We will not allow this enemy to win the war by changing our way of life or restricting our freedoms.

—-  George W. Bush, September 12, 2001

      While the United states Armed Forces (private mercenaries) are in Afghanistan, Djibouti, Iraq, the Philippines and west Africa defending “all freedom-loving people everywhere in the world”—the ostensibly pro-State sovereignty—Republican (fascist/socialist) President George W. Bush signs the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief Act.  Inserted into the act as an amendment is the politically unpopular REAL ID Act, which was not able to pass CONgress on its own.  The REAL ID Act requires state drivers’ licenses to comply with Document 9303 of the United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization.  This further restricts the prerogatives of the states over their own “driver’s” (a legal term for a “traveler” transporting goods or services in commercial transit) licenses.  The act turns the state driver’s license into a national identity card (Real ID).  Photographs taken for drivers’ licenses will be uploaded into the ICAO’s database allowing anyone to be tracked anywhere in the world.

       NOTE: The 2004 Republican Party Platform contained the following passages:

       Our leaders must make sure that the growth of the federal government remains in check.

       We must maintain our commitment to free and fair trade, lower taxes, limited regulation, and a limited, efficient government that keeps up with the new realities of a changing world.

       We endorse creating a commission to evaluate discretionary spending on federal agencies and programs to ensure that taxpayer Funds are being used for the best, most efficient purposes. Such a commission would determine whether certain programs are duplicative, wasteful or inefficient, outdated or irrelevant, or failed. It would recommend to Congress programs that could be terminated, moved, or restructured to make the government more efficient.

      Question: What do foreign military adventurism, disaster relief and advancing the police state have to do with each other?

       [added 1/14/2024] Thanks to Bill Holmes, Jim Lorenz and Chuck McGlawn for this entry.