It's been some time since I wrote anything concerning the seemingly inevitable REAL ID Act and what the department of Homeland Security plans to use it for. Well, Declan McCullagh, over at CNET has a new piece on some of the most frequently asked questions concerning this travesty and how they'll go about foisting it upon the American people, (whether we wish it or not). One of the questions jumped right out at me, since it exposed yet another lever in their arsenal.
Not that a significant segment of the NRA crowd wasn't already on board with the national ID scheme, ( little brown people and t'rrists are hard acts to follow), but this has the potential to make things exceedingly difficult for those of us who are opposed to this and are gun owners and 2nd Amendment advocates. The worse part is that these DHS thugs don't even require oversight or Congressional approval for their infringements upon our rights. If they take the decision to impose new rules that require REAL ID Act approved documentation to purchase firearms, then it's a done deal.Q: What about buying firearms?
That's an open question. Homeland Security last month refused to rule out requiring Real ID for firearm purchases in the future.When asked about requiring Real ID to buy a firearm, Homeland Security replied: "DHS will continue to consider additional ways in which a Real ID license can or should be used and will implement any changes to the definition of 'official purpose' or determinations regarding additional uses for Real ID consistent with applicable laws and regulatory requirements. DHS does not agree that it must seek the approval of Congress as a prerequisite to changing the definition in the future."
If gunowners think they're safe then they are sadly mistaken and are on the wrong side of the issue. The time is here and now to put your foot down and just say no to the REAL ID Act. We do not need an internal passport. Especially, one which is as insecure as the REAL ID cards will be. No encryption and your info is not only shared with other states, Mexico and Canada, it will also be available to any 7-11, bar, grocery store or business with a scanner. Talk about ID theft potential. Not only will your rights as a gun owner be imperiled your every expectation of privacy will be shredded along with those rights.Q: Does Homeland Security have the authority to do that kind of expansion, or can only Congress expand Real ID?
Homeland Security has the authority. The text of the law says that, starting May 11, "a federal agency may not accept, for any official purpose, a driver's license or identification card issued by a state to any person unless the state is meeting the requirements of this section." Official purpose is defined to include "any other purposes" that Homeland Security thinks is wise.The potential list of "purposes" could be long. Real ID could in theory be required for traveling on Amtrak, collecting federal welfare benefits, signing up for Social Security, applying for student loans, interacting with the U.S. Postal Service, entering national parks, and so on.
My rights as a gun owner are no longer negotiable, especially where the DHS is concerned. Yours shouldn't be either. Take a stand now, because regaining your rights is a hell of a lot harder.
Technorati Tags:
Libertarian, REAL ID, Department of Homeland Security, Gun Owners, 2nd Amendment
5 comments:
Yeah, I'll just say no. That'll take care of it.
If enough people take the decision to stand firm it will take care of it. Of course that would require you to be disobedient. Are you up to that?
I don't leave the country so I don't need an RFID passport. I don't fly so I don't need a "real" id to get on a plane. I do drive so if/when Indiana issues a "real" ID license how do I refuse? I have written protest letters etc. They all have answers. Security, blah, blah. It comes down to the state losing federal money and the pols having no balls to stand up to Washington. When you come up with an action plan, please let me know.
Why do you need anyone else to formulate your plan of action, Jeff? Martin Luther King told us that "one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws." If you won't do it, then who will have to do it for you? Formulate your own plan of resistance if "your" elected representatives won't follow your wishes. Or curl up and go along with thing. The final course of action is up to you and no-one else. You can continue to write, fax, email and call all you wish, if that is your course of action. Or, like may you can prepare for the inevitable and take the decision to either stick to your principles or fold. It's up to each individual, not some preconceived plan of action.
The government has seen fit to "think" for me, do what's best for me, and to protect me from the current evil. I have tried to think for myself and do things in my own self-interest within the "system". If things go too far, I will try to go down swinging, saving the last round for myself.
All the best Michael
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