It didn't take the RINOs long to pounce on an opportunity to weaken state sovereignty and personal liberty once DHS announced that Oklahoma's waiver for the Real ID act compliance had been rejected. Representatives Leslie Osborn and Jon Echols announced that they would fille a bill next year that would bring Oklahoma into compliance with the Real ID law. Echols was quoted as saying Oklahoma is not being given much of a choice by the federal government. News flash for you Jon, 32 states have yet to comply and not a single state is actually in full compliance because most of the 24 states that have been given a pass have refused to pass the more dangerous parts of Real ID.
Here is a list of the 23 states and D.C. that so far have refused to accept Real ID:
Alabama Arizona Colorado Connecticut Delaware DC Florida Georgia Hawaii Indiana Iowa Kansas Maryland Mississippi Nebraska Nevada Ohio S. Dakota Tennessee Utah Vermont West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
But here is a list of the five states that the feds are choosing to be their whipping boys to coerce the other 24 states into compliance:
Kentucky Maine Oklahoma Pennsylvania S. Carolina
Are we the states that are the most stubborn? No, those states have done a lot to modernize their drivers licenses short of full compliance with Real ID. Here is a list of the states that simply ignored the feds on Real ID and have refused to even apply for extensions or waivers:
Minnesota Missouri Washington
According to the latest threats, the five states above, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Maine, Pennsylvania and South Carolina, may not be allowed to board commercial flights with only state driver's licenses and would instead be required to use an alternative form of identification such as a passport, according to Homeland Security. But that is a total lie as you can actually board an aircraft with zero ID as long as the TSA can verify your ID in their extensive data base.
You give your name, they look you up, see your picture, answer a few questions, and on the way you go. Illegal aliens can board airplanes, I have personally seen them hand an I-862 form with their name on it and pass through security, no watermark or other security features, no photo, anyone can make one of these on their home computer. Even the TSA says you don't need ID:
"In the event you arrive at the airport without valid identification, because it is lost or at home, you may still be allowed to fly. The TSA officer may ask you to complete a form to include your name and current address, and may ask additional questions to confirm your identity. If your identity is confirmed, you will be allowed to enter the screening checkpoint. You may be subject to additional screening."
Real ID started in 2005 and for over a decade the states have been pushing back against the privacy killing effort. Besides the privacy concerns, the ability to have a facial recognition data base that could be used to track and control citizens, there is a massive cost to the states to comply and a huge security risk to have everyone's personal information in one hack-able data base. One of the states being singled out with Oklahoma is Kentucky which has complied with ALL aspects of Real ID save one; the state still allows ID cards and drivers licenses to be handed out at 144 circuit court clerk's offices where the security standards are less than the drivers license bureaus. Other than that Kentucky has complied with the "material compliance checklist" that the TSA has watered down in order to get a few states to comply.
The twenty three states plus Washington D.C. that have been judged as meeting compliance with Real ID actually have not met compliance as few of the states have allowed access to their motor vehicle database/ But Homeland Security can't take on all 50 states so they are picking on five and the five aren't even the least compliant five states.
Homeland Security has announced January 2018 as the final deadline to states if they want to allow the use of drivers licenses to board a plane. But the reality is that grounding passengers from half the states in the Union is guaranteed to ignite a firestorm that Homeland Security couldn't withstand and would bring lawsuits challenging their constitutional ability to restrict travel without a national ID card.
Most of the 26 states that are still opposing Real ID do so on privacy concerns, unfunded mandate concerns, or to stop federal overreach. States like Oklahoma, Maine, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina (yes, the ones chosen by the feds to crush first) have all passed laws making Real ID illegal in the state. Those states realize the concern of allowing a federal ID card to be implemented.
Osborn and Echols are jumping at the chance to ram the federal ID requirement down the throat of Oklahomans in the mistaken belief that there will be little outrage. It is an act of cowardice, turning their backs on fellow Oklahomans and the millions of citizens in the other 28 states that have stood their ground against the TSA and Homeland Security, easily the two most hated federal organizations. Both Osborn and Echols are going to pay a tremendous political price if they file legislation in support of Real ID.
