Two articles from alternet

[conuly]

One on the National ID thing.

I gotta be honest here. I'm not upset over the national ID idea. Plenty of other countries have them, and they aren't all horrible totalitarian nations. In fact, many of them are quite nice - nicer than fundie-run America, anyway.

Yes, I realize that it wouldn't make us more secure, and I believe that the idea of tacking on unrelated clauses to laws is wrong (though a common enough practice), but... I'm not getting worked up over this.

And one on The Memo. Has this been in CNN at all? Because I can't recall seeing it there...

*sighs*

I never thought I'd see the day when I'd say I couldn't trust my own nation's news sources. Sadly, that day has come and gone. Repeatedly. Here's the question. Was it always like this, and I was just naive?

Comments

[eighthcloud.livejournal.com]

Was it always like this, and I was just naive?

I'm afraid so. I'm the same way.

But the worst part is that we don't even know the half of it.

[conuly]

*sighs*

Wow! It's dawn! This is how I'll start my day, mourning my lost innocence!

[wiccanhottie.livejournal.com]

you are mosr definatly not nieve, cause i just realized it to. I don't think i'm able to trust my own nation,well if i can't trust them..why live here?? Still i gotta stay, with the parents till i'm 18

[divabat.livejournal.com]

I'm from a country that has the National ID card and I don't see why everyone's so worked up over it. o_O It's not like the card has a tracking device that tracks where you're going or doing...

[sophiaserpentia.livejournal.com]

One of my problems with it is that the federal government has no standard for dealing with transsexuals. Some states recognize it but the federal government does not. Therefore what is going to happen to people who have had sex reassignment surgery or are going to have it soon? Will they have a state ID that says they are of one gender and a federal ID that says they are of another?

[conuly]

That's a problem with the execution, though, not with the idea of a national ID.

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

My main problem with it is that it was hidden in something entirely unrelated...

[l33tminion]

True, and there are a lot of problems with the execution of this idea. For one, the Real ID Act has no provisions for protecting the identities of public servants who need to keep their identities private to stay safe (including undercover police officers).

Maybe if the government was friendlier, I'd support national ID. But considering the administration that's in power now, it just sounds like the prelude to fascism, and it seems like a system that is just too easy to abuse.

[lakidaa.livejournal.com]

there are some really bad things, like the RFID (or some acronym like that) chip. it's a chip that broadcasts the info on the card. That's my problem with it. Some other stuff too. check out Fark.com's thread on it.

Also: the bill-thing for it was a rider on a funding bill. That means it's baaad. as in, they had to sneak it in because they (whomever put it on ther) knew it wouldn't get in on its own merits.

[l33tminion]

The other thing about the real ID act that worries me is this. There's a clause in there that allows the secretary of homeland security to override any law without judicial review if that law interferes with construction of roads and barriers on one section of the boarder. It only applies to a tiny area, but it's a horrible precedent.

[eighthcloud.livejournal.com]

Was it always like this, and I was just naive?

I'm afraid so. I'm the same way.

But the worst part is that we don't even know the half of it.

[conuly]

*sighs*

Wow! It's dawn! This is how I'll start my day, mourning my lost innocence!

[wiccanhottie.livejournal.com]

you are mosr definatly not nieve, cause i just realized it to. I don't think i'm able to trust my own nation,well if i can't trust them..why live here?? Still i gotta stay, with the parents till i'm 18

[divabat.livejournal.com]

I'm from a country that has the National ID card and I don't see why everyone's so worked up over it. o_O It's not like the card has a tracking device that tracks where you're going or doing...

[sophiaserpentia.livejournal.com]

One of my problems with it is that the federal government has no standard for dealing with transsexuals. Some states recognize it but the federal government does not. Therefore what is going to happen to people who have had sex reassignment surgery or are going to have it soon? Will they have a state ID that says they are of one gender and a federal ID that says they are of another?

[conuly]

That's a problem with the execution, though, not with the idea of a national ID.

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

My main problem with it is that it was hidden in something entirely unrelated...

[l33tminion]

True, and there are a lot of problems with the execution of this idea. For one, the Real ID Act has no provisions for protecting the identities of public servants who need to keep their identities private to stay safe (including undercover police officers).

Maybe if the government was friendlier, I'd support national ID. But considering the administration that's in power now, it just sounds like the prelude to fascism, and it seems like a system that is just too easy to abuse.

[lakidaa.livejournal.com]

there are some really bad things, like the RFID (or some acronym like that) chip. it's a chip that broadcasts the info on the card. That's my problem with it. Some other stuff too. check out Fark.com's thread on it.

Also: the bill-thing for it was a rider on a funding bill. That means it's baaad. as in, they had to sneak it in because they (whomever put it on ther) knew it wouldn't get in on its own merits.

[l33tminion]

The other thing about the real ID act that worries me is this. There's a clause in there that allows the secretary of homeland security to override any law without judicial review if that law interferes with construction of roads and barriers on one section of the boarder. It only applies to a tiny area, but it's a horrible precedent.