-Caveat Lector-
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/010924/80/c54un.html
ID cards "don't stop crime"
LONDON (Reuters) - Civil liberties groups are crying foul over the possible
introduction of identity cards in Britain, claiming they would infringe
liberty but have little impact on the West's newly declared war on
terrorism.
Britons have only ever had to carry identity documents during wartime,
unlike the majority of Europeans, who have to produce ID cards at the
request of police or officials.
But the September 11 suicide attacks in the United States, which left early
7,000 dead or missing, have focused attention on whether Britain strikes
the right balance between individual liberty and public safety.
Home Secretary David Blunkett says the possible introduction of identity
cards in Britain was being studied "very seriously indeed".
Civil liberties groups accused the government of planning to exploit the
U.S. calamity to rush through legislation.
"I think it's just one of a series of anti-civil libertarian measures they
(the government) want to put in place and they have been waiting years to
do it," said Trevor Hemmings, a spokesman for Statewatch, which monitors
civil liberties across Europe.
Building a database in Britain would not solve the problem, said the
London-based group. "People who perpetrate these kind of things usually use
false ID."
Leading politicians have also expressed caution.
Charles Kennedy, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, said ID cards had
failed to stop terrorism in other countries such as France, Spain and
Italy.
"Rushed legislation, particularly if it's got all-party agreement, history
teaches, is usually bad legislation," he said.
Liberty, a group which campaigns for personal freedom, insisted that
bringing in ID was neither necessary nor desirable.
Mark Littlewood, its director of campaigns, told Reuters: "Our concern is
that this is, however well-intentioned, a very misguided response to the
necessary war on terrorism. It will potentially significantly undermine
civil liberties, but it will have no impact in reducing crime or terrorism
in the UK."
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Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT
FROM THE DESK OF:
*Michael Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends
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