Warning: Words printed in italics convey true feelings.
Come mid-October residents with Minnesota driver’s licenses may have trouble boarding an airplane or entering military bases or federal buildings.
This could include my family as we travel to San Antonio, Texas, for Adam’s graduation from basic training at Lackland Air Force Base.
The baby of the family left Wednesday.
Taking a deep breath.
For the better part of a week I have been researching the REAL ID Act of 2005. The federal act established uniform minimum standards for issuance of state identifications including driver’s licenses.
Big yawn here for the reading pages and pages of reference materials.
What makes REAL IDs special is the tiny microchip attached to the card.
Authorized individuals can access biographic and biometric data through a special reader about the person presenting the card. The card also includes bar codes with the same information.
REAL ID proves I am who I am and that I legally live in Minnesota. It’s the same sort of information on my recently renewed driver’s license, but it’s delivered in a manner harder to forge by people with bad intentions in mind.
Yes … head nodding … this makes sense.
For the past 11 years the political powers that be in Minnesota have blocked any steps to comply with the federal mandate.
They even went so far as to pass legislation in the middle of the night in 2009 that blocked state officials from even talking to the department of homeland security to determine better way to identify people.
In all that time no one has taken the initiative to get this changed or even comply with homeland security measures.
Eye roll … big eye roll.
The feet dragging to change the 2009 legislation is still occurring and simply comes down to not wanting to share information with the federal government.
Are you kidding me? What are people trying to hide?
The feet dragging has become so bad that Minnesota is not even in line for a deadline extension for next month when Minnesota driver’s licenses won’t be sufficient proof of identity. (I would need to get a passport or purchase a REAL ID in Mankato.)
Blood pressure rising.
This fall a half dozen of our high school graduates will be repeating their service oaths to defend our freedoms as citizens of the United States.
Because my state chose not to assist homeland security with possible terrorist activities, some of us may not get to witness our children’s achievement.
Swear words inserted here.
We need to keep our commercial airline service and our federal installations safe. I, too, remember feeling the horror as I repeatedly watched the media footage of two passenger jets flying into the World Trade Towers on Sept. 11, 2001.
Like millions of people, I was equally horrified when the buildings collapsed and rescue workers stood by waiting to help the thousands of people inside emerge from the rubble. No one emerged. Almost 3,000 people lost their lives that day.
Eyes tear up.
Tears will be in my eyes as well as other Minnesota parents as we are reunited with our basic training graduates — tears of pride for the next generation willing to serve their country through military service.
There could also be tears of sorrow if we are unable to enter the military base for the ceremony because our state couldn’t get its act together and issue a more secure ID to its residents.