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New Licenses Incite Fears
of North American Union
NewsMax
Friday September 7, 2007
Pro-border
security advocates are warning that the new North Carolina driver's
license is a dangerous first step toward a "North American
Union" driving permit.
The Tar Heel State recently introduced a license that includes
a hologram on its reverse side.
The problem: Critics object that the hologram portrays the entire
North American continent, not just the United States. Moreover,
they say it looks just like the map of North American used as
the logo on the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America
Web site (www.spp.gov).
The SPP supports enhanced regulatory cooperation and the promotion
of cross-border trade among the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Those who object to the North American Union and related projects
like the NAFTA Super Highway say it will compromise American sovereignty,
exacerbate border-security concerns, and ultimately lead to economic
hardships for U.S. citizens.
(Article continues below)
Groups opposed to illegal immigration worry that a North American
driver's license could ultimately enable a citizen of Mexico,
Canada, or the United States to travel freely anywhere on the
Continent.
William Gheen, who heads the Raleigh, N.C.-based Americans for
Legal Immigration political action committee, says the new license
is “‘North American Union' ready.”
Gheen says he’ll protest the new license by refusing to
apply for a license, even though it will prevent him from driving
a car and make it difficult to travel on a commercial airline.
The hologram is a foil-based security patch that carries design
features both visible and invisible to the human eye, including
a variety of codes, numbers, and 3-D and fluorescent images. North
Carolina DMV officials say the new licenses will eventually be
used all over North America, and will take several years to roll
out.
North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles spokeswoman Marge Howell
says the new licenses will increase security, protect against
document fraud, and aid law enforcement officials in identifying
crime suspects.
The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators that
designed the hologram represents state and provincial officials
in the United States and Canada who administer and enforce motor
vehicle laws. The government of Mexico is also a member, though
individual Mexican states have yet to join.
"The goal is of the North American hologram is to get one
common element that law enforcement throughout the continent can
look at on all driver's licenses and tell that the driver's license
is an official document," Howell says.
Because the hologram is almost impossible to duplicate, Howell
says it will be much more difficult for illegal immigrants to
get a bogus license.
But the new licenses have prompted an online opposition effort
by FaxDC.com. Missouri state Rep. Jim Guest also is opposed.
"I was astonished when I saw that North American hologram
on the North Carolina driver's license," Guest said, according
to FaxDC. "I thought right then that this was going to be
the prototype for the driver's license of the North American Union.”
The driver’s license flap comes in the midst of a joint
U.S.-Mexico pilot program that allows Mexican truckers to make
long-haul trips into the United States. Currently, trucks from
Mexico are allowed to venture only within the 20- to 25-mile commercial
zone in place along the U.S. border.
Under the year-long experiment, though, a select group of about
100 Mexican trucking companies will be allowed to make deliveries
beyond the 20- to 25-mile commercial zone.
To participate, Mexican drivers must have a commercial driver's
license, must pass a criminal check, show proof that they are
medically fit, comply with U.S. hours-of-service rules, and be
able to answer questions in English and understand directions
from inspectors.
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INFOWARS:
BECAUSE THERE'S A WAR ON FOR YOUR MIND
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