DHS: Real ID could help shut down meth labs

WASHINGTON--Could a Real ID-compliant license be required in the future to buy certain over-the-counter medicines at your local drugstore?

A top Homeland Security official indicated Wednesday that the answer may be yes.

In a presentation aimed at promoting the final identification requirements released Friday, Stewart Baker, the Homeland Security Department's assistant secretary for policy, suggested the controversial system could help federal agents combat methamphetamine production and abuse in the United States.

Baker cited a 2005 federal law, which requires pharmacies to keep tabs on how often people buy certain drugs, such as cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine, that can be used to concoct the drug. The key to that process, naturally, is verifying the customer's identity through some sort of document.

"If you have a good ID...it would make it much harder for meth labs to function in this country," Baker said in a morning presentation here at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank that supports Real ID.

Under the final Real ID rule, starting on May 11 (unless states request waivers, which many are expected to do), Americans will be expected to present compliant licenses for "federal purposes," which have so far focused on boarding a commercial aircraft and entering a federal building or nuclear facility. If granted extensions, states will have until 2017 to begin issuing the cards to all their residents.

Baker's comments on Wednesday hinted that the government envisions other uses for the documents. In addition to the methamphetamine issue, he also suggested Real ID could be valuable for employers trying to avoid hiring illegal immigrants who present falsified identification cards.

Supporters believe the Real ID requirements are necessary because all but one of the hijackers in the September 11 attacks relied on government-issued drivers' licenses, obtained through false pretenses, to remain in the country illegally. They also argue the forthcoming new checks on an applicant's identity before a license is issued will help to stave off identity theft.

The Real ID Act says compliant licenses must contain information typically on a driver's license--that is, a person's name, address, signature, date of birth, gender, photograph, and license number. They must also contain physical anti-counterfeiting features and use a "common, machine-readable technology," which Homeland Security decided would be a two-dimensional bar code.

The law also requires states to verify the authenticity of Real ID applicants' identity documents, such as birth certificates and Social Security cards, against databases operated by the government agency that issued them. They must also be able to access other states motor vehicle department databases to determine whether the applicant already holds a license elsewhere.

By creating a federalized identification card and by linking government databases with sensitive information about American citizens and residents, the Real ID law has raised a wealth of privacy concerns. Some states have flatly refused to participate, with many citing the estimated multibillion-dollar price tag, and legislation has been introduced in the U.S. Congress to rewrite the policy.

Echoing earlier remarks, Baker said he doesn't "understand" the civil liberties objections to the plan. "I would welcome hearing from the ACLU or other civil libertarians why they think that improving the security of drivers' licenses that people already have, making sure the data we already provide to the DMVs is kept more secure, why that's a bad thing for civil liberties," he said.

[fredtheviking]

"Why [Real ID] a bad thing for civil liberties"?

It gives the government too much control over my information and my destiny within the country. I feel that evil corporations are working hard against the middle class and doing everything in thier power to disenpower them. Little do they realized that they are about to bury themselves.

[wratbatblue]

Your DESTINY?

Your destiny in the country, huh? Judging by your English, that would be "you want fries with that?" by night and the video game console by day, or vice versa. Anyway, the reason you and your ilk fear a national ID card is it conjures up visions of the Nazis chasing down and arresting Jews. Don't think they wouldn't have been able to do that anyway. Same goes if for some reason the US gov't suddenly decided to round up any particular ethnic group. They wouldn't have any trouble finding them, with or without an ID card, and can you actually imagine a roundup like that even getting to the jumping off point, let alone succeeding, in the US? Not me. I'm all for the Real ID, and the sooner, the better.

[cstmoore]

Real ID? More like RFID...

Why not just go ahead and chip everyone at birth? Sheesh...

[Renegade Knight]

Methlabs and DOHS

Why the heck is the DOHS investigating meth labs? We have other agencies who do that.

One more reason to disband the DOHS. The first on the list was NOLA.

[tsi26]

LOL...funny joke.

That was a joke right?!??! I mean since you folks required pharmacies to move the cough medicine behind "the counter" there was a significant drop in meth production...right!?!?! Yeah...I didn't think so. There is this new tech out there called the internet were you can order cough medicines by the case. Probably shipped from Mexico. You might want to check it out! Oh an when it gets shipped across the border by an illegal immigrant, don't forget to check his "REAL_fakeID".

Okay, enough of the sarcasm. But I have a hard time taking this seriously when the DHS says garbage like this. I mean if they are serious about "protecting" Americans then talk to me when you close the open borders. If this law doesn't get dropped or at the very least, significantly changed, then you folks are reading a posting from a future Canadian.

[rocketjam--2008]

DHS: Real ID my cause world peace

In related news, the DHS said Real ID could help cure AIDS, stop
global warming and finally secure world peace.

[sgtlyon]

When will we need to ask permission to go pee?

Hummm? Wasn?t there an article here a few weeks ago about the FBI?s new database? You know the one that, if an employer requests, will send notification if and when one of its employees has a ?run in? with the law? How about the fact that it is illegal to sell a cell phone without GPS? Or the fact that the normal consumer is unable to disable the GPS feature if he so desires? Now, the federal government? FEDERAL being the one who?s sole, true, and only constitutional function is to protect its citizens from enemies? is now going to track what I purchase at the grocery store. THAT is why us ?civil libertarians? are upset. The Federal government needs to get out of the business of protecting me from my own stupidity. If I want to smoke crack, meth, weed, cow patties, or tree bark, it is not your business!
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." ~Benjamin Franklin

[sgtlyon]

Oh yeah...

JOIN THE RON PAUL RevolUTION!!!

[amigabill]

card swipes everywhere

You'll have to swipe your RealID to open bathroom stalls starting in 2023. Or maybe it'll be rfid operated so most people don't realize they've been scanned.

[Mick O]

right

Having lived in a country with stringent ID rules for a number of
years (Germany), I can add a few things to this discussion: Anybody
clever enough to commit identity theft will be able to get a Real ID.
Federal ID cards don't prevent crime. Be suspicious as hell.

[scdecade]

And so it begins

That was even faster than I'd imagined. Wake up sheeple! Vote Ron Paul.

[faust]

Real ID for Us, Weapons for Saudis

That's right, I said it.

Most of the 9/11 tards were from Sa and what do they get? A nice weapons deal

How many Americans were behind 9/11, Zero.

What do we get? Screwed by our government once again.

Wake me when the people of the US decide they to have had enough.

[redhottgoalie]

ha, i made an account jus so i could comment

......maybe You should do some research and see who was actually behind 9/11. Americans were. Yes I said it, the United States government, which used to be in the people hands, now who runs the government? Not the people. <embed style="width:400px; height:326px;" id="VideoPlayback" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=5943038938676058989&hl=en" flashvars=""> </embed>

[amigabill]

how is this different?

They already check IDs for decongestants and other things that are behind the pharmacy counter these days. How will RealID change anything vs the current state drivers licenses?

[arborlaw]

Re: how is this different?

The article mentions using Real ID to keep track of how many times a person buys certain drugs and the quantities. That implies the feds will keep a database of drug consumption information on individual people.

[Rita McKee]

... and that's not all!

With your Real ID, you could win a trip to Guantanamo if you buy the "wrong" books...

you could earn yourself a spot on the "no-fly" list if you write the "wrong" letter to the editor...

you could give yourself a tax audit if you join the "wrong" party...

etc.

It's hard enough to avoid this stuff without a Real ID. Why would we want to have an even better way for the government to track our every move??

[powerclam]

This is RealBS!

Methlabs don't buy there ingredients over-the-counter and they never have.
Moving Sudafed behind the counter did not result in any drop in meth at all.
This is just another promise/pretext to stampede the populus into approving this garbage.
Who suffers? Only the innocent (as usual!).
My sinuses are evil, and having to go to the counter, present I.D., then wait while a pharmacist has to do govt book-keeping by hand-logging my purchase in a government register is ALREADY an offensive, degrading pain in the butt.
Enough already!

[rivercityweb]

and so it begins

This won't be the end of it. It will eventually be show your real id to enter all buildings, buy anything, watch television, check out a book at the library, log on to the net, and on and on. Then the Federal government will know everything there is to know about you. Those of you who think this isn't a dangerous thing need to wake up quick.

I think the best place to fight this may be at the state level. Many states are already opposed to the idea and some have already indicated they will not participate. Let you governor and your state legislators know that you oppose it.

[zboot]

I don't understand why Nuclear Weapons are bad for everyone to possess?

I mean, the USA used a nuclear weapon on bad people who were threatening them right? Why can't everyone have nuclear weapons then? I mean, we all can appreciate the need to totally destroy our enemies? Jeez, what's wrong with you people. Good thing I'm in a position of power. I'll just go along with my ideas until you idiots either step in line or are found out to be terrorists anyway.

[pproctor1]

Japanese internment-- the IBM card-sorting machine

Interestingly, early digital electronics also figured in the Japanese round-up. The census of 1940 correlated address with ethnicity. A simple IBM card sort ( which the census bureau had used since the early 1900's) and you had all the names and addresses. Allegedly, the Germans used the same machines in keeping track of their "undesirables".

Without this early "digital" technology, the round-up would have been much more difficlt.

However, the roundup of the Japanese mainly succeeded because you could tell who was of Japanese ancestry by face and/or name, no real-ID needed. So it was hard to escape by blending in.

[scubagomer]

Clearly Baker does not "understand"

Regardless of the rules they enact, the information is not and will not be secure. The agrivation of digging up my social security card and birth certificate each time I need to do business with the BMV only reminds me that dinosaur department does not keep my records. Great. I don't have to concern myself with them shredding photocopies, or someone hacking their security system. More realisticly, I don't need to worry my mind with a BMV employee skimming my information along with the batch of 1,000 other people. Or even a BMV employee from the other end of the country.
When I lived in MS, people broke into the local office, stealing the computers, printers and DL blanks. Why go through the hassle of building a good fake when you can just steal the real equipment and make great fakes? I read Homeland Securities rules. They don't help. If a criminal wants the materials to make these IDs. They will get it.
The same holds true for builders of meth labs. If they want it, they will get it. There has been a rash of armed robberies in Columbus lately. Most in busy merchants at the height of shopping hours. Hmmmm, let meth lab builders use fake ID to buy over-the-counter drugs, then build meth labs. OR let meth lab builders gun down several bystanders to steal over-the-counter drugs, then build meth labs. Either way, they built thier lab.
Locks (and IDs) were made to keep honest people honest.

[DawntheDoormat]

Stewart Baker lied to Congress (felony) when it asked him many times during his service as Assistant Secretary of Policy about the next-gen identification and commerce credential. He lied of its existence by stating it didn't exist! I have had a prototype on my keychain for years of that next-gen tech standard called "smart wallet" by NIST. It does exist!

For well over seven years the smart wallet tech standard inventor has declined the financial offers of the orchestrators of 911 against our best financial interests caused mostly by the actions of Stewart Baker!

When Tom Ridge was "fired" by President Bush on November 30, 2004 General Hayden (then NSA Director) gave as an explanation to Fox News it was because Ridge failed to fund the next-generation of technologies. This was because the smart wallet inventor 3 days prior blew the dust off of a 19 months old German financing package to become German and break the Buy American laws.

In mid-December of 2004 General Hayden gave a second explanation to Fox News for Ridge?s departure. It was because Ridge failed to dedicate staff to medium and long-term planning. When the explanations were given by General Hayden, the smart wallet inventor heard them and backed-off of its becoming German. The company and invention remain U.S. based!

Stewart Baker as Assistant Secretary of Policy taking-over to undo Ridge?s wrongs, held the post that was supposed to address the DHS? medium and long-term planning needs that Ridge had neglected. He knew the smart wallet was forerunner based on merit for every DHS credentialing program including Real ID because of the wallet?s respect for privacy and infallible security protection, and that the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, White House Office of Homeland Security and DOD Combating Terrorism Technology Support Office Technical Support Working Group established this in 2002 eight months into the smart wallet inventor (worldwide intellectual property holder) declining a 100 % financing offer from the orchestrators of 911. This federal technology policy stemming from the President?s statement that ?the U.S. will technologically remain many steps ahead of its enemies? also was established seven months after the smart wallet inventor was told by an agent of the orchestrators of 911 that everyone in the U.S. who needed to be bought had been.

Stewart Baker?visible by his own track record at DHS as Assistant Secretary of Policy was one of the DHS officials to take office referenced as having been bought by the orchestrators of 911?s agent. He took office, lied to Congress of the smart wallet?s existence even though Congress knew to ask and was asking, and the inventor has the phone and email records to prove we did pursue him. He hasn?t a single excuse of why he lied to Congress. His only excuse is that he is employed by the orchestrators of 911 while also employed as DHS Assistant Secretary of Policy!

The orchestrators of 911 want nothing more than to quash democracy. Stewart Baker is a traitor to everyone residing within the world?s democracies and he has committed treason against the American people! Not only is treason punishable by a court of law, but so is his deprivation of his honest services to taxpayers and felonies when lying to Congress punishable!