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BlackPhx -> RE: Real ID, will you carry ID??? (11/24/2008 6:46:55 PM)
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There is actually no right to Privacy in our Constitution or the Amendments that make up our Bill of Rights, rulemylife. That unfortunately is the crux, even our bodies are not private, just ask anyone who has had a cavity search.
The closest we come is Amendment 4 to wit:
Amendment 4 - Search and Seizure. Ratified12/15/1791.
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
So basically as long as they have probable cause or a warrant, your right to privacy isn't worth flash paper. The Declaration of Independence unfortunately is not the Preamble to the Constitution so even the Pursuit of Happiness statement ( nebulous as it is) does not give us the right to privacy.
That said..passports issued these days contain RFID chips. RFID chips are used to track packages around the world and even in some bars http://www.infowars.com/articles/bb/rfid_wear_your_chip_or_eat_it.htm and http://www.knowledgedrivenrevolution.com/Articles/200603/20060313_Living_Microchip_Society.htm . Soon they may be used to track us, just as we use them to track our pets, and, IF that happens we will be able to access our bank accounts, computers, cars, etc, though them. A hand held scanner allows the chip to be read and call up information on a database.
Everyone is "up in arms" about Big Brother and National ID cards, but frankly Big Brother has ALWAYS been with us..He looked over our shoulders when we gathered roots and hunted mammoths, She gossiped over the rocks at the river as she did the wash, we toiled in his fields as he took first nights with our brides and we paid him rent, he recorded our births marriages and deaths in a big book held behind the altar, and so on and so forth down through the annals of history. Heck those of us old enough remember every mother on the block who watched over us as we played. This is but the latest incarnation. We have had to have ID for a lot longer than any of us remember. As civilization became more complex and mobile, it became a necessity. The simplest form was the birth certificate, or baptismal certificate, or failing that the family bible and letters of introduction. Welcome to life in America and many other countries. But it goes all the way back to the first tribal marking and clothing to identify what village and tribe you came from.
It takes a Village.
Yes it is a requirement in most states that you can prove who you are and what your intent is in certain areas. We have always had that with the military, and with most businesses as well. That our proof now comes on little plastic cards, instead of papers is progress. I suspect there is not a one of us here that doesn't log onto his computer, log into his accounts online, by providing a login and password and we think nothing of it. We think nothing of filing our papers with our teachers with our names on them, presenting ID to get food, lodging, etc. We rent apartments and our landlords check our credit history, buy a car and fill out paperwork that carries our information where it needs to go, gert Drivers Licenses and present the information on them to rent cars, get insurance, etc. It is a world where ID is a necessity.
Here's the kicker. There is also not a single one of us who would not pitch a fit, and move heaven and earth to fight against Identity theft. Well that theft becomes even easier if there is No Way for you to identify yourself. You don't have ID, A Social Security card, etc. it becomes extremely easy for someone to say they are you. If E.R.s did not tag you ( and more and more are using RFID tagged wristbands) anyone could walk in say they were you and use your health insurance information if they have it. You..unlucky person get the bill. How many people have heard of people who have had credit cards, even houses bought in their names by people who have stolen the junk mail in their mail boxes.. or heard of charges to peoples credit cards made by people who clone the card. Please ask me for my ID or something that will verify who I am.. Of course the sales in paper shredders have gone up.
If you are arrested and are convicted and imprisioned, be prepared to have your DNA taken and stored. Check any states registry and you can find out the information on any sex offender and where he lives..does not matter if he has done his time and paid his dues..his life is an open book for any one to read. He's hauled in anytime there is a crime that might match his.
So a National ID card or RFID chip may well be the next step, but often the same people railing against illegal aliens also rail against this loss of privacy. A Privacy we have never really had, just an illusion in smoke and mirrors. We have always been tracked..buy a car..get a license plate, gps in your cars computer brain who needs the transponder look up on the traffic light posts cameras are watching.., we track what is watched on TV, what we buy, where we surf..you want to be off the grid, you literally HAVE to be off the grid..a Hermit and even then Google earth can probably spot you. Talk about annoying.
Someone mentioned innocent until proven guilty, and while that is a presumption by most that it is granted by the Bill of Rights, it isn't. Check back on Amendment 4 about and then glance at these:
Amendment 5 - Trial and Punishment, Compensation for Takings. Ratified 12/15/1791.
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
Amendment 6 - Right to Speedy Trial, Confrontation of Witnesses. Ratified 12/15/1791.
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.
No where in there is there a presumption of innocence. Ask anyone who has ever been arrested, unless you are released on RoR, you either post bail or sit in jail until you come to trial. There is only a statement that Due Process has to be followed. Now this is a sticky one under Homeland Security as the Patriot Act supersedes and negates Due Process, and Amendments 4-6 in cases where Terrorism or Terroristic acts are suspected.
That my friends is where the real battle begins.
poenkitten
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