The Nazification Of America ("Show Me Your Papers" - Day 1)

[J.A. Terranson]

For those of you who may have missed it, today was the first day of the
new "Real ID Act", a/k/a, the American Nazification Papers Act.  I
wouldn't have know myself except that I recently moved, and wanted to
exchange my current Illinois drivers license for a Missouri one.

Not so fast...

"You have a passport?"

"No, I don't travel."

"A certified copy of your original birth certificate?"
"Haven't had one since I was born, fifty years ago.  And since I was born
about 1500 miles from here, getting one is no small task."

"Too bad.  Your old license is invalid and you can't get another one in
any state, starting today, without at least one of the two documents, PLUS
secondary ID to back them up."

Even though I have a current license, and even though I am in their system
as having held a valid Missouri license for 15+ years, photo included,
none of it is good enough.

OK, so I have no choice, I go to the post office to get a Passport - same
thing.

Fine, I'll just order the birth certificate and get it over with, right?

Wrong.  New York wants affirmative proof of identity for a copy now:
passport or your [missing] original birth certificate.  Anyone else see a
circular problem here?

"I need a new birth certificate because the old one was lost about forty
years ago. And I don't have a passport to prove my identity."

"Get your parents to testify who you are, and make sure they bring their
passports."

"They are both dead."

"Sorry Sir, I'm afraid we won't be able to help you then."

<click>


Durbin was right.  And he didn't even scratch the surface!  Anyone who
thinks this "Real ID Act" is about getting false ID out of the hands of
"The Terrorists" is an idiot: they will simply print their own drivers
licenses - this is about forcing the regular population to get used to
intrastate passports.  This act essentially forces you to have a passport
for everyday things like banking, car purchases and certain repairs,
checks, etc.

We have literally allowed the Nazification to begin, and we've even
welcomed it with eager open arms - all in the name of "Fighting Terror".
Crystal clear, pure unadulterated bullshit.

-- 
Yours,

J.A. Terranson
sysadmin at mfn.org
0xBD4A95BF


"Never belong to any party, always oppose privileged classes and public
plunderers, never lack sympathy with the poor, always remain devoted to
the public welfare, never be satisfied with merely printing news, always
be drastically independent, never be afraid to attack wrong, whether by
predatory plutocracy or predatory poverty."

Joseph Pulitzer
1907 Speech