From 30 Jan., Pgh Post-Gazette Letters, thought it might interest some here
No to national ID
The Bush administration preaches from the White House pulpit about the virtues of liberty and freedom abroad, while systematically ignoring the same virtues domestically. While the right hand spies on and mocks habeas corpus, the left hand beats the drum about the righteousness of democracy and the necessity to go to war to protect it.
The administration hopes to strike civil liberties once more with its implementation of the Real ID Act, which essentially federalizes state drivers' licenses and creates a de facto national ID ("Driver's License Detour?" Jan. 12) -- this, to protect the liberties we are supposed to have from terrorism.
The program will infringe on what privacy we have left and enable the government to create a national database with information on all individuals. The potential for large-scale identity theft and terrorism will still exist. After all, if a terrorist organization is sophisticated enough to pull off 9/11, it is surely able to forge an ID card.
This is a national ID. Without public protest and absolute objection from the state legislatures, we approve of a surveillance state. I am not an alarmist, but I find the following quote from the Department of Homeland Security's Web site to be most alarming: "The REAL ID Act requires that a REAL ID driver's license be used for 'official purposes,' as defined by DHS." The DHS is accountable only to the president, whoever he or she may be, and not to the public. "Official purposes" can mean anything in this brave new world.
MARK BYRNE
Castle Shannon
Posters Thought: Some might put it as follows. The DHS could well turn out to be, if it has not already become, one of the greatest threats to the individual liberties of Americans in their own country. For instance, as Mr. Byrne asks, would someone please define "official purposes", including all the wonderous and perhaps gory details of the term.