Fatherland Security, There You Go Again

The agency that can't protect the identity data of its own employees has another ill-conceived scheme, the REAL ID system. Never mind that if one security document is all that's needed, criminals will learn how to forge it and cops/security folks will be lulled into accepting it.

Read up on it, and then TODAY, NOW, send this to DHS, who obviously is far too busy doing a miserable job of rebuilding New Orleans to consider how many ways this violates Federal Law, the intent of the Congress and the spirit of the Constitutiuon (especially the Ninth Amendment).

May 8, 2007


Fax: 1 (866) 466-5370
oscomments@dhs.gov

Department of Homeland Security
Attn: NAC 1-12037
Washington, D.C. 20538

RE: Notice of Proposed Rulemaking DHS-2006-0030

Dear Secretary Chertoff:

Because the Department of Homeland Security is creating an illegal national identification system, I write to urge the agency to withdraw the regulations and seek repeal of the REAL ID Act. The attempt to create rules for the establishment of a national identification system is unlawful for the following reasons:

1. The law that created the Department of Homeland Security prohibited a national identification system. By trying to implement REAL ID, the Department of Homeland Security is breaking the law and violating the public trust.
2. The plan will create a massive national identification system without adequate privacy and security safeguards. It will also make it more difficult for people to get driver's licenses. And it will make it too easy for identity thieves, stalkers, and corrupt government officials to get access to such personal information as a home address, age, and Social Security number.
3. The regulations endanger the privacy of domestic violence survivors' personal information, exposing them to stalkers in all 50 states.
4. If the regulations are not withdrawn, then the Department of Homeland Security must FULLY APPLY all provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974 to this REAL ID system, including the right to limit the use of personal information collected by the federal government, access the data collected about them; correct any mistakes in the data; and turn to the court system to apply for redress.

We the people were unable to speak during the rushed passage of REAL ID. We are speaking now and we are demanding that the Department of Homeland Security reject this illegal national identification system.

Respectfully submitted,