Having just left the UK I remember reading and seeing in the news the debate going on about national identity cards. In a country where CCTV cameras are everywhere it seems that the ID card debate is almost a moot point. A person in the UK is having their movements tracked by camera everywhere they go. Plus with the upcoming RFID tags being placed on the license plates of autos it will even be easier to track your movements.

But the new Home Secretary is coming out in support of them and in the typical UK fashion the government is going to press ahead with them. I remember right after 9/11 there was a debate here in the United States about whether we should have national ID cards. But in the years since it seems that we here in the US have shoved that notion to the back burner. But have you tried to do anything anymore without a photo ID card? Or a Social Security Number? It’s impossible. As much as we hate to admit it we do have a defacto national ID card in our state drivers license and our Social Security Number. Do either of these cut down on crime, make us more safe, or are they just another tool for tracking our whereabouts and what we do? When did you give up the right to be left alone and to have the freedom of travel without the government or big business know your every move. Things to think about when this issue comes up again for national debate. Every little bit of freedom we give up in the name of convenience and safety only enslaves us to the government more.