Frightened, or Free? (February 2002)Meanwhile, Congress has given the CIA vast new powers and billions of dollars to use them. The CIA can now read secret grand jury testimony without a judge’s prior approval. They want to intercept e-mail without a warrant and more powers to eavesdrop on people.
And the technology exists to pull it all off.
You heard about the cameras and software that captured every fan’s face at last year’s SuperBowl in Tampa. Computers instantly compared each face to those of criminals stored in a database.
Around the country, work is underway on optical technologies that can identify you hundreds of feet away by the color spectrum emitted by your skin, or your body’s unique dimensions, or the "force profiles" of your walking feet, or the speckles in your irises.
Beyond detecting human identity, they’re detecting human intention! Like computers programmed to recognize movement associated with criminal behavior. Another system tracks features of your face and figures out what your expressions mean emotionally! Computers will look at what’s on your face and decide what’s in your heart.
The only people who can stop all of this are you and me. Indeed, the only people who’ve ever drawn the line, by refusing to toe the line, are the patriots like you who stand up and say, NO MORE.
Read more here.
**I cannot find any evidence that the NRA has taken a stand against REAL ID. IF they haven't, they should--to be consistent.**
4 comments:
While Gun Owners of America has been a loud voice against REAL ID, the NRA, at least officially, is going middle of the road. They submitted public comments on REAL ID, in which they voiced some 'concern', but ultimately only asked that the buying of guns not become one of the official federal purposes of a REAL ID. To date it is not (you can use your good old drivers license and NICS check), but Mayor Bloomberg has already proposed using REAL ID as a requirement for that very same purpose (you can find this all over the web). This should leave gunowners uneasy for two reason: Using the REAL ID as a necessary item for firearm purchases was suggested as a thought for consideration under the proposed (not final) rules for REAL ID. So you know they are thinking about it. Secondly, DHS is very clear in that the final rules aren't really, well, final. It is the first of many edicts, and they may try for this change in the future. The reality is that once REAL ID is out there, it will eventually be required for everything (guns, alcohol, voting, buying a home, getting a job, cigarettes, driving, opening a bank account, etc etc). It is a blank check, a pandoras box, that they will call optional, but only if you don't mind not being able to function in society.
http://www.mikebloomberg.com/en/issues/illegal_guns/mayors_against_illegal_guns_announces_presidential_candidate_questionnaire
Yeah...
I emailed the NRA about REAL ID. They mumbled back a half-hearted answer...
The NRA's work is so important in many ways. I thought they'd take REAL ID more seriously.
Bob Barr, NRA director, is solidy against REAL ID, as written in the Atlanta Jourunal-Constitution, here is a bit of it:
*** "Real ID Act heroes
By Bob Barr | Friday, March 28, 2008, 12:07 AM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Only three states — Maine, New Hampshire and South Carolina — continue to hold out against the pressure and threats by the federal government as it tries to force 100% of the states to comply with the Real ID Act. These three states are true heroes.
The Real ID Act for the first time in our history establishes a national identification card, by forcing the states to create and issue only driver’s license meeting precise federal standards, and linking all state databases together for the federal government to access. A number of states have objected to the cost and inconvenience posed by the program (every person wishing to have a driver’s license under the Real ID Act would have to apply for a new one), and to the privacy-invasive nature of the process;" ***
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If the NRA is waffling on this, there are three potential reasons:
1) Their board (or membership) is divided on this issue between those who see REAL ID for what it is, and those who see it as the silver bullet for illegal immigration (the bite off your nose to spite your face crowd).
2) They have become too much of a Washington insider organization and have been told to back off on this issue. NRA could have made a huge impact here, and DHS knows it. DHS has been very smart about trying to be as uncontroversial with REAL ID on conservative issues as they can (for now).
3) It was not considered part of their core mission. Considering their magazine is now titled America's First Freedom, I hope the NRA recognizes that if you protect only the 2nd amendment while all other freedoms are assaulted, eventually the 2nd amendment will be an island that can not stand on its own. They have to pick and choose their battles, but this should have been one of them. Gun Owners of America deserves props for this one.
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