Maine Sec. of State on Real ID: “You might as well just repeal the Fourth Amendment”
Maine & Massachusetts residents may not be able to board a plane using their driver’s licenses starting in 2016 if the state does not start complying with the federal Real ID program.
In 2007, Maine became the first state to reject the federal regulations adopted in response to a study on national security after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Federal officials wanted to make driver’s licenses more uniform and secure, but opponents said the federal law was too sweeping and intrusive.
Non-compliance, however, has restricted the ability of residents from some states to access some federal buildings, and that is likely to increase.
The Real ID program is intended to make states’ requirements for driver’s licenses and identification cards more uniform and stringent.
The Real ID program is a REAL NIGHTMARE or a spying governments wet dream.
For more info. read my article titled "Police state America wants more than your papers".
National identity card is a threat to our privacy:
All the darkest nightmares of privacy advocates who warned in the early 2000s of an Orwellian state in which everyone is under surveillance all the time have turned out to be true. In the name of national security, the records of millions of Americans' phone calls have been scooped up and stored in government databases. Internet traffic involving hundreds of millions of people also has been collected. The government has done this without seeking warrants, has lied about it when confronted and would not have acknowledged the very existence of these programs if they had not been exposed by whistleblowers.
In July, the licenses were no longer adequate to access restricted federal facilities, such as the U.S. Mint and nuclear power plants. Residents from non-complying states need passports to enter those buildings. As of January, the licenses will not be adequate to get into semi-restricted federal facilities where a license or passport currently is required.
Driver's licenses are just supposed to identify drivers and confirm that they are allowed to operate a motor vehicle. Loading more information into that document asks it to do more than it was designed to do.
The act requires states to maintain a database of license applicants’ information that is accessible to the federal government, and take photos of applicants that can be scanned by facial recognition software.
Concerns about the Real ID program have united libertarian-minded citizens from both parties, especially over the portion of the law that creates a federal database of personal information that would be maintained by the state and accessible to federal officials.
“You might as well just repeal the Fourth Amendment,” Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap said, referring to the prohibition against unreasonable search and seizures of property.
"This proposal is one more step away from the Founding Fathers' vision of a limited federal government. Our greatest homeland security is liberty, and the Founding Fathers believed our greatest threat to liberty was a central government grown too powerful. Accordingly, they set up checks on federal power by vesting authority at the individual and state levels.
REAL ID disrupts this delicate balance of power in two ways. First, it turns the Founders' logic on its head by forcing states to act as agents for the federal government in creating a national ID card for federal purposes. Needing a REAL ID to board a plane or enter a federal building would also change the balance of power in something as seemingly insignificant as a visit to a member of Congress."
-- Gov. Mark Sanford, "Real ID Side Effects," Washington Times
“States issue driver’s licenses, not the federal government,” Dunlap said. “They really can’t make us do it. That’s why it’s been such a disaster implementing it.”
“For any American citizen, they should find this whole program completely laughable and ridiculous" Dunlap said. Adding that “The whole thing has been kind of a bit of a farce.” “I don’t hold out an awful lot of confidence it will be implemented in a timely way and have any effect on border security or national security,” he said.
"The government claims that driver's license "reform" will help combat illegal immigration and generally protect national security, but it fails to acknowledge that the Real ID Act seriously threatens privacy and civil liberties on a national scale."
--Sophia Cope of Center for Democracy and Technology, "Why Real ID is a Flawed Law," CNET News, January 31, 2008
Officials from Governor Deval Patrick’s administration did not respond to repeated requests for comment, and the Registry of Motor Vehicles declined an interview. Registrar Celia J. Blue said in a statement the Registry is reviewing the issue but did not commit to following the federal law.
“We are working with DHS to address their outstanding concerns and we appreciate the guidance and various best practices they have shared with us from other states,” Blue said.
In March 2013, state Senators Bruce E. Tarr, Robert Hedlund, Michael Knapik, and Richard Ross – all Republicans – wrote a letter to Patrick urging Massachusetts to comply with the law. Tarr said he has not yet received an “effective response” from the administration.
“I do think what will happen is that Massachusetts driver’s licenses won’t have the same stature and validity across this country as they do now,” said Tarr, the state Senate minority leader.
DHS said in December, when it unveiled its latest efforts to enforce compliance, that the rules for verifying citizenship and immigration status are “measured, fair and, responsible.” They will apply to places where identification is now required to enter, for the most part, but not to such places as the Smithsonian Institution’s museums on the National Mall.
Homeland Security “will continue to support states’ efforts to enhance the security in an achievable way that will make all of our communities safer,” spokeswoman Marsha Catron said in a statement.
There it is again DHS's and every alphabet soup agencies B.S. response, it's for our SAFETY. We need your Biometrics to make you safer, DON'T BELIEVE THEM. Ultimately a private company is getting rich while spying on you for our government!
DHS is behind forced blood draws at checkpoints across the U.S.
The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security issued a press release on this weekend’s crackdown, saying, “State troopers will conduct ‘No Refusal’ enforcement in the following counties: Union (Knoxville District); Hamilton and Marion (Chattanooga District); Montgomery (Nashville District); Shelby (Memphis District); Hawkins (Fall Branch District); Smith (Cookeville); Maury (Lawrenceburg); and Hardin County (Jackson District).” The press release also describes how police coverage will work over the weekend, “In addition to ‘No Refusal’ enforcement, highway patrol personnel will also conduct driver’s license, sobriety and seat belt checkpoints, as well as saturation patrols and bar and tavern checks.”
South Dakota's Supreme Court ruled police/DHS can't take a citizen's blood without a warrant or consent!
"Big brother is bad enough. Do you really want him working for the DMV?"
--Knute Berger, Seattle Weekly, January 18, 2006.
“Heavily criticized by concerned citizens, civil liberties groups, and state government agencies, the Real ID act is opposed by over 600 organizations including the National Governors Association.” Ars Technica, 2007
http://www.pressherald.com/2014/08/27/maine-pays-price-for-resisting-real-id/
http://www.telegram.com/article/20140827/NEWS/308279971/1237
http://www.reformer.com/opinion/ci_26449073/national-identity-card-threat-our-privacy
http://www.berkshireeagle.com/news/ci_26408324/without-real-id-compliance-massachusetts-driver-s-licenses
http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2014/02/07/massachusetts-other-states-defy-federal-rules-with-looming-consequences-for-residents/KUYDtWTQXHx0E0I2OmQTWJ/story.html