Real ID Conspiracy

Alright, I realize this is not a political blog, but this Real ID bill has me foaming at the mouth. The bill passed unanimously through the Senate today as an included Rider on a bill to provide funding for the military in Iraq & Afghanistan that no elected official in their right mind would vote against. The very fact that the bill was hidden in this way, so that it never came to the attention of the public and did not allow for review or debate should tell you all you need to know of the government's intent here. There are two wonderful write ups on the bill here and here that do a finer job of explaining the issues thatn I can. PLEASE take the time to read them both! This simple sounding "security measure" has frightening implications for this country. Once enacted, you will be required to show this card at any public facility (airports, federal building, parks, etc.) where it will be scanned and checked against a national database to verify your identity. In effect, your whereabouts and travel habits will be known to the government in an instant. Also, the cards will have all of your personal data: age, weight, photo, SS#, address, etc. embedded into the card for scanning into a public database. Just think of the fun for I.D. thieves and professional marketers with all that data! Please educate yourself on this act and contact your representatives to let them know you oppose it. I'll be keeping you posted on what I read on this regularly.

Okay, on to the writing: Boy Scouts last night, so no type-in on GS. I did 1500 or so words on Fish today but I was running from meeting to meeting at work (Big Fun!) so I only had a short lunch break to work on it. I dropped my latest chapter of "Clans" for review by the Crit Circle over on Forward Motion. Ouch. Lee found some major issues with the chapter that I'm going to have to fix. I haven't gotten Mel's input yet but I have no doubt she'll find some logic flaws for me. (She always does! :-) ) We're also confusing each other over the difference between a synopsis & an outline. Well . . . I think I'm confusing them more than anything but they should be used to my idiocy by now!

Watched "The Amazing Race" finale last night after I got back from Scouts (Yea, I know I shoulda been writing but I was tired, okay? Sheesh!) I loved the couple who won the million bucks. The fact that they stood outside the last gate, begging for money to pay their taxi driver his $50 at the risk of losing their big pay day said volumes about their character. Any of the other teams would have just bolted inside and worried about the taxi driver later (if at all!) I love to see the decent, honest, folks come out ahead once in a while!

Okay, it's late in the day and I'm tired. Meetings (I had five today!) exhaust me. I'm gonna go get my son, go home, cook dinner, do some type-in (hopefully) and go to bed early! (yea, right!)

Later!