The concept of a National ID card has been around for quite some time, back to at least the creation of the Social Security Number (SSN), and while (SSN) is a form of identification, it is not a National ID card in the sense that is being promoted in our time. The push for a National ID card in the modern era started back in the 80's during the Reagan administration. Reagan, being the type of man he was, knew exactly what this would lead to and flat out rejected the concept. It was brought up in the Clinton administration as well, and while opposition to it was not as strong as Reagan's, Clinton also did not sign off on a National ID card. Unfortunately, though the times have changed, I feel we can no longer trust our Federal government to operate in our best interest; it has severely broken with the Constitution and the ideals that founded this union. After 9/11 everyone was scared, angry, wanted protection from terrorism, and in that hysteria, most people did not care what it was or how it worked. As a result we got the PATRIOT Act written two years before 9/11 that gives the government the authority, among other things, to enter your house when you're not there and to take anything. It's called a "sneak and peak" (and they say trust us on healthcare). The Military Commission Act (MCA) was passed that has language so vague that it could catch average citizens in the category of a "threat" to the government and warrant the same treatment our government gives terrorists. During the process of making us safer a National ID card also became law in 2005 that was tacked onto a tsunami relief and military spending bill as a national security measure meant to guard against terrorism, illegal immigration and identity theft. Being attached to the type of bill that it was guaranteed no opposition, and so it sailed right through Congress straight to the President where it became law.
I will now remind everyone at this juncture what a couple of founding fathers has to say about Liberty and Security:
"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniencies attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it."
-Thomas Jefferson
"Those willing to sacrifice Liberty for Security will get neither and deserve neither"
-Benjamin Franklin
The issue of REAL ID and all it entails is too complex to give in this medium, but I will give a brief overview and then direct you to a few sites where you can get all the dirty details. REAL ID is not just a National ID card but much more as it is an INTERNATIONAL ID card. When REAL ID became law, DHS had a non-negotiated rule making process, and so they inserted international regulations. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a UN agency, are the ones charged with setting the ISOs for identification programs of the various participating countries, and there are a lot that are participating. The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) will be the entity that will see to the implementation of REAL ID. AAMVA is American in name only. As they state on their website they are an international organization. Then there are the corporations, most prominently, a company called L1-Identity Solutions. This corporation has a monopoly on identification cards (i.e. drivers licenses) like Microsoft does on computer operating systems.
The required data on these cards will not just be our physical attributes for identification purposes but our religious, political, educational, medical, financial, sexual, firearms, and biometric data will be on this card. Considering the fact that all our information will be on this card and that the state DMV databases will have to be linked and consolidated, the information will be held primarily by one corporation, and our government will be sharing it with any "nation" of the world such as Canada, England, Mexico, Australia, Russia, China, or Iran to name very few. There is no possible way for our information to remain secure. The more information or data on us that is compiled and shared, the more likely it will be stolen (130 million credit card numbers stolen). Note that one of the pieces of data that will be collected is biometric. When most people think biometric, they think fingerprints, iris scans, DNA; however, the biometric of choice is facial recognition because it can be taken without your knowledge or consent. A mathematical algorithm will be used based on your facial features to assign you a specific number. Law enforcement personnel do not need numbers to identify you, but a camera and computer surely does, and we are well on our way to being a surveillance society more than you think we are.
Hopefully, after reading up to this point you can see the multiple violations to the US Constitution, but just in case you haven't, I'll give a quick rundown for you:
* REAL ID violates the 1st Amendment in regard to religion. If you are a Christian as mentioned in Revelation 13 of the Bible, we will all be forced one day to have the Mark of the Beast (MOB.) SSN was not that as it is a US voluntary benefit program (yes, it is); whereas with the international regulations, REAL ID is the precursor to something that will apply to the entire world, like the MOB. The Amish and Mennonites are opposed to having their image taken in certain instances.
* REAL ID violates the 4th Amendment as we have the right not to have any of our information taken, let alone biometric data without our consent or warrant. REAL ID is a blatant violation of our right to privacy.
* REAL ID violates the 10th Amendment as there is no provision in the Constitution for the Federal government to dictate to the state how they should issue drivers licenses or ID cards. As it stands right now, it is an unfunded mandate that will cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $11-$20 BILLION dollars just to implement. They have absolutely no clue how much this is going to cost us and in the current economy, we just can't afford a program such as this that violates our Civil Liberties. This not only violates State's Sovereignty but the Sovereignty of this Union with the international regulations.
There has been a growing effort within the States to fight REAL ID; the ACLU and the ACLJ, two organizations normally opposed to each other are united in their opposition to REAL ID. Because of this opposition the Federal government had to push back the implementation date of May 11th, 2008 to December 31st, 2009. Last year in Kentucky we had Democrats and Republicans sponsor legislation together against REAL ID in the Senate and House. Unfortunately only the House version passed when both needed to. Hopefully this year we can pass anti-REAL ID legislation and the Sovereignty resolution to protect the Citizens of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Recently the Obama administration along with the help of Senators Lieberman and McCain has pushed for the passage of the PASS ACT S.1261. There has been so much opposition they are literally trying to rebrand it, but it is the same thing. There is still biometrics, international regulations, and a non-negotiated rule making process for DHS. Considering the recent DHS reports commissioned by the Bush Administration and released by Obama Administration blatantly condemning the left (anti-war, environmentalists, and animal rights activists) and the right (pro-gun, pro-life, anti-illegal immigration) the American public should have serious concerns about their Civil Liberties. Agree or disagree with their politics take a moment to watch these two videos of Judge Andrew Napolitano and Rachel Maddow. Now after viewing those two videos it is plain to see we don't have a government we can trust, and REAL ID, coupled with technology becomes REALLY DANGEROUS as the government will eventually know everything about you and where you go and what you're doing, like going to TEA Parties and Town Hall meetings. Considering that terrorists and illegals will not apply for a REAL ID/PASS ID/NATIONAL ID/INTERNATIONAL ID; just who does the government really consider the threat and who are they really protecting, us or them. It is time for us to realize that this is not conservatives vs. liberals but the US Citizens vs. the Political Elite in our government, federal and state.
There is so much more to REAL ID that I just cannot cover it all in a brief piece. For more information I suggest you go to the following websites:
www.stoprealidcoalition.com Download their action packet. There are multiple references to every claim made in this article concerning REAL ID.
www.realnightmare.com
http://epic.org/
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_id
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biometrics
www.unrealid.com
Also read these articles, there are many more out there but this is a start.
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/02/rfid-passports-scanned-car
http://epic.org/privacy/surveillance/spotlight/0907/
http://www.smartcardalliance.org/pages/publications-realid
http://www.campaignforliberty.com/article.php?view=25
http://www.thefreedomfaction.com/2009/08/chips-in-official-ids-raise-privacey.html An AP article that I can no longer find on the internet.
http://www.campaignforliberty.com/article.php?view=173
http://www.newswithviews.com/guest_opinion/guest128.htm Republican PA St House Rep Sam Rohrer
Kentucky Legislation:
www.kentuckyvotes.org/2007-HCR-122
www.kentuckyvotes.org/2009-HJR-133
www.kentuckyvotes.org/2009-SJR-73
Showing posts with label US Constitution. Show all posts
Showing posts with label US Constitution. Show all posts
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Friday, June 19, 2009
REAL ID UPDATE FROM MARK LERNER
Here is an update (PDF report) from Mark Lerner from the Stop REAL ID Coalition
Below is some action to take posted on the site.
All citizens need to call their state lawmakers and elected officials in Washington D.C.. In some states the state legislatures are out of session. Please call anyway. The lawmakers will get the messages. In many instances the legislative assistants are still hard at work. If you get a recording, please still leave a message.
Four points must be made:
1) State driver's licenses must not incorporate the use of biometrics.
2) State DMV (Department of Motor Vehicle) databases must be wiped of any and all biometric information and biometric samples must be destroyed.
3) Social Security numbers must be deleted from state DMV databases.
4) RFID chips must not be a component of any state driver's license for any reason.
Below is some action to take posted on the site.
All citizens need to call their state lawmakers and elected officials in Washington D.C.. In some states the state legislatures are out of session. Please call anyway. The lawmakers will get the messages. In many instances the legislative assistants are still hard at work. If you get a recording, please still leave a message.
Four points must be made:
1) State driver's licenses must not incorporate the use of biometrics.
2) State DMV (Department of Motor Vehicle) databases must be wiped of any and all biometric information and biometric samples must be destroyed.
3) Social Security numbers must be deleted from state DMV databases.
4) RFID chips must not be a component of any state driver's license for any reason.
REAL ID REFRESHER
REAL ID REFRESHER...or maybe introduction for some.
This is longer than I intended it to be but hopefully it will be informative. Please also forward this information along.
As most of you know, last year we began a campaign here in Kentucky against REAL ID, but not just against some "identification system" but everything REAL ID represents. In the process we also began the fight for our Commonwealth's Sovereignty. So for those of you who don't know or need a little refresher here is what happened.
We eventually got 2 resolutions one in the House (HJR 133, primary sponsor: Dottie Sims (D)) and one in the Senate (SJR 73, primary sponsor: Gary Tapp (R).) HJR 133 passed the House 100-0. However, SJR 73 did not make it out of the Senate Transportation Committee.
As a result of this campaign we were also able to get a Sovereignty Resolution introduced, in fact two of them. Both were in the House; HCR 168 sponsored by John Will Stacey (D), the other HCR 172 sponsored by David Floyd (R). However, neither of these made it out of the Elections, Const. Amendments & Intergovernmental Affairs Committee.
Our intent was to get 5 Bills regarding REAL ID introduced as well as the Sovereignty Resolution introduced, which was authored by Oklahoma State House Representative Charles Key (R). This is legislation he has been working on for quite sometime, well before Obama got in office. The other 5 Bills all dealt with other aspects of REAL ID, that are an infringement upon our civil liberties, state sovereignty as well as national sovereignty. These bills were provided by the Constitutional Alliance, they also have more bills however this was the amount we felt confident we could get done here in Kentucky.
Unfortunately as you can see that did not happen. However, the writing process took some time as to be expected with an issue this complex and so we did not have much time to act as this effort really only began in Kentucky in September of last year. So considering what was done in the short amount of time I consider last years efforts very worthwhile and will make things a whole lot easier in the upcoming 2010 session (let's hope there are no more "Special Sessions" between now an then.)
Here is a little bit more of a refresher on REAL ID as some may have forgotten all the nuances or we may have some new people in the Liberty Movement we can share this information with. I am going to just give the basics as I don't want this to get too drawn out. For those who want more in depth information on this topic I suggest you visit www.stoprealidcoalition.com and peruse through their website and also download there action packet.
So here are the basics:
1) It violates the 1st Amendment - Freedom of Religion. This to many Christians is considered the next step toward the Mark of the Beast. Also the Amish or Mennonites are opposed to having their picture taken
2) It violates the 4th Amendment - Any and all information at DHS Discretion can be put on these cards either in the magnetic strip or eventually an RFID chip, normally the government needs a warrant for most of the information they want included on this. In addition they are collecting Biometric samples on citizens to create a Biometric Database. The method of choice is Facial Recognition through CCTV or surveillance cameras. This of course is what furthers the fear of the "Mark" as a mathematical algorithm is created based on your facial features to give you a number. Of course this is highly sensitive and the technology is no where near good enough because a beard, a smile or glasses can throw it off ultimately leading to mistaken identity by law enforcement.
3) It violates the 10th Amendment - As of right now it is an unfunded mandate on the states from the federal government that can cost upwards to at least 22 Billion dollars, of course that is just the start up. The estimated cost for the state of Kentucky would be somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 Million Dollars. Of course the way the government is spending money they might just foot the bill...meaning us.
4) It violates State and National sovereignty - The regulations pertaining to REAL ID is from the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) a UN affiliate. AAMVA (American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators) is also another international organization involved. This organization is American in name only, granted for the moment it is dominated by the states but that won't last long and will end up like the UN once this thing goes full scale world wide. This of course also fuels the fears of the "Mark" as this will include the entire world. Many thought the SSN was the "Mark"; it never could have been because it is a voluntary benefit program for US citizens only. Or at least it was supposed to be voluntary and for US Citizens only.
5) One corporation (L1 Identity Solutions) has the contract with the states arranged by the Feds to implement the card, (the way this deal worked is a little tricky and to tell it would require this to be longer) There are also several other companies involved with this that have had several breaches in the past. Also much of the testing by L1 for REAL ID has either been rigged or the results have been falsified to make the success rate look better than it actually was. Several former government officials also have ties to this company.
6) Centralization and linking of our data and databases making it easier to steal.
7) The increased sharing of data between participating countries making it easier to steal. Any participating country could have access to our information in the name of security, like England, Canada, Russia, or China.
8) The variable security protocols in each country that may or may not be up to our standards thus increasing the chance of theft.
9) Not using the highest encryption technology to prevent coping of our data.
10) Increased surveillance - this part is so scary and to complex to explain in a short e-mail but there is a behavioral recognition being implemented, so don't get mad at the airport, or sweat too much. The program is called Hostile Intent.
11) This will not slow terrorism or illegal immigration as they will not register. Illegals or Terrorist are not going to be first in line at the DMV to give their information. On top of the inferior security protocols and the consolidation of our information it will only make it easier for them to obtain to use in the US.
Now there have been some new developments in this that are entirely to complex to put in this e-mail as it is already getting lengthy. However, I suggest checking out www.stoprealidcoalition.com for more on that.
This issue has garnered opposition from the likes of the ACLU and the ACLJ, and as our sponsorship of our legislation indicates this in not a Republican vs. Democrat issue but simply a Civil Rights issue. This idea has been around since the days of Regan who flat our rejected it. Clinton also did not sign off on it. Bush resurrected it and Obama is playing shell games with us on it. As you can see this administration and the last have taken this once Great Union far from what it once was.
Now we begin the fight again, this time more prepared, with more experience, more people, and more time. Already Rep Stan Lee (R) a cosponsor last year of the Sovereignty Resolution has made it his own this year. That legislation is BR 54 AKA HCR 10. I am going to begin trying to get meetings with our legislators set up and sending out information. I would also like to get Mark Lerner from the Stop REAL ID Coalition back here again to help educate the public. So instead of us getting an education again I am asking if anyone knows an organization or a church that would be willing to listen to Mark for an evening to get the information out about this insidious infringement upon our liberties. Please keep in mind that Mark has expenses that will need to be covered, he makes no money on this and I will not invite him here until we have set venues for him to educate at. This will also have to be coordinated with his travels across the nation.
For those of you who do not know who Mark Lerner is here his bio:
Mark became an early proponent of biometrics as a tool in the war on terrorism. He became a confidant to the senior executives and board members in the biometrics industry to such an extent that brokerage houses had Mark discussing the future of biometric companies with their wealthiest clients (Some worth in excess of 100 million dollars!). All was going very well until Mark uncovered some disturbing biometric facts. He compiled a pool of evidence, what attorneys are calling "massive evidence", of corruption. Mark and the Stop Real ID Coalition have been working to expose these truths where the exposure will have the most impact; Washington D.C.
I will try and be more diligent in keeping everyone in the loop on what is going on and pass along information whenever I can. I look forward to working with anyone who wants to on this issue. I received a lot of help from everyone on this issue last year and I would like to thank everyone, but I would also like to recognize a few people. John Riley, Norm Davis, & Charles Zoeller provided a lot of leadership and encouragement in this effort last year. There was a point however, when I was tempted to throw in the towel and I don't remember what series of events led to it but I wanted to also recognize Adrienne Gilbert for her effort in this. I don't think this would have gone as far as it did if she had not stepped up. I would like to list everyone by name but the list would be as long as this e-mail, but I came to rely on these people last year and I just wanted to share with everyone my appreciation.
This is longer than I intended it to be but hopefully it will be informative. Please also forward this information along.
As most of you know, last year we began a campaign here in Kentucky against REAL ID, but not just against some "identification system" but everything REAL ID represents. In the process we also began the fight for our Commonwealth's Sovereignty. So for those of you who don't know or need a little refresher here is what happened.
We eventually got 2 resolutions one in the House (HJR 133, primary sponsor: Dottie Sims (D)) and one in the Senate (SJR 73, primary sponsor: Gary Tapp (R).) HJR 133 passed the House 100-0. However, SJR 73 did not make it out of the Senate Transportation Committee.
As a result of this campaign we were also able to get a Sovereignty Resolution introduced, in fact two of them. Both were in the House; HCR 168 sponsored by John Will Stacey (D), the other HCR 172 sponsored by David Floyd (R). However, neither of these made it out of the Elections, Const. Amendments & Intergovernmental Affairs Committee.
Our intent was to get 5 Bills regarding REAL ID introduced as well as the Sovereignty Resolution introduced, which was authored by Oklahoma State House Representative Charles Key (R). This is legislation he has been working on for quite sometime, well before Obama got in office. The other 5 Bills all dealt with other aspects of REAL ID, that are an infringement upon our civil liberties, state sovereignty as well as national sovereignty. These bills were provided by the Constitutional Alliance, they also have more bills however this was the amount we felt confident we could get done here in Kentucky.
Unfortunately as you can see that did not happen. However, the writing process took some time as to be expected with an issue this complex and so we did not have much time to act as this effort really only began in Kentucky in September of last year. So considering what was done in the short amount of time I consider last years efforts very worthwhile and will make things a whole lot easier in the upcoming 2010 session (let's hope there are no more "Special Sessions" between now an then.)
Here is a little bit more of a refresher on REAL ID as some may have forgotten all the nuances or we may have some new people in the Liberty Movement we can share this information with. I am going to just give the basics as I don't want this to get too drawn out. For those who want more in depth information on this topic I suggest you visit www.stoprealidcoalition.com and peruse through their website and also download there action packet.
So here are the basics:
1) It violates the 1st Amendment - Freedom of Religion. This to many Christians is considered the next step toward the Mark of the Beast. Also the Amish or Mennonites are opposed to having their picture taken
2) It violates the 4th Amendment - Any and all information at DHS Discretion can be put on these cards either in the magnetic strip or eventually an RFID chip, normally the government needs a warrant for most of the information they want included on this. In addition they are collecting Biometric samples on citizens to create a Biometric Database. The method of choice is Facial Recognition through CCTV or surveillance cameras. This of course is what furthers the fear of the "Mark" as a mathematical algorithm is created based on your facial features to give you a number. Of course this is highly sensitive and the technology is no where near good enough because a beard, a smile or glasses can throw it off ultimately leading to mistaken identity by law enforcement.
3) It violates the 10th Amendment - As of right now it is an unfunded mandate on the states from the federal government that can cost upwards to at least 22 Billion dollars, of course that is just the start up. The estimated cost for the state of Kentucky would be somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 Million Dollars. Of course the way the government is spending money they might just foot the bill...meaning us.
4) It violates State and National sovereignty - The regulations pertaining to REAL ID is from the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) a UN affiliate. AAMVA (American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators) is also another international organization involved. This organization is American in name only, granted for the moment it is dominated by the states but that won't last long and will end up like the UN once this thing goes full scale world wide. This of course also fuels the fears of the "Mark" as this will include the entire world. Many thought the SSN was the "Mark"; it never could have been because it is a voluntary benefit program for US citizens only. Or at least it was supposed to be voluntary and for US Citizens only.
5) One corporation (L1 Identity Solutions) has the contract with the states arranged by the Feds to implement the card, (the way this deal worked is a little tricky and to tell it would require this to be longer) There are also several other companies involved with this that have had several breaches in the past. Also much of the testing by L1 for REAL ID has either been rigged or the results have been falsified to make the success rate look better than it actually was. Several former government officials also have ties to this company.
6) Centralization and linking of our data and databases making it easier to steal.
7) The increased sharing of data between participating countries making it easier to steal. Any participating country could have access to our information in the name of security, like England, Canada, Russia, or China.
8) The variable security protocols in each country that may or may not be up to our standards thus increasing the chance of theft.
9) Not using the highest encryption technology to prevent coping of our data.
10) Increased surveillance - this part is so scary and to complex to explain in a short e-mail but there is a behavioral recognition being implemented, so don't get mad at the airport, or sweat too much. The program is called Hostile Intent.
11) This will not slow terrorism or illegal immigration as they will not register. Illegals or Terrorist are not going to be first in line at the DMV to give their information. On top of the inferior security protocols and the consolidation of our information it will only make it easier for them to obtain to use in the US.
Now there have been some new developments in this that are entirely to complex to put in this e-mail as it is already getting lengthy. However, I suggest checking out www.stoprealidcoalition.com for more on that.
This issue has garnered opposition from the likes of the ACLU and the ACLJ, and as our sponsorship of our legislation indicates this in not a Republican vs. Democrat issue but simply a Civil Rights issue. This idea has been around since the days of Regan who flat our rejected it. Clinton also did not sign off on it. Bush resurrected it and Obama is playing shell games with us on it. As you can see this administration and the last have taken this once Great Union far from what it once was.
Now we begin the fight again, this time more prepared, with more experience, more people, and more time. Already Rep Stan Lee (R) a cosponsor last year of the Sovereignty Resolution has made it his own this year. That legislation is BR 54 AKA HCR 10. I am going to begin trying to get meetings with our legislators set up and sending out information. I would also like to get Mark Lerner from the Stop REAL ID Coalition back here again to help educate the public. So instead of us getting an education again I am asking if anyone knows an organization or a church that would be willing to listen to Mark for an evening to get the information out about this insidious infringement upon our liberties. Please keep in mind that Mark has expenses that will need to be covered, he makes no money on this and I will not invite him here until we have set venues for him to educate at. This will also have to be coordinated with his travels across the nation.
For those of you who do not know who Mark Lerner is here his bio:
Mark became an early proponent of biometrics as a tool in the war on terrorism. He became a confidant to the senior executives and board members in the biometrics industry to such an extent that brokerage houses had Mark discussing the future of biometric companies with their wealthiest clients (Some worth in excess of 100 million dollars!). All was going very well until Mark uncovered some disturbing biometric facts. He compiled a pool of evidence, what attorneys are calling "massive evidence", of corruption. Mark and the Stop Real ID Coalition have been working to expose these truths where the exposure will have the most impact; Washington D.C.
I will try and be more diligent in keeping everyone in the loop on what is going on and pass along information whenever I can. I look forward to working with anyone who wants to on this issue. I received a lot of help from everyone on this issue last year and I would like to thank everyone, but I would also like to recognize a few people. John Riley, Norm Davis, & Charles Zoeller provided a lot of leadership and encouragement in this effort last year. There was a point however, when I was tempted to throw in the towel and I don't remember what series of events led to it but I wanted to also recognize Adrienne Gilbert for her effort in this. I don't think this would have gone as far as it did if she had not stepped up. I would like to list everyone by name but the list would be as long as this e-mail, but I came to rely on these people last year and I just wanted to share with everyone my appreciation.
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