Leaked Government Doc Reveals UK ID "Coercion" Plans 187
BoingBoing is relating a hair-raising tale from the UK anti-ID-register group 'NO2ID' that claims to have a leaked government document [PDF] detailing how the UK government plans to "coerce" citizens into a national ID register. "UK campaigners NO2ID this morning enlisted the help of bloggers across the world to spread a leaked government document describing how the British government intends to go about "coercing" its citizens onto a National Identity Register. The 'ID card' is revealed as little more than a cover to create a official dossier and trackable ID for every UK resident - creating what NO2ID calls 'the database state'."
Might be advantageous... (Score:4, Insightful)
Of course, getting past the initial screening may not be trivial--but investigation into that avenue may be worthwhile.
Do it the easy way. (Score:3, Insightful)
Find someone involved in issuing them who has a gambling / drug / sex / whatever problem who can be bought / blackmailed.
The whole system breaks down when it depends upon the honesty of people.
Coercion (Score:4, Insightful)
Put it this way: If the people actually volunteered to hand over their money and follow the aribtrary rules set forth by a central committee, then government would be entirely redundant. The reason why government exists is precisely because the people would not voluntarily hand over their money and follow that arbitrary set of rules.
Again, coercion is the fundamental tool which all governments MUST hold -- otherwise it ain't government.
Re:The gestapo are quick these days (Score:2, Insightful)
Who cares? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:NO worries (Score:2, Insightful)
You will get fooled again. (Score:2, Insightful)
You think a revolution is going to help? Replacing one government with another is only a temporary reprieve. Once the generation that dragged the last batch of tyrants to the guillotine dies off, people will forget what happened and grow complacent. They'll go back to saying "there ought to be a law" every time something doesn't go the way they think it should, and a new bunch of tyrants will corrupt the new government. Every revolution, even the American revolution of 1776, is a case of "Meet the New Boss, same as the Old Boss".
Go ahead and have your revolution. Found a new government on the ashes of the old. Swear in a new parliament while the heads of the old rot on pikes. It won't help you for long. You will get fooled again.
Re:Do it the easy way. (Score:3, Insightful)
They outright want to go back to the middle age serfdoms where people are owned, they see the 20th century as a nasty period when almost all would have went wrong for them.
Being bribe able is a work prescription you need to have to be able to do certain jobs like being a politician, no honest person is able to do that job, being non bribe able makes you too expensive for the system that rely on low payments and big dossiers of all mishaps of politicians.
The whole system breaks down due to dishonesty within their treacherous class where everybody is paranoid and nobody trust each other.
Holding the government at gunpoint. (Score:5, Insightful)
I agree with you concerning the Framers' reasons for including the Second Amendment. However, I have to ask you why you think that simply overthrowing an oppressive government and replacing it will do any long-term good? Do you think that leading Congress to the guillotine will work in a country where most people, thanks to public education, think that consistent respect for individual rights means leaving poor people to starve to death in the streets?
The American revolution was as successful as it was because of the people behind it, and I'm not just talking about the heroes you read about in school. Just about everybody in the colonies had at least a nodding acquaintance with the ideas of thinkers like John Locke and Thomas Paine.
An armed rebellion today would fail miserably, because most of the people are beholden to the government. They either get money directly from the government, or they work in industries that receive government subsidies. Do you think, for example, that public school teachers will do anything but teach the children in their ever-so-tender care that the rebels are anything but villains?
Before you can have a revolution, you need a people on fire with the lust for liberty. We don't have that, for the most part. Most people, if you were to tell them that it was possible to have a government that did not rob Peter in order to provide Paul with a welfare check, would laugh at you. Suggest repealing the income tax, and the first thing you'll hear is "how will the government replace those 'lost revenues', as if the government was ever morally entitled to that money in the first place.
A revolution won't work right now. The people are not ready; they do not burn with a passionate need for freedom.
Re:Might be adventageous (Score:3, Insightful)
Unfortunately, I think that in the U.S. at least, most people *do* trust the government. I don't, and a lot of people here on
Was the pithy commentary really necessary? (Score:5, Insightful)
Frankly, the commentary sounds like the rantings of some extremist, conspiracy-theorist wanker, and does nothing but muddy the issues, not to mention make reading the document more difficult, as I have to wade through their irritating scribblings.
Re:Hmm (Score:3, Insightful)
Since you say social security number, I assume that you are an American citizen. You do know what the USA do with every foreigner entering the country, I assume? Taking 10 (!) fingerprints! Plus a scan of your passport, storing your credit card number, plus any other information in a related computer system. This gives the "land of freedom" quite a new interpretation.
Re:Coercion (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Do it the easy way. (Score:3, Insightful)
I'll grant you that many policies don't do a damned thing while chewing up personal freedom, though, so your point is certainly valid.