1. Is There Oil Beneath Your Feet? • Estonia Stands Up to Russia • The Battle of Chalons
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A Foreign Policy
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Special Report on NAFTA
Crushing the American Family The Culture-Wise Family
Most Americans cherish the Constitution because Coauthors Ted Baehr, a movie industry expert, and
it protects our rights. But what if our Constitution Pat Boone, a legendary entertainer, know firsthand
could be overruled by a higher authority similar the persuasive power of the entertainment industry.
to the European Union? This issue explains how Here, they draw from their extensive experience and
NAFTA, a trade pact the United States entered, is interviews with experts to show the power of the media
being grown to supersede our government and and its influence on families. They examine the ongoing
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5. 12
Vol. 23, No. 14 July 9, 2007
COVER STORY
REAL ID ACT
12 Pushing National IDs
Design by Joseph W. Kelly
by Dennis Behreandt — Congress tried to implement a national ID
through the Real ID Act, but several states are opposing the measure.
FEATURES
GLOBAL WARMING
18
18 Alternative Explanations for Climate Change
SOHO image composite by Steele Hill NASA
by Dennis Behreandt — Climate change may not be of this Earth.
ENERGY
22 Is There Oil Beneath Your Feet?
by Ed Hiserodt — Oil may be an abundant renewable resource.
EDUCATION
25 What Grade Does NCLB Get?
by Jodie Gilmore — The bottom line on the No Child Left Behind Act.
BALTIC STATES
22 25
28 Estonia Stands Up to Russia
by Vilius Brazenas with William F. Jasper
CONSTITUTION CORNER
31 Federal Environmentalism
AP Images
AP Images
by George Detweiler — A dangerous ruling in Massachusetts v. EPA.
HISTORY — PAST AND PERSPECTIVE
34 The Battle of Chalons 28
by Charles Scaliger — Rome’s last stand against Attila the Hun.
THE LAST WORD
44 The Continuing Iraq War
AP Images
by John F. McManus
31 34
DEPARTMENTS
5 Letters to the Editor 33 The Goodness of America
7 Inside Track 41 Exercising the Right
AP Images
11 QuickQuotes 42 Correction, Please!
COVER Design by Joseph W. Kelly

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7. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Publisher
John F. McManus
Editor
Soviet System “Collapse” U.S. service men and women were killed in
Gary Benoit In Dennis Behreandt’s otherwise excellent Arabia, Africa, and on a Navy ship.
review of The Politically Incorrect Guide Why don’t you report the fact that the world
Senior Editor to Global Warming and Environmentalism would not have Mideast and terrorist problems
William F. Jasper (April 30), I was very disappointed to see the if President Carter wouldn’t have pushed Aya-
unmodified phrase, “It seems that following tollah Khomeini into power in Iran in 1979,
Copy Editor
the collapse of the Soviet system …” I won- replacing the U.S.-friendly Shah?
Kurt Williamsen
dered who was asleep at the switch. THE RICHARD SCHLEIS
Contributors NEW AMERICAN has always incorporated Kiel, Wisconsin
Dennis J. Behreandt the context provided by the revelations of
Christopher S. Bentley Soviet defector Anatoliy Golitsyn and the
Steven J. DuBord fact that nothing substantial in terms of con- Problems With Pinochet
Jodie Gilmore
William P. Hoar
trol has changed in the communist countries Jim West, in “The Passing of President Pi-
Warren Mass since 1989. nochet” (Letter to the Editor, February 19),
Michael E. Telzrow Also, Michael Telzrow’s essay on Aaron disagreed with your position that Pinochet
Joe Wolverton II, J.D. Burr, “A Missed Shot at Treason,” gave an was wrongly reviled. The facts agree with
able summary of the facts but left the reader THE NEW AMERICAN. The Chilean military
Editorial Assistant with the conventional view that Burr’s con- (of which Pinochet had been its leader) had
Ann Shibler
spiracy to bring about secession was an iso- prided itself on its history of never having
Art Director lated adventure. Omitted was the fact that been involved in a coup to overthrow the
Joseph W. Kelly Burr eagerly sought military support from government — as had been the habit of the
Napoleon, the former Illuminist who consoli- military in most of the other South Ameri-
Desktop Publishing Specialist dated international power in the wake of the can countries. Even during the period when
Steven J. DuBord
French Revolution, and the fact that French Allende’s communism was severely destroy-
Research Jacobins had tried in 1794 to bring a similar ing the economy and quality of life in Chile,
Mary Benoit revolutionary bloodbath to America in the so- the military kept its hands off the govern-
Brian T. Farmer called Whiskey Rebellion. With that in mind, ment. It was not until Allende decided to en-
Bonnie M. Gillis the Burr Conspiracy seems to have been just sure the continuation of that policy that he
one unsuccessful step toward trying to destroy made his fatal mistake.
Marketing
the American union — international plotting He planned an operation to assassinate
Larry Greenley
that would continue until 1865. members of the general staff. The plan was
Public Relations WILLIAM H. MCILHANY leaked to a member of that staff, and Allen-
Bill Hahn Beverly Hills, California de, after realizing that the military knew of
and had stopped his plan by taking control of
Web Manager the government, committed suicide.
Brian Witt WMDs Also, Mr. West’s remark that Nixon
Advertising/Circulation More and more lately, a faithful reader would and his CFR-controlled government “in-
Julie DuFrane believe your writers are a bunch of lefties, stalled” Pinochet should be considered in-
but “The Last Word” by Gary Benoit (Febru- valid in light of the fact that our Department
ary 19) is a real prizewinner. He says: “And of State (DOS) made the same mistake in
after going to war to accomplish one mis- Chile that it is making in Cuba and had
sion — e.g., getting rid of weapons of mass made in South Africa and Panama. It placed
destruction the Bush administration claimed an economic embargo against Chile. Instead
Printed in the U.S.A. • ISSN 0885-6540
P.O. Box 8040 • Appleton, WI 54912 Saddam Hussein had …” of trying to help a new government that had
920-749-3784 • 920-749-3785 (fax) Any honest person knows President Bush thrown out a communist government, our
www.thenewamerican.com was not alone in the belief Iraq had those government conspired against Pinochet’s re-
Rates are $39 per year (Hawaii and Canada, weapons. Former President Clinton, the ma- gime. In spite of our DOS, Pinochet’s gov-
add $9; foreign, add $27) or $22 for six months
(Hawaii and Canada, add $4.50; foreign, add jority of Congress, the UN, most Americans, ernment made an amazing economic recov-
$13.50). Copyright ©2007 by American Opin- and our allies all had the same belief — and ery from Chile’s communist disaster.
ion Publishing, Inc. Periodicals postage paid at so did you. You are as bad as the rest of the TOM STRIDER
Appleton, WI and additional mailing offices. Post-
master: Send any address changes to THE NEW newspapers. Viera, Florida
AMERICAN, P.O. Box 8040, Appleton, WI 54912. We probably would not have had a 9/11
terrorist attack if President Reagan would Send your letters to: THE NEW AMERICAN, P.O.
THE NEW AMERICAN is pub-
lished biweekly by Ameri- have acted responsibly in 1983 when Hez- Box 8040, Appleton, WI 54912. Or e-mail:
can Opinion Publishing bollah bombed the U.S. Marine barracks in editorial@thenewamerican.com. Due to vol-
Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of The John Lebanon, killing 241 Marines. Add to that ume received, not all letters can be answered.
Birch Society.
the inaction of Clinton when hundreds of Letters may be edited for space and clarity.
THE NEW AMERICAN • JULY 9, 2007 5

8. Mix or
Mat
for Spe ch
cial
Quantit
y
Discou
nts
Transformation of American Jobs
In recent years, the United States has been holding an
“open house,” selling and even giving away jobs or paying
foreigners to take American jobs. This issue explains
matter-of-factly the reasons behind the giveaway and
how to stop it. (June 25, 2007, 48pp) TNA070625
Special Report on NAFTA
Will Congress Turn
Crushing the American Family
Its Back on You? Most Americans cherish the Constitution
The “compromise” plan hatched between because it protects our rights. But what if our
Republican and Democrat senators on Constitution could be overruled by a higher
“comprehensive immigration reform” authority similar to the European Union?
would provide amnesty for millions of This issue explains how NAFTA, a trade pact
illegal aliens — despite the fact that the United States entered, is being grown to
on the whole the American people are supersede our government and protected
dead set against amnesty. (June 11, rights. (April 16, 2007, 48pp) TNA070416
2007, 48pp) TNA070611
Making Our Schools Safe Special Immigration Report
In the aftermath of the Virginia Tech
This report makes a great tool for informing
tragedy, renewed calls are being sounded
others about the social and economic toll
to make our schools safe — by getting
that unchecked immigration is having on
rid of guns if necessary. This issue of
America — and what really needs to be
TNA clearly explains why that course
done to set things right. (May 2006). RPIMM
of action won’t work — and what will. (One immigration pamphlet stitched into each
(May 28, 2007, 48pp) TNA070528 report.)
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9. Inside Track
Desperate Bid to Increase Recruitment
Tucked away in the recesses of the current immigration bill is personnel policy, explained that if one had come across the bor-
a provision to help boost military recruiting. It’s known as the der as a minor child and had been in the U.S. school system for
Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors provision, “a number of years,” then one could be eligible to enlist in the
or DREAM. military under DREAM. Under the provision, the newly enlisted
The measure was expected to help boost sagging recruitment recruits would be given a Z visa, granting them probationary sta-
numbers by allowing illegal aliens to enlist as a way to obtain citi- tus as a legal resident and making them eligible for student loans
zenship. The Defense Department figures showed that the Army and other benefits as a first step toward citizenship.
fell short in May by 399 recruits. The Army National Guard fell But one of the many questions this recruitment bid raises is,
12 percent short of their goal, while the Air National Guard was “Why would any illegal immigrant, who is already being offered
well below their target, by 23 percent. a road to U.S. citizenship and college monies under the proposed
Bill Carr, acting deputy undersecretary of defense for military amnesty legislation, sign up to fight in Iraq or Afghanistan?”
Luring Republican Senators Into Selling Out on Immigration
Though few Republicans are willing to stand up and openly sup- ties that we collect from those who have come to our country
port amnesty (even presidential aspirant John McCain, who has illegally” as they apply for legal status, according to the New
cosponsored past amnesty attempts, said in a presidential debate York Times.
that he has never supported any amnesty), President Bush is But some senators realize that the $1,000 fine that each illegal
doing his best to twist enough Republican arms to get the deal alien would pay (plus $500 for each spouse, child, and parent
passed in the Senate. living here illegally) would be unlikely to even cover the cost of
After the Senate rejected taking further action on the Bush- affirming their amnesty applications — let alone pay for border
Kennedy immigration bill in early June, falling 15 votes short of security — and that there is no reason to believe that Bush would
the 60 needed to move it forward, Bush went after the Republi- implement border security improvements after refusing to se-
can holdouts. He told reluctant Republicans that he would put cure the border for six years. Said Senator Jim DeMint (R-S.C.):
$4.4 billion toward additional border security if they approved of “There’s no reason why we should be forced to tie amnesty to
his amnesty — the money to be taken from “the fines and penal- [border security].”
Michael Moore Calls for Socialized Medicine
Filmmaker Michael Moore’s latest cinematic provoca-
tion, dubbed SiCKO, opens in theaters on June 29. The
film’s premiere at the “Cannes Film Festival has been an
overwhelming success,” Moore says on his website. “The
2,000 people inside the Lumière Theater were alternately
in tears and laughing during the two-hour film.”
According to Moore, the purpose of the film is to “ig-
nite a fire for free, universal health care.” To that end, he
makes the film a vehicle for extolling the virtues of so-
cialized medicine in Cuba, Canada, and France. Accord-
ing to the Los Angeles Times, “Moore spends much of the
AP Images
film focusing on France’s socialized medicine. Doctors Michael Moore at the New York
premiere of his movie SiCKO
lead comfortable lives, patients receive attentive care,
employers grant extended health-related leaves — all
reasons the World Health Organization (WHO) ranked France dotally documents, many Americans eligible for insurance can’t
tops in its global 2000 survey of the best healthcare countries.” afford it, and a long inventory of preexisting conditions limits the
The filmmaker then goes after the United States by comparing insurability of those who can.” Of course, the L.A. Times doesn’t
it to Cuba. “That the United States ranked only 37th on the WHO indicate what part of the supposed 50 million is ever denied ac-
list, just two slots ahead of Cuba, particularly infuriates Moore,” cess to healthcare, or explain that the World Health Organization’s
says an admiring L.A. Times. “With more wealth and technology rating is a completely arbitrary construct or that most Americans
than any other country, we nevertheless have 50 million citizens enjoy the quality of care they receive; they just don’t like having
without insurance, 9 million of them children. As ‘Sicko’ anec- to pay so much for it.
THE NEW AMERICAN • JULY 9, 2007 7

10. Inside Track
Habeas Corpus Restoration Moves Forward in Congress
On June 7, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the Ha- beas Corpus Restoration Act would allow detainees and enemy
beas Corpus Restoration Act, which would reinstate the right of combatants at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to challenge their impris-
habeas corpus — the protection against arbitrary and indefinite onment in federal courts. More importantly, it would undo the
imprisonment. The new dangerous possibility that, under the Military Commissions Act,
legislation was made American citizens might find themselves imprisoned without
necessary in 2006 when charge and without access to the courts.
Congress severely limited The measure received enthusiastic support from Wisconsin
Bush signs and, according to some, Senator Russ Feingold, who explained its importance. “Habeas
the Military
Commissions actually revoked the right corpus,” Feingold pointed out, “is a fundamental recognition that
Act of 2006. of habeas corpus — even in America, the government does not have the power to detain
for American citizens — people indefinitely and arbitrarily. And that in America, the courts
when it passed the Mili- must have the power to review the legality of executive deten-
tary Commissions Act. tion decisions. As a group of retired judges wrote to Congress
If passed by both the last year, habeas corpus ‘safeguards the most hallowed judicial
AP Images
Senate and the House and role in our constitutional democracy — ensuring that no man is
signed into law, the Ha- imprisoned unlawfully.’”
Court Challenges President on Enemy Combatants
On June 11, a federal appeals court ruled that the president may civilian, even a criminal civilian, an enemy combatant subject to
not indefinitely imprison a U.S. resident on suspicion alone. The indefinite military detention,” the court concluded.
ruling comes in the case of enemy combatant Ali Saleh Kahlah Even though Marri is quite possibly the dangerous terrorist
al-Marri, who was living in Peoria, Illinois, as a university stu- federal authorities believe him to be, the Court of Appeals rul-
dent when he was arrested in 2001. Khalid Sheik Mohammed, ing is a victory for those interested in preserving the rule of law.
the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, claimed that Marri was a The matter, however, remains unsettled and Marri will remain
member of a sleeper cell in the United States, preparing for a set in prison, pending appeal. In the meantime, it will be busi-
of terrorist attacks. ness as usual for the Bush administration, according to Justice
In its 2 to 1 decision in the Marri case, the U.S. Court of Ap- Department spokesman Dean Boyd. “The president has made
peals for the Fourth Circuit argued that the Constitution protects clear that he intends to use all available tools at his disposal
both citizens and residents from unchecked military power and to protect Americans from further al-Qaeda attack, including
arbitrary imprisonment. “The President cannot eliminate consti- the capture and detention of al-Qaeda agents who enter our
tutional protections with the stroke of a pen by proclaiming a borders,” Boyd said.
Being Denied a Voice on Same-sex “Marriage”
By any measure, Massachusetts is the most liberal state in the the proposed amend-
nation. Led by Senators Kerry and Kennedy and 11 Democratic ment on the ballot. It
House members, the state’s congressional contingent — indeed passed the first time,
the state itself — consistently leans to the hard left both politi- but failed a second vote
cally and culturally. This left lean is epitomized by the state’s by five votes. To pro-
status as the only state in the nation to allow same-sex “marriage” ceed with gaining a new
— though five other states allow the equivalent of civil unions. amendment, the whole
AP Images
Homosexuals have been allowed to marry in that state for three process would have to
years — since the Massachusetts Supreme Court “found” such a be started anew.
right in that state’s constitution. Across the nation,
But that could’ve changed after supporters of traditional mar- 27 states have already amended their constitutions to prohibit
riage collected 170,000 signatures asking for an amendment de- homosexual marriage and 17 more have simply passed laws ban-
fining marriage as being between a man and a woman — if they ning it. Interestingly, though “just over half of those surveyed [in
weren’t submarined by the state’s legislature. Massachusetts] supported [same-sex ‘marriage’],” according to
Once the required signatures were collected, 50 affirmative the New York Times, politicians wouldn’t let the issue come for a
votes were needed in two successive legislative sessions to place vote by the people who live in the state.
8 THE NEW AMERICAN • JULY 9, 2007

11. Wins Against the Trans Texas Corridor
It seemed to be a minor victory in the fight to stop the Trans Texas to a regional government
Corridor, the Texas segment of the NAFTA superhighway, after called the North Ameri-
Texas lawmakers who had duked it out against the Texas Depart- can Union. Interestingly,
ment of Transportation (TxDOT) and Governor Rick Perry over S.B. 792 was delivered
the Trans Texas Corridor agreed to a compromise bill. to Perry days before he
Originally, lawmakers delivered H.B. 1892 to Perry, which attended a meeting in Is-
if not successfully vetoed would have stopped the corridor in tanbul of the Bilderberg
its tracks, so Perry threatened lawmakers with a special session group — a very influen-
if the road dispute wasn’t resolved. They compromised with tial and wealthy group of
S.B. 792. individuals actively pur-
Under the new bill, ground was lost, allowing road-construc- suing an internationalist
tion exemptions for several projects, but the bill wasn’t a wash- agenda — and signed
out. The two-year moratorium against new state agreements with only after his return.
private corporations to build tollways survived. And TxDOT’s Oklahoma’s face-off
aggressive policies were dealt a blow as authority was returned with the corridor build- Texas Governor
Rick Perry
AP Images
to affected localities and construction slowed, particularly on ers was more definitive.
TTC-69. In Oklahoma, after H.B.
But Perry indicated he wasn’t about to play dead in the future: 1917 (enabling the cor-
“I am proud to sign this legislation.... Every planned road con- ridor through that state)
struction project will move forward as scheduled, local leaders failed to be heard in the House, it was resurrected under the guise
will have more authority … and all toll revenue will be used for of another bill. The new bill passed to the Senate, was rewritten
projects in the area it was raised.” Yet anti-tollers remain cau- to prohibit the corridor, and eventually emerged as an innocuous
tiously optimistic that the new bill amounted to victory. Capitol bill permitting only a local road project. In the end, Oklahomans
insiders maintain Perry was merely “spinning” the loss in order succeeded in providing a bulwark against the corridor, but Texas
to continue courting international funding for himself and his is hunkering down for what will surely be a shoot-out in the next
state from parties interested in seeing the United States acquiesce legislative session.
Preparing for Larger Conflicts
According to Agence France-Press, the U.S. military is lations in Eastern Europe, Russian
readying to face expanded and more dangerous threats, es- President Vladimir Putin warned:
pecially from Communist China. According to the report, “If the U.S. nuclear potential ex-
“China’s secretive transformation of its military power tends across the European territory
leaves the United States preparing for the worst eventuali- and threatens Russia, we will be
ties, including over Taiwan, a Pentagon official said.” The obliged to take countermeasures.”
official, Richard Lawless, undersecretary for Asia-Pacific More ominously, he continued, “Of
affairs, told the House Armed Services Committee that the course, we’ll have to select new tar-
United States was interested in dialogue with China about gets in Europe.”
its military expansion, but that such dialogue did not ap- In Washington, the official line is
pear to be imminent. “I think if we had a true dialogue of Richard that the proposed anti-missile system
AP Images
Lawless
depth,... we might be able to constrain and put some of is intended to counter missile threats
those issues of [Chinese] intent to bed,” Lawless said. “Not from rogue states like Iran, but nearly
being able to, we must plan and prepare for the worst.” everyone discounts that explanation.
Lawless’ comments echoed concerns highlighted in the 2007 More than likely, the real reason for putting the system in East-
Defense Department annual report to Congress on the Military ern Europe is, in fact, to counter new Russian ballistic-missile
Power of the People’s Republic of China. “The outside world capabilities, a new generation of nuclear missile that features a
has limited knowledge of the motivations, decision-making, and multiple independently targeted reentry vehicle system that sends
key capabilities supporting China’s military modernization,” the individual warheads from a single ICBM toward multiple targets.
Defense Department report noted, while also pointing out that Such systems are very difficult to intercept and Russian military
“China’s actions in certain areas increasingly appear inconsistent leaders touted the new missile as unstoppable.
with its declaratory policies.” To mount a defense against such a missile system, anti-missile
Meanwhile, in Eurasia, Russia has raised the specter of nuclear weaponry would need to be situated relatively close to the launch
war. Reacting to the U.S. proposal to place anti-missile instal- site in order to target the ICBM in its boost phase. ■
THE NEW AMERICAN • JULY 9, 2007 9

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13. QUICKQUOTES
Democratic Presidential Hopeful Wants All U.S.
Troops Out of Iraq
“I would leave no troops in Iraq whatsoever. The difference
between me and the other candidates is, they would leave
troops there indefinitely, and I would not.”
Still far from being a top contender, Bill Richardson, for-
mer U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and current
AP Images
governor of New Mexico, has seized on an issue that he
hopes will propel him toward the nomination. Bill Richardson
It Might Be Stupid to Alter the Pledge of Allegiance
“With hurricanes, tornadoes, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up
the country from one end to another, and the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a
good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?”
Television star Jay Leno makes an excellent point.
He Rues the Absence of Christian Influence in Our Nation
“If America were, in fact, a basically Christian or moral nation, Hollywood would be out of business,
and so would most colleges and universities.”
Editor Thomas Fleming of Chronicles magazine would like to see the claim that our nation is “Chris-
tian” backed up by some seriously needed changes.
Candidate Edwards Gives Council on Foreign Relations
His View About the Iraq War
“The war on terror is a slogan only for politics; it is not a strategy
John to make America safe. It is a bumper sticker, not a plan. It has
Edwards damaged our alliances and weakened our standing in the world.”
During his speech at CFR headquarters in New York, Democratic
presidential candidate John Edwards did not mention that he
used the term “war on terror” during his 2004 vice-presidential
AP Images
campaign to describe the war in Iraq.
Amnesty Concerns Her More Than Two Senators Having a Profanity-laced Argument
“So, open-borders sellout McCain cursed out Senator John Cornyn. Yawn! I didn’t get all worked up
about it because when it comes to [obscenities], no obscene utterance compares to the George W. Bush-
backed, RNC-backed, Kennedy-conspired, fantasy-based amnesty profanity unleashed on conservatives
and the country.”
Syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin minces no words in condemning the proposed amnesty
legislation.
Amnesty Would Weaken U.S. Security
“Granting amnesty would reward lawbreakers and legalize scores of criminals and terror suspects that
are currently here illegally, making it that much easier for them to operate within our society undetected.
A country which cannot control its borders loses control of its destiny.”
Claiming that amnesty for the illegal millions already in our nation is
the wrong approach because the flood of border crossers is basically a
security issue, Congressman Peter King (R-N.Y.) pointed to the illegal
immigrants who were planning a terror attack on Fort Dix, New Jersey.
He’s Very Critical of What Came After Him at CBS
”I have nothing against Katie Couric. The mistake [at CBS] was to try
to bring the Today Show ethos to the evening news and to dumb it down,
tart it up in hopes of attracting a younger audience.”
Speaking on MSNBC’s morning program, former CBS anchor Dan
Rather had plenty to say about the poor ratings being achieved by his Dan
AP Images
former employer. ■ Rather
— COMPILED BY JOHN F. MCMANUS
THE NEW AMERICAN • JULY 9, 2007 11

14. REAL ID ACT
Pushing
National IDs
Congress tried its best to shackle the nation with a national ID through passage of the
Real ID Act. Now several states try to roll back the measure.
by Dennis Behreandt worst terrorist threats, had gotten so big same identity — ‘Usama bin Laden’ and
as to become nearly useless for actually ‘Osama bin Laden’ for the al Qaeda chief,
T
he ABC News headline was in- fighting terrorism. “A spokesman for the for example.”
tended to be alarming. Posted by interagency National Counterterrorism The number cited by the NCTC spokes-
“Brian Ross & the Investigative Center (NCTC), which maintains the man turns out to be too small, in fact.
Team,” the headline proclaimed: “FBI government’s list of all suspected terror- The ABC News report noted that a bud-
Terror Watch List ‘Out of Control.’ ” ists with links to international organiza- get request on the Department of Justice
According to the report by Justin Rood, tions, said they had 465,000 names cover- website actually refers to a list containing
the watch list, intended to help authori- ing 350,000 individuals,” Rood reported. 509,000 names. As Rood points out, this
ties keep tabs on a few of the world’s “Many names are different versions of the extensive list contains numerous mistakes.
12 THE NEW AMERICAN • JULY 9, 2007

15. AP Images
Republican Bill McCollum
that intended to “improve
the integrity of the Social
Security Card” by turning it
Just say no: President into a picture ID.
Reagan opposed plans The issue came up again
for a national ID during in a big way following the
his time in office. Today, 9/11 terrorist attacks. Then,
many Republicans support Oracle Corp. CEO Larry El-
what Reagan steadfastly lison sparked outrage among
opposed. privacy advocates when he
offered to supply the data-
base software that would
underpin a national ID card
to the federal government
for free. “The government
could phase in digital ID
cards to replace existing
Social Security cards and
driver’s licenses,” Ellison
said at the time in an article
for the Wall Street Journal.
“These new IDs should be
“U.S. lawmakers and their spouses have controversial measure that is increasingly based on a uniform standard such as credit
been detained because their names were running into conflict with the states them- card technology, which is harder to coun-
on the watch list,” Rood observed. “Re- selves over its enormous funding costs and terfeit than existing government IDs.” At
porters who have reviewed versions of the its authoritarian overtones. a conference on privacy that year, Wired
list found it included the names of former News reporter Declan McCullagh noted,
Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, at the time The Legislative Back Door the Electronic Privacy Information Center
he was alive but in custody in Iraq; impris- There have been many attempts to foist a (EPIC) passed out “LarryCards” to attend-
oned al Qaeda plotter Zacarias Moussaoui; national ID card onto the American public, ees. Another group called Larry Ellison
and 14 of the 19 Sept. 11, 2001 hijackers, even going back as far as the early 1980s, “the privacy villain of the week.”
all of whom perished in the attacks.” though these have often been viewed in a Even in the immediate aftermath of
The expanding terror watch list is com- dim light as a result of religious concerns. 9/11, few took the prospect of a resurrect-
pelling evidence that the federal govern- The Reagan administration was a case ed push for a national ID system seriously.
ment can’t even manage to keep a relative- in point. Writing for the Cato Institute But public disdain for a national ID in the
ly small database under control. That’s a in 1997, author Stephen Moore recalled wake of Ellison’s proposal apparently
bad omen for the future. Under legislation that during Reagan’s early years in office, didn’t register with congressional law-
signed into law by President Bush in 2005 “Then-Attorney General William French makers or with the Bush administration.
and now due to be implemented in 2009, Smith argued that a perfectly harmless ID On January 26, 2005, Wisconsin Repub-
the nation will create a federally admin- card system would be necessary to reduce lican F. James Sensenbrenner introduced
istered list that is a quantum leap in size illegal immigration. A second cabinet H.R. 418, the Real ID Act of 2005, into the
larger than the terrorist watch list. More- member asked: why not tattoo a number House of Representatives. The measure
over, under this new program it won’t be on each American’s forearm? According stipulated that federal agencies “may not
the names of terrorists or suspected terror- to Martin Anderson, the White House do- accept, for any official purpose, a driver’s
ists that inhabit the new, gargantuan fed- mestic policy adviser at the time, Reagan license or identification card issued by
eral database; it will be the names and per- blurted out ‘My god, that’s the mark of the a State to any person unless the State is
sonal information of ordinary law-abiding beast.’ As Anderson wrote, ‘that was the meeting the requirements of this section.”
Americans. end of the national identifica-
The measure in question is the Real ID tion card’ during the Reagan
Act, which creates a de facto national ID years.” The expanding terror watch list is
for all Americans by requiring states to Opposition to such a
both issue licenses that conform to federal scheme by President Reagan compelling evidence that the federal
Department of Homeland Security guide- was not enough to kill national government can’t even manage to keep a
lines and to link state driver’s-license da- ID proposals outright, and by
tabases together in a massive new feder- 1997, Congress was debating a relatively small database under control.
ally administered database. It’s a highly measure introduced by Florida
THE NEW AMERICAN • JULY 9, 2007 13

16. REAL ID ACT
Early advocate: Tech workers walk
Among the requirements for the new ID near the Oracle campus. Company CEO
was the stipulation that it include “com- Larry Ellison was a strong supporter of
mon machine-readable technology, with a national ID following 9/11.
defined minimum data elements” — in
other words, an electronic means of storing
personal data on the card itself that could
be accessed by appropriate card-reading
technologies. Moreover, all the data on
the card would be linked via a massive
federal database, much as envisioned by
Larry Ellison.
The measure initially passed the House
in February 2005, but because it looked
like it would stall in committee in the Sen-
ate, the text of the Real ID Act was added
to what was deemed the next must-pass
legislation — an emergency supplemen-
tal appropriations bill funding the Iraq
War as well as aid for victims of the Asian
tsunami. The appropriations bill, with the
Real ID Act attached, was passed 368-
58 in the House on May 5, 2005, and in
the Senate five days later by a unanimous
vote. “I am glad the House could complete
its work on the emergency supplemental
bill,” Real ID Act author Sensenbrenner
said when the measure passed the House.
“It provides the resources needed by our
AP Images
military to protect the country and win the
war against terror. I am especially pleased
with its inclusion of the REAL ID Act.”
Opposition
Critics were not as pleased as Sensen-
brenner. Pointing out that the measure
was falsely linked with popular efforts like
fighting terrorism and stopping illegal im-
migration, Congressman and presidential
candidate Ron Paul pointed out, in an essay
entitled “The National ID Trojan Horse,”
that it was really a dangerous step toward said. “It is just a matter of time until those from government, but from God, and that
authoritarianism. “Supporters claim the who refuse to carry the new licenses will government may not abridge those rights.
national ID scheme is voluntary. However, be denied the ability to drive or board an A government that issues a national ID
any state that opts out will automatically airplane. Such domestic travel restrictions turns that concept on its head. In issuing
make non-persons out of its citizens,” Paul are the hallmark of authoritarian states, not a national ID, a government, in essence,
warned. “The citizens of that state will be free republics.” issues a license to citizens granting them
unable to have any dealings with the fed- Critics of Ron Paul’s position on the access to rights that, absent the ID, would
eral government because their ID will not measure point out that similar restrictions be legally inaccessible.
be accepted. They will not be able to fly already exist for those who don’t carry a In sum, when a government issues a
or to take a train. In essence, in the eyes state license or ID. That may be true, but national ID, it is a sign that the govern-
of the federal government they will cease the constitutionality of such a measure on ment has adopted the idea that it — not
to exist.” Though supporters insisted the the federal level is at least dubious, and God — is the source of human rights. This
measure was not meant to be a form of na- the underlying philosophy of a national is the source of Congressman Paul’s quip
tional ID, Paul disagreed. “Federal legis- ID is diametrically in opposition to the that those lacking a national ID, once these
lation that nationalizes standards for driv- motivating aims of the Founding Fathers. are required, will, in the eyes of govern-
ers’ licenses and birth certificates creates They believed, as Thomas Jefferson elo- ment, “cease to exist.”
a national ID system pure and simple,” he quently expressed, that rights come not Others have since echoed Congress-
14 THE NEW AMERICAN • JULY 9, 2007

17. al information for millions of
Americans, it would do little or
nothing, according to Schneier,
to prevent terrorism and ensure
national security. It is based, he
says, on the mistaken assump-
tion that if government knows
who everyone is, it will be able
to identify the evildoers.
The theory behind Real ID,
Schneier said in his Senate tes-
timony, is that “if we know who
you are, and if we have enough
information about you, we
can somehow predict whether
you’re likely to be an evildoer.”
That, he says, is untrue. “If you
need any evidence of this, look
at the single largest identity-
based anti-terrorism security
measure in this country: the
No-Fly List. The No-Fly List
has been a disaster in every
man Paul’s concerns and have added their thor of the book Beyond Fear: Thinking way: it harasses innocents, it doesn’t catch
own. The Electronic Frontier Foundation Sensibly About Security in an Uncertain anyone guilty, and it is trivially easy to
(EFF) has been similarly critical, stating World, a national ID would be a security evade. This is what you get with identity-
that Real ID creates a dangerous national nightmare. In Schneier’s opinion, no mat- based security, and this is what you should
ID that will facilitate government sur- ter how secure the card is made, sooner expect more of with REAL ID.”
veillance of law-abiding citizens. “Once or later clever criminals will find a way
the IDs and database are in place,” EFF to create a forgery. They will have great Battleground in the States
warns, “their uses will inevitably expand incentive to do so because, unfortunately, As passed, the measure was due to take
to facilitate a wide range of surveillance the harder it is to create a forgery, the more effect in 2008, but under pressure from
activities. Remember, the Social Security valuable a successful forgery becomes. vigorous and growing opposition, the
number started innocuously enough, but Beyond that, though, is the risk from the Bush administration announced on March
it has become a prerequisite for a host of linkage of 50 state databases into one mas- 2 that implementation would be postponed
government services and been co-opted by sive federal database. “The security risks to December 2009 — if it is not repealed
private companies to create massive data- of this database are enormous,” Schneier before then.
bases of personal information. A national said in testimony to the Senate Judiciary Opposition to the bill has come from
ID poses similar dangers; for example, Committee. “It would be a kludge of ex- many of the nation’s states where the mea-
because ‘common machine-readable tech- isting databases that are incompatible, full sure is billed as a dangerous, expensive,
nology’ will be required on every ID, the of erroneous data, and unreliable. Com- unfunded, and unnecessary mandate. In
government and businesses will be able to puter scientists don’t know how to keep Missouri, opposition has been led by state
easily read your private information off the a database of this magnitude secure. The Representative Jim Guest, a vocal critic of
cards in myriad contexts.” daily stories we see about leaked personal the measure who leads Legislators Against
Moreover, when implemented, Real ID information demonstrate that
will compromise the integrity and secu- we do not know how to secure
rity of each person’s private information these large databases against For all the risk the Real ID system would
while failing to improve national security. outsiders, to say nothing of
In EFF’s opinion, the “IDs do nothing to the tens of thousands of insid-
mean to the integrity and security of
stop those who haven’t already been iden- ers authorized to access it. The personal information for millions of
tified as threats, and wrongdoers will still fact that REAL ID database is
be able to create fake documents. In fact, a ‘one stop shop’ for personal
Americans, it would do little or nothing,
the IDs and database will simply create an information exacerbates these according to computer security expert
irresistible target for identity thieves.” risks.”
Bruce Schneier, to prevent terrorism and
Security experts agree that the plan puts For all the risk the Real ID
personal data at risk. According to com- system would mean to the in- ensure national security.
puter security expert Bruce Schneier, au- tegrity and security of person-
THE NEW AMERICAN • JULY 9, 2007 15

18. REAL ID ACT
Real ID (LARI), a nationwide coalition of
state legislators fighting to stop implemen-
tation of the Real ID Act.
Like others, Guest warns that the mea-
sure undermines the basic rights and free-
doms of the American people. “We’re sup-
posed to be a government of, by and for
the people,” he told the online tech journal
eWeek.com. “Government’s role is to pro-
tect citizens’ freedom. In this case, they’re
not doing that.” According to the Missouri
legislator, Real ID “is a direct frontal as-
sault on the freedom of citizens.” And it
has to be stopped now, before implemen-
tation, he says, because it falls under the
Department of Homeland Security and
lacks future legislative oversight. “Home-
land Security has total control; there is no
judicial or legislative control over this.
Once they issue [the Act] there is no way
of stopping them.”
Many states have taken Rep. Guest’s Freedom first: The Real ID
Act will create “domestic
warning seriously. So far 38 states have
travel restrictions [that] are
seen legislation introduced in their legis- the hallmark of authoritarian
latures opposing the Real ID Act or even states, not free republics,”
barring state participation in the measure says presidential candidate
once implemented. According to the Elec- Congressman Ron Paul.
AP Images
tronic Privacy Information Center, “The
states that have passed anti-REAL ID leg-
islation are Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia,
Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Maine, Missouri,
Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hamp-
shire, North Dakota, South Carolina, and
Washington.”
The resolution passed by the state of Ar- visions of the Federal Act” and states that Senate to repeal the Real ID Act. While
kansas pulls no punches in its assessment “the purpose of the Legislature in enacting neither measure has garnered much sup-
of the threat posed by the Real ID Act. The [this measure] is to refuse to implement port as of yet and both have been referred
Arkansas measure notes: “The ‘common the REAL ID Act and thereby protest the to committee, their existence is proof that
machine-readable technology’ required by treatment by Congress and the President of activism at the state level is beginning to
the REAL ID Act of 2005 would convert the states as agents of the federal govern- have an effect at the federal level. Much
state-issued driver licenses and identifica- ment and, by that protest, lead other state good has been done by the states that have
tion cards into tracking devices, allowing legislatures and Governors to reject … the already passed measures opposing the
computers to note and record a person’s REAL ID Act.” As he signed the measure implementation of a national ID — it now
whereabouts each time he or she is identi- into law, Governor Schweitzer was defi- falls to the rest of the states to follow suit
fied.” The Arkansas resolution also points ant. “The best way for Montana to deal and prevent the federal government from
out that the Real ID Act “wrongly coerces with the federal government on this issue converting the free citizens of America
states into doing the federal government’s and many others is to say ‘No. Nope. No into subjects of the budding new national-
bidding by threatening to refuse to the citi- way and hell no,’” he said. security regime. ■
zens of non-complying states the privileges The opposition at
and immunities enjoyed by the citizens of the state level may
other states.”
In Montana, legislation opposing im-
have finally caught
the attention of fed- EXTRA COPIES AVAILABLE
plementation of Real ID was tougher still. eral lawmakers. On ➧ Additional copies of this issue of
There, House Bill 487, which was signed the Democratic side THE NEW AMERICAN are available at
into law by Governor Brian Schweitzer of the aisle, measures quantity-discount prices. To order, visit
on April 17, directs “the Montana Depart- have been introduced www.thenewamerican.com/marketplace/
ment of Justice not to implement the pro- in both the House and or see the card between pages 38-39.
16 THE NEW AMERICAN • JULY 9, 2007

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20. GLOBAL WARMING
Solar power: A NASA graphic depicts Earth’s magnetosphere
deflecting the solar wind. Times of high solar activity can
also deflect galactic radiation from Earth, according to some
researchers, limiting cloud formation and allowing more
solar energy to penetrate the atmosphere.
Alternative
SOHO image composite by Steele Hill NASA
Explanations for
Climate Change
Some scientists have uncovered evidence that climate change is driven by forces that
are not of this Earth.
by Dennis Behreandt her plans for the summit, Germany’s new mitted to the UN Framework Convention
“Iron Chancellor” opined that climate on Climate Change [the Kyoto Accord],”
O
utside the G8 Summit in Hei- change “is without a doubt a challenge for the summary said, “and we expect the new
ligendamm, Germany, a varied all mankind.” As a result, according to an framework to complement ongoing UN
coterie of left-wing radicals, in- MSNBC report, she pledged “to secure activity.” Legally, it should be noted, the
flamed by socialist propaganda and orga- U.S. backing for a pledge to halve emis- United States does not have a commitment
nized by several fringe groups from the far sions by 2050.” to the Kyoto agreement since it was never
left, blocked roads, attacked police with As a counterpoint to Merkel, the Bush ratified by the Senate.
stones, and waved anti-capitalist signs and administration — widely and wrongly Nevertheless, Merkel and the other
banners to protest the meeting of heads of believed to be opposed to regulations delegates to the G8 Summit, including
state at the posh Heiligendamm sea re- aimed at fighting global warming — was Britain’s Tony Blair, who earlier asserted
sort. Inside, the leaders of the Group of prepared with its own climate plan. In a that he was the guy who could bring Bush
Eight industrialized nations, led this year summary of the plan made available by around on global warming, welcomed the
by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the White House, the Bush administration new Bush proposal on climate change. The
worked toward a plan to confront the pur- pledged its allegiance to the dangerous and Bush plan, Merkel said, was “an important
ported menace of global warming. unworkable Kyoto Accord that sought to step forward.”
Merkel had set the stage for the sum- impose caps on carbon emissions and that, Evidently so, as it helped lead to a new
mit’s focus on global warming with a as a result, would have constricted eco- agreement among the G8 leaders on emis-
policy statement on May 24. Outlining nomic activity. “The U.S. remains com- sions. On June 7, according to a press
18 THE NEW AMERICAN • JULY 9, 2007

21. A new plan: Leaders from the Group of Eight nations at the G8 Summit, including President
AP Images
Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, announced a plan to cut greenhouse emissions.
release from the summit, the leaders of Lessons of History minimum of 1985-1986. Climate model
the G8 nations reached a “breakthrough Though it gets little attention outside the experiments indicate that such a decrease
on climate protection” in the form of a scientific literature, variability in solar ra- in solar irradiance is capable of causing a
non-binding agreement to cut greenhouse diation has been shown to have an effect global cooling of about 0.5°C.” One-half
emissions in half by 2050, as Merkel had on climate in the past. In 1999, a paper in degree Celsius corresponds to the increase
originally proposed. Though the agreement the journal Quaternary Science Reviews in the global mean temperature compared
lacks the legal teeth to force G8 nations to pointed this out. The authors of the paper, to a century ago.
actually cut emissions, it is a further sign a team of Dutch and Russian scientists, ex- Based on the findings of their re-
that the Bush administration is continuing amined the relative levels of a carbon iso- search, the Dutch and Russian scientists
to move toward restrictions on U.S. indus- tope that is more commonly created when concluded that climate reacts strongly to
tries. “The possibility is here for the first the Sun is quiet and solar radiation is at small changes in solar radiation. “Accept-
time to get a global deal on climate change a minimum. They found that substantial ing the idea of solar forcing of Holocene
with substantial cuts in emissions,” gushed increases in the carbon isotope coincided and Glacial climatic shifts has major im-
Tony Blair. with global-cooling events at about 850 plications for our view of present and fu-
Highly touted by its supporters, the B.C. and 1600 A.D. The latter date corre- ture climate,” they wrote. “It implies that
agreement is intended to serve as the frame- sponds to the so-called Little Ice Age. the climate system is far more sensitive
work for building a successor to Kyoto. In According to the researchers, “It is well to small variations in solar activity than
that sense it would be great for constricting documented that periods of decreased generally believed. For instance, it could
industrial output and destroying economies. solar activity … often coincide with cli- mean that the global temperature fluctua-
What it won’t do is have an effect on the cli- matic change. The best-known example tions during the last decades are partly, or
mate. That’s because the real driver of cli- is the Maunder Minimum (1645-1715), a completely, explained by small changes in
mate change is far outside human control. solar event that is coinciding with one of solar radiation.”
In fact, the real engine behind the planet’s the coldest phases of the Little Ice Age.... Some scientists have claimed that the
climate, if a growing number of scientists According to Lean et al. (1992) the sun Sun has been more active in recent years. In
are right, is a fiery orb that is a staggering during the Maunder Minimum was 0.25% 2003, another team of European research-
91 million miles away: the Sun. less bright than it was during the solar ers, led by Ilya Usoskin of the University
THE NEW AMERICAN • JULY 9, 2007 19