Identity Card Revisited
Although a National Identity Card is both a practical and absolute form of identification I have yet to find anyone who agrees with the concept.
Since I posted the previous article I have talked with a number of people and everyone feels that it would restrict their freedom.
The second concern is if there were such a card could someone be arrested for not carrying it?
First, it would be an identification card not a government ‘tracking device”. The US government already has such a device. It is your credit or debit card.
If the government wanted to, they would know how much money you spend with respect to your income, what you buy and where and when. They could follow your activities in great detail at present if they wanted to.
They know the make, model and year of your automobile and knowing how much gas you purchase, they can know how far you drive in a year and where you have purchased gas therefore where you have been.
When I go to vote in Connecticut, I must present my driver’s license or I don’t get to vote. It’s as simple as that. The police don’t haul me away to prison.
We carry all sorts of “cards” today already. You have your driver’s license, your Social Security Card, your medical insurance or Medicare card, your library card and so on.
If you do not present that card you are not arrested, you simply do not receive some service appropriate to that card.
Now to the consequences as a result of NOT having this card.
Saudi terrorists would have been unable to obtain drivers licenses which they were able to use to receive flight training leading to pilot certificates in the US.
They would have been unable to board those large commercial aircraft.
The World Trade Towers would still be standing. Those lives would not have been lost. The US would not have gone into Afganistan. The US would not be fighting a war in Iraq.
Billions of dollars would be instead taking care of problems at home. Thousands of American servicemen would be alive today and more thousands would not be crippled.
A National Identity Card would have prevented all this.
What lies in store for us without this card?
It’s your decision.
I found your site on technorati and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you.
Aaron Wakling
Not so sure of your senario. They would not have needed the card to take flight lessons, only to get a pilots lisence no? And they could get on any aircraft with a passport. Even a fake no?
Playing devils advocate.
Teddoid,
Good points but that is the way it is NOW, not the way it would be with a National ID Card.
Maybe we should REQUIRE that anyone wanting to learn to fly in the US should be a US citizen anyway. I wonder how other countries deal with that?
Certainly you can get onto a commercial plane even today with a fake passport.
Regarding flying lessons, you don’t get the opportunity to fly a plane without a valid medical certificate which is checked by your flight instructor. A Pilot Certificate carries your SS number.
With a National ID Card system if you don’t present the card, you don’t get a flight medical certificate or a Pilot’s Certificate, you don’t drive a boat or a car, you don’t get free medical assistance or free rent or free food or free legal counseling or a free pass to state parks and beaches etc.
All of the above are currently available without proving who you are.
I repeat, if a National ID Card system had been in place, the Towers would still be standing.
Hello John,
as always new technologies could be used for the benefit or to the disadvantage of mankind. May be the real question is, do I trust in the central government, that it will not cheat its subjects.
I think in a short time any good prepared offender will know how to outsmart the national identity card. But who earns a lot of money, when these cards are mandatory? The cards may be expensive and the corresponding IT-projects as well.
I think you won’t get more security but you will get more surveillance and costs.
Happy offblogging!
The Social Security number and its card was never meant to be used for identification. Look at your present card where it says “Not To Be Used For Identification.” And look at what has happened with that number.
A National ID Card? What will happen with that? It could eventually lead to this “card’s” number ending up implanted under your skin, under everyone’s skin. And what could that lead to? Who knows? Would it be those people with permanent ID numbers could be easily selected for bye bye goodbye? Somewhat like those Jews with tattooed permanent numbers were selected for bye bye goodbye. Bad history could never happen again. I don’t think so.
Is there any freedom in a number? In any numbers? –Oh shit! You got my number. You got me! Goodbye….
–30–