Phony War on Terror Used to Generate Billions for Bush Friends in "Security" Business

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In 2005, Congress passed legislation mandating Real ID to standardize information that must be included on licenses, including a digital photograph, a signature, and machine-readable features such as a bar code.

Under the law, states also must verify applicants' citizenship status, check identity documents such as birth certificates, and cross-check information with other states and with Social Security, immigration, and State Department databases.

The new licenses must include features to thwart forgery and fraud, and drivers born after 1935 will have to present birth certificates or passports to obtain them.

Supporters pointed out that all but one of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers acquired, legitimately or by fraud, IDs that allowed them to board planes, rent cars, and move through the country.

Congress approved $40 million in grants to states to cover some of the expenses this year. By comparison, the National Governors Association wants $1 billion next year as a down payment for states' start-up costs.

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