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Upshot of Immigration Debate: Who Wants National ID Cards? TPMCafe

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The Coffee House America Abroad Warren Reports Mathew Yglesias Discussion Tables By cloudy bio

Don't all start shouting "I do! I do" at once, but the logic of the debate on illegal immigrants is already pointing to something that directly affects all of us, in a way SOME of us at least might find very upsetting: NATIONAL ID CARDS. This could join together the immigration and terrorism debates -- despite protestations from columnists, BOTH these issues are at least better for the Repugs than the others, even with or especially with mass protests by those highly unlikely to ever vote Repug highlighting the debate for those who might. But one thing those protests need to include is concern about national ID cards, something many who MIGHT vote Repug might find (pardon the pun) especially repugnant.

 Here's a discussion, with link, advocating exactly that:

Stuart Taylor, a writer for the National Journal, insists:

 "... all efforts to control illegal immigration will be futile unless Congress requires workers to have forgery-proof, theft-proof identity cards -- ideally embedded with biometric data matching the bearer's thumbprint or iris scan -- and imposes heavy penalties on employers who hire people without such cards."

Well, maybe the Repugs have a proposal for immigration that the extreme right and the Bush rhetoric can finally agree on: national ID's to promote more effective border enforcement. Of course, it might not be the best election year issue, but that won't prevent a Repug Congress, or even with one House barely Democratic and a few Liebermans, from supporting the idea. Remember how hopeful everyone was when the Patriot Act was "defeated" last year, in an effort led by Sen Feingold, as he was a special guest here? Now look at what happened -- and with broad support in both Houses from Democrats!

I wouldn't trust these people with protecting civil liberties as far as you could throw a piece of gnat WBush! And a national ID will surely be the step to that -- and before you know it, required when you vote as well as to get jobs, and who knows what else? Medical care? It's not so much that national ID per se is such a horrible thing, problematic as that is, but with the current crop of megalos in power? Please, people! SOUND THE ALARMS!

I suppose that if this issue finds its way into the immigration issue protests, the Repugs will back away for a time, as they did on the draft. But, like herpes, it shall return ......

cloudy's Blog

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