Time to Resist REAL ID

Today . . .

The “Repeal the REAL ID Act” is DownsizeDC.org’s oldest active campaign.

It is also one of our most successful. Public outrage from the Left, Right, and Middle has persuaded many state legislatures to refuse to implement it. The Obama Administration, which to its credit doesn’t like this Bush-era law, keeps issuing waivers and deadline extensions on the states.

But REAL ID’s author, James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), is holding hearings this week, no doubt to try to build pressure on the Obama Administration to enforce this unconstitutional law.

That’s why it is important to raise our voices today. Tell Congress to repeal the REAL ID Act and replace it with nothing.

You may borrow from or copy this letter…

Rep. Sensenbrenner, the author of the REAL ID Act, along with House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith will try to drum up support for REAL ID by holding hearings this week.

Don’t be fooled by the inevitable scare-mongering of these hearings. You would be wise to take the opposite approach and REPEAL Real ID.

The law simply can’t function…

* 25 states refuse to comply with REAL ID.
* It would strip citizens of those states the right to air travel.
* Which would wreck the airline industry (and overall economy), and anger tens of millions of Americans.

To be blunt, if you insist on REAL ID enforcement, you would deliberately act against the best interests of the United States and the people, and commit political suicide.

Moreover, these states have GOOD REASON to reject REAL ID…

* It is an unfunded mandate on cash-strapped states.
* The Constitution does not empower Congress to regulate state driver’s licenses or other ID cards.
* Nor does it empower Congress to mandate a National ID card or “internal passport.”
* It certainly doesn’t empower Congress to restrict the right of the people to cross state lines!

These states have a the duty to protect their citizens from federal encroachment of their rights.

What REAL ID does is punish American citizens for the crimes of a few foreign terrorists from over a decade ago…

* The elderly, the poor, and divorced women who’ve changed their names are among those who will have difficulty gathering up documents that “prove” their identity — even if they’ve held valid driver’s licenses up until now.
* My identity could be stolen, because my personal information will be collected in a national database which could be hacked into by corrupt government employees or other criminals.
* Just as the government lied about the limited use of Social Security numbers, REAL ID will inevitably be required to do more and more things, and will likely contain tracking technology.

Moreover, REAL ID will NOT protect us from terrorism…

* Any elaborate terrorist plot takes planning and will include terrorists who will be able to legally acquire a REAL ID drivers license.
* To the extent REAL ID has been implemented, it hasn’t played any role in the capture of real or suspected terrorists — not even one. (http://tinyurl.com/7ue3w7l)
* All but two of the 9/11 hijackers were in the U.S. legally and could have obtained a REAL ID card, and ALL of them had a passport allowing them to fly. (http://tinyurl.com/8xllv7q)

It is evident to me that the threat of terrorism is a false pretense to impose a National ID card – a hallmark of totalitarian states. I urge you to obey your oath to the Constitution and serve the American people: Repeal Real ID!

END LETTER

You can send your letter using DownsizeDC.org’s Educate the Powerful System.

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Jim Babka
President
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.

D o w n s i z e r – D i s p a t c h

Official email newsletter of DownsizeDC.org, Inc. & Downsize DC Foundation.

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