MarketNeutral
23rd April 2010, 09:52 AM
Objections are being raised over a proposed immigration reform measure that involves a provision calling for a national ID card.
Senators Charles Schumer (D-New York) and Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) have proposed the biometric national ID card, but a coalition of groups has written a letter voicing opposition to it. John Whitehead, president of the Rutherford Institute, tells OneNewsNow that everyone seeking employment will be required to present the biometric ID, and employers will have to use scanners to verify citizenship.
"It will contain your fingerprint, your retina scan information, even a mapping of the veins in the top of your head and other information that is uniquely identifiable to you as an individual," Whitehead explains.
Personal and financial records would be included on the ID card as well, so the Rutherford Institute president warns that the idea could eventually result in government-issued radio frequency identification (RFID) tags which would allow the government to track people. If this bill is passed, the Rutherford Institute plans to file for religious objections.
"As we fought cases on behalf of Social Security cards, those cases are very hard to win," Whitehead notes. "A lot of people do not want a Social Security number, [and those are] very, very difficult cases to win."
When the biometric ID idea was proposed during his administration, President Ronald Reagan referred to the cards as "the mark of the beast." Whitehead adds that the best strategy is to block the bill's passage now rather than wait to fight it in court.
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Legal/Default.aspx?id=981002
Senators Charles Schumer (D-New York) and Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) have proposed the biometric national ID card, but a coalition of groups has written a letter voicing opposition to it. John Whitehead, president of the Rutherford Institute, tells OneNewsNow that everyone seeking employment will be required to present the biometric ID, and employers will have to use scanners to verify citizenship.
"It will contain your fingerprint, your retina scan information, even a mapping of the veins in the top of your head and other information that is uniquely identifiable to you as an individual," Whitehead explains.
Personal and financial records would be included on the ID card as well, so the Rutherford Institute president warns that the idea could eventually result in government-issued radio frequency identification (RFID) tags which would allow the government to track people. If this bill is passed, the Rutherford Institute plans to file for religious objections.
"As we fought cases on behalf of Social Security cards, those cases are very hard to win," Whitehead notes. "A lot of people do not want a Social Security number, [and those are] very, very difficult cases to win."
When the biometric ID idea was proposed during his administration, President Ronald Reagan referred to the cards as "the mark of the beast." Whitehead adds that the best strategy is to block the bill's passage now rather than wait to fight it in court.
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Legal/Default.aspx?id=981002