Today's Blogs

A New National ID?

Bloggers ponder a new bill that tightens restrictions on driver’s licenses; they also discuss the death of flamboyant lobbyist Edward von Kloberg and react to the film TheHitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

A new national ID?: Under legislation attached to the Iraq supplemental appropriations bill, Congress is seeking to require states to scrutinize the citizenship status of driver’s-license applicants.

Video-game enthusiast Recongoddess points out that the new law would bring us closer to a national ID card: “Americans are making it quite clear that they are fed up with the flood—invasion, if you will, of illegal aliens swarming across the border like so many rats. Are you fed up enough to accept the idea of a national ID card? What if that ID card contained no information other than your picture, your Social Security number and your address?” Legally minded Salt Licks warns of the repercussions, “The day is coming where one will neither be able to buy nor sell, travel, or bank without government proof of ID.”

“I’m not opposed to the bill on its merits—why should illegal aliens be able to get driver’s licenses” asksInstaPundit’s libertarian stalwart Glenn Reynolds; nonetheless, Reynolds believes that the measure might be unconstitutional because Congress can’t “commandeer” states into doing background checks. The conservative Firewolf’s Blog complains the measure doesn’t tighten immigration laws enough: “If you ask me, this whole bill stinks and needs to be chucked out the window and redone. For me, there is no compromise when it comes to our Border Security/Illegal Immigration, perhaps you think I am being too harsh but why continue to reward those who violate our laws?” Liberal Dirty Tricks, who opposes the bill, believes, “The main purpose of this legislation (or so they say) is because the WTC hijackers were able to board a plane with a drivers license obtained by the older method. But to think that forcing the entire driving population of the U.S. to extensively prove their identity will stop a terror attack is stupidity of the worst, most ignorant kind.”

Read more about the new driver’s-license requirements.

Lobbyist von Dictators: Edward von Kloberg, a black-cape wearing, steamer-trunk carrying Washington lobbyist–to-dictators (including Saddam Hussein, Nicolae Ceausescu, and Liberia’s Samuel K. Doe) killed himself on Sunday. (Read the Washington Post’s obituary.)

“Nothing truly outrageous—no blowdarts, car bombs or poisoned sherry—he committed suicide by jumping from a castle in Rome,” notesCanuckflack’s self-described “PR flack” Colin McKay. Right-wing mainstay Captain Ed scorns  the Post’s attempt to write a balanced obituary: “Adam Bernstein shouldn’t be writing paeans to a man like Von Kloberg; the Post should be writing exposés to shame them back into the shadows, where they belong with the other roaches and rats.” And on ResurrectionSong, Zombyboy opines, “While it is far more likely that he ended his life because of his myriad health issues, it would be hard for me to escape the sense that this was the only proper ending for a life centered around providing cover for the deplorable.”

Read more about von Kloberg.

A guide to the Guide: Bloggers have mixed responses to the much-anticipated release of the film version of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. “My only real complaint is that near the beginning a lot of jokes from the book were set up, but not followed through,” writes Magic: The Gathering enthusiast Greg on Greg’s Amazing Blog. Having enjoyed the movie, Greg details some of the jokes that the movie glossed over. Jason at Belligerent and Numerous misses“the language and quirkiness that [author Douglas] Adams managed to compact into every single line.” Technically Rachel moans, “Despite some beautiful production design and excellent casting, the direction and overall quality of this film just plain stank. The new plot elements were boring, and poorly executed—and the characters were mostly gutted to make way for the new clunky plot.” And on Ooh What A Lovely Space I Have, Alpesh Patel weighs in: “On the plus side Zooey Deschanel has the most beautiful pair of eyes ever!! On the negative side Mos Def is probably the worst casting of all time, the guy mumbles his lines, but then again he is a rapper.”

Read more about The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

(Editor’s note: Yesterday, “Today’s Blogs” referred to a post on the Swift Report that detailed the outrage of the “Coalition for Family Values” at First Lady Laura Bush’s performance at the White House Correspondents’ dinner. The item should have been reported as a satire. We regret missing the joke.)

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