🚀 go-pugleaf

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  From the desk of Congressman Ron Paul

  Reject the National ID Card


Washington politicians are once again seriously considering imposing a 
national identification card - and it may well become law before the end 
of the 108th Congress. The much-hailed 9/11 Commission report released 
in July recommends a federal identification card and, worse, a "larger 
network of screening points" inside the United States. Does this mean we 
are to have "screening points" inside our country where American 
citizens will be required to "show their papers" to government 
officials? It certainly sounds that way!

As I have written recently, the 9/11 Commission is nothing more than 
ex-government officials and lobbyists advising current government 
officials that we need more government for America to be safe. Yet it 
was that same government that failed so miserably on September 11, 2001.

Congress has embraced the 9/11 Commission report uncritically since its 
release in July. Now Congress is rushing to write each 9/11 Commission 
recommendation into law before the November election. In the same way 
Congress rushed to pass the PATRIOT Act after the September 11 attacks 
to be seen "doing something," it looks like Congress is about to make 
the same mistake again of rushing to pass liberty-destroying legislation 
without stopping to consider the consequences. Because it is so 
controversial, we may see legislation mandating a national 
identification card with biometric identifiers hidden in bills 
implementing 9/11 Commission recommendations. We have seen this 
technique used in the past on controversial measures.

A national identification card, in whatever form it may take, will allow 
the federal government to inappropriately monitor the movements and 
transactions of every American. History shows that governments 
inevitably use the power to monitor the actions of people in harmful 
ways. Claims that the government will protect the privacy of Americans 
when implementing a national identification card ring hollow. We would 
do well to remember what happened with the Social Security number. It 
was introduced with solemn restrictions on how it could be used, but it 
has become a de facto national identifier. 

Those who are willing to allow the government to establish a 
Soviet-style internal passport system because they think it will make us 
safer are terribly mistaken. Subjecting every citizen to surveillance 
and "screening points" will actually make us less safe, not in the least 
because it will divert resources away from tracking and apprehending 
terrorists and deploy them against innocent Americans!

The federal government has no constitutional authority to require 
law-abiding Americans to present any form of identification before they 
engage in private transactions. Instead of forcing all Americans to 
prove to law enforcement that they are not terrorists, we should be 
focusing our resources on measures that really will make us safer. For 
starters, we should take a look at our dangerously porous and unguarded 
borders. We have seen already this summer how easy it is for individuals 
possibly seeking to do us harm to sneak across the border into our 
country. In July, Pakistani citizen Farida Goolam Mahomed Ahmed, who is 
on the federal watch list, reportedly crossed illegally into Texas from 
Mexico. She was later arrested when she tried to board a plane in New 
York, but she should have never been able to cross our border in the 
first place!

We must take effective measures to protect ourselves from a terrorist 
attack. That does not mean rushing to embrace legislation that in the 
long run will do little to stop terrorism, but will do a great deal to 
undermine the very way of life we should be protecting. Just as we must 
not allow terrorists to threaten our lives, we must not allow government 
to threaten our liberties. We should reject the notion of a national 
identification card.


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<basefont size="3" face="MS Sans Serif, Geneva, Verdana">&nbsp;<font size="5"><font
 face="Times New Roman"> From the desk of Congressman Ron Paul<br>
</font></font>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="" align="center"><font
 face="Times New Roman" size="5">&nbsp;<o:p> Reject the National ID Card</o:p>
</font></p>
<p><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br>
Washington politicians are once again seriously considering imposing a
national
identification card - and it may well become law before the end of the
108th
Congress. The much-hailed 9/11 Commission report released in July
recommends a
federal identification card and, worse, a "larger network of screening
points"<i> inside</i> the United States. Does this mean we are to have
"screening points" inside our country where American citizens will be
required to "show their papers" to government officials? It certainly
sounds that way! <o:p>
</o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">As I have written
recently, the 9/11 Commission is nothing more than ex-government
officials and
lobbyists advising current government officials that we need more
government for
America to be safe. Yet it was that same government that failed so
miserably on
September 11, 2001. <o:p>
</o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">Congress has embraced
the 9/11 Commission report uncritically since its release in July. Now
Congress
is rushing to write each 9/11 Commission recommendation into law before
the
November election. In the same way Congress rushed to pass the PATRIOT
Act after
the September 11 attacks to be seen "doing something," it looks like
Congress is about to make the same mistake again of rushing to pass
liberty-destroying legislation without stopping to consider the
consequences.
Because it is so controversial, we may see legislation mandating a
national
identification card with biometric identifiers hidden in bills
implementing 9/11
Commission recommendations. We have seen this technique used in the
past on
controversial measures. <o:p>
</o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">A national
identification card, in whatever form it may take, will allow the
federal
government to inappropriately monitor the movements and transactions of
every
American. History shows that governments inevitably use the power to
monitor the
actions of people in harmful ways. Claims that the government will
protect the
privacy of Americans when implementing a national identification card
ring
hollow. We would do well to remember what happened with the Social
Security
number. It was introduced with solemn restrictions on how it could be
used, but
it has become a de facto national identifier.<span style="">&nbsp;
</span><o:p></o:p>
</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">Those who are willing
to allow the government to establish a Soviet-style internal passport
system
because they think it will make us safer are terribly mistaken.
Subjecting every
citizen to surveillance and "screening points" will actually make us
less safe, not in the least because it will divert resources away from
tracking
and apprehending terrorists and deploy them against innocent Americans!
<o:p>
</o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">The federal government
has no constitutional authority to require law-abiding Americans to
present any
form of identification before they engage in private transactions.
Instead of
forcing all Americans to prove to law enforcement that they are not
terrorists,
we should be focusing our resources on measures that really will make
us safer.
For starters, we should take a look at our dangerously porous and
unguarded
borders. We have seen already this summer how easy it is for
individuals
possibly seeking to do us harm to sneak across the border into our
country. In
July, Pakistani citizen Farida Goolam Mahomed Ahmed, who is on the
federal watch
list, reportedly crossed illegally into Texas from Mexico. She was
later
arrested when she tried to board a plane in New York, but she should
have never
been able to cross our border in the first place! <o:p>
</o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">We must take effective
measures to protect ourselves from a terrorist attack. That does not
mean
rushing to embrace legislation that in the long run will do little to
stop
terrorism, but will do a great deal to undermine the very way of life
we should
be protecting. Just as we must not allow terrorists to threaten our
lives, we
must not allow government to threaten our liberties. We should reject
the notion
of a national identification card.</span></p>
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