stored in national databases available to all
levels of law enforcement, and personal information would still be readable
on the card. Barth said the deadline could be extended from 2013 to 2015 -
another sign that DHS officials are stalling. The Real ID regulations DHS
promised to release to states to comply with Real ID have been consistently
delayed since March.

"I have been against Real ID from the beginning because of the privacy
concerns and the cost to states," said Missouri State Representative Jim
Guest (R-05), who was on the conference call and heads an organization
against Real ID. "The changes DHS discussed over the phone won't eliminate
our fears about privacy or the cost to states - they will only make more
states reject Real ID."

DHS' reversal on Real ID comes as Real ID is in serious trouble. Seven
states have outright rejected the program, and 10 others have passed
resolutions against it. Legislation has been introduced in 38 states to opt
out of the program, which is unprecedented. The mandate is unfunded and the
cost is steep: Real ID has been estimated to cost at least $14.6 billion.
Twice this summer, the U.S. Senate rejected funding bills for Real ID.

"DHS is essentially whittling Real ID down to nothing - all in the name of
denying Real ID is a failure," said ACLU Senior Legislative Counsel Tim
Sparapani. "Real ID is in its death throes, and any signs of life are just
last gasps."

To learn more about Real ID, visit: www.realnightmare.org

© ACLU, 125 Broad Street, 18th Floor New York, NY 10004

posted in Real ID -- activism - 9 replies

New Law

2007-11-03T17:05:54Z

http://tribes.tribe.net/conspiracypureevil/thread/56c4b5e1-537a-4788-97cf-df1b03583179

Randy posted this in the CONSPIRACY tribe. Looks like this shit is finally starting to some down on us all pretty soon. I am so ready to die. I have a bottle of pills but not sure if I would ever do myself in or if I would just go along for the ride for as long as I can before they snuff us all out. Isnt that what we're all doing anyway? I just don't want to be tortured. Life is already enough of a living hell nightmare. Perhaps one day I will float away on a little fluffy cloud.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 9 replies

Secure Flight -- time to send in comments to the TSA

2007-10-26T23:19:56Z

I've posted this in a couple of places, and was asked to post it here too, so here's what you need to know. The final date to send in comments is Oct. 22.

It's important to send comments in. This version of Secure Flight is written in a subtle way...but the outcome is quite extraordinary. For the first time (if this passes), we'll essentially be needing to get permission from our government before we fly. It's very tempting to think that because the TSA is only matching names against the watch lists that the threat to civil liberties is not great. But -- the watch lists are inaccurate, and no one gets to see who is on the list, nor do we have a great way to get off the list if we're put there erroneously. Obviously, the list can be misused....

I'm copying an article from The Register, which is kind of a rag, I know. The article is good though, and written by Wendy Grossman, who I know personally. She's very, very smart, and very educated on the topic.

I'm also including a link to the TSA's website (at the very end of this post) so you can get more info, and info on how to comment.

US demands air passengers ask its permission to fly
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/10/12/flying_into_data_hell/

If you're not on the list, you're not getting on
By Wendy M. Grossman
Published Friday 12th October 2007 13:18 GMT

Under new rules proposed by the Transport Security Administration (TSA) (pdf), all airline passengers would need advance permission before flying into, through, or over the United States regardless of citizenship or the airline's national origin.

Currently, the Advanced Passenger Information System, operated by the Customs and Border Patrol, requires airlines to forward a list of passenger information no later than 15 minutes before flights from the US take off (international flights bound for the US have until 15 minutes after take-off). Planes are diverted if a passenger on board is on the no-fly list.

The new rules mean this information must be submitted 72 hours before departure. Only those given clearance will get a boarding pass. The TSA estimates that 90 to 93 per cent of all travel reservations are final by then.

The proposed rules require the following information for each passenger: full name, sex, date of birth, and redress number (assigned to passengers who use the Travel Redress Inquiry Program because they have been mistakenly placed on the no-fly list), and known traveller number (once there is a programme in place for registering known travellers whose backgrounds have been checked). Non-travellers entering secure areas, such as parents escorting children, will also need clearance.

The TSA held a public hearing in Washington DC on 20 September, which heard comments from both privacy advocates and airline industry representatives from Qantas, the Regional Airline Association, IATA, and the American Society of Travel Agents. The privacy advocates came from the American Civil Liberties Union and the Identity Project. All were negative.

The proposals should be withdrawn entirely, argued Edward Hasbrouck, author of The Practical Nomad and the leading expert on travel data privacy. "Obscured by the euphemistic language of 'screening' is the fact that travellers would be required to get permission before they can travel."

Hasbrouck submitted that requiring clearance in order to travel violates the US First Amendment right of assembly, the central claim in John Gilmore's case against the US government over the requirement to show photo ID for domestic travel.

In addition, the TSA is required to study the impact of the proposals on small economic entities (such as sole traders). Finally, the TSA provides no way for individuals to tell whether their government-issued ID is actually required by law, opening the way for rampant identity theft.

ACLU's Barry Steinhardt quoted press reports of 500,000 to 750,000 people on the watch list (of which the no-fly list is a subset). "If there are that many terrorists in the US, we'd all be dead."

TSA representative Kip Hawley noted that the list has been carefully investigated and halved over the last year. "Half of grossly bloated is still bloated," Steinhardt replied.

The airline industry representatives' objections were largely logistical. They argued that the 60-day timeframe the TSA proposes to allow for implementation from the publication date of the final rules is much too short. They want a year to revamp many IT systems, especially, as the Qantas representative said, as no one will start until they're sure there will be no further changes.

In addition, many were concerned about the impact on new, convenient and cash-saving technologies, such as checking in at home, or storing a boarding pass in a PDA.

One additional point, also raised by Hasbrouck: the data the TSA requires will be collected by the airlines who presumably will keep it for their own purposes – a "government-coerced informational windfall", he called it.

The third parties who actually do much of the airline industry's data processing, the Global Distribution Systems and Computer Reservations Systems, were missing from the hearing.

===

Link to TSA's Secure Flight program
http://www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/layers/secureflight/index.shtm

posted in Real ID -- activism - 3 replies

The Ether

2007-10-26T15:36:05Z

http://tribes.tribe.net/2crossroadsofreligion2/thread/7500e88a-3c12-4536-82bc-656a71ef95a3

posted in Real ID -- activism - 0 replies

North American Union Drivers License?

2007-10-25T01:39:28Z

Curious what y'all think about the new North Carolina drivers license which has the rumored 'North American Union' logo on the back which according to a spokesperson from the NC DMV:

<quote>
Marge Howell, spokeswoman for the North Carolina DMV, affirmed to WND the state was embedding a hologram of North America on the back of its new driver's licenses.

"It's a security element that eventually will be on the back of every driver's license in North America," Howell told WND.
</quote >

Related articles:
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=57502
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_and_Prosperity_Partnership_of_North_America
http://www.spp.gov/

posted in Real ID -- activism - 1 reply

Call to Activists

2007-10-14T22:11:03Z

Note to recipient: Feel free to forward this to SERIOUS activists! As I do not have the current list of 911 Truth Squads, Sportsman's Groups, We Are Change activists, etc., it would be good to get this material to those people who may elect to join us in the state battlefields this year.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MANY STATES ARE OUT OF SESSION UNTIL JANUARY BUT HAVE PRE-FILING DEADLINES OF MID NOVEMBER. IF YOU DON'T GET THE "NO REAL ID" INFORMATION INTO YOUR STATEHOUSE, YOU'LL BE TAKING THE REAL ID WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT. -OR YOU'LL BE MOVING TO SOUTH CAROLINA , WHERE THE LEGISLATURE UNANIMOUSLY PASSED THE "NO REAL ID" ACT.

PLEASE READ THE INFORMATION BELOW AND DO WHAT YOU CAN TO GET THIS GOING IN YOUR STATE! TIME IS RUNNING OUT! I CAN'T EMPHASIZE THIS ENOUGH.

READ AARON'S EMAIL AND CONTACT HIM.

Special NOTE: PLEASE have any veterans of American Armed Services contact me about the NVCCA. If you can, find a veteran to assist you in your state capitol. This has incredible strategic value! See also the final note below about something brand new coming to help VERY SOON from the NVCCA.

The NVCCA (www.nvcca.net) has acquired several thousand of a special, full color, 4 page Anti-Real ID flyers produced by the PA Republican Caucus, authored by PA Rep. Sam Rohrer. These flyers are DYNAMITE when delivered to state legislators. In addition, Sam has created a 'Dear Colleague' letter geared to legislators in other states who are going to be taking up Real ID legislation this session. I can contact his secretary to have e-mailed to you a single PDF file of this letter, tailored to your state. Your packet can then be kicked off with that letter on the front, along with any of the other items listed below as you wish.

With the vast majority of states set to convene right after the holidays, it behooves us to IMMEDIATELY look at our state web sites to determine several VERY IMPORTANT pieces of information.

Has any Anti or Pro Real ID Legislation been introduced previously? If so, what is its status? (Sitting in committee, passed one house, etc.) (check www.realnighmare.org AND your state web site (the ACLU doesn't catch everything, and searching for 'Real ID' in your state's web site may reveal things unknown otherwise). I have a direct link set up to every state from my legislative site here: http://discipleaaron.christianexodus.us/libertylaws/id40.htm Just click the name of your state to go to it. Report any broken links back to me for repair.
Is there a 'prefiling' time frame in your state? (Bills are often drafted IN ADVANCE of the session beginning, given a bill number, and other co-sponsors signed on.) Check the state web site to see if there is a DEADLINE for filing bills, and know that time frame! (YOU MUST have a sponsor, and the bill introduced PRIOR to this deadline, or it is Dead on Arrival! Some are as early as November with deadlines for introduction!)
COUNT the number of members in your state house and senate. Begin acquiring the funding needed to get copies of the NVCCA Anti-Real ID booklet, in sufficient quantity for EVERY MEMBER of your state legislature to have one. (You will need a handful of extras, for key committee staff, your team members, etc. You should have read this, be very familiar with it, and able to brief members & staff of its content.) Tell me the number required, and I will get you that many copies of the special flyer made by Sam Rohrer as well. (Give me quantity and mailing address to get them to you.) http://www.lulu.com/bolinger is the location for all our NVCCA documents in print format (911 State Legislative Inquiries book is now also available on that site. Real ID book will be updated shortly. The most recent version is always available at that location.)
Assemble a team of not less than 5 people to begin working the state house the day the session convenes. Delivering these packets, talking with members, seeking co-sponsors for the bills, and related activities are a requirement of success. Plan on spending a minimum of 30 legislative days in the state capitol. More if needed, and especially if you are going to be working mulitple bills/issues.
Develop your phone and e-mail banks NOW! You should prepare a 'daily report' from the state capitol, and be able to tell your people who needs pressured via phone calls, etc.
Prepare a 'Plan B' that can include distribution of from 2,500-25,000 targeted flyers in any given state legislative district if a problem arises (such as an obstinant committee chairman refusing to hear a bill). You may need a funding source for printing (I have a flyer that can be easily customized for any state district needed), and a dozen young volunteers to pass out a 'bullet' item containing the phone number to call, a script of what to say, etc. Ask me about how to carry out this little tactic that dates (successfully) to the time of Benjamin Franklin.
This general plan works whether the issue is Real ID, new investigations on 911, paper ballots (paper ballot book coming soon!), etc.

Timing is EVERYTHING, and being prepared IN ADVANCE is what I am trying to impress upon you NOW. Get the books, get some funding in place, brief your state list of activists and top level team players to be READY when the legislature convenes. Things will begin happening FAST AND FURIOUS in just a few short weeks, and it is NEVER fun to be playing 'catch up.' Get ahead of the game, prepare NOW, and let's win in any state where we start working.

Also note, we now have a short (30 minute) 'how to' video uploaded to google on Real ID. This is a good training video for our activists, AND it is good to give to state legislators as part of the total package to them (it speaks of much of what occurred in South Carolina during the battle there). This video is INCLUDED in the 911 Strategy Seminar package (two videos, professionally packaged). Here's the scoop:

Order a single copy for yourself ($20) of this two video set from:
http://talos4.biz/lexrex/product_info.php?products_id=41&osCsid=6448faee7d54ab2e44c68659abe63df1

Watch the Real ID Video here:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2110466223410147517

Watch the 911 Video on Google (90 minutes) here:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9177579722607126202

If you want BULK quantities of this video set, let me know. I'll check current duplication costs, but I believe it is somewhere around $2 in sets of 50+ from the producer.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The NVCCA humbly announces the establishment of a brand new Law Library & Research Center ! The library will serve veterans in a number of exciting ways, and further promote the restoration of Constitutional liberties in post-911 America .

This library is in search of many things, including a name (contact Stan Jones, Commander, as below if you have any suggestions for the name of the library). The plan is for it to contain a large collection of pro-Constitution research materials, Biblical reference works, and a nationally-accessible computer network. All this is dedicated to the efforts of the NVCCA from a legislative standpoint, for drafting model bills and other public-policy initiatives.

'We need our legislative action team to more easily collaborate on research, bill drafting and document assembly projects,' says Stan Jones, Commander of the NVCCA.

'The domain name, NVCCA.net is already secure, and we need to move forward with implementing e-mail to each of our state coordinators. The system is to provide 'remote access' connections for special projects among our policy board and legislative staff. We also seek on-site collections of legal/legislative/political reference works that will enable our team to assemble the documents needed for positive political action at all levels,' Jones added.

'The location for the facility is now solid, and construction has begun,' says Aaron Bolinger, NVCCA's Legislative Director and leader of the project. 'The library room will have capability for meetings among our staff, and we have the technical capabilities in-house to make the rest of the project happen in short order.'

Bolinger believes that by the first of the year, the project will be complete. 'With the majority of our states convening their sessions in January, we are under the gun to be ready. Existing and planned legislative projects will not wait, as some of the states are already beginning the drafting and filing of bills for their upcoming sessions. If we expect to be effective, we need to get rolling with the technical side of this project,' he added.

Anyone able to donate for the project is welcomed and encouraged to do so. We have a 'wish list' of books, subscriptions, computer technical, and software to equip the library,' says Jones. 'We will take direct donations (send books, computer parts, etc.) from the list, for anyone who is skittish about sending cash outright.'

'We are also recruiting a number of people to be involved at several levels, including media relations and as specialists for the legislative team. Contact me if you have interest in working with us on research, writing, or other special projects.'

Joining the NVCCA is easy. Membership application attached.

For more information about the NVCCA's needs, contact Bolinger at 814-678-3807 (discipleaaron@hotmail.com), or Jones at 406-570-5080 (stanjones@montana.com).

Aaron Bolinger
www.NVCCA.net

Sent by:

Restore The Republic, 4 E. Ogden Ave #126, Westmont, Illinois 60559

posted in Real ID -- activism - 10 replies

REAL NIGHTMARE

2007-10-14T16:44:56Z

http://www.realnightmare.org/

dot org

posted in Real ID -- activism - 1 reply

Wow, I thought compliance with Real ID was supposed to be voluntary...

2007-09-14T06:00:45Z

...sure sounds like a threat to me.

DHS warns states not to reject Real ID
Agency implementing law despite legislative efforts to circumvent it
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9027283&intsrc=hm_list

Marc L. Songini
July 18, 2007 (Computerworld) --

Despite several state and federal efforts to force noncompliance with the
new federal identification law, or Real ID Act, the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) has continued work on the law's guidelines and
warned states that they face consequences for failing to comply.

The Real ID Act, passed by Congress in 2005, mandates national standards for
all state driver's licenses and other official documents. The DHS hasn't
released a final version of the law, but the agency has said that it will
require the documents to include a digital photograph and a bar code that
can be scanned by electronic readers.
http://www.dhs.gov/xprevprot/laws/gc_1172767635686.shtm

The initial compliance deadline is next year, with full compliance required
by 2013.

The Real ID Act led to an outcry from privacy advocates and to the passage
of laws in some states, including New Hampshire, that prohibit compliance
with the law.
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?articleId=9026324&command=viewArticleBasic

Despite the criticism, the DHS continues to insist that the law be
implemented on schedule. "I think residents of states that choose not to
comply are going to be displeased with their leadership's decision when we
get closer to full implementation," a DHS spokesman said. "They'll no
longer be able do certain things that carriers of state-issued drivers
licenses take for granted today."

He noted that residents of states whose identification cards don't comply
with the law will be prohibited from entry to airports and federal
buildings. It could also block access to "certain critical infrastructure
sites" such as a power plants or dams, he said.

Critics won a small victory against the law last month when Montana's two
Democratic senators, Max Baucus and Jon Tester, successfully called on
colleagues to cut language from a now-stalled immigration bill that would
have required all employers to check the eligibility of any potential
employee by using Real ID documents.
http://baucus.senate.gov/newsroom/details.cfm?id=277952

"My boss and Sen. Tester don't support the Real ID program, as do a majority
of Montana citizens," said a Baucus spokesman. "It amounts to a national ID
system, and there are privacy concerns."

Tim Sparapani, legislative council at the Washington office of the American
Civil Liberties Union, said that the deleted language would have led to a
"massive expansion" of Real ID-compliant documents. In effect, it would have
made a driver's license an employment document, he said.

Sparapani predicted the final regulations will come from DHS around Labor
Day, and individual states not now opposing Real ID will have to decide if
they want to reject it or implement it.

The DHS spokesman declined to offer a specific date for when the final
regulations would be issued.

Copyright © 2007 Computerworld Inc. All rights reserved.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 13 replies

implanted RFID chips linked to cancer

2007-09-12T12:40:32Z

"The Associated Press is reporting that microchip implants have induced cancer in laboratory animals and dogs. A series of research articles spanning more than a decade found that mice and rats injected with glass-encapsulated RFID transponders developed malignant, fast-growing, lethal cancers in up to 1% to 10% of cases. The tumors originated in the tissue surrounding the microchips and often grew to completely surround the devices. To date, about 2,000 RFID devices have been implanted in humans worldwide, according to VeriChip Corp."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/08/AR2007090800997_pf.html

posted in Real ID -- activism - 3 replies

Student is concerned about expulsion.

2007-09-12T06:20:42Z

Well I know that this is a little off topic, but It is a tribe that is more likely to have a sympathetic ear than most. except for a couple of other tribes that I am in, but I choose this one because I thing people are more likely to know.

Somebody, who appears to be a high school student posted this:

recently, i've been harassed by one of my teachers when i decided to sit during the playing of the national anthem - he threatened me with a write-up which could eventually lead to suspension - now, i've been looking all over to find a law, act, or court case that gave any support for freedom of expression in this case, but there seem to be none - all of them i've seen specifically refer to the pledge of allegiance, not the national anthem - if anyone could provide something that would hold any sort of ground in a hearing on the matter, i would greatly appreciate it because i honestly don't believe that sitting for a minute and a half is worth being suspended for 3-5 days, but i sure as hell am not going to give up on it unless i'm absolutely sure that they can legally make me stand

Muchos Gracias.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 2 replies

Yall know Aaron Russo died recently right?

2007-09-09T21:53:32Z

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_to_fascism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Russo

posted in Real ID -- activism - 2 replies

Two new amendments in the House - both bad

2007-08-22T07:27:19Z

Some congress people are still trying to get Real ID entrenched in order to make it more difficult to repeal. If you have time, call and let them know Real ID should be repealed - not expanded.

Rep. Price (R-GA) (Amendment #8) would require that in order for an individual to obtain federal homeownership assistance they would need to present a REAL ID license.

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) (Amendment #35) would demand that renters and homeowners present a Social Security Card that includes a photo ID (no such ID currently exists) or a REAL ID driver's license to obtain housing assistance.

Please call any Members of Congress you can to urge a no vote. To reach Members, dial the House Capitol switchboard at (202)225-3121.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 6 replies

New here...

2007-07-30T19:38:54Z

Hello...glad I found this tribe! I've been concerned about real ID now for quite awhile, and have been following its progress (or lack thereof) through the ACLU website. I will look forward to reading all of your posts and info. on real ID...

posted in Real ID -- activism - 2 replies

Senator Leahy's statement against Real ID

2007-07-30T19:19:20Z

Yay him!!

http://leahy.senate.gov/press/200707/072607e.html

U.S. SENATOR PATRICK LEAHY
CONTACT: Office of Senator Leahy, 202-224-4242
VERMONT

Statement Of Sen. Patrick Leahy
In Opposition To The Alexander-Collins REAL ID Funding Amendment
July 26, 2007

Mr. President, the REAL ID Act was legislation forced through Congress
as an add-on to the emergency supplemental bill passed in May 2005,
without any Senate hearings or debate, but the implications of the Act
are enormous. In addition to numerous privacy and civil liberties
concerns, REAL ID is an unfunded mandate that could cost the States in
excess of $23 billion.

As hearings in the Judiciary Committee and Homeland Security and
Government Affairs Committee have shown, REAL ID is far from being ready
for primetime. In fact, the Department of Homeland Security has not
even released final regulations directing the States on REAL ID
implementation. With 260 million drivers in this country, I do not see
how we could have the massive national databases required by REAL ID up
and running in the next five years – much less in fiscal year 2008.

On top of that, even though they are not even in production yet, REAL ID
cards are rapidly becoming a de facto national ID card – since they will
be need to enter courthouses, airports, federal buildings, and now
workplaces all across the country. In my opinion, REAL ID raises
multiple constitutional issues whose legal challenges could delay final
implementation for years, and we should not support the
Alexander-Collins amendment.

In May, the Department of Homeland Security Data Privacy and Integrity
Advisory Committee expressed concern over several items in the REAL ID
proposed regulations and said that they pose serious risks to individual
privacy by:

· Failing to establish a standard for protecting the storage of
personally identifiable information;

· Failing to provide methods for Americans to inquire or complain
about the collection, storage, and use of personal information and
remedy errors;

· Failing to require notifying consumers of information
collection and use by the state;

· Failing to require that individuals have a choice over
secondary use of that information; and

· Failing to assure that the information collected for a specific
purpose is used only for that purpose.

Congress should not fund the REAL ID program until the Department of
Homeland Security makes fundamental reforms to the program and stops
forcing such onerous provisions on the States. In addition, with this
amendment offset by an across-the-board cut from all DHS program, I
don’t think we should be robbing from other critical Homeland Security
accounts -- where we have seen real gains in securing our country -- to
pay for just one-percent of the floundering REAL ID program.

Mr. President, REAL ID is not popular in our States, and opposition
spans the political spectrum, from the right to the left. A large
number of States have expressed concerns with the mandates of the REAL
ID Act by enacting bills and resolutions in opposition.

• Seventeen States have enacted statutes or resolutions against REAL
ID, including Hawaii, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Montana, North Dakota,
Colorado, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, New Hampshire, Maine,
Arkansas, Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina.

• Washington, Georgia, Oklahoma, Montana, South Carolina, New
Hampshire, and Maine have gone so far as to indicate that they intend to
refuse to comply with REAL ID.

• Ten States have had statutes or resolutions pass one chamber of
their legislature, including Oregon, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming,
Minnesota, Louisiana, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Vermont.

• And another ten States have had statutes or resolutions introduced
in their legislatures, including Alaska, Texas, Wisconsin, Michigan,
Kentucky, Ohio, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Maryland.

The reaction to the numerous privacy concerns and unfunded mandates of
the REAL ID Act is a good example of what happens when the Federal
government imposes itself rather than working with the States to build
cooperation and partnership. Since so many States have risen up in
opposition to REAL ID, we should not fund this failed program, and I
urge a NO vote on this amendment.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 0 replies

Urgent: amendment to partially fund Real ID up next week

2007-07-27T17:48:45Z

Time to call your senator and ask them to vote 'no' on this amendment. An explanation of the process and a sample letter are below. If you don't belong to an organization that would sign onto this letter, don't worry about it. You can still send in your own letter (see sample), or just call your senator.

I have permission to post the entirety of this message -- please forward to anyone who you think may be interested. Thanks!!!

=========================

Please forward this message to all interested parties.

Colleagues,

We achieved a momentous victory in the fight against Real ID on June 27th when the Baucus(D-MT)-Tester(D-MT) Anti-Real ID amendment survived a Motion to Table (52-45) during the comprehensive immigration reform debate. Unfortunately, the fight is not over, and once again we need your help. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) is preparing to introduce an amendment to S. 1644, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2008, that would provide $300 million in funding to states to implement the unworkable Real ID Act. We have just learned that the DHS Approps bill with the Alexander amendment is coming up earlier than expected and will be voted on sometime next week.

If you haven't contacted us already, please let us know by 5 PM, Thursday, July 19, whether your organization can sign this letter.

We also urge you to place calls to the Senate urging a "no" vote on the Alexander amendment. As of right now, we do not know the number of the Alexander amendment or the exact date it will be voted on, only that it will likely be sometime next week. Please contact Timothy Sparapani at (202)715-0829 or tsparapani@dcaclu.org if you would like more information.

Please contact Mary Bonventre, Legislative Assistant, ACLU at <mailto:mbonventre@dcaclu.org> mbonventre@dcaclu.org if you can sign the letter. Mary can be reached at (202)715-0829.

The letter is pasted below and attached.

Also of note, the time of the Cato Institute Real ID panel (Funding the REAL ID Act: Improved Homeland Security or More Washington Waste?) has been changed to 2 PM on
Friday, July 20, at 342 Dirksen Bldg.

Oppose Funding for Real ID Act Implementation

Dear Senator,

We, the undersigned organizations, urge you to oppose S Amdt. , to S. 1644, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2008, offered by Sen. Lamar Alexander. This amendment would provide partial funding to states to implement the unworkable Real ID Act, which the Department of Homeland Security (> "> DHS> "> ) states will cost $23.1 billion to implement. If this amendment is adopted, states that receive these limited funds might be coerced into spending billions more to implement a driver> '> s license mandate that threatens unacceptable privacy and civil rights violations.

This amendment is offered at a time when many states are engaged in an all-out revolt against the Real ID Act. To date, 17 states have enacted anti-Real ID bills or resolutions, and 21 additional states have had anti-Real ID bills and resolutions pending in state legislatures in 2007. Of those seventeen states, seven - Arkansas, Georgia, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, Oklahoma and Washington - will never issue a Real ID license because those states have enacted binding legislation prohibiting participation in the Real ID program.

We do not believe this program merits further funding, and, in any case, funding is premature. In 2005, $40 million was appropriated to states for Real ID implementation. Of that amount, only $6 million was provided in grants, and only $3 million was accepted by one state: Kentucky. New Hampshire was offered federal funding, but wisely rejected it, knowing that the acceptance of those funds might obligate New Hampshire to spend an additional $40 million or more raised solely from new state taxes. Furthermore, the Department of Homeland Security has yet to release the final regulations for Real ID Act compliance making any appropriation by Congress premature. Without these guidelines, states would be forced to guess at how to spend their federal Real ID funding, inevitably leading to wasted money and effort when the finalized regulations are released with major changes.>

Further, the funding provided by the Amendment provides only a small fraction of the total funding cost for states- estimated by DHS itself in its Proposed Rules filed in the Federal Register to be at least $23.1 billion- of implementing the Real ID Act. In short, passage of the Alexander amendment will not substantially alleviate the unprecedented unfunded mandate imposed upon state governments. That means that governors and state legislatures will be forced to raise taxes and dramatically hike license fees in order to even begin to close the huge funding gap. These new state taxes and dramatically heightened license fees are sure to be widely unpopular. Congress should revisit the Real ID Act, perhaps replacing it with a more cost-effective licensing alternative such as that proposed in the bipartisan S. 717, the Identification Security Enhancement Act of 2007. The Alexander amendment, instead, may obligate states that accept some Congressional funding to pay far more in the future to actually begin to implement Real ID.

Even substantial appropriations by Congress will not alleviate the burdens of Real ID Act implementation. The real cost of implementing the program will be borne by individuals because it amounts to a hidden tax increase, invades everyone> '> s privacy, and embodies the worst excesses of bureaucratic government. State administrators, governors, and advocates have been warning about the disruption and chaos that actual implementation of Real ID will likely bring. These new burdens include longer wait times and service times at DMVs, as well as the time necessary to obtain new source documents, which some citizens may not have access to in the first place. Real ID particularly harms the poor, victims of domestic violence, immigrants and religious minorities.

The fundamental problem with Real ID is that it imposes the United States> '> first-ever national identity card system. National IDs would threaten privacy by consolidating data in huge, insecure government databases that could be accessed by hundreds of thousands of government employees. National IDs also facilitate tracking of innocent citizens> '> movements by the government. The end result could be a situation where citizens> '> movements inside their own country are monitored and recorded through these > "> internal passports.> "> In addition, Real ID mandates significant changes to the amount and type of sensitive, personally identifiable information states will obtain, store and share about each and every applicant for an ID card. These mandates will likely lead to rampant identity theft and significant invasions of personal privacy.

Finally, expansions to Real ID have already been proposed in a host of areas, from voting to employment. If those changes are enacted, the Real ID database will become a de facto requirement for participation in American life. Errors at the DMV could affect an individual> '> s ability to get a job, receive medical benefits, vote or participate in civic life. Senators Akaka (D-HI) and Sununu (R-NH), have introduced S. 717, the Identification Security Enhancement Act of 2007 to address these problems by repealing Title II of the Real ID Act and restoring section 7212 of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004. S. 717 demonstrates that the implementation of the Real ID Act is not a prerequisite for secure driver> '> s licenses. The increase in ID theft and document fraud will also make it easier for sophisticated criminals and terrorists to obtain the identity of another person and pass themselves off as that person. The aggregation of the data and the source documents thus opens a substantial security loophole. This loophole is exactly contrary to the intent of the 9/11 Commission. Because of the rigidity of the Real ID Act> '> s language, DHS had little flexibility to resolve this concern. As a result, unless Congress revisits this portion of the Real ID Act, we will be more vulnerable, not less.>

For the above reasons, we urge you to oppose the Real ID Funding Amendment to S.1644, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2008.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 1 reply

Impeachment May Be Near

2007-07-27T01:08:32Z

http://impeachforpeace.org/impeach_bush_blog/?p=2732

July 21, 2007
Conyers: 3 More Congress Members and I'll Impeach
Filed under: Impeachment Progress News, Michigan — Jodin Morey @ 6:33 pm

From After Downing Street
By David Swanson

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers has said that if three more Congress Members get behind impeachment he will start the impeachment proceedings.

I was a guest today on Bree Walker's radio show. She's the progressive radio host from San Diego who purchased Cindy Sheehan's land from her in Crawford, Texas.

Bree attended an event on Friday in San Diego at which Congressman Conyers spoke about impeachment. Her report was extremely interesting. I had already heard reports that Conyers had said: "What are we waiting for? Let's take these two guys out!" But, of course, what we're waiting for is John Conyers. Is he ready to act? It was hard to tell from that comment. In January, Conyers spoke at a huge rally on the National Mall and declared "We can fire them!" but later explained that what he meant was that we could wait for two years and Bush and Cheney's terms would end. Was this week's remark just more empty rhetoric?

It appears to be more than that. Bree Walker told me, on the air, that Conyers said that all he needs is three more Congress Members backing impeachment, and he'll move on it, even without Pelosi. I asked whether that meant specifically moving from 14 cosponsors of H Res 333 to 17, or adding 3 to the larger number of Congress Members who have spoken favorably of impeachment but not all signed onto bills. Bree said she didn't know and that Conyers had declined to take any questions.

Either way, this target of three more members seems perfectly doable. It's safe to assume, I think, that we're talking about impeaching Cheney first. But, even if Conyers is talking about Bush, the target is perfectly achievable.

First, there are Congress Members like Jesse Jackson Jr. who have spoken out for impeachment but not signed onto H Res 333. They should be urged to act now! Second, there are dozens of members who signed onto H Res 635 a year and a half ago, Conyers' bill for an investigation into grounds for impeachment, who have not signed onto H Res 333 yet. Third, one of the excuses citizens often hear from lots of Congress Members for not signing onto articles of impeachment is that not enough of their colleagues have signed on and therefore "we don't have the votes." Well that just changed. Now three more votes is all that's needed to get this machine rolling. Fourth, many of the 14 Congress Members backing H Res 333 have used similar excuses to justify refraining from lobbying their colleagues to join them. That can now end. Our 14 leaders can do more than just put down their names.

Now, if Conyers begins impeachment proceedings in the House Judiciary Committee, we should all be clear on what that will mean. If it is serious, it will not mean sending any subpoenas or contempt citations to the emperors' court. Bush and Cheney have already repeatedly refused to comply with subpoenas.

President Richard Nixon did the same, of course, and his refusal to comply with subpoenas constituted the offense cited in one of the three Articles of Impeachment approved by the House Judiciary Committee on July 27, 1974 as warranting "impeachment and trial, and removal from office." But Bush and Cheney have gone further, ordering former staffers not to comply with subpoenas, and announcing that the Justice Department will not enforce any contempt of Congress proceedings.

What the impeachment of Cheney or Bush will be is very, very fast. It will not disrupt or distract from the important business of passing nonbinding resolutions and holding all-night gripe sessions over bills destined to be vetoed. Impeachment in the case of Dick Cheney need not take the three months it did for Nixon or the two months it did for President Bill Clinton. In fact, it could take a day. Here's why:

Bush and Cheney's lies about Iraqi ties to al Qaeda are on videotape and in writing, and Bush and Cheney continue to make them to this day. There was no al Qaeda in Iraq until the invasion.

Their claims about Iraqi weapons have been shown in every detail to have been, not mistakes, but lies.

Their threats to Iran are on videotape.

Bush being warned about Katrina and claiming he was not are on videotape.

Bush lying about illegal spying and later confessing to it are on videotape. A federal court has ruled that spying to be a felony.

The Supreme Court has ruled Bush and Cheney's system of detentions unconstitutional.

Torture, openly advocated for by Bush and Cheney and their staffs, is documented by victims, witnesses, and public photographs. Torture was always illegal and has been repeatedly recriminalized under Bush and Cheney. Bush has reversed laws with signing statements.

Those statements are posted on the White House website, and a GAO report found that with 30 percent of Bush's signing statements in which he announces his right to break laws, he has in fact proceeded to break those laws.

For these and many other offenses, no investigation is needed because no better evidence is even conceivable. This impeachment will be swift. And it will require only a simple majority. We already know that the Democrats can vote as a block if they want to, and that a few brave Republicans might join them.

Whether the Senate will then convict Cheney will depend on how much pressure citizens apply and how much information the House manages to force onto television sets. The latter could be surprisingly large and substantive, since the conflict of an impeachment is certain to generate incredible ratings.

But even an acquittal would identify the Senators to be removed from office by voters in 2008. And Cheney (or Bush) would still have been 100% impeached. Al Gore didn't run for president pretending he'd never met Bill Clinton and pick Senator Joe Lieberman as a running mate because the Senate convicted Clinton (it acquitted).

The timing of Conyers' remark may be related to the steps the White House has recently taken to assert "unitary executive" dictatorial power. Bush has commuted the sentence of a subordinate who obstructed an investigation into matters involving Bush and Cheney. And, as mentioned above, neither subpoenas nor contempt citations will go anywhere. Impeachment is no longer merely the appropriate step that it has been for the past six years. It is now the only tool left to the Congress for use in asserting its very existence as a functioning body of government.

But the timing is also quite helpful to the grassroots movement for impeachment, and rather symbolic. Five years ago this Monday, the meeting was held at #10 Downing Street that produced the Downing Street Minutes. Over two years ago, then Ranking Member Conyers held a hearing in the basement of the Capitol, the only space the Republican leadership would allow him. At that hearing, several Democratic Congress Members for the first time began talking about impeachment. The witnesses at the hearing were Ambassador Joseph Wilson, attorney John Bonifaz, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern, and a then unknown gold star mother named Cindy Sheehan. They discussed the evidence of the Downing Street documents, which added significantly to the growing body of evidence that Bush and Cheney misled the Congress about the case for war.

This Monday, Sheehan and McGovern and a great many leaders of the movements for peace and impeachment will lead a march at 10 a.m. at Arlington National Cemetery. We will march to Congressman Conyers' office and ask to talk with him about impeachment. We will refuse to leave without either a commitment to begin at once the impeachment of Cheney or Bush or both, or our arms in handcuffs. The same day, groups in several states around the country will be sitting in and risking arrest for impeachment in the district offices of their congress members.

Not everyone will be able to take part. But everyone can take two minutes on Monday and do two things: phone Chairman Conyers at 202-225-5126 and ask him to start the impeachment of Dick Cheney; and phone your own Congress Member at 202-224-3121 and ask them to immediately call Conyers' office to express their support for impeachment. Your Congress Member might just be one of the three needed, not just to keep us out of jail but to keep this nation from devolving into dictatorship.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 5 replies

If you happen to be in DC on Friday, 7/20...

2007-07-19T18:34:42Z

... here's something worth going to:

Funding the REAL ID Act: Improved Homeland Security or More Washington Waste?
CAPITOL HILL BRIEFING
Friday, July 20, 2007
1:00 PM (Lunch Included)

Featuring: David Williams, Vice President of Policy, Citizens Against Government Waste; Andrew Moylan, Government Affairs Manager, National Taxpayers Union; and Jim Harper, Director of Information Policy Studies, Cato Institute.

Dirksen Senate Office Building SD 342

The REAL ID Act has been endlessly controversial. Because of its costs to taxpayers, the burdens it would place on native-born citizens, the harm it would do to privacy, and its dubious security benefits, more than 15 states have passed bills or resolutions calling for its repeal, asking for changes, or outright refusing to implement this national ID system. Congress may soon consider whether to spend billions of dollars attempting to entice states back into the REAL ID system. Department of Homeland Security estimates placed the total cost of REAL ID at over $17 billion dollars. Should these dollars go to REAL ID, to better-focused security efforts, or should they be returned to taxpayers? Please join us for a discussion of REAL ID's costs and consequences.

Cato events, unless otherwise noted, are free of charge. To register for this event, please fill out the form below and click submit or email events@cato.org, fax (202) 371-0841, or call (202) 789-5229 by 1:00 PM, Thursday, July 19, 2007. Please arrive early. Seating is limited and not guaranteed. News media inquiries only (no registrations), please call (202) 789-5200.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 1 reply

Real ID, the immigration bill, and some analysis

2007-07-07T04:26:03Z

This is from the Politech mailing list that I'm on. Subscription info at the bottom of the post.

=====

So the U.S. Senate on Wednesday took a surprisingly anti-Real ID Act stand in a vote related to the immigration bill being debated this week.

The proceduralia is a little complex: fans of Real ID tried to table (that is, kill) an anti-Real ID amendment sponsored by Baucus and Tester. That vote failed by 45 to 52.

An article I wrote is here:
http://news.com.com/2100-7348_3-6193735.html

A list of the amendments with page numbers is here:
http://politechbot.com/docs/senate.immigration.amendment.list.062707.txt

You can see that the Baucus-Tester amendment starts on page 131, so go to that page in this PDF:
http://politechbot.com/docs/senate.immigration.amendments.062707.pdf

This is the underlying bill it's amending (search for Real ID, including in section 302):
http://politechbot.com/docs/senate.immigration.bill.s1639.kennedy.specter.062707.doc

This is preliminary, true, but it's refreshing to see some skepticism about Real ID in what purports to be the world's greatest deliberative body. A press release follows.

-Declan

----

June 27, 2007
BAUCUS, TESTER HALT IMMIGRATION DEBATE
Senators' Measure To Get Rid Of REAL ID Stalls Sweeping Immigration Bill

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - Montana Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester brought the
debate over immigration reform to a grinding halt today on the Senate
floor. After opponents of Baucus and Tester's amendment to strike REAL
ID requirements failed to muster a majority of votes, debate on the
controversial immigration bill came to a standstill.

Baucus and Tester's provision strikes language from the immigration bill
that requires employers to check the eligibility of their prospective
employees only using identification documents that comply with REAL ID,
a federal mandate the Montana senators say amounts to a national ID
system.

Opponents failed to kill the Baucus-Tester amendment today on a thin
45-52 vote. It wasn't immediately clear what effect the vote will have
on the underlying bill, but opponents have called the provisions a "deal
breaker" as it relates to the whole immigration bill. Baucus said he
thinks the vote is a "death knell to a bad immigration bill." Senate
business, which was early slated to extend into Wednesday evening,
halted for the night after the controversial Baucus-Tester vote.

"We scored a major victory today in our efforts to protect privacy and
defeat a bad immigration bill at the same time," said Baucus, Montana's
senior U.S. Senator. "If Jon and I just brought down the entire bill,
that's good for Montana and the country."
REAL ID requires states to standardize their driver's licenses and build
costly new databases that the federal government can access, essentially
creating a national ID system. Earlier this year, the Montana
Legislature unanimously passed legislation refusing to implement the
program because it invades privacy and can expose private information to
identity thieves, and because of its enormous cost.

Tester, a member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee and a staunch
supporter of privacy rights, said REAL ID isn't needed to toughen
national security.

"If by fighting to keep government out of people's private lives, Max
Baucus and I stopped the senate from passing this flawed immigration
bill, then this was a real victory for Montana and the American people,"
Tester said.

Baucus and Tester cited several other reasons for their amendment:
* Employers don't need REAL ID to verify the eligibility of their
employees. They currently check eligibility using existing documents,
such as birth certificates, a drivers license, or a passport.
* More and more states are rejecting the REAL ID Act. Fifteen
other states in addition to Montana have enacted legislation opposing or
refusing to implement the program.
* The immigration bill only authorizes $1.5 billion for REAL ID,
although estimates put the actual cost for states as high as $23
billion.

-30-
_______________________________________________
Politech mailing list
Archived at http://www.politechbot.com/
Moderated by Declan McCullagh (http://www.mccullagh.org/)

posted in Real ID -- activism - 5 replies

N.H. Governor Signs Law Banning Real ID

2007-06-30T00:32:51Z

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/R/REAL_ID?SITE=WSPATV&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-06-27-22-23-18

It took us 2 years and some serious organizing but we did it.

Thanks go out to Gov. John Lynch, Senator John Sununu, Rep. Neal Kurk, Rep. Joel Winters, and my amazing wife for getting this done.

NH is a little bit more free today because of these good people.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 1 reply

suggestions on starting activism locally

2007-06-29T02:34:22Z

I live in Texas..in Denton texas..although small..it has two colleges in it and is suprisingly liberal..

anyways...ideas/ comments on getting the word out to local constituients??

We don't have much time to try and bring attention to the issue.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 5 replies

We're up to six states now

2007-06-29T02:28:10Z

6 states defy law requiring ID cards
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-06-18-id-cards_N.htm

Lawmakers in Maine, Montana, New Hampshire,
Oklahoma, South Carolina and Washington say
new standards would be expensive to implement
and result in a national ID card that compromises
privacy.

By Thomas Frank, USA TODAY
June 18, 2007

WASHINGTON - Six state legislatures are defying a federal law requiring new
driver's licenses that aim to prevent identity theft, fraud and terrorism.
The states have passed laws in the past two months, saying the federal law
has a steep cost and invades privacy by requiring 240 million Americans to
get highly secure licenses by 2013. The 9/11 Commission urged the first
standards for licenses to stop fraud and terrorists such as the Sept. 11
hijackers, who lied on residency statements to get licenses and state IDs.

Lawmakers in Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina and
Washington say new standards would be expensive to implement and result in a
national ID card that compromises privacy. The National Conference of State
Legislatures estimates that it will cost states more than $11 billion.

State resistance has drawn criticism from the Homeland Security Department.
"I cannot imagine a state official anywhere that would want to have to
testify before Congress about . how their non-compliant licenses contributed
to a terrorist attack," department spokesman Russ Knocke said.

Knocke said the federal government can't force states to comply. But he said
each state's residents are likely to bring pressure on their local
governments when they learn they'll be barred from boarding airplanes
because their state's licenses don't meet federal standards.

Airline passengers can use other government photo identification, such as
passports and military IDs.

Some lawmakers say any inconvenience is outweighed by the cost and potential
privacy invasion for each state to create a photo database of license
holders.

"The people of New Hampshire are adamantly opposed to any kind of
'papers-please' society reminiscent of Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia,"
said Neal Kurk, a Republican state representative from New Hampshire. "This
is another effort of the federal government to keep track of all its
citizens."

The federal law requires everyone to renew licenses by 2013 with documents
showing their Social Security number and home address, and that they are in
the USA legally. State Sen. Larry Martin, a Republican from South Carolina,
said the law will overwhelm states by requiring agencies to verify documents
such as birth certificates.

The defiance by six states could force Congress to reconsider the law, said
Barry Steinhardt of the American Civil Liberties Union. "You can't have a
national ID card if the residents of six states won't have one," Steinhardt
said.

Copyright 2007 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 7 replies

Urgent - Real ID in the Immigration bill - need to act fast to get it removed

2007-06-27T06:48:54Z

With permission to copy -- here is a message I got today (I've clipped some of it out for length):

We have less than 48 hours to stop our nation from having a National ID card scheme.

The US Senate is scheduled to vote either today or tomorrow on two amendments that will remove Real ID provisions from the immigration bill.

Real ID is a very, very real national identification card. Sixteen states have passed legislation rejecting REAL ID: now it's time for the Senate to do their part. You can fax your Senators and take immediate action by visiting:

http://unrealid.com/action.html

Please point your members to the above URL: they can fax their Senators directly from the site. The last time I did this, the Senate received over 20,000 faxes in 26 hours...let's beat that record!

posted in Real ID -- activism - 0 replies

STRIVE Act

2007-06-25T04:12:38Z

Did you guys see that some idiot in Congress is trying to wed the REAL ID Act and immigration reform? Now THAT scares me.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 4 replies

Phase one completed, what's next?

2007-05-13T00:05:46Z

First of all though -- thank you to everyone who has helped with this part of the campaign against Real ID, including sending comments, we couldn't have gotten this far without you.

This first part of the campaign was a whirlwind -- we only had 60 days to build the campaign, get media coverage, and round up as many people as we could to send in comments. It was a big job. To make our lives more difficult, the DHS had troubles with their fax capabilities and their web site. It was only during the last 24 hours that they made available an email address that people could use to send in their comments. It will likely be at least a week before we know exactly how many people sent in comments.

Now that this phase is done, what do we do?

Now is the time to follow up with congress people, if you haven't done so already. Colorado is now on the list of states that don't want to follow Real ID. I was on a conference call today (May 8) with the EPIC privacy coalition group, and one of the people on the call had just testified before a small group of Senators about the privacy and security flaws with Real ID. He's a security expert and got a very warm reception.

At some point, the DHS will do one of three things: 1) announce that they have adopted a rule to implement Real ID - with or without our comments being taken into account, 2) defer adopting a rule until they get more direction from Congress, or 3) re-open the comment period. In the meanwhile, Congress should be hearing from all of us that we want the Act repealed.

As for DHS? Option #3 is unlikely. It's unclear which is more likely, option #1 or option #2.

I'll keep posting here as I get new information. If you can, please stay here as well, and help as you can.

Thanks again everyone.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 4 replies

Wall Street Journal on the Real ID Revolt

2007-05-12T20:02:41Z

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117858856442095301.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Some excerpts:

Americans are rational. And in a post-9/11 world, they are willing to trade some freedom and convenience for more security. But it's not at all clear that Real ID will make us safer. Deputizing motor vehicle office clerks, who would be entrusted with sensitive information and access to a national databank, also entails considerable privacy risk.

Fraud and security lapses at DMVs today are hardly uncommon. Just last month, a DMV official in North Carolina was arrested in connection with issuing fraudulent drivers licenses. And if the goal is to stop the next Mohammed Atta, it's worth noting that, even under Real ID, people would be permitted to fly with identification other than licenses.

Real ID was always more about harassing Mexican illegals than stopping Islamic terrorists. It's true that the 9/11 Commission urged the federal government to "set standards for the issuance . . . of sources of identification, such as drivers licenses." That's why the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 included tougher identity security provisions. The law also directed the Departments of Transportation and Homeland Security to work with state officials, technology experts and privacy groups to come up with standards that balance security and civil liberties.

But in an effort to placate noisy anti-immigration conservatives amid the GOP's poll-driven election panic, then-House Judiciary Chairman James Sensenbrenner gutted those provisions and replaced them with the expensive and intrusive Real ID. For unexplained reasons, immigration restrictionists are convinced that preventing illegal aliens from obtaining drivers licenses will result in fewer illegal aliens, rather than merely more unlicensed and uninsured motorists. Mr. Sensenbrenner attached Real ID to a must-past military spending bill without hearings or much debate, and Mr. Bush made the mistake of signing it.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 2 replies

Breaking News

2007-05-08T18:44:34Z

yan Singel over at over at Wired Threat Level posted this.

Tuesday is the final day for this round of fighting over Real ID. Comments on the proposed rules for states to link their databases and standardize their driver's licenses are due by 3 p.m. D.C. time.

Arguments against the proposed rules can be found at the ACLU's Real Nightmare site and the Privacy Coalition's Anti-Real ID page. Arguments for the changes can be found at DHS's FAQ and the Coalition for A Secure Driver's License's site. Comments can be submitted by email to the following address: oscomments@dhs.gov with the subject line Docket No. DHS-2006-0030. Alternatively, you can try this page from Collactive.

All with live links back to yes even the Privacy Coalition's Anti-Real ID page! Digg this post!Wired Threat Level posted this.

Tuesday is the final day for this round of fighting over Real ID. Comments on the proposed rules for states to link their databases and standardize their driver's licenses are due by 3 p.m. D.C. time.

Arguments against the proposed rules can be found at the ACLU's Real Nightmare site and the Privacy Coalition's Anti-Real ID page. Arguments for the changes can be found at DHS's FAQ and the Coalition for A Secure Driver's License's site. Comments can be submitted by email to the following address: oscomments@dhs.gov with the subject line Docket No. DHS-2006-0030. Alternatively, you can try this page from Collactive.

All with live links back to yes even the Privacy Coalition's Anti-Real ID page! Digg this post!

posted in Real ID -- activism - 0 replies

Homeland Security's Own Privacy Panel Declines to Endorse License Rules

2007-05-08T15:43:48Z

Post From Wired http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/05/homeland_securi.html
Monday, May 07, 2007
Homeland Security's Own Privacy Panel Declines to Endorse License Rules

thumb downThe Department of Homeland Security's outside privacy advisors explicitly refused to bless proposed federal rules to standardize states' driver's licenses Monday, saying the Department's proposed rules for standardized driver's licenses -- known as Real IDs -- do not adequately address concerns about privacy, price, information security, redress, "mission creep", and national security protections.

"Given that these issues have not received adequate consideration, the Committee feels it is important that the following comments do not constitute an endorsement of REAL ID or the regulations as workable or appropriate," the committee wrote in the introduction to their comments (.pdf) for the rulemaking record. "The issues pose serious risks to an individual’s privacy and, without amelioration, could undermine the stated goals of the REAL ID Act."

The 18-member Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee began looking at the proposed rules at the request of Hugo Teufel IIl, DHS's chief privacy officer. According to Teufel's instructions, the group was asked to provide very specific comment on how to implement the rules, which civil liberties groups and libertarian-leaning states want repealed, not reformed.

While the committee's 12 final recommendations are mostly predictable (such as restricting what the ID can be used for and making sure that the machine-readable portion of any Real ID should not be easily readable by unauthorized persons), the importance of Homeland Security's own advisory board explicitly saying it won't endorse Real ID as workable or appropriate shouldn't be underestimated.

Comments are due on the proposed rules by 5 p.m. EST Tuesday.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 5 replies

NEW -- Email address for filing comments!

2007-05-08T04:55:31Z

Apparently due to problems with fax receiving, DHS has created an Email address for receiving comments.

Emails must have “DHS-2006-0030” in the subject line and be sent to oscomments@dhs.gov

Someone with better skills here on Tribe can make that pop up a window, I'm sure (as we've done at http://stoprealidnow.blogspot.com).

Also, check the Coalition page for a good link: http://www.privacycoalition.org/stoprealid/

File before 5PM on Tuesday the 8th!

posted in Real ID -- activism - 1 reply

Why comment matter -- and five things you can do today

2007-05-05T15:45:26Z

A lot of people question why comments matter so much. Here's an answer:: http://stoprealidnow.blogspot.com/2007/05/why-comments-matter.html

We also have a post up on five things you can do today. http://stoprealidnow.blogspot.com/2007/05/may-8-deadline-approaching-five-things.html

Quick summary (links in the blog post):

1. File comments, if you haven't already.
2. Tell your friends and family, and ask them to file comments.
3. Get the word out!
4. Ask your state legislators to file comments.
5. Tell the media to cover the Real ID rebellion

We're in the final push; several large organizations are sending out email blitzes on Monday. It's really vital to supplement that with the grassroots activism.

jon

posted in Real ID -- activism - 0 replies

DHS Town Hall Meeting -- here's their agenda

2007-05-05T15:44:46Z

It's the usual government "control freaky" kind of agenda. But you know, we can bring a bunch of people to it, hold rallies, get the reporters to talk to us, etc. It's a great opportunity. :)

REAL ID Town Hall Meeting

Tuesday, May 1, 2007
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

University of California, Davis
Freeborn Hall
One Shields Avenue
Davis, CA 95616

The REAL ID Town Hall Meeting is being hosted by the State of California (DMV) and sponsored by the federal Department of Homeland Security. The forum is designed to seek public comment on the federal REAL ID Act.

A G E N D A

10:00 a.m. – 10:05 a.m. Welcome and Introduction HSI Moderator

10:05 a.m. – 10:10 a.m. Introductory Comments Dr. Richard Barth
Assistant Secretary
Office of Policy Development
Dept. of Homeland Security

10:10 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Introductory Remarks George Valverde, Director
California DMV

10:15 a.m. – 10:20 a.m. Ground rules/introduction HSI Moderator
of subject areas

Open Comment Period by Topic Areas

10:20 a.m. – 10:55 a.m. Consumer/Personal Impact Perspective

10:55 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Privacy/Security

11:30 a.m. – 11:40 a.m. -- B R E A K –

11:40 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Electronic Verification Systems

12:15 p.m. – 12:50 p.m. Funding/Implementation/Time Frames

12:50 p.m. – 1:25 p.m. Law Enforcement

1:25 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. General Open Comment Opportunity

2:00 p.m. Closing Comments/Remarks HSI Moderator

Format
A sign-up list for making comments will be available at the door upon entering Freeborn Hall. Comments will be limited. In order to facilitate as many people as possible, please try to arrive by 9:30 a.m., as the event will begin promptly at 10. Ample parking at UC Davis will be available.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 4 replies

Crunch time: post, email, phone, ...

2007-05-05T15:40:53Z

It's the final drive to comments. We've got coalition partners in place; we're starting to see just a bit of media coverage (Wired, CNET); now it's time to get the word out.

There's an HTML version of template mail at http://stoprealid.privacyactivism.org/docs/act-now.html and a (simpler) text-only version at http://stoprealid.privacyactivism.org/docs/act-now.txt to use as starting points.

Last night I posted things in a half-dozen myspace groups, and mailed about 30 people; today, I'll work on a transgender-focus version of the email and do a chunk of outreach there as well.

jon

posted in Real ID -- activism - 6 replies

Tell the media to cover the Real ID rebellion!

2007-05-04T18:09:50Z

http://stoprealidnow.blogspot.com/2007/05/tell-media-to-cover-real-id-rebellion.html

jon

posted in Real ID -- activism - 3 replies

Activism in high gear -- and what you can do TODAY!

2007-05-02T03:06:36Z

A mention on Wired News, a coalition of almost 50 groups, the webcast ... more here http://forum.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=messageboard.viewThread&entryID=34505492&groupID=105816801 more here

Sorry for not cross-posting, but things are at such a fast pace now ... we'll be doing most of our communication on the blog and then hitting one of the forums and posting links ...

jon

posted in Real ID -- activism - 1 reply

Submitting comments to the DHS - DO THIS BY MAY 8

2007-04-30T21:22:12Z

The ACLU website provides instructions and talking points for submitting comments to Dept. of Homeland Security -
http://action.aclu.org/site/PageServer?pagename=REALID_comments&JServSessionIdr007=ore9woytf3.app27a

posted in Real ID -- activism - 0 replies

T-shirts! (round 1, feedback wanted)

2007-04-26T02:20:49Z

http://www.cafepress.com/privacyactivism/2880937

I'm sure there's a lot more we could do here ... we should probably get some larger images.

Also, it would be cool to get something with a URL as well.

Other suggestions welcome -- as are other volunteers to help with getting tshirting going and promoted on threadless and elsewhere.

jon

posted in Real ID -- activism - 6 replies

May 1 -- a day of Real ID action?

2007-04-24T16:29:52Z

So, while "day of action" isn't a great name, one thing has become clear over the last month: we need to find a way to focus attention on Real ID, as there's precious little talk about it. With the DHS holding their one and only town hall meeting during the comments period on May 1... and with a lot of folks gathered at CFP at the same time, May 1 seems like a great day to get a coordinated effort going to spread the word on Real ID's many issues AND to kick off a big commenting drive.

How? Well, get bloggers to post on May 1. Use mailing lists that we've been holding onto since it's easier to say "hey, here's a day!" vs. "when you think of it, why not say something?" Get the various organizations who are lined up in opposition to speak out on May 1. And...?

Please share thoughts/ideas/great recipes/folks to contact/what-have-you here or on the blog: http://stoprealidnow.blogspot.com!

posted in Real ID -- activism - 0 replies

What domain name -- and where to redirect it to?

2007-04-24T03:42:18Z

We have stoprealidnow.net, stoprealidnow.org, and stoprealid.net, in addition to stoprealid.privacyactivism.org ... I think we want to pick one primary one and start directing everything there.

Which one? My inclination would be stoprealidnow.net -- we're part of the network of people working to stop real id [i]now[/i]. (We could mirror on stoprealidnow.org and stoprealid.net.)

And where should it redirect to? My thinking is probably to the blog, which is likely to be of interest to the most people.

Thoughts?

jon

posted in Real ID -- activism - 1 reply

Dept. of Homeland Security -- Town Hall meeting!!

2007-04-23T02:23:12Z

If you are in the Sacramento/Davis area of California, here is something you can do directly!

The Department of Homeland Security is holding a town hall meeting on Real ID scheduled for Tuesday, May 1st.

It will be located at Freeborn Hall at UC Davis from 10 AM to 2 PM.

If you're able, go, and ask hard questions. Spread the word -- if you can't go, maybe some of your friends and family can make it.

A strong presence at the town hall meeting will go a long way in helping to kill Real ID.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 1 reply

'REAL ID' ACT FACT SHEET BY EPIC

2007-04-23T01:49:17Z

Here is a link to EPIC's website with some good info and list of articles on the 'Real ID' Act. plus Updates on who is fighting this law..
This might be a good place to try to get listed as well.

http://www.epic.org/privacy/id_cards/

posted in Real ID -- activism - 0 replies

New Anti Real ID

2007-04-22T23:00:26Z

OK just finished up my latest remix video against Real ID at http://artactivismnetwork.ning.com/video/video/show?id=632646:Video:744 a few rough spots I'm not a audio editor LOL. Question is should I release it into the wild like YouTube?

posted in Real ID -- activism - 0 replies

Verichip site

2007-04-22T22:58:04Z

http://www.verichipcorp.com/

This was recently posted on the Dingleberry Lane tribe. : )

posted in Real ID -- activism - 4 replies

Anybody have a Daily Kos account?

2007-04-20T20:18:00Z

There's a story on Real ID in the diaries here http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/4/13/164348/413

It would be great to add a comment introducing the "Stop Real ID Now" grassroots activism campaign and directing people to our blog ...

Thanks!

jon

posted in Real ID -- activism - 1 reply

Builing on the success of the logo

2007-04-20T20:02:29Z

People *love* the logo. Great job, Sonya!

Plant Trees Save Earth made a great suggestion at the get-together last night: use a similar coloring scheme with the blog's URL. Oooh!

Thinking more generally about applying this to text, I think there are a couple of variants we'd want in something analogous to the kind of color palette subset we're using for the circle-slash:

- the words "Stop Real ID Now!" (what font? Not sure)
- our soon-to-be-coming domain name: stoprealidnow.net (probably in courier-ish)

Thoughts?

Volunteers?

jon

posted in Real ID -- activism - 0 replies

Stop Real ID Now! Event - Thursday, April 19, 2007 7:00 PM

2007-04-20T17:51:44Z

sorry if this has been posted already!

Stop Real ID Now! Event - Thursday, April 19, 2007 7:00 PM
Location: ACLU of Northern California
39 Drumm St.
San Francisco, CA

The Real ID Act of 2005 turns our state driver’s licenses into a national identity card, costs over $20 billion dollars, infringes privacy, and imposes major burdens on taxpayers, anybody renewing a driver's license, seniors, immigrants, transgender people, and state governments – while doing nothing to protect against terrorism. A huge coalition is fighting Real ID at the state and national level, and we need your help.

Please join us for a discussion about Real ID -- and how you can help stop it before it goes into effect.

Speaking and answering questions will be Deborah Pierce, Executive Director of Privacy Activism, and leader of the Stop Real ID Now! activism campaign.

April 19th at 7 PM
Light refreshments will be served.

stoprealidnow.blogspot.com

stoprealid.privacyactivism.org

posted in Real ID -- activism - 5 replies

Naturalized US Citizens

2007-04-18T01:13:15Z

Being from an international family and have children that are citizens of the USA by birth but also hold the birth right and are citizens of their mothers country. I am testing the waters in a couple communities. Many of these people have a birth certificate from the Church in places maybe the DMV people have no knowledge of is their certificate of US citizenship enough for Real ID. I would venture to guess any naturalized citizen in the USA will have to start over. So let me test real life waters in real life communities I belong too by way of marriage.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 0 replies

Pipes

2007-04-18T00:45:43Z

Jon you asked for pipes and I put one here http://pipes.yahoo.com/pipes/pipe.info?_id=3m5Cd0Lt2xGHGa5fEpPZnA just how it can be used outside of yahoo not sure unless it's for one of their partners.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 0 replies

AARP -- anyone know anyone there?

2007-04-17T23:38:02Z

DSB mentioned being a boomer -- and that reminded me that many boomers are probably in the AARP. We should get that org on board. Does anyone know anyone there?

posted in Real ID -- activism - 4 replies

Please send email to your legislators...oppose the "real" ID nightmare!

2007-04-16T23:36:41Z

Go to the link and click on your state, but make sure you edit the text to say not only do you oppose the Real ID, you oppose it whether your state pays for it...OR THE FEDS PAY FOR IT!

Most states that are opposing the real ID are only saying they don't want to pay for it with state funds.

You have to make sure you are saying in your letter YOU OPPOSE IT NO MATTER WHAT!

thanks guys!!!

http://www.realnightmare.org/actioncenter/15/

posted in Real ID -- activism - 7 replies

IMPORTANT: "Who we are" thread on the blog

2007-04-16T23:31:35Z

As soon as you get a chance, please reply with a brief comment in the "who we are" thread on the blog at http://stoprealidnow.blogspot.com/2007/04/who-we-are_15.html

Feel free to be first-name-only or pseudonymous; even saying something as simple as "Call me Franz Kafka. I think Real ID is a bureaucratic nightmare. I'll do my best to help" is great -- but on the other hand if you want to use this as a chance to point people to your page or your organization's page (the way Deborah did), that's great too.

This is a very-low-time-investment way for people to help us significantly right now, even if you're really busy and won't have time to do more until next week or the week after. It's one thing for us to say "there are a lot of people involved for a lot of different reasons"; it's a much more powerful thing for everybody to be able to to see a thread on a public blog with a bunch of people saying "hey, I'm involved!" and reading about some of their reasons.

So please, try to find the time for this; and if you've talked with others who are interested, please ask them to as well.

Thanks,

jon

posted in Real ID -- activism - 2 replies

VIDEO CLIPS

2007-04-15T04:45:50Z

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7pHb7bPfMc

Not sure if this video has been posted on this tribe yet. I have the dvd Freedom To Fascism but still havent watched it yet. I'm not sure if this id from that movie but it is the same guy that made that movie.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 11 replies

Washington Becomes Fourth State to Oppose REAL ID

2007-04-14T01:35:43Z

(From the ACLU of WA Announcement)
The Washington Legislature today passed a bill last Friday to block state implementation of the federal REAL ID Act. The action makes Washington the fourth state to pass legislation opposing the law, joining Maine, Idaho, and Arkansas. It was one of our top priorities.

The measure will prohibit state implementation of the REAL ID Act, unless the federal government fully funds it and provides stronger protections for the privacy of Washington drivers. It passed the House by a 95-2 vote, showing true bipartisan opposition to REAL ID.
Passed by Congress in 2005, the REAL ID Act requires states to produce standardized driver's licenses and to store the drivers' information in nationally connected databases - creating a de facto national ID card. By placing personally identifiable information in databases accessible across the country, REAL ID makes the information more vulnerable to identity theft and misuse.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 10 replies

"Real ID: Real Nightmare", the video

2007-04-14T00:24:10Z

Up on http://aclu.tv/realid -- and also http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XObbEwI6P4

....

The piece features Bill Cattorini, a retired Chicago fireman who has been caught in a bureaucratic limbo due to a discrepancy between his birth date as listed on his driver’s license and the date on his social security card. That was never an issue until Illinois began trying to comply with some parts of Real ID. Now Cattorini can’t drive.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 0 replies

Translating key pages into other langauges?

2007-04-13T01:54:05Z

I was taling with Alex Gilles of Unión de Trabajadores Inmigrante today (see http://www.uniondetrabajadores.org/?q=node/78 and http://www.uniondetrabajadores.org/?q=node/68 for some of the things they're doing), and realized that we should get some of our key pages translated into other languages -- especially the instructions and "what's wrong with Real ID".

Any multilingual folks here (or folks with multilingual friends) who can help?

Thanks!

jon

PS: this would also be a good craigslist post: ac4trans, ac4a

posted in Real ID -- activism - 1 reply

Editorial from NH

2007-04-12T22:55:29Z

From http://www.sentinelsource.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=145568&SectionID=43&SubSectionID=105&S=1:

Unreal ID
Monday, April 09, 2007

Let's hand it to members of the N.H. House - at least those who showed up - for their 268-8 vote last Thursday to reject Real ID.

That law, passed by Congress and the Bush administration two years ago, is designed to turn state driver's licenses into uniform national IDs. True, backers of Real ID say that's not so, leaving everyone else to wonder how good the program can be if its supporters have to lie about it.

Real ID requires the states to verify all birth certificates, Social Security numbers, passports and immigration documents presented by people trying to get or renew driver's licenses. The states would have to check each document's authenticity - calling hometowns, often in other states or countries, even if the town clerk in question works only three-hour shifts twice a week, even, we suppose, if she speaks only Serbo-Croation.

And of course, local officials in New Hampshire must prepare for similar calls from other states checking on their applicants to see if they really were born here.

At the end of this dizzying process, this information and the drivers' photographs are to be put into a national computer database, where we would all co-exist, cheek to jowl, ready to be exploited by terrorists, hackers and clever high-school kids with time on their hands.

The state record-keeping would require - what? - tripling or quadrupling or whatever the number of people employed by motor-vehicle departments, especially at the substations where licenses are distributed? It would mean drivers would need to stand in long lines and make at least two, often more than two, visits to get their licenses - licenses that would no doubt end up costing an arm and a leg, considering the horrendous new expenses.

If the drivers can get licenses at all.

How will state bureaucrats verify birth certificates for citizens and legal residents who were born abroad? What if the person's country of origin is hostile to the United States and unwilling to cooperate? What about countries that don't issue birth certificates?

Then there is this problem: In its wisdom, Congress has required that all original documents presented for Real ID verification be written in English, here in this proud nation of immigrants. For some people, getting a driver's license could turn into a lifetime research project, with lawyers and translators in tow.

The original deadline for states to snap to attention on Real ID was May of 2008. Under pressure, President Bush recently extended the date to December of 2009.

The only possible advantage to this monstrosity concerns air pollution. If the states don't nix the plan, expect to see a whole lot more people traveling on foot.

New Hampshire's No Thanks to Real ID bill goes next to the state Senate, which rejected a similar measure last year. Now under new management, the Senate should reverse course. And Governor John Lynch has said he will sign the bill if it does. Good for him.

And what then? Well, there are lots of penalties. Probably the most serious is that the law says people from states that refuse to cooperate could be barred from traveling on airplanes.

Well, look at the positive side. That probably beats being barred from traveling in automobiles.
---------
Well, at least the writer found 1 or 2 positive things to say about it. :)

It is interesting though for someone to discuss the BC and bureaucratic issues involved. This was my home paper when I lived in NH and this editorial is pretty true to the attitude towards big government up there.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 1 reply

Campaign Logo Concept

2007-04-12T04:50:42Z

Hi, everyone...

OK, so the Tribe album seems b0rked (at least when I try to access or add to it), so here are some links to stuff I had to put into my personal album instead.

"Stop Real ID Now!" Campaign Logo concept:
http://people.tribe.net/sonyalynn/photos/89e8fa44-4e1f-4db7-95ec-e21f0c2cb25d

Concepts for satirical "Department of Invading Privacy Logo" for other campaign related materials (some of which you've already seen)...
"Death Star": http://people.tribe.net/sonyalynn/photos/4838d4ab-8791-4582-8ada-8e24e76ebdff
"Eagle Eye": http://people.tribe.net/sonyalynn/photos/ed453002-cb29-44b8-88a1-d082189e5322
"Eye of Sauron": http://tribes.tribe.net/real-id/photos/ac8aa1ef-0a8c-419e-a104-5e2187dab0c2

If people want either vector (Illustrator EPS) or hi-rez versions of any of these, just PM me, and I'll be happy to provide!

posted in Real ID -- activism - 6 replies

Post from Deborah: update and priorities

2007-04-10T21:57:37Z

is here http://stoprealidnow.blogspot.com/2007/04/update-and-this-weeks-priorities.html

jon

posted in Real ID -- activism - 0 replies

I just heard about this scary shit in the movie "America: From Freedom to Fascism"

2007-04-10T03:01:03Z

Thanks for having this tribe!

posted in Real ID -- activism - 1 reply

"Poems for privacy"

2007-04-09T20:45:30Z

April's National Poetry Month ... so ... why not?

More here: http://stoprealidnow.blogspot.com/2007/04/poems-for-privacy.html

jon

posted in Real ID -- activism - 0 replies

ac4a: Cragislist outreach

2007-04-09T17:19:39Z

The "volunteers" and "politics" forums on Craigslist are natural places for recruiting activists, and then publicizing our efforts once we go broad ... but how to stand out from the crowd of other organizations?

Looking at the different areas of Craigslist, one thing that leaps out is the targeting of the personal ads (w4m, t4t, etc.) -- and the absence of that elsewhere. So, let's (try to) start something similar in the "volunteers" section: putting abbreviations as part of our postings. At the very least, it'll catch people's eye; with luck, it might catch on and get us some attention. And if it doesn't work? Oh well; we're no worse off than we'd be if we just have straightforward titles.

Our first posts will be someting along the lines of

ac4a: Stop Real ID Now Activism Campaign ISO Activists

and then we could follow with

ac4des: Stop Real ID Now! ISO designer

ac4vid: Stop Real ID Now! ISO videos

ac4art: Stop Real ID Now! ISO artists

and so on.

Thoughts?

jon

posted in Real ID -- activism - 1 reply

Tribe description idea...

2007-04-08T03:29:12Z

I got this back along with a "decline" when trying to invite one of my friends...figured i'd pass it along:

"What is Real ID and why would I want to help defeat it? It would be helpful if that info was in the tribe description."

posted in Real ID -- activism - 2 replies

"Let's get real"

2007-04-08T03:22:08Z

The huge number of things that are wrong with Real ID offer great opportunties to get people to start thinking about things like security, privacy, and fiscal responsibility differently -- and more realistically. A series of "Let's get real about _____ -- Stop Real ID Now!" discussions (in the blogoshpere, in op-ed pieces, in various forms of art) can turn this into a great learning opportunity.

Some initial thinking:

* Let's get real about security: Is "Real ID" a secure system? Will it makes us safer? Aren't their better ways to spend even half that much money to make us more secure? Let's get real.

* Let's get real about fiscal responsibility: a $20B unfunded mandate? Let's get real.

* Let's get real about democracy: "Real ID" was attached to a must-pass spending bill that authorized funds for the tsunami and the war in Iraq. Congress never even discusse or had a real vote on it. Is that how our democracy is supposed to work? Let's get real.

* Let's get real about privacy: DHS's own privacy office criticizes the regulations as not protecting privacy -- and DHS can't do anything about it because of how the "Real ID Act" was written. Let's get real.

* Let's get real about identity theft: the DHS says "Real ID" will "probably" decrease identity theft. Privacy Rights Clearinghouse thinks otherwise -- and probably so does everybody who's read about the thefts of information from DMVs, security holes in government systems, and many lost government laptops over the last two years. Let's get real.

* Let's get real about encryption: if data's not encrypted, anybody can read it. Real ID doesn't require encryption because of "operational complexity" -- so there's no protection for any personal data on the card. Let's get real.

* Let's get real about National ID cards: because that's what it is. This is a discussion we need to have, and the National Academies/CSTB Panel gave a great framework with their IDs -- Not That Easy: Questions About Nationwide Identity Systems. Do we really spend $20B before having the discussion -- and before looking to see how well Real ID stacks up against their recommendations? Let's get real.

Thoughts?

jon

PS: better-formatted version on the wiki ... http://stoprealid.privacyactivism.org/wiki/index.php?title=Let%27s_get_real

posted in Real ID -- activism - 3 replies

Three things you can do today to help

2007-04-04T03:34:00Z

1. File your comments with the Department of Homeland Security. Our instruction page still needs a little work, but hopefully is clear enough -- and if not, we'd certainly like the feedback! http://stoprealid.privacyactivism.org/wiki/index.php?title=Call_to_action

2. Get some friends to join this group -- or any of our other groups.

3. Look for something on the help wanted page that strikes your interest, and offer to help! http://stoprealid.privacyactivism.org/wiki/index.php?title=Help_wanted

jon

posted in Real ID -- activism - 2 replies

The strategy (initial thinking)

2007-04-02T14:16:07Z

I made a blog post on MySpace describing our strategy in some detail ... discussion, suggestion, criticisms, feedback welcome -- here or there.

Thanks!

jon

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=25641170&blogID=248075599

posted in Real ID -- activism - 0 replies

On the air -- 8 p.m. (EDT) sunday april 1

2007-04-02T02:29:17Z

Ethan St. Pierre will be interviewing Deborah and Kara on Real ID on transfm.org's online talk radio program Sunday, April 1, at 8 p.m. We'll work to get a podcast available ... but why wait? Check it out live!

http://www.live365.com/stations/ethanstp

posted in Real ID -- activism - 2 replies

Woo hoo -- the blog is up!

2007-04-01T23:50:17Z

We just got the blogspot Real ID blog up -- its now ready to use. Here's the link: http://stoprealidnow.blogspot.com/

Anyone can make comments. If you want to post an entry, pm Slinted, and he'll give you the password.

We set it up this way so that we could limit the spam.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 1 reply

Privacy is seductive

2007-04-01T20:02:41Z

This is a message that we may use in one of our campaigns ... so I decided to see what people thought about it, and have made a series of posts "How is Privacy Seductive?"

Here on tribe, I posted in the Art of Seduction tribe: http://seduceme.tribe.net/thread/99e7cfa4-abc9-44a1-8ada-9b9d78d7feb7
On free-association, I posted in the "Subtle Seductions/Full on Flirtation" association.
On MySpace, not knowing where else to post, I put it in the real id association and sent out a bulletin. (I might add it to the blog as well.)

In a day or so, I'll probably ask it on Y! Answers, and maybe Windows Live QnA.

If people want to help spread this meme, asking in other places in their blogs, on Tribe, and elsewhere ... pleas do! The more people who have heard this by the time we launch our broad outreach the better; and it's an interesting test to see how quickly and effectively we can get our message out.

jon

posted in Real ID -- activism - 10 replies

Draft "Call to action" -- feedback, please!

2007-04-01T20:01:29Z

Once we go out broadly, we're going to want a very simple message to get people to see the problem -- and tell them how they can act.

A draft version is here ... feedback, please!

http://stoprealid.privacyactivism.org/wiki/index.php?title=Call_to_action

jon

posted in Real ID -- activism - 2 replies

Draft outreach mail -- feedback, please!

2007-04-01T06:46:47Z

We're just about ready to be reaching out broadly for a lot more volunteers; and that's going to require everybody's help. To make it easier, we're going to provide some mail you can use as a starting point -- anybody can take this, personalize it, perhaps add points related to the specific community you're talking to ...

A text version of the current draft is below -- there's an HTML version http://stoprealid.privacyactivism.org/docs/outreach-early-april.html

For a version focused more specifically on transgender-related issues, please see http://stoprealid.privacyactivism.org/docs/outreach-focusing-on-transgender.html

Feedback? Comments? Thoughts? Alternatives?

jon

----

The Real ID Act turns our state driver's licenses into a national identity card, cost over $20 billion dollars, infringe privacy, and imposes major burdens on citizens, immigrants, transgender people, seniors, and state governments -- while doing nothing to protect against terrorism.

There are a lot of other things wrong with Real ID as well, and a broad coalition of people and groups across the political spectrum are working to defeat it. I'm part of the Stop Real ID Now! grassroots activism campaign; our goal is to file 100,000 comments by the May 8 deadline.

The basis of our strategy is to complement campaigns such as the ACLU's Real Nightmare by combining online outreach via social networks with in-person events -- and to make it fun and different, which should attract a lot of people as well as media attention. To find out more about the issues or our grassroots campaign, please check out our site.

We could really use your help. Right now, we're getting together the people who will help us get the word out, getting feedback on our plans and messages, as well as looking for help in several specific areas like outreach to artists and Craigslist.

Please come join us on MySpace, tribe.net, free-association.net, the group we're starting up on Yahoo!, and/or on the volunteers mailing list -- and invite your friends too! If you hang out in some other place online, please consider starting a group or community and inviting others.

We can win this one. There's so much wrong with Real ID that we've put together an unusually broad coalition against it; the "cost" argument reaches even those who don't value privacy. So please, get involved!

posted in Real ID -- activism - 0 replies

New Ad

2007-04-01T03:40:53Z

I finished a new Ad it's at http://artactivismnetwork.ning.com/video/video/show?id=632646%3AVideo%3A444 any feedback is welcome. If it is ok then I'll post it at YouTube also.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 3 replies

real ID and racial profiling

2007-04-01T02:35:57Z

Jim Harper (Director of Information Policy Studies at the Cato Institute, and author of the recent book Identity Crisis: How Identification Is Overused and Misunderstood), made some great points about this in his Senate testimony http://www.cato.org/testimony/ct-jh03262007.html

The standard for the 2D barcode selected by the Department includes the cardholder's race as one of the data elements.

If the REAL ID card is implemented, Americans transacting business using the REAL ID card may well be filling government and corporate databases with information that ties their race to records of their transactions and movements. Students of history should find the prospect sickening.
....

A summary of the data elements from the standard is attached as Appendix B, but briefly, white people would carry the designation "W"; black people would carry the designation "BK"; people of Hispanic origin would be designated "H"; Asian or Pacific Islanders would be "AP"; and Alaskan or American Indians would be "AI."

DHS does not require all the data elements from the standard, and it does not require the "race/ethnicity" data element, but the standard it has chosen will likely be adopted in its entirety by state driver licensing bureaus. The DHS has done nothing to prevent or even discourage the placement of race and ethnicity in the machine readable zones of this national ID card.

Avoiding race- and ethnicity-based identification systems is an essential bulwark of protection for civil liberties, given our always-uncertain future. In Nazi Germany, in apartheid South Africa, and in the recent genocide in Rwanda, horrible deeds were administered using identification cards that included information about religion, about tribe, and about race. Implementation of the REAL ID Act, which would permit race to be a part of the national identification card scheme, would be a grave error.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 1 reply

Stop Real ID Now!'s image -- how do we want people to see us?

2007-03-31T19:55:14Z

We've spent a lot of time thinking about how to get people to see Real ID for what it really is; and while there's still work to do, we've made a lot of progress and lots of people are working on it. Now we should also spend some time thinking about us.

What words and images do we want people to associate with the Stop Real ID Now?

For me ..

Stop Real ID Now! stands for positive, exciting, fun, dynamic, diverse, forward-looking, confident, collaborative, inclusive, respectful, and empowering grassroots activism employed to get rid of the Real ID Act.

What do people think about those adjectives? The goal? Other suggestions?

Part of the reasons I got to this phrasing is that I think these are attributes generally shared by the people I know who are involved so far on free-association, tribe, and MySpace -- and a lot of others already working on this -- so we can walk the talk. It's also inclusive in the sense that some other attributes that I would pick for myself (such as "progressive") are things that others involved here or elsewhere would not choose for themselves (for progressive, that probably includes most evangelical christians, American Conservative Union and National Taxpayers Union members, AARP'ers, and libertarians); we don't want to exclude them from working with us.

jon

posted in Real ID -- activism - 2 replies

Salons

2007-03-31T03:05:35Z

Here's an idea -- let's do a series of 'salons'. The idea comes from 19th century France, where people would get together at a friend's house and discuss the issues of the day.

So for us.... we could have multiple salons on Real ID. It doesn't have to be at someone's house, it can be at a cafe or bar, or the park, or just about anywhere, really.

Would people be willing to host one in their area? I've pm'd a couple of people about this, but I think it would be great if we could do this in multiple cities.

What do you all think?

And I can help out too......

posted in Real ID -- activism - 5 replies

Yahoo! Answers ,Microsoft QnA?

2007-03-30T18:17:22Z

We've been thinking about how to use question-and-answer sites as part of the campaign (early thoughts here http://stoprealid.privacyactivism.org/wiki/index.php?title=Thoughts_about_question-and-answer_sites -- please use this thread to discuss)

As a first tentative step, I posted something here http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070326193106AADIch4 ... I'm curious to see how many answers we get, and how many people wind up looking at the wik as a result, and if anybody sows up and says "I'll help".

We shall see ...

If anybody is on Microsoft QnA and could ask a similar question, would you be so kind? Thanks!

jon

posted in Real ID -- activism - 3 replies

help wanted list/tribe outreach

2007-03-29T05:33:54Z

top priority areas: visual and high-impact instructions, salons, tribe outreach, video promo ...

http://stoprealid.privacyactivism.org/wiki/index.php?title=Help_wanted

posted in Real ID -- activism - 1 reply

MySpace!

2007-03-29T00:38:27Z

We set up a similar "real ID -- activism" group on MySpace, at http://groups.myspace.com/realid ... PrivacyActivism's account is too new, so I'm the owner. I seeded it with a few posts to get things going (goals, "what's the plan", introductions), and then invited my friends. Once we have a little more content there, it'll make sense to start reaching out broadly by posting in some of the groups whose interests seem aligned.

If people have accounts over there, please join -- and invite your friends who you think would be interested! Also, it would be nice to kick off at least some discussions there ...

For more about the general MySpace plan, please see the wiki page here http://stoprealid.privacyactivism.org/wiki/index.php?title=MySpace.

posted in Real ID -- activism - 3 replies