Arrogance I cannot begin to fathom. The current loose distributed scheme may be better than a single point-of-failure national system!!!
What they don't get, and refuse to consider, is that if you even have a "99.9%" fool proof ID, people will treat it like it's 100%, and any mechanical failure, or inability to access Ellison's main database (as if it were Santa's list) will put you under suspicion.
Ever had your credit card or ATM card rejected when there was no problem with your accounts? Do people assume it's the system, worn mag stripe, fat-fingered your PIN, etc, or just assume that your credit has been rejected??????
-sam
David Berlind is a "good little Nazi".
"We're already supposed to present an ID almost everywhere we go."
REALLY??? I have a counter proposal. When any foreign national enters the US, the INS clamps on a non-removable, GPS position transmitting anklet with a uniqe digital signature, which transmits continuously to a computer in Washington. When they leave, we remove it. CITIZENS don't have to wear one.
NO! what we have today are broken people! When they start doing their job and people are held accountable for screwing up, then we'll see if we need a national ID card.
Funny that he should use such a choice phrase.
The fact that this kid referes to privacy matters as matters concerning only "civil libertarians" proves that he is a Nazi wannabee.
Now we know first hand how the communist and fascists governments get thier power. It is through gullable kids like this ignorant idiot trying to convince other gullable ignorant idiots that communism is for their own good.
Even for legal aliens, you'd have to depend on the word of their homeland - which may hate the U.S. and not feel like cooperating - to know that "Abdul Mohamed" really is the guy's name. And it goes without saying that illegal aliens - who often already have multiple fake IDs under different names and different Social Security numbers - would be impossible to "identify" that way. Add the reality of politics of offending ethnic lobbies (LaRaza, MALDEF) that are support groups for illegal aliens.
Coming soon to an OHS checkpoint near you.
I guess it's the East Germans' and Russians' time to make fun of us.