After I posted my first article on the PASS ID Act, I expected a firestorm of criticism from both sides. I was pleasantly surprised to find I was wrong about that. Apparently, cooler heads ARE prevailing on this issue, at least as far as TTAG is concerned. I was contacted by Christian Gliem, the Coordinator of Policy and Communications for an organization called the Coalition for a Secure Driver’s License. The non-profit organization (Wikipedia link here) has a stated mission that they wish to “raise public awareness that weak state systems for issuing drivers’ licenses and IDs increase the risk from foreign terrorists and domestic criminals who can fraudulently assume new identities to escape detection by law enforcement.” Seems like something I can get on board with. I did a little background checking of my own, and found that the Coalition looks like exactly what they say they are (a refreshing change from a lot of 501.3c’s, that serve as a non-profit front for some special interest groups). Christian had some interesting things to say about the PASS ID Act, and brought to my attention some facts I’d not heard of, and offered some perspectives on it that I’d overlooked. We’ve since traded emails, and with his permission, I’d like to reprint what he has to say here, for your edification:
