Plan would create surveillance society

Ever feel that you are being watched? It's a creepy felling … and it's about to get worse. What if our government, Mexico and Canada could track your every move?

The Real ID Act would convert state issued driver's licenses and ID cards into potential tracking devices, allowing computers to note and record people's whereabouts each time they are identified. This is a major step toward creating a surveillance society. It also violates the “principles of federalism” that reserve states' powers in the 10th Amendment.

Also disturbing is the fact that, because of national agreements with Canada and Mexico, those governments will also have access to every American's identification information. States have the option, in addition to Social Security number and the usual information found on IDs, to add fingerprinting and/or iris scan to the bar code.

This painfully reminds me of an editorial I wrote some time back on the North American Union, planned for implementation in 2010. Surprise! The Real ID Act is to go into effect in 2010 also.

Canada's strong dollar will boost our weakening one. Illegals from Mexico will no longer be illegal in this country, thus no completed fence.

Our federal political machine will strip most of the power from the states, and their sovereignty. We'll just be one big glob of three countries known as the North American Union.

The Real ID Law was passed in May, 2005. Rep. Phil Hart of Athol, Idaho says, “It never had a hearing in the (U.S.) Senate. The House saw it, but the Senate never did.”

LAURIE WADKINS

Priest River