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Virginia is the hot bed for two major issues.
Urgent Action Needed!
First: Support efforts to help Virginia refuse to comply with Real ID:
Support Marshall Bill to Stop Real ID in Virginia
Virginia State Delegate Bob Marshall and Virginia State Senator Ken Cuccinelli are spearheading a courageous legislative effort within the Commonwealth of Virginia's General Assembly to exempt Virginia from the onerous requirements of the federal Real ID Act of 2005.
The Real ID Act is a direct link to what will become an INTERNATION ID Card. Several States have refused to comply with REAL ID because it establishes federal data bases and invades personal privacy. Several more states have refused to comply because the cost to do so are astronomical.
Now, through the Legislation of both Marshall and Cuccinelli, Virginia seeks to join the ranks of the protesting states.
However, Legislative leaders from both parties oppose Marshall and Cuccinelli and their stand for freedom and liberty. So pro-freedom forces from across the nation need to come to their aid and support this vital, pro freedom legislation. Virginia's legislative session is very short, so it's imperative we make our voices heard immediately and emphatically!
Del. Marshall's bill, H.R. 1587, "provides that the Commonwealth will not participate in the compliance of any provision of the federal Real ID Act and of any other federal law, regulation, or policy that would compromise the economic privacy or biometric data of any resident of the Commonwealth (emphasis mine)."
Sen. Cuccinelli's bill, SB841, specifies statewide agency prohibitions against:
- using computer chips, RFID tags or similar devices, on any driver's license or identification card;
- storing information on any bar code or similar encoding device;
- sharing or allowing access to records... with any federal government agency, other state, or any person or entity working with a state agency, except for the records of an individual person as authorized explicitly by law if requested one record at a time; and
- gathering, creating, or retaining biometric data for use on or with driver's licenses or identification cards; and
- requires prior General Assembly approval for any DHS changes to Real ID after January 1, 2009.
Sen. Cuccinelli's other bill, SB1431, defines the terms "biometric data," "biometric samples," "economic privacy," and "Real ID Act of 2005" in support of SB841, further mandating, "Neither the Governor nor the Department of Motor Vehicles nor any other agency of the Commonwealth shall comply with any provision of the REAL ID Act of 2005 and any other federal law, regulation, or policy that would compromise the economic privacy, biometric data, or biometric samples of any resident of the Commonwealth (emphasis mine)."
Since Real ID's enactment in 2005, most of the states, and the District of Columbia, have introduced or passed legislation opposing Real ID. DHS regulations admit that, "As detailed elsewhere in this document, the REAL ID Act is binding on Federal agencies, rather than on States. The rule would not formally compel any State to issue driver's licenses or identification cards that will be acceptable for Federal purposes." Further, "Indeed, the monetary penalty is for states which comply with Real ID because they will have to spend literally billions to change equipment and train personnel."
Yet DHS continues to threaten, entice and deceive the states, envisioning its ultimate ability to modify licenses for 245 million drivers, plus millions of non-driver identification documents, so it can require Real ID-compliant documents of everyone for "any... purposes that the Secretary shall determine." (page 5288, Federal Register, 1-29-08) Additionally, "DHS will...implement any changes to the definition of "official purpose" or determinations regarding additional uses for REAL ID consistent with applicable laws and regulatory requirements. DHS does not agree that it must seek the approval of Congress as a prerequisite to changing the definition in the future..."
According to a Government Computer News article (http://gcn.com/Articles/2007/02/04/DHS-pushes-global-data-sharing.aspx) first published in February, 2007, "Senior DHS officials speaking at a recent conference on biometrics and privacy policy outlined the ethical imperative for technical standards that would foster unrestricted biometric data sharing (with other nations)."
The article further reports, "Robert Mocny, acting program manager for the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) program, sketched the outline of a Global Security Envelope of internationally shared biometric data (with Asian and European governments and corporations) that would permanently link individuals with their personal data held by governments and corporations." (emphasis mine)
You see, according to DHS, the Real ID Act does not provide the agency with authority to prohibit third party private-sector uses of the information stored on a REAL ID card. According to Mocny, "'My question is, how is it ethical not to share?'"
Real ID fulfills longstanding federal plans to force states to adopt biometric identification of their citizens. These plans date back to 1986, ten years before 9/11, when Congress required biometric data for all commercial drivers. In 1996, five years before 9/11, Congress placed control of state driver licenses under the direction of an international organization, the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAAMA). What happened to the First, Fourth and Tenth Amendments? DHS is helping build linked international databases, and, as Americans are waking up, is now feverishly pushing for biometrification of the entire world - creating a permanent link to everyone's identity, available to nations and corporations around the globe.
The American Policy Center has warned that Real ID is not just a "national ID" but is in reality a far more sinister and global biometric ID. A digital photo, from any source, can provide the state with all it needs to obtain your facial biometrics. Don't think because you don't have an Enhanced Driver's License (EDL) you're safe. The state can, through its linkages with corporations and other agencies, grab a photo captured from the digital camera pointed at you in your bank, or the surveillance camera at the intersections you drive through, or from any of a number of sources you now accept in your personal environment.
The Stop REAL ID Coalition (www.stoprealidcoaltion.com) warns that Real ID forces states to adopt international biometric standards that will be compatible with "international biometric facial image recognition systems. Once databases are linkedU.S. citizens will be PERMANENTLY enrolled in a system that wrecks their constitutional liberties and their constitutional rule over their government. As a result, REAL ID, biometric ID, database linking and the actions of DHS are all unconstitutional. REAL ID is about control and the fulfillment of an international ID system, not national security. REAL ID, biometric ID and required database linking present the greatest threats to our nation and our freedom. State and federal laws must be changed and DHS must be placed back under the control of the people before it is too late."
Linked, international databases will provide open access to your most private and personal information, without even a "By your leave" request to the state that collected your data, while promising you privacy. Your privacy will not be protected under Real ID; quite the opposite as these massive databases will be a target-rich source for identity thieves. And those corporations, and state and national agencies, collecting and maintaining these international databases will be completely unaccountable to you. You will never know when most of this personal information - such things as your appearance, your habits, your health, and your finances - happens. You will have lost control over your most personal and private information. Your inalienable, God-given, rights, your liberty, your freedom, and the sovereignty not only of the state where you reside, but also of your nation, will be lost forever. This database linkage, exerting complete control over your identity and financial records, paves the road to complete global control.
These are the reasons why APC and thousands of activists across the nation oppose REAL ID.
It is not about stopping illegal immigration and terrorism as the federal government would have you believe.
It is about establishing an
INTERNATIONAL ID SYSTEM.
Supports of REAL ID in the Virginia Legislature are playing games with Delegate Marshall's bill, in order to stop it.
Republican Speaker William Howell has assigned Del. Marshall's bill (HB 1587) to the Militia and Police committee, not the committee where it belongs. Unless we demand action on this bill, it will die in that committee.
We must make our voice heard now in the Virginia Legislature.
ACTION TO TAKE
1) Contact Virginia House Speaker William J. Howell. Tell him to STOP playing games with Virginians' liberties and to assign HB 1587 to a committee where it will get a timely hearing and go to the House Floor for a vote.
William J. Howell (R)
General Assembly Building
P.O. Box 406
Richmond, Virginia 23218
Phone: (804) 698-1028
Fax: (804) 698-6728
Email: delwhowell@house.virginia.gov
2) Contact the Majority and Minority Leaders of the House of Delegates: Tell them you support HB 1587.
Majority Leader - H. Morgan Griffith (R)
General Assembly Building
P.O. Box 406
Richmond, Virginia 23218
Phone: (804) 698-1008
Fax: (804) 698-6708
Constituent Viewpoint: (800)-889-0229
Email: DelMGriffith@house.virginia.gov
Minority Leader - Ward L. Armstrong (D)
General Assembly Building
P.O. Box 406
Richmond, Virginia 23218
Phone: (804) 698-1010
Fax: (804) 698-6710
Email: DelWArmstrong@house.virginia.gov
3) Virginians - Contact your delegate and instruct them to pressure the House leadership to have HB 1587 assigned to the proper committee, and then passed by vote of the full House. You may find contact info for your delegates here. Or, you may call the House of Delegates at (804) 698-1619, and ask to be connected to your delegate. If you don't know who your delegate is you can find out here.
4) Contact Delegate Bob Marshall and thank him for his effort to rid Virginia, and our nation, of Real ID!
Delegate Robert G. Marshall
General Assembly Building, Room 704
Capitol Square
Richmond, Virginia 23219
Phone: (804) 698-1013, or his Manassas home office phone: (703) 361-5416.
Email: DelBMarshall@house.state.va.us or delegatebobmarshall@hotmail.com.
5) Contact the following Senate Leadership and demand they support anti-Real ID bills SB 841 and SB 1431 ONLY.
Lieutenant Governor (presiding officer of the Senate) William T. "Bill" Bolling
102 Governor Street, Richmond, VA 23219
PO Box 1195, Richmond, VA 23218
Phone: (804) 786-2078
Fax: (804) 786-7514
Email: ltgov@ltgov.virginia.gov
President pro tempore - Charles J. Colgan (D)
Senate of Virginia
P.O. Box 396
Richmond, VA 23218
Phone: (804) 698-7529
Fax: (804) 698-7651
Email: district29@senate.virginia.gov
Majority Leader - Richard L. Saslaw (D)
Senate of Virginia
P.O. Box 396
Richmond, VA 23218
Phone: (804) 698-7535
Fax: (804) 698-7651
Email: district35@senate.virginia.gov
Minority Leader - Thomas K. Norment, Jr. (R)
Senate of Virginia
P.O. Box 396
Richmond, VA 23218
Phone: (804) 698-7503
Fax: (804) 698-7651
Email: district03@senate.virginia.gov
6) Contact Senator Ken Cuccinelli and thank him for his effort to rid Virginia, and our nation, of Real ID!
Senator Ken T. Cuccinelli, II
General Assembly Building, Room 317
Capitol Square
Richmond, Virginia 23219
Phone: (804) 698-7537
Email: district37@senate.virginia.gov
Make your voice heard in Virginia today - hurry and call - Virginia has a very short legislative session!
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Second: Stop the Virginia call for a
Constitution Convention
Oppose the Hanger Con Con Resolution in Virginia
As you know the American Policy Center, through our many dedicated activists, just played a significant role in stopping a Constitutional Convention, or Con Con, in Ohio. The initial Sledgehammer Alert we sent you detailed all the reasons why calling a Con Con in our present political climate would be an unmitigated, and unrecoverable, disaster! Since 32 (of the required 34) states have already made such a call, APC was gravely alarmed. We stopped it in Ohio, but...
...Now another Con Con push has been launched - this time in Virginia. Please help us educate Virginia's legislators, as you did with Ohio's. We dare not let this happen!
On January 14th Virginia Senator Emmett Hanger introduced SJ315, a bill petitioning the U.S. Congress convene a Constitutional Convention to deliberate on a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The full text of SJ315 is here. To date Senator Hanger is the only sponsor of this proposed legislation; we must insure he remains so. If we can convince him as well as his fellow Senators of the very real dangers inherent in a Con Con, then we will have achieved a great victory indeed!
According to the General Assembly Minutes from January 14-23, SJ 315 had not been acted on in a floor session. Since the bill is not yet assigned to committee, we must target our educational efforts at the Senate leadership.
As you know, calling a Con Con to amend the U.S. Constitution is wholly unnecessary to the purpose of a balanced federal budget, and extremely dangerous. On the one hand if Congress followed the strict Constitutional restrictions placed on their activities, they would have a balanced budget each year. On the other hand, since Congress refuses to constrain itself to its enumerated powers how can any sane person expect them to conform to new constraints, constitutional or otherwise?
We must poison this issue so that no legislator in the nation will take up the call for a Con Con. We did it in Ohio - now we must stop it
in Virginia.
ACTION TO TAKE
1. Contact the Virginia Senate Leadership listed below.
Lieutenant Governor (presiding officer of the Senate) William T. "Bill" Bolling
102 Governor Street, Richmond, VA 23219
PO Box 1195, Richmond, VA 23218
Phone: (804) 786-2078
Fax: (804) 786-7514
Email: ltgov@ltgov.virginia.gov
President pro tempore - Charles J. Colgan (D)
Senate of Virginia
P.O. Box 396
Richmond, VA 23218
Phone: (804) 698-7529
Fax: (804) 698-7651
Email: district29@senate.virginia.gov
Majority Leader - Richard L. Saslaw (D)
Senate of Virginia
P.O. Box 396
Richmond, VA 23218
Phone: (804) 698-7535
Fax: (804) 698-7651
Email: district35@senate.virginia.gov
Minority Leader - Thomas K. Norment, Jr. (R)
Senate of Virginia
P.O. Box 396
Richmond, VA 23218
Phone: (804) 698-7503
Fax: (804) 698-7651
Email: district03@senate.virginia.gov
Tell them they MUST NOT PASS SJ315. Give them these hard, cold facts about a Constitutional Convention:
- The Constitution does not provide any restrictions on the subject matter a Con Con considers.
- The Constitution does not guarantee states may choose any delegates to a Con Con.
- The Constitution does not guarantee any state will be represented at a Con Con.
- To paraphrase Chief Justice Warren Burger's admonition, NOBODY TELLS A CON CON WHAT TO DO!
2. Virginians - Contact your Senator and instruct them to pressure the Senate Leadership to oppose SJ315! You can find your Senator's contact info here.
3. Additionally, please tell all Senators that these questions must be answered before any sane legislature petitions Congress to call a Con Con:
If the states are allowed to choose their own delegates then who will choose them?
- A blue-ribbon commission?
- If by plebescite then who picks the potential candidates?
- Who can vote?
- All eligible voters?
- Taxpayers only?
- Or would we possibly, in the interest of "enfranchisement," allow all citizens and potentially foreign nationals the franchise for this special election?
What would the requirements be for a candidate for delegate?
- So-called "proportional representation" of all special interest groups?
- Will people of strong religious conviction be excluded?
- What will the exact criteria for eligibility be?
Can this body convince me that the Bill of Rights will remain intact in the event of a runaway Con Con?
In the light of earlier Con Con history, can you guarantee that there will still be states existing as sovereign bodies after a Con Con?
4. Please contact every newspaper, television news station, blog site and talk radio program you know. TALK ABOUT THIS VERY DANGEROUS CON CON THREAT TO ANYONE AND EVERYONE WHO WILL LISTEN! We will need all the help we can get if we are to poison the waters of the Virginia Senate against this very dangerous bill!
We must stop this nationwide movement for a Con Con now - in Virginia. Call today!
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Third: Mark your calendars now to attend the most important International Conference on Climate Change ever held!
The Global Warming hoax exposed
by REAL scientists!
The American Policy Center is co-sponsoring this Climate Conference Scheduled for New York City!
The second annual International Conference on Climate Change will be held in New York City, March 8-10.
The event will serve as a platform for scientists and policy analysts from around the world who question the theory of man-made climate change. This year's theme, "Global Warming Crisis: Cancelled," calls attention to new research findings that contradict the conclusions of the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report.
More than 70 scientists, economists, and climate experts with a skeptical view of climate change alarmism will gather to discuss why they believe the global warming crisis has been canceled--and whether a crisis ever really existed in first place. They will call attention to new research that contradicts claims that Earth's moderate warming during the 20th Century primarily was man-made and has reached crisis proportions.
The conference expects to draw 1,000 attendees including private-sector business people, state and federal legislators and officials, policy analysts, media, and students.
The Heartland Institute, a 24-year-old national nonpartisan think-tank based in Chicago, said all of the event's expenses will be covered by admission fees and individual and foundation donors to Heartland. No corporate dollars or sponsorships earmarked for the event were solicited or accepted.
To attend, visit the conference website for details! Tell them the American Policy Center (APC) sent you!
Click here to visit the American Policy Center website
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