National ID cards will erode liberty

[steve2470]

http://ydr.com/story/lcgf/55130/


You can thank President Bush and the Republican leadership for implementing a national ID card with biometric identifiers that make us less free and not one bit safer. In a recent speech at the libertarian based CATO Institute, congressman Bob Barr explained why national ID cards are not good public policy. He stated there has never been a study indicating national ID cards are legitimate or effective at stopping acts of terrorism. Countries such as Israel, Spain and Russia have national ID cards with biometric identifiers and each of them has had recent acts of terrorism.

The documented weak area for the 9/11 attack was the visa process. Just implementing the existing laws would have stopped several of the attackers from getting fraudulent identification documents. With this administration you can almost count on losing more of your personal freedom every time the media whips up some hysteria or a new “crisis” develops. First it was the Patriot Act, then Patriot Act II and now the national ID card. Remember how the Patriot Act was only going to be a temporary infringement on civil liberties because it had a sunset clause? Of course, now the federal government is pushing to make the Patriot Act permanent.

When the next crisis hits we will be one step closer to implementing checkpoints where federal agents can ask for “your papers, please.” It makes you wonder why a national ID card was pushed through in a lame-duck congress when there isn’t one study indicating national ID cards are an effective measure to combat terrorism. Benjamin Franklin stated, “They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

RONALD L. GOODMAN
CARLISLE

This is actually a LTTE but a good one.