ASHVILLE - The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee (ACLU-TN) today praised the Tennessee General Assembly for their bipartisan rejection of the REAL ID Act, which would require all Tennesseans to give up sensitive personal information which would be stored in a national database, to pay higher licensing fees, and to stand in long lines at the Department of Motor Vehicles. The joint resolution (SJR248) criticizes the federal law’s unfunded mandate and its threats to privacy, security, and the Tennessee Constitution.Many conservatives are opposed the general direction of the ACLU. I'm one of these people. I believe the ACLU is usually opposed to the best interests of the country.
One commenter named Joel expressed his dislike for the ACLU.
As much as I generally disagree with the ACLU, I had to respond to Joel:
Joel,
I despise most of what the ACLU is doing, but you know what "they" say about a stopped clock. You can't be wrong all the time.
I am dismayed that so many Americans think that to fight illegal immigration and terror we must promote:
1. A massive increase in government power,
2. An undermining of federalism,
3. An undermining of the 4th amendment,
4. An increased ability to track Americans in real-time,
5. An erosion of the presumption of innocence,
6. A radically increased ability to enforce arbitrary (future) rules,
and
7. Federal approval on whether you and I can earn money or not.
Don't get me wrong. I'm all for stemming the tide of illegal immigration. But I don't want to throw our freedoms into the dump to do it.
Illegal immigration should never be used as an issue to further the evolution of a totalitarian state. Instead of going after illegal immigrants, bureaucrats and politicians sought and seek power to monitor and approve the lives of everyone.
A dedication to freedom principles (i.e. the Constitution) may call for difficult decisions.
So be it.
If it’s not freedom, Just what are we fighting for?
I'm sure the ACLU's motivations for opposing REAL ID do not line up with mine.
But conservatives who love the spirit of the Constitution and the goals of the Bill of Rights should be opposed to the thinking and the results of REAL ID.
We shouldn't look first at who opposes it--and then decide we're for it.
Read the resolution here.tenn_0248.pdf
2 comments:
When May 11, 2008 rolls around, do you think Tennessee will still stand firm against Real ID? What about when all the seniors start screaming for their social security money? Will Tennesse cave then? Which state is going to stand firm? That is where I want to move.
Good question.
The pressure is going to be enormous.
Sometimes it seems wee can't sell out the remnants of our heritage fast enough.
JR
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