On Fri, Nov 09, 2001 at 01:12:59PM -0800, Greg Broiles wrote: [a lot of well-written stuff on ID cards etc. deleted. If you didn't read it, go back and dig it up]
(Accordingly, some measures do nothing to reduce the actual risk but make people feel better because of their superstitious beliefs about the power of guns or databases or the application of arbitrary screening and sorting rules. The placebo effect created by these measures isn't unimportant - but let's create it by more traditional and less risky means, like prayer and faith in supreme beings and/or ritual pledges of allegiance or other ceremonies, instead of wasting lots of time and money creating unstable oppression systems ripe for misuse or takeover.)
ID cards are another feel-good measure, nothing more. As you correctly point out, they won't add any real security against terrorism unless taken to very impractical lengths. But the people think they will help, just like the poorly-trained national guard troops in airports. Worse, the people have been sold the ideas that increased security means giving up freedoms and therefore anything that reduces freedom must be increasing security. Eric