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REAL ID REVOLT: RAISE YOUR VOICE
From the Desk of Caroline Fredrickson
Director, ACLU Washington Legislative Office
Link.
***********************************************************Dear Friend,
States from Maine to Montana are in revolt against Congress’s
REAL ID scheme. By adding your voice today, you can help us
prevent this ‘Real Nightmare’ from becoming a reality.The REAL ID Act requires every American to have a standardized
driver’s license — a de facto national ID — to fly on
commercial airlines or enter government buildings. It also requires
driver’s licenses to have a “machine readable
component,” that will be read everywhere, from retailers to
airports.This component — combined with state databases of drivers’
information — will create one-stop shopping for identity
thieves. More importantly, it will invade people’s privacy
by allowing easy tracking and monitoring of ordinary, law-abiding
Americans.Last month, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposed
regulations to implement REAL ID. As required by law, the
department is now accepting public comments on these proposed
regulations.Take Action: Submit your own comments telling the Department of
Homeland Security and Congress that REAL ID is a ‘Real Nightmare.’
Link.Anyone in America has the right to submit comments to the government
on this proposal. The government hasn’t made submitting
comments easy, but that just makes your comments more valuable. And
we’ve made it much easier to submit comments than it normally
is, with a step-by-step guide and talking points.The number of comments will be watched by many influential Members of
Congress, not just your own. So today you really have a chance
to make a difference on the national stage. The extra impact is
definitely worth the extra effort!Take Action: Your comments to the Department of Homeland Security will
make a huge difference in this debate:
Link.REAL ID creates enormous administrative burdens for state governments,
and it’s a massive unfunded mandate that will cost state
taxpayers tens of billions of dollars. The law forces state
governments to remake their driver’s licenses, restructure their
computer databases and create an extensive new document storage
system.Five states have already said ‘no’ to Real ID, making the
program pointless. More states are expected to follow suit. We hope
this activity, combined with your comments today, will convince
Congress to rethink this ill conceived law.Submit Comments: Tell DHS and Congress that Americans reject REAL ID:
Link.Congress needs to go back to the drawing board and fix Real ID. Many
influential members of Congress will be paying close attention to the
number of comments submitted by the public on REAL ID. By
submitting your comments today, you will make it clear to DHS and
Congress that Americans oppose this costly, intrusive and unworkable
program.Tell DHS and Congress that Americans reject REAL ID:
Link.Thank you for your extra effort today, it really does make a
difference. I look forward to writing you to say, “this
‘Real Nightmare’ for Americans is over.”Sincerely,
Caroline Fredrickson
Director
ACLU Washington Legislative OfficeP.S. For more information on the ACLU’s efforts to defeat REAL
ID, go to:
Link.