Super-secure driver’s licenses
Riffin’ off stlo7…
Republicans nationwide are salivating over Governer Spitzer’s political misstep with driver’s license reform, and the Monroe County GOP has jumped on the bandwagon, sending out incendiary attack mail claiming that Democrats love Bin Laden, or something like that…
Ooooh!! Scary!! A brown-skinned man in a keffiyeh! Give me a break.
I call BS. It’s an outright lie. The license plan makes us more secure, not less. From Newsday:
Chertoff got a powerful governor to commit to the federal government’s post-9/11 Real ID effort to make regular state driver’s licenses harder to forge. New York becomes the largest state to do so at a time when several governors are balking at the plans as too costly and difficult to put in place.
Yes, you read that right: Spitzer’s license plan gets a thumbs up from DHS: Here’s a photo of Elliot Spitzer and his new BFF Michael Chertoff at a news conference during which the Department of Homeland Security endorsed Spitzer’s plan:
To be honest with you, I’m not sure I favor the Real ID licenses myself.
There are some serious civil-liberty and data security concerns with Real ID. I’m not sure this is a good development - but it certainly doesn’t hand the keys to AQ.
You know what bothers me most about this thread? It’s that we’re totally in reactive mode - trying to push back on a non-issue because of how successfully Minarik has put it out there. He’s framed the issue and we’re forced to respond, and it’s typical stuff with the Republicans getting out a simple, gut-level message to their neanderthal base, and the Democrats sitting around and wonking out about policy minutiae.
I liked it better when it was DiRaddo responding to us. Let’s get back out in front of the news.
I also think RealID is an oversold non-solution that is a threat to civil liberties.
Also, on the framing: the drivers’ license issue is a 70/30 loser in New York State. That’s why the R’s are using it to attack. That’s a reality that needs to be dealt with on the issue, like it or not.
Yeah, an endorsement by DHS and Chertoff? Well - speaks volumes.
We need to get off the fear thing which seems to drive everything. Oh, and super secure? What does that mean? Counterfeit proof? What exactly is counterfeit proof.
What is missing here is we don’t need a license to drive a car. We simply need to know which pedals to push.
Super Secure license won’t prevent people from driving.
Minarik tried to frame using this visual before, and it got him spanked.
Nonetheless, I think we need a strong response from Dem HQ. Trying to ignore such hyped up claims only risks landing us in John Kerry’s boat from ‘04.
Again, I also think its time for the media to wake up and start getting serious about defending political decency in this county.
Spitzer’s website also shows that Slade Gordon (R-Washington State and on the 9/11 commission) also supports this plan.
That’s the good thing (to me) about this three tier plan. A top tier for people who want to use it to go across the canadian border, a second tier for people who want to use it to board planes, and a third tier that will be for driving purposes. The good part is besides saying “Not a Federally Approved License” the new third tier will be virtually identical to our current licenses. As long as you have a passport, you can simply use it to board a plane or go to canada.
The problem (for racists) is that the third tier will be given without regard to citizenship.
The RealID act makes it so we can’t use our state ID’s to board planes unless the ID card meets certain requirements (i.e. the second tier).
What about the welfare coupons the illegal aliens are getting? Can we make those counterfeit proof too? That’s my big concern.
FYI that made me snort coffee into my sinus cavity, so, thanks, I guess.
For one thing, welfare isn’t just doled out to anyone with a license. From my understanding, an individual has to go through extensive means testing before receiving such benefits.
I doubt there are tons of illegal immigrants who want to expose their illegal private lives to the government. From my understanding, many of these folks will go so far as to avoid necessary health care in facilities that are considered illegal immigrant safe, out of lingering fear they might be picked up by immigration officers.
If you guys really want to see the republicans heads explode, wait until they start talking about the new sex and labor trafficking law that took effect yesterday. It will allow illegal immigrants, who were victimized in labor or sex trafficking, to receive some kind of emergency legal status so they can legally get benefits.
Of course, this law was passed by the Assembly and Senate so the repugs probably will stay away from this and simply keep on with their racist ways on the license issue.
It’s creeping socialism!! I mean, well…. creeping something. Lou Dobbs will tell me tonight why to hate it.