News from the US
Nick Hall
is going in the US. Remember that our politicians are just drooling at
the opportunity to increase state surveillance and control that the
terrorist attacks have provided them with. Should the US falter in its
protection of individual rights and freedoms I doubt if the UK would last
five minutes before descending into a totalitarian police state.
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SCAN THIS NEWS
11.09.2001
From the office of Congressman Ron Paul:
From: Singleton, Norman [mailto:Norman.S...@mail.house.gov]
Sent: Friday, November 09, 2001 11:25 AM
Subject: National ID
Friends, yesterday the subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of
the
Financial Services Committee held a joint hearing on Identify Theft by
Terrorists with the Social Security Subcommittee of the Ways and Means
Committee. Attached is a copy of Congressman Paul's statement from the
hearing. Also, the airlines want the government to help them set up
background checks and establish a "travelers' ID." Finally, an
interesting
article from libertarian Justin Raimondo on liberals who are embracing
National IDs ion the wake of 9-11.
http://www.house.gov/paul/congrec/congrec2001/cr110801.htm
Madam Chairwoman, thank you for holding this timely hearing on the
important
topic of identity crimes committed against the victims of the September
11
attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center
Madam Chairwoman, thank you for holding this timely hearing on the
important
topic of identity crimes committed against the victims of the September
11
attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. I would also like to
thank the Social Security Subcommittee of the Ways and Means Committee
for
participating in this hearing. It is hard to imagine a more shocking
exploitation of the September 11 tragedy than targeting the victims of
the
terrorist attacks for identity theft.
I would also like to thank the Chairwoman for leading the effort to
ensure
the Social Security Administration is making full use of the "Death
Master
File" in order to help reduce the incidence of identity theft. It is
long-past time we recognized the ways in which Congress' transformation
of
the Social Security number into a de facto uniform identifier facilitates
identity crimes. Since the creation of the Social Security number,
Congress
has authorized over 40 uses of the Social Security number as an
identifier.
Thanks to Congress, today no American can get a job, open a bank account,
get a professional license, or even get a drivers' license without
presenting their Social Security number. Federal law even requires
Americans
to produce a Social Security number to get a fishing license!
Because of the congressionally-mandated abuse of the Social Security
number,
all an unscrupulous person needs to do is obtain someone's Social
Security
number in order to access that person's bank accounts, credit cards, and
other financial assets. As supportive as I am of efforts to ensure that
the
Social Security Administration minimizes the risk of identity theft, the
only way to ensure the federal government is not inadvertently assisting
identity criminals is to stop using the Social Security number as a
uniform
ID. I have introduced legislation to address the American people's
concerns
regarding the transformation of the Social Security number into a
national
ID, the Identity Theft Prevention Act (HR 220). The major provision of
the
Identity Theft Prevention Act halts the practice of using the Social
Security number as an identifier by requiring the Social Security
Administration to issue all Americans new Social Security numbers within
five years after the enactment of the bill. These new numbers will be the
sole legal property of the recipient, and the Social Security
Administration
shall be forbidden to divulge the numbers for any purposes not related to
the Social Security program. Social Security numbers issued before
implementation of this bill shall no longer be considered valid federal
identifiers. Of course, the Social Security Administration shall be able
to
use an individual's original Social Security number to ensure efficient
transition of the Social Security system.
Madam Chairwoman, while I do not question the sincerity of those members
who
suggest that Congress can ensure citizens' rights are protected through
legislation restricting access to personal information, legislative
"privacy
protections" are inadequate to protect the liberty of Americans for
several
reasons. First, it is simply common sense that repealing those federal
laws
that promote identity theft is more effective in protecting the public
than
expanding the power of the federal police force. Federal punishment of
identity thieves provides cold comfort to those who have suffered
financial
losses and the destruction of their good reputation as a result of
identity
theft.
Federal laws are not only ineffective in stopping private criminals, they
have not even stopped unscrupulous government officials from accessing
personal information. Did laws purporting to restrict the use of personal
information stop the well-publicized violation of privacy by IRS
officials
or the FBI abuses by the Clinton and Nixon administrations?
My colleagues should remember that the federal government lacks
constitutional authority to force citizens to adopt a universal
identifier
for health care, employment, or any other reason. Any federal action that
oversteps constitutional limitations violates liberty because it ratifies
the principle that the federal government, not the Constitution, is the
ultimate judge of its own jurisdiction over the people. The only
effective
protection of the rights of citizens is for Congress to follow Thomas
Jefferson's advice and "bind (the federal government) down with the
chains
of the Constitution."
In conclusion, Madam Chairwoman, I once again thank you and the other
members of the subcommittee for holding a hearing on this important
issue,
and for your efforts to take steps to protect the American people from
government-facilitated identity theft. However, I would ask my colleagues
to
remember that efforts to protect the American people from identity crimes
will not be effective until Congress addresses the root cause of the
problem: the transformation of the Social Security number into a national
identifier.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/attack/nov01/secure09110801a.asp
AMERICA'S WAR ON TERRORISM :
ID cards proposed for air travelers
Industry pushes for system; Guard troops may watch airports
From Journal Sentinel wire reports
Last Updated: Nov. 8, 2001
The airline industry on Thursday formally called for a massive screening
system that would subject passengers to intensive background checks,
providing a boost to one of the more controversial security ideas under
discussion since Sept. 11.
Under the Air Transport Association proposal, all reservations would be
checked against a new government database that would include arrest
records,
intelligence information, immigration files and financial data. This
master
database, constantly updated, would be used to identify individuals who
would merit closer screening at the airport.
Other industry moves Thursday and word that President Bush will announce
a
beefed-up National Guard presence at the nation's airports were designed
to
soothe fears as the holiday travel season approaches.
Clearly, the steps taken so far have done little to allay the public's
concern amid highly publicized security lapses and government warnings of
terrorist attacks. Also, there has been little movement so far on a bill
in
Congress to overhaul airport security. House and Senate negotiators
remained
deadlocked over whether federal employees should be used to screen
baggage.
Air traffic was off 25% through October despite deep fare reductions, and
the annual American Automobile Association survey for Thanksgiving travel
forecast a 27% decline.
The cut-rate fares and drastically lower passenger loads are draining
airlines of their cash, prompting concern that several carriers could be
in
bankruptcy as early as January.
'Trusted traveler' cards
Among the airline industry proposals Thursday was a new "trusted
traveler"
identification card, which would be issued to pre-screened passengers
willing to undergo extensive personal background checks. These travelers
would be sent to airport checkpoints with less-intensive screening,
allowing
them fewer delays.
The ideas are not new, but their endorsement by the ATA, representing 26
passenger and cargo airlines, puts them at the center of the debate over
how
the American aviation system can be made less vulnerable to terrorism.
Such proposals reflect a sentiment among some in government and
transportation circles that airline travel should become less of a right,
open to anyone who can afford a ticket, and more of a privilege, extended
to
those who can prove they are not a threat.
"Any new aviation security system must dramatically change its current
orientation from looking primarily at things to looking at people," said
Carol Hallett, president of the ATA, during a news conference.
"Things are carry-on bags, checked bags and so forth. . . . We need to
know
the passenger."
Such proposals have been anathema to civil libertarians, who have
succeeded
in quashing them in the past. But the ATA endorsement and public horror
over
the Sept. 11 attacks have reinvigorated their proponents.
While not commenting on the specifics of the industry plan, Rep. John
Mica
(R-Fla.), chairman of the House aviation subcommittee, said the general
idea
was sound.
Aviation security bills being debated on Capitol Hill require passenger
reservations to be checked against law-enforcement databases, but leave
the
specifics of which lists to check up to the Bush administration. The
House-passed version authorizes the Transportation Department to explore
the
feasibility of a trusted traveler plan.
The database program could be similar to the one used in Israel, whose
airports are considered the most secure in the world; the reservations
database for El Al, the national airline, automatically checks passengers
against Israeli intelligence records.
U.S. officials have pointed out that several of the Sept. 11 hijackers
were
on a "watch list" of individuals deemed a threat to U.S. security. That
list, however, was not shared with the airlines.
Consumers Union, which publishes the magazine Consumer Reports and
regularly
monitors the travel industry, said it is concerned that the industry plan
may not prove workable.
"Our concern is that this could become a massive database of information
on
consumers," said spokesman David Butler. "How would this information be
used
beyond its stated purpose?"
Doors to be redesigned
Hallett also announced that 14 major airlines have finished reinforcing
cockpit doors.
The fortifications, completed two months ahead of schedule, generally
involve installing a heavy metal brace behind the cockpit door. The
reinforcements are temporary, until the Federal Aviation Administration
sets
specifications for redesigned "hardened" cockpits.
"This is so crucial as we go into the holiday season," Hallett said.
"Americans can have full confidence that these aspects with respect to
strengthening the cockpit door have been fulfilled."
Northwest Airlines and Midwest Express, the two top carriers at Mitchell
International Airport in Milwaukee, both completed work on the doors by
the
third week of October.
"At this point, we consider any suggestion as on the table," Northwest
spokesman Kurt Ebenhoch said from the airline's headquarters in
Minneapolis.
"Our customers want to know their flying experience will be secure and
that
it will be convenient."
Midwest Express is seeking a federal grant for a $150,000 project that
would
involve installing video cameras so pilots can view the cabin from the
cockpit.
Other safety measures already are in place or being discussed.
Transportation Department and FAA officials acknowledged that pilots
flying
into Reagan National Airport must recite a password before air traffic
controllers can clear them to land. Unless they hear the password, which
is
changed daily, controllers divert the planes to Dulles International
Airport.
Passengers under scrutiny
Bush's plan for a beefed-up National Guard presence would give airports
and
airlines an additional measure of security by having guardsmen watch
passengers who have been checked through security and are in the process
of
boarding aircraft.
Wisconsin was one of the first states in the country to deploy National
Guard troops to airports in September. Airport officials in Milwaukee
said
Thursday the troops already in place have helped reassure travelers.
"We will continue to support any action that makes flying safe and people
secure," said Pat Rowe, a spokeswoman at Mitchell International Airport.
However, the idea of using guardsmen to screen travelers drew a skeptical
response from David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association,
an
advocacy group.
"I don't know what part they have to play in the security process other
than
to have a show of force," he said.
This article was compiled from reports by Jason Gertzen and Dave Umhoefer
of
the Journal Sentinel staff, the Los Angeles Times, Associated Press and
Washington Post.
Appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Nov. 9, 2001.
© Copyright 2001, Journal Sentinel Inc. All rights reserved. Produced by
Journal Interactive | Standards and Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
Journal Sentinel Inc. is a subsidiary of Journal Communications, an
employee-owned company.
http://www.antiwar.com/justin/j110701.html
Behind the Headlines by Justin Raimondo Antiwar.com
November 7, 2001
WHAT WAR HAS WROUGHT Alan Dershowitz and the rise of totalitarian
liberalism
Anthrax I could put up with, an "emergency alert" every 24 hours now
seems
like normal everyday life, but there is one aspect of the new era that is
utterly intolerable: Alan Dershowitz in wartime. The man who was once so
vaingloriously solicitous of our "civil rights," a self-described "civil
libertarian," is now proposing a national identification card which, he
claims with characteristic hypocrisy, will actually "enhance civil
liberties." Yeah, right, and O. J. Simpson is an innocent man.
SOUNDS UN-AMERICAN
For utter gall, Dershowitz's October 13 op-ed piece in the New York Times
should really receive some sort of award: even its title is the ultimate
in
disingenuousness: "Why Fear a National ID Card?" Gee, Alan, I don't know:
maybe it's because the question "Can I see your papers, comrade?" has a
distinctively un-American ring to it.
OUR SOVIET FUTURE
Although claiming to be "skeptical" of any tradeoff between liberty and
security, Dershowitz proposes a national ID card implanted with a chip
recording the holder's fingerprints. He likens this to existing systems
where commuters with such a card use it to pay bridge tolls. A scanner
identifies the driver, who is billed, and a record of his movements is
kept
on computer. Dershowitz gets around the rather sinister implications of
such
an Orwellian device instituted nationwide by saying it should be
"voluntary." Oh yeah, it's "voluntary" all right - except that
non-volunteers will be subjected to airport strip-searches, and other
forms
of "heightened" surveillance. In practice, having such a card would be
about
as "voluntary" as it was behind the Iron Curtain - and just as useful to
the
secret police.
I CONFESS
Oh, but I'm committing the great sin of "moral equivalence" in comparing
the
good ol' USA to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics - for shame! I
make
no apologies, and mince no words: because that is where we are headed,
with
totalitarian liberals like Dershowitz leading the charge. If fascism ever
comes to power in this country, it will not be a dictatorship of the
Right
but of the Center-Left: its advocates will speak in the language of
modern
liberalism, whose favorite phrase is "security."
OH BRAVE NEW WORLD
Dershowitz avers that both private and public [i.e. government] entities
routinely issue photo ID cards, so why not this? After all, "it would
reduce
the likelihood that someone could, intentionally or not, get lost in the
cracks of multiple bureaucracies." In the brave new world Dershowitz and
his
fellow illiberal liberals are building for us, no one but no one will
ever
get lost in the cracks. We'll all be watched and analyzed like a germs
under
a microscope, and if anyone should get out of line, why those "multiple
bureaucracies" have multiple ways of striking back.
THE END OF LIBERALISM
Dershowitz agues that "we already require photo ID's for many activities,
including flying, driving, drinking and check-cashing. And fingerprints
differ from photographs only in that they are harder to fake." So why not
an
ID for merely existing? Look, there is nothing untoward about private
institutions, such as banks, requiring a photo identification. Exactly
how
this is analogous to the government tracking the movements of every
individual - or, at least, having that ability - is a bit of a mystery.
And
here's another: so how come this alleged "civil libertarian" sees no
danger
in the federal government maintaining a vast national database with all
sorts of personal information stored in it? Wartime "liberalism" is
inevitably totalitarian in its essential character, for that is when the
yen
for "efficiency" overcomes whatever vestiges of true (classical)
liberalism
remain.
BREAKING NEW GROUND
As a renown expositor of specious arguments obnoxiously and often
brilliantly argued, Dershowitz breaks new ground in separating the right
to
privacy from the "right to anonymity." To the average simpleton, like you
or
me, these two rights are synonymous. But not to the all-too-clever
lawyer,
who twists language to get around the clear intent of the law and the
Constitution. "I don't believe we can afford to recognize such a right
[to
anonymity] in this age of terrorism," declares Dershowitz, because, "No
such
right is hinted at in the Constitution." So anonymous speech is not
protected by the First Amendment - which is, for all intents and
purposes,
abolished. So much for the right to be anonymous on the Internet: here
Dershowitz falls into line with the egregiously named "Patriot Act,"
which
allows the government to read our e-mail and track our Internet use. And
it's all okay, because, as Dershowitz says,
"Though the Supreme Court has identified a right to privacy, privacy and
anonymity are not the same. American taxpayers, voters and drivers long
ago
gave up any right of anonymity without loss of our right to engage in
lawful
conduct within zones of privacy. Rights are a function of experience, and
our recent experiences teach that it is far too easy to be anonymous -
even
to create a false identity - in this large and decentralized country."
AN EASY TARGET
Dershowitz has not the slightest understanding of how to fight the war on
terrorism, otherwise he would understand that it is precisely Al Qaeda's
radically decentralized structure that makes it such a formidable enemy.
(Conversely, our centralism makes us an easy target). With his foolish
faith
in the virtual omniscience of governmental authorities, the totalitarian
liberal misses the point and whole lesson of 9/11, which was nothing less
than a demonstration of the characteristic weakness of any large and
centralized authority, such as an empire.
SOME TRADEOFF!
If American taxpayers long ago gave up their right to go about the
ordinary
business of living unobserved by government, then what kind of safety did
it
buy us? We have the right to look back, in horror, at 9/11 and ask: What
kind of tradeoff between liberty and security was that?
BLOWBACK
The liberal faith in modernity, technology, and the all-knowing all-wise
collective consciousness of our glorious government is here displayed in
all
its childlike naiveté. Oh, but of course no one will be able to duplicate
this miraculous card, not when the geniuses who inhabit our "multiple
bureaucracies" set themselves to the task. And naturally no one will ever
think to misuse information gleaned by our unleashed intelligence
agencies
to collect dirt on their political opponents, or to target and disrupt
legal
and legitimate opposition to the war. Conservatives who rush to endorse
any
and all measures to "combat terrorism" today had better realize that
tomorrow these very same police state methods could be used against them.
If
the image of President Hillary Clinton unleashing her political police on
the "vast right-wing conspiracy" doesn't make them think twice, then they
will deserve what they get in the end.
THE LAW OF TORTURE
With Dershowitz's recent conversion to the openly totalitarian wing of
"liberalism," I am not at all surprised to see that he is now speculating
on
the merits of torture. In a recent speech, he called for "a national
debate
about the circumstances in which torture is permissible and who should
have
the power to decide when to use it." Oh, I get it: the lawyers, in
cahoots
with the judges, will argue about the merits of the rack versus an
old-fashioned flogging. Perhaps they could even consult the Islamic Law
in
this regard, which prescribes all sorts of medieval tortures - the
severing
of limbs, stoning, being dropped off a mountain peak - as punishment for
a
variety crimes. As Dershowitz says in arguing for a national ID card,
"rights are a function of experience" - and away we go, all the way down
to
the very bottom of the slippery slope, where we will wrestle with Bin
Laden
in the muck.
INTO THE ABYSS
"When you look long into an abyss," said Nietzsche, "the abyss also looks
into you." The results of this encounter will either strengthen our
republican form of government, or else destroy it. If ever there was a
time
for testing, a time for Americans to defend their heritage and the
victory
of 1776, then surely it is now. They hate us because we're free, or so
the
politically correct assure us - but what if we aren't free? Gloating in
their victory, will they stop hating us? At that point, however, the
question wouldn't be worth contemplating - if it ever was.
OUR PATRIOTISM, AND THEIRS
In wartime, values are inverted, and language is perverted. A
particularly
grotesque example is the evolution of patriotism as a political-
ideological
concept. The prewar image of the patriot rising up against the King -
against unjust authority - symbolized the spirit of the American
Revolution,
the authentic patriotism which animated the Founders. The founders of the
American state were libertarians who realized that they were creating, in
a
central government, the deadly enemy of all they had fought for. That is
why
they wrote into the Constitution an elaborate system of checks and
balances,
so that centralization - the god of the modern liberal - could never
occur.
The "Patriot Act" - which paves the way for Dershowitz's "mark of the
Beast"
computer chip-card - and the impulse that give birth to this monstrous
legislation represent the polar opposite of this view. The faux-
patriotism
of the warmongers and the totalitarian liberals assumes the form of the
original concept while stripping out the content. For what Americans are
patriotic about is liberty, not government: it is our constitutional
system,
and not the "multiple bureaucracies" that deform it, that Americans
fought
for and died to preserve.
OVERDOSED ON IRONY
The Age of Irony dead? Not by a long shot! Even as we fight to preserve
"the
American way of life," the process of fighting to preserve it tends to
undermine and even destroy it. Is it possible to perish from an overdose
of
irony? If so, then our old Republic is in mortal danger.
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Social security is the bane of individual liberty. - SAM
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