When reading this passage, who amongst us has given our consent to this treatment? “The DHS database generally includes "passenger name record" (PNR) information, as well as notes taken during secondary screenings of travelers. PNR data -- often provided to airlines and other companies when reservations are made -- routinely include names, addresses and credit-card information, as well as telephone and e-mail contact details, itineraries, hotel and rental car reservations, and even the type of bed requested in a hotel.” Are we so willing to live in a country whose elected officials allow for the collection of this data including what type of hotel bed we have requested? That is a little bit too personal for me and it should be for you.
Michael Chertoff who is the director of DHS had this to say, “if we learned anything from Sept. 11, 2001, it is that we need to be better at connecting the dots of terrorist-related information. After Sept. 11, we used credit-card and telephone records to identify those linked with the hijackers. But wouldn't it be better to identify such connections before a hijacker boards a plane?" Did he ever hear of probable cause? Oh yeah, that is a term that has been shot down time and time again. The failure prior to September 11th was when reports were ignored and when Richard Clarke who is an anti-terrorism expert was repeatedly ignored by the Bush administration. Perhaps if the Bush administration paid attention to Clarke as he screamed at them, 9/11 might not have occurred. Do not go blaming the American people as you monitor us.
While the government wishes to keep records on us and they are worried of terrorists, Governor Elliot Spitzer in his infinite wisdom is choosing to give driver’s licenses over to illegal immigrants or as I choose to call them aliens. Immigrants follow the laws of this nation in order to become citizens where aliens do not. As cited in Newsday “The change, announced Friday by Gov. Eliot Spitzer, means between 500,000 and 1 million undocumented immigrants will be eligible for licenses by presenting a valid foreign passport. Beginning in 2002, the state had required applicants provide a Social Security number or proof of legal immigration status to get a license.”
As we all know, Social Security cards can be forged as well as foreign passports and once these licenses are issued, they act as a legal ID for these aliens. In fact according to a source of mine who is a director of human resources for a local municipality, all these illegals have to do is show these legal licenses in order to gain employment. Meanwhile, the federal government is monitoring ‘we the people’? I just do not get it.
Governor Elliot Spitzer stated of this move, "We will not permit the DMV [Department of Motor Vehicles] to become a surrogate INS [Immigration and Naturalization Service]." By the way, Governor, the name now is ICE. But, it flies in the face of what DHS wants to accomplish when monitoring legal citizens.
The juxtaposition I see in all of this is on one hand, you have the federal government looking to inhibit our rights as legal citizens and in many cases you have various state and local governments willing to bend the law if not ignore it for illegals. You even have many federal officials willing to negate the laws of this nation.
As I was thinking of these drivers licenses that Spitzer wants to give out to illegals, I thought to myself, we lost our country only to wake up to read where it will be legals that are being monitored. I will put it bluntly; have American citizens become second class people within their own country? From reading this data mining report and Governor Spitzer’s move, I would say so. If I hear one more time that I am racist, I will slam that argument by saying, I am a believer in the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution and all the amendments contained within it. I am also for upholding the rule of law unlike our esteemed politicians.
If you think I am the only one angered over this move by Spitzer, I want all of you who read this column to read the remarks coming from these Newsday readers who are citizens of New York State. I wonder what they will say upon hearing that any travels they take, the federal government is monitoring. One commenter from Melville, LI had this to say, “LET THE CIVIL WAR BEGIN!” I wonder if it will come down to that.
Author’s email address is, xmjmac@optonline.net
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