The First Real ID Refusenik State?
January 25, 2006
8:49 a.m., MT

I know the Montana govclass has been making unhappy noises about the Real ID Act, but have they done anything beyond that? I don't know -- I haven't seen anything to that effect. Today I learn that Washington state may take the same symbolic step against it that many jurisdictions have against the USA PATRIOT Act.

It's buried in a Virtual Editorial Board blog entry at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

When the state Legislature passes what's called a "joint memorial," it has no real legal impact. No statute is changed. No money is appropriated. It's perhaps best described as a gesture.

The Legislature is being asked to make such a gesture this session. It's House Joint Memorial 4029. If approved by the House and Senate, the joint memorial would call on Congress to repeal the Real ID Act of 2005. The act carries the controversial federal mandate that all states retrofit their driver's license programs to produce what amounts to a national identification card. The uncompensated costs to state governments run into the hundreds of millions of dollars. The potential threats to privacy and individual civil liberties have been raised across the ideological spectrum.

Real ID passed Congress literally in the dead of night, attached to funding for the war on terrorism and tsunami relief.

According to a staff bill analysis of HJM 4029, sponsored by Rep. Toby Nixon, R-Kirkland, Real ID was "passed with insufficient deliberation, without a hearing or vote on its own merits, and in lieu of a negotiated process involving decision makers at all levels of government."

This is just a gesture. However, that can be all that's needed to spur others into action. I'm hoping the WA govcrats pass it.

Sunni

Comments: 3 people have contributed to the conversation

On Thursday, January 26th, at approximately 7:30 p.m. Mountain time, Nobodyinparticular said:

Hi,
Thanks for your ongoing work on the REPEAL OF REAL ID...
Below are some websites that are working feverishly to get some public OUTRAGE and MOMENTUM going to Repeal Real ID...

Please visit and participate and invite your visitors to do the same. The more who become educated and fired up over the outrages of the Real ID Act, the sooner this odious legislation will be repealed.

The best, most informative site is http://xsorbit29.com/users5/abolishrealid/ which is an active forum that is posting blow-by-blow news as it emerges concerning REAL ID. There is a lot of background info there that most people are totally unaware of, such as the connection between REAL ID, James TEX Sensenbrenner, and the Kotex people, Kimberly-Clark's RFID involvement. !!

Many thanks.
Sites:
http://abolish.atspace.com
http://imprivate.atspace.com
http://xsorbit29.com/users5/abolishrealid/
http://www.unrealid.com
http://www.realidrebellion.com
http://www.epic.org

PS
You can find more such sites by googling "Real ID Act"...

On Thursday, January 26th, at approximately 7:33 p.m. Mountain time, Me Too said:

Another website that is starting to tackle the REAL ID mess is ACLU.org's new project called
realnightmare.org.

It's fairly new and does not have much up on it, yet, but if enough people contact them and plead with them to get up to speed FAST, maybe they'll get moving on their ambitious plans to UNDO REAL ID.

One can hope!

http://www.realnightmare.org

On Friday, January 27th, at approximately 12:20 p.m. Mountain time, Blisterin' Mad said:

Suggest that people contact their local media (TV, radio, newspapers, etc.) and ask them WHY AREN'T YOU GUYS COVERING THE FIGHT TO REPEAL THE REAL ID ACT OF 2005, BEFORE IT BECOMES THE LAW OF THE LAND IN 2008?

Then report back here and tell us what responses you got, from whom, where.

We need to not only educate ourselves about the REAL ID ACT and all its dangers for Americans' rights to privacy and other civil liberties, but we need to IMPRESS upon the MEDIA that they are failing to do their jobs by NOT reporting on this.

Thank you for listening.

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