Virginia Republicans had some shining moments on Capitol Hill recently -- and some tarnished ones. The best moment was when Sen. George F. Allen broke from the herd and defended democracy in the Senate by introducing legislation to force the White House to reopen Reagan National Airport to general aviation -- a measure not only important to Northern Virginia's economy but crucial to the cause of democracy.
Most Americans are unaware that the law authorizing the Secret Service provides presidents with dictatorial powers. For a president to have his way, all he has to do is claim that his safety is at stake, and -- via the Secret Service -- his authority becomes almost limitless. Unless Congress intervenes, the president can close streets, sidewalks, parks and airports to the citizens who own them.
Long before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, George W. Bush demonstrated an unseemly willingness to trounce civic liberties in the name of his perceived safety needs. The first campaign promise on which he reneged was the one to reopen Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House. And at his first inaugural parade -- for the first time in history -- citizens had to pass through police checkpoints to view the festivities.
Remember the state dinner that the Bushes hosted (pre-Sept. 11), which closed with an unannounced fireworks display? The White House declined to publicize the event because, it said, if citizens gathered to watch, it could be "a security concern."
Bush's refusal to allow general aviation to return to Reagan National Airport is characteristically extreme. When a Cessna crashed into the White House in 1994, the pilot was killed, but the mansion barely suffered a nick. Nowadays, a plane would be shot down long before it reached the executive mansion, and the risk that general aviation poses to the president's safety is tiny.
Moreover, the closure of public facilities should be subject to the democratic process. As Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.) says, "We're co-equal branches of government. We get a say in this, too."
Unfortunately, Davis and other Virginia representatives, in their worst-moment performance, had a say in another measure recently: backing the Real ID Act. If this bill becomes law, the federal government will dictate driver's license specifications and require linkage of this information to a nationwide database.
Real ID then would be the only identification the federal government accepts. Without it, an individual would not be allowed to board an airplane or train or enter a courthouse, museum or any other place where the feds control access. Inevitably, these driver's licenses would become the gold standard for local governments and private businesses as well.
When that happens, how long will it be before Real ID functions as a domestic passport -- necessary for travel, entering buildings or conducting business?
Those who dismiss such predictions as alarmist should consider how driver's licenses already are being used as all-purpose means of control. In Texas, a driver's license can be suspended for failure to provide requested medical information to the government. In Florida, a license can be revoked for "an immoral act in which a motor vehicle was used."
Wisconsin residents can lose their driver's licenses for failure to pay library fines. If they fail to shovel the snow off their sidewalk or trim a tree overhanging a neighbor's property, their licenses can be yanked too. Montana residents are not allowed to drive if they default on college loans.
Oregon has more than 100 offenses for which a driver's license can be suspended, fewer than half of them related to driving.
Last year, Georgia gave schools the right to suspend the driver's licenses of students who have more than 10 unexcused absences, drop out of school, fight, possess drugs or commit sexual offenses. Many states punish those who fail to pay child support by revoking their driver's licenses.
Effectively "grounding" adults is cheaper than sending them to jail, and a national ID card linked to a central database would allow the government to be all that more efficient in setting down restrictions. The ID card of a citizen not in good standing could have a hold put on it, just like a credit or debit card.
Want to board a plane in South Carolina? Not until you pay those library fines in Wisconsin.
The Real ID bill does have a valid portion: the requirement to demonstrate lawful presence in the United States before obtaining a driver's license. That would offer no guarantees -- experts say plenty of terrorists-in-training are already in this country legally -- but it's a start. More important, it could impede the mobility of terrorists without infringing on the freedom of all Americans.
Allen distinguishes himself by rejecting the overwrought restrictions on general aviation. Here's hoping he also will persuade his colleagues on the Hill of the real dangers of Real ID.
