Your Papers, Please! Addendum.....

Part of what the feds are saying to sell us this evil National ID (they call it "Real ID"--anything to avoid calling it a National ID), is that it'll be standardized nationally and that it can't be counterfeited. But, nobody's ever been able to make a document that can't be counterfieted. Probably never will.

It will be harder and more expensive, though. The bad news: they won't have to. All the desperado has to do is find a person whom he more-or-less resembles, kill that poor sap, steal his "Real ID," and step into the fellow's life--as much as is necessary to suit his evil purpose. After all, who's going to question a "Real ID?"

Scenarios might include: killing the family and living in their home for a little while, making a "big score" theft then disappearing; using the victim's credit cards, etc to fulfill some dastardly plan; and many other things you might or might not imagine.

Unintended consequences.

In a more rational world, ID wouldn't be necessary. We'd know who we deal with, or it's cash on the barrelhead. I don't need ID to know who my friends are. My friends don't ask me for ID.

That's the way it should be.

They've killed Freedom! Those bastards!

Warm regards,

Col. Hogan
Stalag California