The obvious government overreach has reached a fever pitch in recent years, and thanks to a little-known provision added to the Real ID Act that was passed in 2005, the
days of free travel seem to be over for residents in four states, who
will soon be unable to use their driver’s licenses to fly, since they
aren’t compatible with new enactments of federal “Real ID” laws.
The Real ID Act was a counterterrorism measure that was
enacted to standardize the reliability and efficiency of personal
identification. These enhanced driver’s licenses
are now equipped with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips that
contain your biographic and biometric data. This seems to be rather
reminiscent of Nazi Germany, wouldn’t you think?
The Department of Homeland Security
has named New York, Louisiana, Minnesota, American Samoa, and New
Hampshire as locations where the residents will be required to use an
alternative to fly on commercial airplanes starting in 2016. There has
been no official reason given as to why these particular states have
been singled out currently, though some have speculated that the reason
is that these states do not have the enhanced driver’s licenses at this
time.
The “new” enhanced driver’s licenses have RFID chips that store biographic and biometric data of its holder
According to In Homeland Security,
in those states, residents do not have to show proof of residency,
which in essence, makes their identification non-compliant. Other forms
of identification that can be used are passports, military or government
issued identification, the Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL), or a DHS
trusted traveler cards, such as NEXUS or Global Entry.
In a country that was based on freedom, it does seem rather
odd and constrictive that we, the American people, have more
restrictions on us than ever. The American people have voiced their
opinion and do not want to be a part of this unnecessary change or foot
the bill for this. Even though the Real ID Act infringes on states’
rights, as stated in the 10th Amendment, the government has pushed
forward and ignored the American people yet again.
If the TSA was properly screening passengers boarding
flights, what does the identification card have to do with travel? It
really should not matter who is flying domestically, especially if they
have a driver’s license issued to them. But this is not about the safety
of the American people, and it never was. This has always been about
having complete control and more government intrusion in the name of
“safety.”
The government desires complete control over its citizens,
and these national identification cards are just another means to that
absolute control. Even though it may seem that this is just to protect
us from obvious terrorist threats, where does it end?
[Image Credit: Blog.Barcoding/Time]
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