- A series of articles published by WorldNetDaily.com this
week have proven, beyond a shadow of doubt, that Americans will soon have
to endure more of the kind of statism normally reserved for despotic regimes
in the Third World. That outrage will come in the form of a national ID
card.
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- The crux of the articles is about granting driver's licenses
to illegal aliens, which - according to one immigration-reform group -
is occurring in many more states than previously believed. Though driver's
licensing officials in some of those states vehemently deny illegals are
beating their systems, several residents of these same states have contacted
WND to say otherwise. In some instances, readers say they have actually
witnessed the licensing of illegals.
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- Indeed, says the Federation for American Immigration
Reform, some 15 states make it very easy for illegals to obtain driver's
licenses, though only one - California - has actually passed legislation
making it legal for illegal aliens to apply for and receive driver's licenses
(though there is an effort underway there to have the law repealed).
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- So what, you may ask. What does it matter if illegal
aliens get a driver's license? After all, according to immigrant-rights
groups and supporting politicians, illegals are here in the U.S. and are
driving already. Licensing them may actually make roads safer because the
illegal aliens will have to take and pass driver's exams, buy auto insurance
and so forth.
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- Several things are wrong with this "logic,"
the least of which is whether or not illegals will buy auto insurance (most
don't now and experts say they won't after they get a license, either).
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- First, there is a new federal law on the books that takes
effect Jan. 1. Passed in the wake of the 2000 presidential recount circus/debacle,
the "Help America Vote Act" sets national election standards,
one of which is verifying the identity of voters to make sure they can
legally participate in our country's elections. One of the qualifying documents
is - you guessed it - a driver's license. Yet, if illegals are being given
licenses - legally - what's to stop them from voting? Federal Election
Commission officials gave only weak assurances the proper "safeguards"
were in place to prevent this, but anyone who is familiar with bureaucracy
knows better.
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- That in and of itself is a major problem. Most illegals
come from countries whose system of government is different - read less
liberty-prone - than ours. Are Americans ready for more gun control? Warrantless
searches and seizures? Fewer private-property rights? These same countries
are much more socialist-minded as well; how much larger will the federal
budget grow if illegals are allowed to vote themselves more benefits? Are
Americans ready to pay the higher tax burdens that will be required to
finance this new surge in largess?
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- Also, Americans who travel abroad say driver's licenses,
not passports or other documents, are increasingly being requested by foreign
officials to verify identification. If illegal aliens possess a driver's
license, then there really is no way to find out that person's legitimate
country of origin. How much harder will that make it for U.S. and international
authorities to track terrorists who were smuggled into California ñ
or another state ñ long enough to apply for, and receive, a legitimate
driver's license?
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- "I just took a trip all across the Caribbean and
South America and nobody wanted to see a passport ... just my drivers license,"
a friend told me. "Nobody in Martinique, Barbados or Aruba wanted
to see jack. I only needed a driver's license and ship credit card to get
on or off."
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- What's the obvious answer? "Some statist at Homeland
Security will come up with a national ID card," my friend says. I
think he's right.
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- It's not like the idea hasn't already come up. Plans
to use driver's licenses as de facto national ID cards were first introduced
during the Clinton administration. The idea resurfaced during the Bush
administration following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
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- The next logical step, of course, will be a national
computerized database of the information contained on the de facto national
ID cards, and - well, you get the picture.
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- All because political correctness has made our leaders
more afraid of being mislabeled as racists than concerned about defending
our nation's sovereign borders. For their cowardice, we the people will
have to sacrifice more of our Constitution.
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- In the end, Americans still won't be safe. And illegal
immigration will continue to flourish.
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- - Jon E. Dougherty is a staff reporter and columnist
for WorldNetDaily.
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- © 2003 WorldNetDaily.com
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- http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=34897
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