These are not the databases you are looking for, Joe Public.

BTC - The following is filed under Op-Ed, comments not published at a Seattle Times story: Lawmakers take aim at CIA's use of fake licenses from state.

At the moment, local lawmakers are trying to legalise a secret State drivers license program so that local officials can regulate it and keep the license divisions in federal business. If its regulated then the CIA and the Dept of Defense can continue to purchase fake licenses from Washington State.  Due to press and lawmaking efforts, this is no longer a secret program. This would put Washington State's fake police licenses in a rather illegal class of unofficiated spending. Drivers license divisions are prone to corruption and internal fraud from time to time.

This type of black budgeting at the use and sole discretion of local police officials might be part of a larger trend to militarize police resources, allowing them secretive federal national security powers.  It may even explain more about the recent rash of database adoption for Real ID use, post-NDAA FY2012.

When municipalities or State governments are given federal money for secret programs, perhaps for things like Real ID, you might suddenly witness a jedi mind trick or two.  This might sound similar to Missouri Senator Nixon's "These-are-not-the-databases-you-are-looking-for," type of statements made recently.  If a secret program suddenly becomes outed the public can reasonably call a halt to it because it is an unofficial tax.  This leaves a lot of room open for legal debate towards State budgets when they "go black".

In the case of Washington State, the only way for DOL to keep their formerly-secret federal funding is to legitimise it with lawmaking, rule provisions or regulation.

"Can we please not legalize secret programs?"

Dear Editor, 

 
People around the country are noticing there is a separate local culture of overpriviledged secret government officials. They [like to] pay themselves as much as federal [lawkeepers] and the federal government gets to borrow, use from local or regional resources and keep shadow governance simpatico. The bad news is that most of the rest of the country doesn't want to pay for Washington State's black budget programs. 

It’s not a surprise that the CIA and Defense agencies just helped themselves to a clandestine police program at Washington’s DOL, for years on end. 

This isn’t a good standard. While we have to work somewhere, it’s time to forge a moment of conscience. Irons of courage only emerge from the flames of fear.

This is a scary precedent, but it only gets scarier for everyone the more you allow clandestine favoritism to prevail. Do you want Washington State to be America’s utility closet for secret programs? Then please raise some substantial objection on legalizing corrupt governance in Olympia.  

Sheila Dean 
Eastside of Puget Sound

Washington States secret drivers license program outed over police, CIA use

The program within the Department of Licensing (DOL) has been operating in relative secrecy for years, without legislative approval.

(i.e. IT'S NOT LAW... YET.)

c/o Seattle Times

A Washington Department of Licensing program that supplied fake licenses for undercover officers issued the most fake IDs to the Central Intelligence Agency and Defense Department, the Kitsap Sun reported.

OLYMPIA — Lawmakers moved Tuesday to block the CIA from utilizing a Washington state program that has issued hundreds of fake driver’s licenses to government agencies.

A measure approved by the state House would give legislative approval to the program — but only for undercover law-enforcement officers. Rep. Judy Clibborn said the bill protects investigators while also making the program more accountable.

“We wanted it to be for law enforcement only,” said Clibborn, D-Mercer Island.

She said nobody from the CIA has contacted her to express concern about the change.

:::MORE HERE:::

SEE ALSO: CIA Obtains False IDs From Washington Dept. Of Licensing

Welcome to the frog boil: "Non-citizen" drivers licenses & You

BTC Commentary-  Some people are finding it tougher and tougher to just let legal people, be legal. It's a fact, if you are a legal migrant, you are permitted to drive in this country.

REDUX: NSTIC national driver license database anchors in VA

"The DMV has entered the implementation stage of a multi-year identity management plan that starts with sharing authentication data across agencies so that citizens can log in once and access services across many agencies. 

In fact, the Virginia DMV efforts are a focal point of a $1.6 million NSTIC grant given to the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) in September 2012 to work on a pilot. 

In addition, the program is targeted at gluing together state agencies, along with the Virginia Personal Identity Verification program for federal employees and contractors. And in alignment with the standards-based principles of NSTIC, the program will help support a trust framework with AAMVA, integration with other states via the State Identity and Credential Access Management (SICAM) architecture, and with agencies in Canada."

:::MORE HERE:::

RELATED: Next Generation Identification program could spot faces in a crowded street


Here is second life for news that matters: 

EPIC Argues That Resellers of State Driver Records Should Be Strictly Liable Under Privacy Law

ACLU challenges start of New Jersey's new driver's license renewal program

New Jersey officially eats the chip Monday May 7th

California DMV workers charged in bribery scheme

Retweeted @PrivacyActivism on Twitter

New Ohio driver’s licenses will take more time, proof

c/o  [OH] Middletown Journal

"New Ohio driver’s licenses and identification cards debuting in January 2013 likely will cost more, require additional documentation and take longer to get. 

Federal and state officials have no current cost estimates to implement the programs in Ohio or nationally, but a 2008 Department of Homeland Security document detailed an 11-year national rollout cost at $9.9 billion under mandates that since have been relaxed. 

Foes of the controversial Real ID Act of 2005 say the federally mandated measure has serious security questions and will never be fully implemented because 15 states have passed bipartisan legislation to bar its enactment and 10 more have passed resolutions denouncing it."

Archived talk on Real ID in the States with Gary Johnson's Live & Let Live

Rules keep Americans from getting drivers licenses

Real ID Act blocks some Americans from drivers licenses

Indiana BMV urges early renewals to beat Real ID compliant license distribution

"The [Indiana] BMV hopes to get the licenses renewed long before the federal government requires licenses that are compliant with the Secure ID program, where licenses must be handled in a way that ensures there’s no chance of identity theft or counterfeiting."

:::MORE OF INDIANA TRYING TO BEAT THE CHIP HERE:::

CT, AL eat the chip- prepare for Real ID compliant programs

Connecticut to begin controversial 'Real ID' program

Connecticut launched a campaign today to publicize how to obtain a driver's license that meets the stricter verification standards of a federal "Real ID" law passed in 2005, but never implemented in face of objections from two dozen states.

Beginning Oct. 3, drivers in Connecticut will have two choices when renewing their licenses: accept a license stamped "not for federal identification," or provide proof of residence and immigration status for an ID with a gold star.

:::MORE HERE:::


Alabama Public Safety to launch a STAR I.D. pilot project

Alabama will launch a pilot project Oct. 3 for a new, secure form of identification created to comply with the REAL-ID Act of 2005.

The Alabama Department of Public Safety has developed the STAR I.D. program, with STAR standing for Secure, Trusted and Reliable.

The IDs will be available at driver license examining offices in Montgomery, Autauga and Chilton counties as part of the pilot project. There will be a statewide launch at the start of the year.

:::MORE HERE:::

NMA Florida Alert: Support the Bill Against Oppressive Real ID Requirements

Op-Ed: The Heritage Foundation Gets it Wrong on REAL ID

c/o Paul Henry for Floridians Against Real ID

Oklahoma activist taking biometric defense to court

Donate to Kaye Beach's legal defense fund here.

Texas ID measure passed quietly, while sanctuary cities bill died noisily

BTC UPDATE: 6:14 PM -- A tax based on newly proposed license requirements has been approved, an insider source disclosed. Newly added taxes have precipitated a late veto from Governor Perry in the past.

A 2nd Texas special session is being discussed around the capitol aimed at Governor Perry's unfinished business and the viscerally contested nature of SB 1's requirement for citizenship at Texas MVD windows.   It was also said that the intent to move identity demands forward on the part of Tommy Williams went beyond the norm.

A conferencing process to update or reconcile bills passing both chambers typically is the last administrative agreement on a legislation before moving a bill to the Governor's desk.  Williams was said to have plans to add citizenship requirements amendments post-conference; which was a process the source had doubts about based on legislative rules.

Other items discussed were a merger of motor voter rolls with database requirements.

"Why Should State Waste Money Pursuing 'Real ID'?"

BTC -Here are the answers to this week's Real ID quiz. 


Q. Why is Connecticut pursuing the Real ID program on driver's licenses when more than 20 states are opting out ?


A2. State Officials Needn’t Heed Feds’ Threats

Florida Libertarian Chair protests Real ID in licenses

Big Thanks to my friends at FSD.com for sending in this tip.




SEE ALSO: REAL ID protested in Clearwater, Fla. as part of the Eroded liberties series.

ALSO BAD: NJ & CT eat the chip on Real ID compliance.[I guess the State wants to keep the standard consistent for NY strip retirees who end up in Florida. ;)]