Letters: Real ID

Newsday states that more than 220 police departments nationwide now use a scanning device that enables officers to record the license plates of passing or parked cars at a rate of 15 to 25 a second. The plate numbers are then instantly crossed-checked against a database. USA Today reports that US troops in Iraq are using a hand-held device to scan the irises of tens of thousands of Iraqi men, building a database of possible insurgents.

These devices and others raise the real possibility of a police state. The real ID movement is a possible first step. The current administration takes an extreme view on executive power. Congress has taken little action to restore the rule of law or to insist that Americans rights are protected. We need representatives that can insure that we are both safe and free.

A USA Today/Gallup Poll states that 58 percent of Americans say a third major party is needed. The effort to obtain fair ballot access for the Green Party of Arkansas has started, put your name to the petition. Vote how you choose but sign the petition to give all a choice.

Paul McFarland

Guy