Subject: oppose proposals for a national identity card
To: "The American Civil Liberties Union" <belmonte@MIT.EDU>
From: "The American Civil Liberties Union" <belmonte@MIT.EDU>
Message-Id: <20040921203550.E975F380CD@outbound.capwiz.com>
Date: Tue, 21 Sep 2004 16:35:50 -0400 (EDT)

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Message text follows:

Matthew Belmonte
[address]


September 21, 2004

[recipient address was inserted here]


 [recipient name was inserted here],

I urge you to oppose the creation of a national identity card
under the guise of a standardised driving licence.  The creation of a
national identity card or system is a misplaced, superficial "quick fix"
to the terrorist threat.  A national identity system would not effectively
deter terrorists and, instead, would pose serious threats to the rights of
freedom and equality of everyone in the United States.

I understand that this issue may be considered as early as next week as
part of the debate on intelligence reform.

A national identity card would not prevent terrorism. An identity card is
only as trustworthy as the identifying information used to issue the card
in the first place.  Terrorists and criminals will continue to be able to
obtain -- by legal and illegal means -- the documents needed to get a
government identity card, such as birth certificates and social security
numbers. A national identity card would only create a false sense of
security, since it would exclude from scrutiny anyone able to obtain it by
legal or illegal means.

A national identity system would depend not only on the issuance of an
identity card but also on the integration of huge amounts of personal
information included in state and federal government databases.  Software
errors and clerical mistakes or malfeasance could take away an person's
ability to move freely from place to place, or even make them unemployable
until the government repaired their file.

A national identity card could require all people in the United States to
carry an internal passport at all times, compromising privacy and limiting
freedom.  Laws pertaining to a national identity card would foster new
forms of discrimination and harassment.  The card could be used to stop,
question, or challenge anyone perceived as looking or sounding foreign, or
individuals of certain religious affiliations.

Once again, I urge you to oppose the institution of a national identity
card under the guise of a standardised driving licence.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this matter.

Sincerely,


Matthew Belmonte