Real ID, HB 1582

[Tom Sawyer]

Cause I have the goods on them.

I was very respectful of the process and tried not to be an issue myself. And the staff (for the most part) was very nice about letting me get footage.

I got up extra early this morning to load the footage into my editing software... I got some good stuff. The audio is not as clean as it would have been if I had still been plugged into the PA. Fortunately the Senators where for the most part speaking loudly enough to hear well. It's just the other ambient noise and acoustics that would be better off the PA. When I get the time to edit this piece I'll see about syncing up the archived Senate recording, it will be a very tedious process but it will make it better.

There is some good drama... let's see if I can put it together into a reasonable short compelling piece.

I appreciate all the players that brought this issue forward.

addition:
PS. I have some good footage of your interview John... it comes of well, I'll use some of it. You did talk about NHfree.com and the New Hampshire Underground as the place you get informed about these issues.
And thanks for getting still pictures.

[NC2NH]

Barnes is also the one who - in committee - talked of "a family of 5" going to "Disney Word" needing to get  5 passports- as if 5-year-olds needed IDs. Maybe with folks like Barnes and our other "small-government" Republicans in charge they will.

Yep, and Letourneau stated the same fiction on the senate floor!

[Russell Kanning]

Those who pass this "Real Id" can burn in Hell.

You can tell John has been hanging around the polititians too much. They are disgusting him.

[Tom Sawyer]

Yeah... it reminded me why I fled DC.

[Fluff and Stuff]

Seriously folks.  This is just one bill.  No one should be written off just because how they vote on one bill.  After all, all the US Senators in the nation and every other state in the nation has already approved of this bill.  Please, think of this as one part of a long term battle, not the end all and be all.  We need to stop calling so many senators names and threatening them.  You know, the federal government, NH media, and some people that oppose us and are on the ground in NH read this forum.

[d_goddard]

Thanks, but I was just trying to get Ruger Mason's information through the noise that followed it.

I saw high-quality info and assumed you were the source. My bad, yet again!
Kudos for Ruger!
Ruger is cool!

[FTL_Ian]

These Senate fools don't know who we are yet.  Their days are numbered.   

[aries]

Seriously folks.  This is just one bill.  No one should be written off just because how they vote on one bill.  After all, all the US Senators in the nation and every other state in the nation has already approved of this bill.  Please, think of this as one part of a long term battle, not the end all and be all.  We need to stop calling so many senators names and threatening them.  You know, the federal government, NH media, and some people that oppose us and are on the ground in NH read this forum.

Some bills have an incredible impact. Most don't. When a senator votes BAD on the biggest bill of the year, he does a LOT to hurt himself. When he votes BAD on 99% of bills and GOOD on the big one, he can win support. That's politics for ya.

[aries]

These Senate fools don't know who we are yet.  Their days are numbered.   

I have a feeling that once the FTL crew gets up to NH, you guys are going to be doing A LOT of good for this state.

[Republidog]

Something that hasn't really been discussed is the "committee" to study REAL ID is totally unelected. Some may be elected positions, but not to their position in the committee. To be a truely representative and independant committee, it should be elected by the people. This may be another avevue to defeat this, we should push for an elected committee to review the law.

It's kind of like passing a law saying "we're going to study REAL ID and I'm appointing my brother to study it's effects."

[aries]

Something that hasn't really been discussed is the "committee" to study REAL ID is totally unelected. Some may be elected positions, but not to their position in the committee. To be a truely representative and independant committee, it should be elected by the people. This may be another avevue to defeat this, we should push for an elected committee to review the law.

It's kind of like passing a law saying "we're going to study REAL ID and I'm appointing my brother to study it's effects."

Well since they can't actually make a legislative decision, they don't need to be elected. The only non-legislative position that's elected at the state or federal government level is the governor/president, and those two both do have the power to veto laws.

Plus, by accepting the committee members, the senate "democratically" chose the committee.

[cathleeninnh]

It isn't a committee, but a commission. A commission can include "experts"; a committee would be legislators.

Cathleen

[d_goddard]

Seriously folks.  This is just one bill.  No one should be written off just because how they vote on one bill.  After all, all the US Senators in the nation and every other state in the nation has already approved of this bill.  Please, think of this as one part of a long term battle, not the end all and be all.  We need to stop calling so many senators names and threatening them.  You know, the federal government, NH media, and some people that oppose us and are on the ground in NH read this forum.

<aimless_ramble>

I agree with you ... for the Senators for whom this was the first we heard on the subject.

But for the "turncoats" who voted OTP in committee, and then jumped ship when it really mattered... well, I have a hell of a lot less respect for them. See what ravelkinbow says about Senator Martel. Hmmmm Martel must have taken Tums on Thursday afternoon, his tumnmy didn't seem to be troubling him.

And I cannot, cannot get over Gatsas and his tool Barnes.
Those two were the enablers that gave the easy out for the others.
Barnes was even on the committee. He could have asked for any info he wanted; a major reason for having the exec committees is so that the legislators can properly study the bills, contact any needed experts, and collect all relevant testimony. For a committee member to flip-flop his vote, I want to know just what new information he got between when he cast his committee vote and when he cast the vote on the Senate floor. It sure feels like they hoped we'd drop the issue, go home, and not follow up. The only new information Barnes cited was that "Judd told me so!"
If Judd told him that, to be safe, he had to suspend the NH Constitution, and turn over all Muslims to internment camps, would that be OK, too? Where exactly does Barnes draw the line? Is there one?

So, yeah, for Barnes and Gatsas, I feel quite justified in wanting them out of my State House.
Martel, Kenney, and Roberge -- the "turncoats" -- are on probation. I want an explanation, and some action to help minimize the damage.

Similarly, Bragdon gets bonus points for sticking to principles. I hate how quickly he dismissed the idea of forming a committee to study the issue of drug legalization, but that one vote doesn't send him to the doghouse, because he stood on the correct side on the smoking ban and on Real-ID, and both those votes took real guts. We can try and re-educate him on the whole drug policy thing later.

See? It's not all about one vote. It is indeed about a pattern of behavior.

</aimless_ramble>

[John]

Is it realy anything less than shameless politics for most of these people?

Does anyone think that if Gore or Kerry was in the White House that all of the Rebublicans would not have voted to stop this maddness - and that most (if not all) of the Dems. would have voted the other way?

As we stand today our "small government" Republicans have not only voted to take away a bit (a very big bit) more Liberty - but they voted to waste some more of our money studying how to do it  . . . i.e. how to frighten the public into eccepting more government control.

To them, I say the same thing I said at the "check-point" at the rally: F.U. 

[dawn]

Lots of great info here, guys. I am happy to see that taking the $3M was tabled, although I do wish they would take more of a stand and say NO!

I haven't taken the time to contact any of the senators yet, but I will. I hope others will join me in thanking those 9 senators who voted to protect our privacy and right to be without a national ID card.

This bill is a very important one with far reaching implications. The impact is HUGE. I still can't believe that all but 2 brave republicans turned their backs on their constituents in favor of supporting what the big guys in DC wanted them to do. I think this action has given a huge black eye to the R party in NH. I think the R's were worried about losing seats in the House and/or Senate in November. Now, I agree that they most certainly have something to worry about. If a rep/senator voted the liberty way on 10 small bills but supported a national ID card - the 10 small bills are totally cancelled out by comparison, IMHO.