Ever since Kos posted his short piece on Libertarian Democrats, there has been quite a buzz in the libertarian community and here on Dkos.
Just type libertarian in the tag search and you can find daily diaries on the subject.
While many have talked about it, Kos has been very silent in pushing "Libertarian Democrat" issues.
Here is some insight on what issues Kos considers important to Libetarian Democrats:
So in practical terms, what does a Libertarian Dem look like? A Libertarian Dem rejects government efforts to intrude in our bedrooms and churches. A Libertarian Dem rejects government "Big Brother" efforts, such as the NSA spying of tens of millions of Americans.
Intruding, spying and "Big Brother".
One item that brings all three front and center will begin on Oct 26th.
Flipness...
Coming to Passports near you on
Oct. 26th:
Passports, mandatory for U.S. citizens re-entering from abroad since 1915, are about to get a high-tech makeover. Starting later this year, American passports will include an embedded radio frequency identification (RFID) tag in the back cover. The chip will duplicate the information printed inside the passport and contain security measures to prevent unauthorized access. A digital photo-graph included on the chip will make it easier for border inspectors to ensure the bearer is the genuine passport holder. But RFID tags create security concerns of their own - fears the federal government says should be laid to rest by the features included in the final e-passport design.
Sounds wonderful.
Need to leave the country? Better have your special little beacon.
What about batteries for these things, must we take them to the local jewelry store when they go dead?
Nope......technology these days:
An RFID tag will be embedded in the back cover of U.S. passports. The tag is passive, meaning it does not have a battery. Its energy comes from the reader's radio transmission, which is absorbed by the chip before it transmits a response.
Ah yes, energy from the sky!
Which brings us to the Real I.D. Act, which is being implemented in 2008.
This Act will create a Federal I.D. system. You will need your I.D. to use many, if not all, government services:
From the ACLU:
Even during periods of national threat, most notably the Cold War and World War II, the country has never thought it necessary to require citizens to carry "papers" with them at all times. If Congress did so now, it would endanger both security and civil liberties.
Once federalized, drivers licenses would be demanded for all manner of personal transactions that do not now require one. Moreover, federalized licenses would be the key that accesses personal information about the holder that would be inevitably linked to the license. Today, that information would include obvious identifiers such as Social Security Number and address. But tomorrow, it would include less obvious identifiers, and not just fingerprints and retina scans. Many businesses - from landlords to retailers - would themselves, or through the government, seek to tie personal information to the federalized drivers license, and they would not allow routine transactions unless a person produced their federalized drivers license.
Fun times ahead.
As one would figure, Republicans are pushing this hard:
"If these commonsense reforms had been in place in 2001, they would have hindered the efforts of the 9/11 terrorists, and they will go a long way toward helping us prevent another tragedy like 9/11," said House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas.
"American citizens have the right to know who is in their country, that people are who they say they are, and that the name on the driver's license is the real holder's name, not some alias," F. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wisc.
Well I have a rule I follow, it goes something like this..."Anything that Tom Delay and James Sensenbrenner agree on I will oppose"....
As always there is one Republican that brings common sense to the table when these issues come to light:
This bill establishes a huge, centrally-coordinated database of highly personal information about American citizens: at a minimum their name, date of birth, place of residence, Social Security number, and physical and possibly other characteristics. The bill even provides for this sensitive information of American citizens to be shared with Canada and Mexico! Imagine a corrupt Mexican official selling thousands of identity files, including Social Security numbers, to criminals!
This legislation gives authority to the Secretary of Homeland Security to expand required information on drivers' licenses, potentially including such biometric information as retina scans, finger prints, DNA information, and even Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) radio tracking technology. Including such technology as RFID means the federal government, as well as the governments of Canada and Mexico, could know where American citizens are at all times. - Ron Paul TX 13
My other rule I live by.... "If Ron Paul and the ACLU agree..." I think you see where I'm going....
So how about it Dkoser's?
If we can spend days, weeks and even months of man-power on Joe Fucking Lieberman, surely we can show a little resistance to this ridiculous excuse for the "but 9-11 changed everything" bullshit!
