Of Governor Sanford

This proposal is one more step away from the Founding Fathers' vision of a limited federal government. Our greatest homeland security is liberty, and the Founding Fathers believed our greatest threat to liberty was a central government grown too powerful. Accordingly, they set up checks on federal power by vesting authority at the individual and state levels.

REAL ID disrupts this delicate balance of power in two ways. First, it turns the Founders' logic on its head by forcing states to act as agents for the federal government in creating a national ID card for federal purposes. Needing a REAL ID to board a plane or enter a federal building would also change the balance of power in something as seemingly insignificant as a visit to a member of Congress."

             -- Gov. Mark Sanford, "Real ID Side Effects," Washington Times, April 14, 2008.  

BTC Opinion

The picture that sits atop every current headline that posts on this blog is one of Governor Mark Sanford surrounded by those opposed to Real ID legislation. It is representational of his committment to State boundaries over federal ID policy, using the 10th Amendment.

Lately, South Carolina has not been doing the best it can.  The State's point of compromise is cooperation on the incorporation and use of biometric software and identifiers in their license programs.

Mark Sanford has done good work for the people of South Carolina and for the Anti-Real ID movement, who still need him.  Truth and humanity are often more interesting than the worst pulp fiction.  His contribution to the Anti-Real ID effort is still needed.  He is one of the few Governor's with any backbone where Real ID has been concerned.  As he hurts, we hurt; because we need him to represent us and to help us go against the run on privacy, identity security and the Bill of Rights compromised in both the Real ID Act and the PASS Act.  He has the power to do it.  The only real question is: after stepping up to have his heart and guts ripped out by the media, when can he come back to work?

Don't quit on us, Mark.  Come back to work and help us.  We need you.  You're what we've got.