August 12, 2009 4:17 PM BST
Marsha Ann--
And here I thought you knew me better than that. I don't have
that inflated a view of myself, nor am I a conspiracy theorist. However...
**grins**
...I wouldn't be so paranoid if my government weren't out to get me!
**more serious tone**
I didn't say I didn't support certain provisions of things such as the PATRIOT act. I just don't like certain other provisions. For example, we do need to tighten our borders; they've been porous for far too long. REAL ID or PASS ID
sounds good on the surface. But--if used improperly, mind you--it could really be used to ruin many a life. Sure, we can trust the people
right now using it to fight terrorists.
But who decides what a terrorist is?
What if we were to get another President in place, one who decides, for example, that anyone who disagrees with them is a communist or terrorist menace? Or that anyone who protests at an abortion clinic suddenly is a threat to society, and thus a terrorist? Maybe a terrorist is a right wing Christian who listens to talk radio, or a left wing "liberal" who hugs trees! (Your pick.) Or maybe that those of us TG/TS types were a menace to kids, moms, and apple pie, and thus, needs a little extra scrutiny?
It's not the specific use that concerns me. It's the potential for abuses that make me want to shoot this down.
As a TS, I have enough to worry about. I shouldn't have to be concerned about flippin' RFID tags; the stuff I get from WalMart is rife with them. While those are passive, and simply tells them what I buy, an RFID tag in my license and/or passport and/or "national ID card" seems to be an invasion of my privacy. If I want to go somewhere and not be found, for example, I'd have to leave the thing home. But if it's in my drivers license, I can't really do that, now can I?
And goddess help you if the thing gets stolen...perhaps what they need to do is simply imbed the thing under the skin of the right hand...
or perhaps on your forehead.
Luv 'n hugs,
Mina
August 13, 2009 12:54 AM BST
Rose,
I missed your question "Do all US states provide those limited passports?"
US passports are only issued by the US Department of State.
Once the surgery and everything is behind me, I'll have to register with the Social Security Administration (Sort of a national 'retirement' and welfare plan. Employers and employees get the honor to forcibly contribute to the plan, a percentage of our wages.) and the Railroad Retirement Board (similar to the Social Security Administration, but at a higher percentage.) I've been employed under both systems, and provided the plans don't go completely bankrupt, I'll get to collect from both when/if I eventually get to retire. But only time will tell how a change of gender(sex) will eventually affect my benefits.
August 13, 2009 1:55 AM BST
HI All,
Actually some of you are already being tracked on spend. Many of the new credit cards have RFID tags readable from up to 6 feet away. Most travel stores now offer a RFID shield wallet and or RFID sleeves to make the card only readable when you take it out of your purse/wallet. As far as ID is concerned, Mina is right , we may not need to be concerned at present, but all it would take is another "Dick Chaney" type to ignore our Constitution here in the US and abuse the system.
Hugz,
MichelleLynn
August 13, 2009 6:41 AM BST
Well big business is inherently tied into the concept of Big Brother (especially its build-up). I was echoing his point while trying to point out the monetary drive behind the political hype. It isn't because some philanthropic multi-billionaires want people safer, regardless of politicians who see it that way - economic concerns are primary here (as usual). It's just one of those things that once it is welcomed by widespread (passive) acceptance it will not go away, and the only solutions to problems brought to the table will be whatever doesn't include scrapping it altogether... like the ongoing failure of the Drug War. I don't plan on relinquishing my future just because there are bigger fish in the pond.
"Living is like working out a long addition sum, and if you make a mistake in the first two totals you will never find the right answer. It means involving oneself in a complicated chain of circumstances." - Cesare Pavese (1908-1950) Italian poet, critic, novelist, and translator
I see what you're saying with your analogy, but I don't think it is exactly apt because yours is related to how people act toward other people (generally okay), and this is more related to how people act around money (generally insane, especially at the top decision-making levels which have massive psychological distance from the consequences of actions - see: poverty, hunger, war). It's a personalized abstraction of a very impersonal idea's consequences for people.
much <3
irielle
August 13, 2009 12:32 PM BST
Irielle, I agree with much of what you are saying, it is just that I don't see RFID chips being much of an issue for those that just go about their business each day. Of course as with anything, there is abuse. I see this as something that will bother you if you let it.
Hugs,
Marsha
August 15, 2009 7:53 PM BST
I believe it was Benjamin Franklin who warned: "Without privacy one cannot have liberty". The invasions of one's privacy were certainly much less then than they are today. They had no credit card trails, no SSN, no bar coded items, and couldn't have event dreamed of anything like a national ID card or RFID (they didn't even have a national currency, let alone a national ID)! His biggest complaint was the local church minister getting into everybody's business!
July 23, 2009 10:29 PM BST
UK Govt is working on something similar...and as they have been doing it for some time it is likely that the infrastructure is in place or production etc...apart from civil liberties - whcih basically I'm not too concerned about - its the mega billions cost that will be a serious problem for many..and then keeping everything up to date will be a nightmare unless the whizzkids have figured out soem unhackable software or design of card...then of course with all the human rights legislation and lotsof legal sharks around how can all the illegals be traced, checked out and carded?
July 25, 2009 10:37 AM BST
Steve, I did wonder why you ventured into Trannyweb's portals and I still do but can you step away from the bar and all you beer guzzling macho mates for a moment and listen while I say: the word 'trannies' is very derogatory and is what the tabloids use to make life difficult for us all.
Refer to us as transpeople, transsexuals, transvestites or whatever the target you are aiming your 'peeshooter' at , even 'you people' is preferable to labelling us as 'trannies'.
Apart from that I don't like being lectured at by guys whose testosterone makes them think they are superior to us 'transpeople', although it is a backhanded compliment.
Rose
July 27, 2009 4:08 PM BST
The battle is lost. By the time the idea of an ID card has escaped into the public domain you can be sure that the infrastructure is being put in place and the long term contracts have all been awarded and funded...
I always carry ID cards in the form of bank cards, library card, EU insurance card, driving licence, mobile phone...I think we can all be certain that any of those account numbers can be linked back to any other and to central databases...also every computer that uses any Windows and internet is linked directly to Microsoft and from there to who knows onto what other destination...I'm not bothered at all so long as I'm now listed as female and not 'trannie'...
July 28, 2009 11:11 AM BST
it's to be hoped that the pople checking your details into all the databases are more throughly checked and documented than you so they don't want to steal IDs.
But its interesting to know you can get a temporary limited passport that should have made you feel good.
Do all US states provide those limited passports?
August 14, 2009 8:25 AM BST
All else aside, there is one definite issue that bothers me. If I trusted my government 100% for the next 1000 years it would bother me.
The information about me on my credit records is incorrect. This is not credit history but the "facts" that they use to make me prove I am me to access my credit records. Except their information is wrong and I can't guess what "facts" they want from me to prove who I am....so I can not access my credit records to correct the errors that I must guess to access my credit records. This alone is reason enough to not put all our identification eggs in one basket. "It must be right, it's in the Federal Database." Heck I can not even remember all the addresses I lived at. I had 8 addresses by the time I was 8. I lived on two USAF bases that are now civilian territory and have city names they did not have when I lived there. So if someone asks me if i lived in Tinklebells, Iowa and I lived on a Federal land called Slumpkiff Air Force Base, what do I do when they ask me 50 yrs later if I ever lived in Tinklebells. No, I never did, even though that land is now State land and now called Tinklebells. This is just the tip of the iceberg that is getting worse by the day with Identity theft of computer records growing by the day. No thanks. I'll meet Steve on the steps of the Federal Bldg to burn my Federal National ID card. If we all do it things will grind to a halt and they have to back off. I've already tasted the Hell of national personal records using birth date, name and social security number. I do not trust them to keep the records accurate and YES I do not trust them not to abuse it. It's not paranoia. I study this field closely. The only way to be sure it is not abused is to not let it be put in place.
Remember, never attribute to malice what can be explained by stupidity. Malice is just the next step.
August 18, 2009 11:46 AM BST
http://aclu.org/pizza/ima[...]een.swf
Is this what we can look forward to?