An American National ID Card

From UPI.com:
"ACLU blasts national ID card proposal"

I don't usually agree with the ACLU (especially when they protect Neo-Nazis, Nazis, terrorists or people like that), but this time I do agree with them. I know that not many Americans know about this, but it seems the Democrats are trying to push a National ID Card on us and are trying to do so "under the table." I guess they are hoping that it will just happen and no one will know about it or voice their concern about it.

I think a National ID Card is not something we need right now. The Democrats need to focus on more important matters first such as: international and domestic terrorism, securing our borders, illegal immigration, creating jobs and dealing with the fallout that is happening from their Health Care Reform.

Whenever I hear about a National ID Card I think of all those war movies where the Germans stop people on the street and shout "Papers! Show me your Papers!" I don't think we need Gestapo-like tactics here. I don't care that many other countries require ID cards and have laws saying you can be fined and/or put in jail for not having it on you when someone asks for it (a side note: Germany no longer has such laws. They only require you to have either a passport or an id card, but you don't have to have it on you.)

I remember when I was first in Russia and was going to my language classes when I was stopped by special police at the entrance. I didn't speak of word of Russian yet and they didn't speak any English (which seems to be the case with most Russians.) I didn't know what was going on and so just walked by them and up the stairs. Two policemen came running after me shouting in Russian and I just told them in English "I don't understand what you are saying." When I got to my classroom I opened the door and the language director was there. She explained everything to the policemen and they left. Then she told me that they were checking for draft evaders (all Russian men have to serve in the military and there are two drafts every year: one in the Spring and one in the Fall.)A few days later I was given a special college id card that said (in Russian) that I was an American citizen and a student at the school. I was told to show it to anyone who asked. I later learned that anyone with any sort of authority in Russia (especially in Moscow and Saint Petersburg) can stop anyone at anytime and demand to see your documents. While I never carried my passport with me when I was in Yaroslavl (except to exchange money) I did carry my student Id Card and whenever I left Yaroslavl I always took my passport.

Another incident happened in Moscow. I was waiting for my train back to Yaroslavl when a policeman stopped me and asked to see my documents (luckily this time I spoke Russian.) I showed him my passport and he asked why I had an American passport. I told him that I had an American passport because I was an American citizen who was studying in Yaroslavl. He didn't seem to understand (I suspect he just couldn't read the Latin alphabet) and so I showed him my Russian visa which had my name and other information both in English and in Russian. He then let me go. While I have never personally been asked to pay fines or a bribe by any Russian authority I do know many people (foreigners in Russia) that had to pay money in order not to be sent to jail for improper documents - even if their documents were in order.

I guess what I am saying with these incidents is that those happened in Russia and should never happen here in the United States. In Russia they have internal travel restrictions (foreigners and ordinary Russians have to register within 3 days whenever they travel to another town/city.) Here in the US we have complete movement of freedom within our borders and that could change once we are forced to carry a National ID Card.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/04/30/ACLU-blasts-national-ID-card-proposal/UPI-96821272634097/