Editorial: ID concerns
International threats place more importance on the need for Americans to have proper, verified identification documents.
Proper identification, verified identification, is of growing importance in the United States, whether it applies to refugees coming into this country or those who want to vote in state and national elections.
The current debate relative to admitting thousands of refugees from Syria into our country is serious and a matter of great concern for millions of Americans, including a large number of those serving in Congress.
The director of the FBI acknowledges there is no way to properly investigate the backgrounds of those that would be admitted into our country, no way to trace backgrounds and activities that are necessary to verify and build a record on each individual.
Other federal officers make it clear they believe the terrorist threat in the U.S. is greater today than at any time since the deadly Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Currently, great concern is focused on refugees from the Middle East, particularly Syria, and whether there are potential terrorists among these groups. It wasn’t long ago tens of thousands of “refugees” from Central and South America were crossing our border without vetting and background checks to verify they were legitimately fleeing a “humanitarian” threat and deserved an open door into the U.S.
Is there justification to think there might be terrorists being slipped into our country through the Syrian pipeline but no reason to worry or believe our enemies would try the same method of getting terrorists into the U.S. through Central and South America?
Our borders are porous, and it is impossible for federal or state officials to know for certain who may be decent, hard-working, honest individuals seeking a new future or who may be imposters waiting to take action against “hated Americans.”
This issue of proper identification and verification raises an associated matter: the ongoing efforts to discredit Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s work to require proper identification and proof of citizenship for those who wish to vote in state elections.
Individuals are required to have proper identification to get a hunting license, buy a gun, board a commercial airliner, drive a car or cash a check, but, for some reason, many think it is wrong to require proper ID to vote.
Kobach’s manner infuriates some, and others don’t like him because he is a conservative Republican. Others think he is trying to disenfranchise certain segments of our society or that he is overplaying his role as secretary of state and engaging in political showboating.
That impression may be a correct or a slanted appraisal, but proper identification is going to become a matter of increasing importance and concern in this country. Already, identity theft is a growing danger, making Americans much more aware of the importance of protecting their identities.
Proper identification is not unreasonable, whether it applies to those entering our country or those wishing to vote in local, state and national elections.