The Real ID Act, and why Virginia needs to stop it

A process has been set in motion to rob you of your civil liberties. This is not an exaggeration, it is called the Real ID Act and it was passed into law in 2005 by Congress, and will take effect Dec. 31, 2009. Since the news fails to talk about anything pre-Obama these days, let me catch you up to speed if you haven’t yet heard.

In 2005, President George W. Bush asked Congress for more defense funding and relief funding for Hurricane Katrina. Hidden within a multi-billion dollar defense bill was a section that outlined stipulations that required the Department of Homeland Security to develop and implement a federal ID program. Without meaningful debate, recourse or even a simple “Hey what’s this part?” Congress signed the act into law.

Referred to as the Real ID Act, this sneaky piece of legislation requires all states to meet federal standards for issuing identification cards. Also included was the creation of a national identification registry and new laws which would make it more difficult for immigrants to obtain IDs.

Now it’s 2009, and the deadline to get with the program is fast approaching. The question is-why do we need such a program? According to the Department of Homeland Security Web site, the Real ID Act is designed to impede terrorists from falsifying documents such as the fake passports used to obtain the plane that crashed into the Pentagon. I know what you’re thinking-how in the hell did they find falsified passports (made out of paper) when they couldn’t find the plane’s wings or engines? That’s another issue though. The Real ID Act already is federally mandated, so the only thing that could stop it is another act of Congress or a bunch of state legislatures opposing it. This is where Virginia comes into play.

Right now, a bill is being debated in the Virginia General Assembly, which would allow Virginia to not participate in the Real ID Act and any other federal ID program. The bill is called House Bill 1587, and several other states have already introduced legislation that opposes the Real ID Act-such as North Carolina and Maryland.

The implications for the Real ID act are far-reaching and numerous. If the Real ID act is put into place, anyone could be identified with a scanner at any federal building or place of business. Failure to carry a federal ID would result in many unpleasant things-including the possibility of arrest as a suspected terrorist. Not only that, but the electronic components of a readable card mean that you could be tracked and your information would be available on a national network of state registries.

The American Civil Liberties Union is staunchly opposed to the Real ID Act, and has many well-constructed arguments against it. I urge all students to look up the facts on the Real ID Act and let your representatives know what you think about it. If we do not watch our government closely, we might end up signing away our freedoms one by one. It would be a sad day in America to wake up and realize that we’re card-carrying members of a free democracy.