Freedom to Travel Event, Part 1

[Kat Kanning]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/gate/archive/2005/05/18/notes051805.DTL&type=printable

SF Gate       
They Really Are Watching You
Ready for your own all-new, sinister ID card, courtesy of Homeland Security? Shudder
- By Mark Morford, SF Gate Columnist
Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Well, now we've done it.

Congress just passed it and Dubya has promised to sign it and the Homeland Security Department is giddier than Mel Gibson in a nail factory over it and marketers nationwide are salivating at the groin at the prospect of it, and the next big step toward America becoming an even more delightfully paranoid and draconian Big Brother wonderland has now officially been taken.

It's called Real ID. It is, in short, a new and genetically mutated type of driver's license for all Americans, replacing your current license and replacing your Social Security card and replacing your sense of well being and privacy and humanity and part of a new, uniform, deeply sinister, national uniform card system whereby every person living and breathing in these paranoid and tense times shall henceforth be much more traceable and watchable given how we will all soon be required by law to carry this super-deluxe computerized ID card with us at all times, packed as it will be with more personal, digitized info about you than even your mother knows.

Real ID is coming very soon. The legislation was passed with little outcry and zero debate by both House and Senate just last week because lawmakers snuck it into a massive $82 billion military spending bill, and therefore no one was really paying much attention and this is the way you get thorny disturbing culturally demeaning bills to pass without resistance from smart people who should know better.

The new law will, according to the Wired News story linked above, require everyone to hand over not one, not two, but fully four types of documentation to renew their driver's license, such as a photo ID, a birth certificate, proof that their Social Security number is legit and something that validates their home address, like a phone bill. DMV employees will then have to verify the documents against giant teeming federal databases and store the documents and a digital photo of you in a database. Isn't that fun? Doesn't that sound gratifying?

What's more, the card's design plan includes multiple openings for the Homeland Security Department to add on whatever features they deem necessary, with or without your knowledge, consent or who the hell cares what you think because we do what we want now please shut the hell up and quit asking questions.

Computer (RFID) microchip? Likely. Digital fingerprint? Sure. Political affiliation? You bet. Web-site-visit log and religious affiliation and recent sperm count and arrest record and drug addictions and medical history and blood type and gender orientation and parent's/children's home address and number of personal blog posts calling Dr. Phil a "slug-licking ego-bitch charlatan" and your recent purchase history on shotathome.com? One guess.

Make no mistake: Real ID, in short, takes us one happy step closer to a total surveillance state, where everyone is stamped and everyone is watchable and everyone is traceable and unless you live way, way off the grid out in the increasingly nonexistent hinterlands, you cannot escape the spazzy and twitchy and paranoid eye of Homeland Security.

Remember the scenes in that surprisingly not-awful Tom Cruise flick "Minority Report" with the ubiquitous eye scanners, installed all over the near-future city? And as poor Tommy ran around like a maniac, little scanner machines installed by the gummint would read the eye pattern of every citizen as they walked around and the system could track anyone at any time no matter where they might wander and all the info was dumped into a huge database that was studied and cross-checked and manipulated by the CIA and FBI and Banana Republic?

Real ID feels much like that, only not nearly as cool.

Real ID is, as you might expect, giving civil liberties groups and immigrant-support groups the hives. State governors across the nation are none too happy, either, as implementation of the new law will cost each state hundreds of millions of dollars, but, of course, the bill provides zero federal funds to help. Such is the BushCo way.

This is the funny thing. This is the sad thing. This is the terrifying thing. We have suffered one major debilitating act of terrorism in this nation and we have recoiled so violently, so rabidly, so desperately that we are still more than willing to give up whatever freedoms necessary in a vain and silly attempt to control chaos and plug every hole, when of course the nation is basically one giant hole to begin with.

Of course, any good conspiracy theorist worth his secret underground bootleg Area 51 videos will tell you this sort of citizen-surveillance thing has been going on for years, decades, from spy satellites to GPS to all manner of phone tracking and e-mail snooping and behavior watching and this Real ID thing only takes it a little more public, national, makes it part of the cultural lexicon because we have finally weakened so much we just don't seem to give a damn what they do to us anymore.

Don't think it's all that bad? Think BushCo's flying monkeys in the CIA and FBI and Homeland Security really have your best interests at heart and are genuinely trying to protect you from scary swarthy furriners who want to sneak into our country and poison our Cheerios and paint our flag orange and cover our wimmin in burlap? Have at it. The GOP would love to have you. Oh, and while you're at it, enjoy that tiny grain-of-rice-size bar-coded implant RFID microchip the FDA just approved, which they can permanently slip under your skin in under 20 minutes, with nary a peep.

This is what's happening now. With Real ID (and who knows what else), the government is cracking down and creating a new and improved and far more devious and exploitable system to monitor its citizens because, well, because we let them. Because millions of us have been pummeled so successfully by the fear-mongering Right. Because we have never been so lax, so blinded by warmongering and dread, so numbed to what might become of us.

Ah, but maybe I'm wrong. Maybe this is just rampant paranoia talking and it's just a silly piece of harmless legislation and Real ID is overall a genuinely good and useful idea that will ultimately make us safer and more secure. You think?

Because hasn't BushCo proven to be reliable and honest and just reeking with integrity about privacy and security issues so far? Hasn't the USA Patriot Act been just a wondrous boon to police and CIA and our sense that we are trusted and cared for by our government? Aren't we all feeling just so much safer with this most secretive, least accountable administration at the helm?

After all, why not trust the government on this? Why not put our faith in the goodly Homeland Security Department? Maybe Real ID really is patriotic and constructive and it will be a smooth and secure and completely inviolable system, one that protects citizens while giving them a new sense of freedom to move about the country with carefree flag-waving ease, safe in the knowledge that their big, snarling gummint is watching over them like a protective mother bear -- as opposed to, say, a female praying mantis, who greedily screws her lover, and then, of course, eats him alive.

[John]

Hey, I was just going to say that.   

[Dave Ridley]

Here's yet another version that takes out the aviation history.  Several folks on other forums are claiming that part had factual errors, and it's not really necessary to get the point across.   The error they claim is there is the I.D. requirement....  are you guys sure we didn't have to have i.d. before 9/11?  i thought we did...  guess this proves my point about how easy it is to forget what things used to be like just a few years ago.   

---

NH: Man Without I.D. Vows to Board Flight or be Jailed

Manchester, NH, May 21, 2005 - Inspired by New Hampshire's "outlaw manicurist," another Granite Stater is stepping forward to peacefully defy license-related laws.  Russell Kanning of Keene has announced he will approach a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint at Manchester airport on June 11 and refuse to cooperate with the requirement to show I.D.  "I will either board the plane without I.D. or be arrested," he says.  "In a free country you do not need government permission to travel."   The 35-year-old accountant has a ticket to Philidelphia.

Kanning stresses that he will not resist arrest or do anything that might be perceived as physically threatening.  He says this act of nonviolent resistance will follow the model laid down by Gandhi, who used peaceful noncooperation to expel the British from India.  "We will tell them everything we're going to do ahead of time.  We are not going to disrupt the operation of the airport," he says.

Kanning says the parallels with Gandhi's situation go further than a shared belief in nonviolence.   "In South Africa (where Gandhi's protests began), Indians had to have special I.D...so it's very similar that way, and he wanted to burn it...He was appealing to that same basic idea that we have rights to not have to have paperwork to be able to move freely."

Earlier this month another Gandhi admirer, Mike Fisher of Newmarket, used the Mahatma's techniques to protest business licensing.  After announcing he would perform an unlicensed manicure in front of the state licensing offices, he carried out his promise, earned a brief trip to jail and received heavy regional media coverage for his viewpoint.

Kanning says Gandhi's and Fisher's examples inspired him to take similar action against the growing "surveillance state."  He believes the Real I.D. amendment passed by the Senate this month will make things even worse.  But he says it's important to stay positive.  "The goal is we want to get to the point where we can travel without having to have paperwork, so this is the beginning of that.  We see light at the end of the tunnel. "

Currently the plan is for Kanning to approach the security checkpoint at 12:30 PM.  Journalists and supporters will want to be there by noon.

Summary:

What:  Civil disobedience against ID requirements under federalized airport security.
Where:  Manchester Airport in New Hampshire (exact spot to be determined)
When:  Saturday, June 11 @ noon
Who:  Russell Kanning of Keene, NH, supporters from NHfree.com
Why:  To draw attention to the recent and continuing loss of privacy and freedom due to federalized airport security and National ID.
How:  By approaching a TSA checkpoint with a ticket but no I.D., refusing to show I.D. and refusing to cooperate with the I.D. requirement until arrested or allowed to board the plane.
Contacts:  Russell Kanning:  (603) 357-2049,  Kat Dillon (same number), Mike Fisher (603) 498-7935, NHfree.com

[Michael Fisher]

I should be very angry about the National ID right now, but I am not. ?

National ID passed on May 10th, the SAME day when the effect of our first event proved that Gandhi's principles and methods are indeed the solution to our problems. ?This was no coincidence. ?It is obvious that the people of this country are not asleep, they are only afraid to take a stand, and they are seeking an example to follow.

I believe in our ability to change the future. ?We are showing, by our example, how people can take a stand without the need to work within the system.

Many people are wondering how to withdraw their consent without hurting others because violence is the most unnatural and evil thing a human being can do. ?In our Police State, without any spirit of mass rebellion, violence only justifies the continuous growth of government.

So what is the solution? ?How can government be fought effectively without resorting to violence?

Public nonviolent noncooperation is the key. ?The voluntary suffering of a few can set our people free, at least for one generation. ?The coming revolution must be peaceful to succeed, and we are leading this movement by our example.

[Michael Fisher]

Here's yet another version that takes out the aviation history.? Several folks on other forums are claiming that part had factual errors, and it's not really necessary to get the point across.? ?The error they claim is there is the I.D. requirement....? are you guys sure we didn't have to have i.d. before 9/11?? i thought we did...? guess this proves my point about how easy it is to forget what things used to be like just a few years ago.? ?

Dave,

They're obviously wrong.

Three and a half years ago, anyone could enter an airport without an ID or a ticket.? Someone would only need to show their ticket to board their flight.? If they did not have their ticket sent in the mail, they would need to go to the ticket counter and show ID to receive their ticket.? That's all.

Do not take this section out!? ?? I believe this will be the most popular detail about the event!!!

Now that airport security is federalized because of the Aviation Security Act, the TSA requires ID and ticket to enter the airport, and your friends or family that are not flying cannot go with you into the airport!? However, the exact law is a secret.

[Michael Fisher]

Another reason why this event will be very effective is because Gilmore only asked to see the law, and nobody could show it.

Russell does not need to see the law to know that it is wrong.

He willl assert his freedom to travel regardless of the rules that surround him.

[Dave Ridley]

Arright Mike I've put some of the history back in:

---

NH: Man Without I.D. Vows to Board Flight or be Jailed

Manchester, NH, May 21, 2005 - Inspired by New Hampshire's "outlaw manicurist," another Granite Stater is stepping forward to peacefully defy license-related laws.  Russell Kanning of Keene has announced he will approach a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint at Manchester airport on June 11 and refuse to cooperate with the requirement to show I.D.  "I will either board the plane without I.D. or be arrested," he says.  "In a free country you do not need government permission to travel."   The 35-year-old accountant has a ticket to Philidelphia.

Kanning stresses that he will not resist arrest or do anything that might be perceived as physically threatening.  He says this act of nonviolent resistance will follow the model laid down by Gandhi, who used peaceful noncooperation to expel the British from India.  "We will tell them everything we're going to do ahead of time.  We are not going to disrupt the operation of the airport," he says.

Kanning says the parallels with Gandhi's situation go further than a shared belief in nonviolence.   "In South Africa (where Gandhi's protests began), Indians had to have special I.D...so it's very similar that way, and he wanted to burn it...He was appealing to that same basic idea that we have rights to not have to have paperwork to be able to move freely."

After the terrorist attacks in 2001, Federal authorities tightened flying restrictions and begain forcing citizens to have both a ticket and identification (usually a driver's license) in order to even enter an airport terminal.   Kanning says he refuses to carry a license on principle and disputes the idea that tighter restrictions really make flying safer.

Earlier this month another Gandhi admirer, Mike Fisher of Newmarket, used the Mahatma's techniques to protest business licensing.  After announcing he would perform an unlicensed manicure in front of the state licensing offices, he carried out his promise, earned a brief trip to jail and received heavy regional media coverage for his viewpoint.

Kanning says Gandhi's and Fisher's examples inspired him to take similar action against the growing "surveillance state."  He believes the Real I.D. amendment passed by the Senate this month will make things even worse.  But he says it's important to stay positive.  "The goal is we want to get to the point where we can travel without having to have paperwork, so this is the beginning of that.  We see light at the end of the tunnel. "

Currently the plan is for Kanning to approach the security checkpoint at 12:30 PM.  Journalists and supporters will want to be there by noon.

Summary:

What:  Civil disobedience against ID requirements under federalized airport security.
Where:  Manchester Airport in New Hampshire (exact spot to be determined)
When:  Saturday, June 11 @ noon
Who:  Russell Kanning of Keene, NH, supporters from NHfree.com
Why:  To draw attention to the recent and continuing loss of privacy and freedom due to federalized airport security and National ID.
How:  By approaching a TSA checkpoint with a ticket but no I.D., refusing to show I.D. and refusing to cooperate with the I.D. requirement until arrested or allowed to board the plane.
Contacts:  Russell Kanning:  (603) 357-2049,  Kat Dillon (same number), Mike Fisher (603) 498-7935, NHfree.com

[Dave Ridley]

The reaction on New Hampshire's two busiest web forums (welll, besides this one) is continuing strong and becoming a little less hostile.   I posted our may 19 press release there a few days ago.  (links are in this thread, above)As usual many of the reactions , though negative, are coming from a fairly freedom-friendly perspective (i.e. "businesses have a right to require i.d.",   "this may discredit the good ideas of free staters," etc.)  It's a fairly constructive debate you've sparked over there.

Reaction on national forums appears to be almost as robust, about 4-to-1 against russell which is not bad.

I do think it's becoming apparent that there will not be much public support behind this initially, perhaps not ever. Though that could change if russell is overpunished or if he is allowed to board.   Perhaps if he is allowed into the terminal that will provide a small moral victory as well.

It does seem that people are starting to think more about ways they would *not* want I.D.'s to be used.

My thinking is that if it were me doing this I would probably not make promises to keep doing it. I might just....show up again a few months after being released from jail!  or pick another thing to protest.   property tax protests sure seem to be in demand lately LOL

[Michael Fisher]

Most reaction to the announcement of my event was negative as well, and most of the opposition had no real, logical basis for opposition.  The outcome changed that drastically.  I expect the same will occur with this event.

People just don't understand how ridiculous the law is until the arrest.  Then everything changes.

"The hardest heart and the grossest ignorance must disappear before the rising sun of suffering, without anger and without malice."

Russell is a very brave man.  He is nothing less than a hero.

"The satyagrahi must be prepared to suffer till the end for his cause."

"The quest of truth involves self-suffering, sometimes even unto death."

"Passive resistance is a method of securing rights by personal suffering; it is the reverse of resistance by arms."
-Gandhi

[FTL_Ian]

Our position is principled and correct, theirs is corrupt and violent.  Let's kick some empire ass.   

[Michael Fisher]

Our position is principled and correct, theirs is corrupt and violent.? Let's kick some empire ass.? ?

My thoughts exactly.

[Michael Fisher]

So, Russell, you gonna get a tattoo? 

[John]

So, Russell, you gonna get a tattoo??

I know you jail guys are realy into that tattoo thing.  Just make sure that you have clean underwear with NHfree.com printed on them - you never know who may be taking pictures.   

[Kat Kanning]

Hey John, are you making nhfree underwear now??

[John]

Hey John, are you making nhfree underwear now??

Soon. (Just in case.)