News.com is reporting on recent action in the Senate regarding REAL ID. I had previously reported on several states (particularly in the northwest) passing resolutions against REAL ID compliance. According to the News.com article, the number of these states is now seventeen. What has happened in the Senate is that an amedment to a spending bill offering $300 million in grants to help defray the cost of compliance for states was defeated, and an amendment introduced by Montana Democrat Max Baucus (hurray for the northwest again!) prohibiting using any money in the spending bill for "planning, testing, piloting, or developing a national identification card" was adopted unanimously. We may be getting closer to what is really needed: a complete repeal of this terrible law.
Posted by Kenny at July 31, 2007 9:44 AM| Trackbacks |
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Just to clarify, who voted unanimously for this amendment? All of the Senate- including the senator who introduced the first amendment to provide money? That's quite a large flip-flop even for a senator.
Posted by: Lauren at July 31, 2007 12:20 PMThe senate unanimously approved the amendment. It wasn't actually a flip flop, because the supporters of REAL ID claim that it ISN'T a national ID card. The amendment says they won't give money for anything to do with a national ID card, not that they won't give money for REAL ID.
Posted by: Kenny at July 31, 2007 12:33 PMI meant a senator introduced an amendment to fund REAL ID, and then voted for an amendment to not fund it...or maybe I'm confused...
Posted by: Lauren at July 31, 2007 1:15 PMNo, that's not what happened. A senator introduced an amendment to fund REAL ID, then voted for an amendment not to fund anything related to a national ID card, but since he doesn't believe that REAL ID is a national ID card, he never changed his mind.
Of course, it would be interesting to see whether the court system would think that REAL ID was a national ID card (assuming all of this passes - there was talk about a veto, and I don't think it's gone to the House yet)...
Posted by: Kenny at July 31, 2007 1:56 PMMy friends, I am affraid that it is pointless to fight the National ID. I have fought for this wonderful country and have been an upright citizen. I even went to support the President personally in Washington when he was under attack about Iraq.
When I heard that our own beloved President stated,"The Constitution of the United States is nothing but a godamn piece of paper", I lost all interest and hope in our freedom. We the people no longer have say, and our own government deems us as nothing but a hardship. We follow a course which is not in our control. This National ID will insure a creative dictatorship and there is no stopping it, anymore than we can stop the Federal Reserve from dominating our economy. We have been used and betrayed and there is nothing we can do about it. We have bought into the "system" and we have no one to blame but ourselves.