Re: National I.D. Card and a bit more...
Patrick (RPM), Hope our communications aren't too confusing to others (I'm trying with the RPM/patrickg parentheticals).
Since your last was addressed to me and you are "making observations" I (and probably many others) assume you are commenting on the tome I wrote the other night with the history lessons in it. As that was done under the combined effects of sleep deprivation and a can of beer,I can't swear it but honestly don't see how your observations, irrespective of their intrinsic worth, relate to what I went on about. I'm not in disagreement with your observations, just don't see the connection to my post.
Surely your rational request for fair and even treatment of immigrants can't be reasonably directed to anything I said. I'm the guy who recently wrote that we are all immigrants, just here for different lengths of time (including so called native Americans of which I am, partly one). The same goes for the "someone here" and much of the rest. I did say something about tightening security in general and mentioned the borders. I truly believe we need better security and the borders are one of the places in need, terrorism or no. I wasn't naievely suggesting that border security would stop terrorism, that would be dumber than thinking national ID cards would materially reduce the opportunity for terrorism.
In fact Patrick, except for giving the impression that much of what you were saying was somehow in reply to me, I agree with the majority of your comments, especially the ones on what actions to take. You go boy!
I would be pleased to hum "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" as background for your recital of about the last 2/3 of your post. Just having a hard time seeing the connection between the first part and what I said.
Now I'll make an observation or two or...
As is often the case when reasonable men debate a topic but come at it from different directions and backgrounds they end up in violent agreement (often to their mutual surprise, this time I was not surprised).
Irrespective of anyones previous comments made in support of a national ID card and given the challenge I put down to try to explain logically (avoiding nebulously vague generalities) how ID cards would prevent terrorism, it is curiously quiet on that front. There has been a lot of loose talk, vague generalities, and plenty of specious attempts but we are still waiting for someone to explaiin how ID cards will do better at stopping terrorism than gun laws have done to stop criminals from obtaining guns and using then to commit felonies. Wasn't the Government or the lawmakers of those gun laws serious? Will the Government NOW be serious and so magically the laws will WORK?
Lawmakers M A K E L A W S whether the behavior of those intended to be influenced by those laws is changed is another matter. Like the bumblebees who are unaware of their flightless status, will terrorists respect the intent of anti-terrorist measures that are, at best, extremely unlikely to work. I think not, more likely they will laugh at us for our whistling in the dark and the self inflicted wounds we are going to make to our own social fabric in some misguided spasm of trying to hurry up and do something so we don't look stupid.
What a great time for those who would further erode our personal liberty. A golden opportunity, unparalelled since the Kenedy assassinations to use the situation to promote something that if already in place would not have prevented the cause celeb from happening anyway.
Everyone is entitiled to disagree and post to the contrary, so far, but lets see what we can do after the smoke settles. Anyway while it is legal to petition, here is one for proponents of the ID cards to sign.
Please take my personal liberties away in the name of peace and security, I acknowlege that it probably won't help but we gotta do something. Signature:_______________________
Patrick (admitting that much of this post is NOT directed to Patrick's (RPM) recent post)
