| Missoulians take icy plunge, raise $56,000 for Special Olympics
Trisha Hendricks, a reporter with KPAX television in Missoula, braved the cold water Saturday during the ninth annual Law Enforcement Torch Run Super Grizzly Dip, a fundraiser for Montana Special Olympics.
Photo by MICHAEL GALLACHER/Missoulian
Watch a video from Saturday's Grizzly Dip .
Real I-D Becomes a Reality KOLO Blog Listing
The federal government mandated the Real ID Act in 2005, but only now are the states being asked to implement in. The program was a plan to combat terrorism, attached to a war spending bill. There was very little discussion at the time, and Real ID continues to fly below the radar. Of the 7 people we interviewed for this story, NOT ONE had even heard of the multi-billion dollar unfunded federal mandate. Few people would argue against the surface-level intentions of Real ID: crack down on terrorism, reduce illegal immigration, and make it tougher for people who shouldn't have ID's, to get them. But a numbers of problems arise... What are the real intentions of the "Real ID" program? Is it one step closer to the federal government tracking our every move? Inital prototypes of "Real ID" including microchips imbedded in the card. So do the newest passports. Another problem is how the act was passed. In my opinion it's just plain wrong for the federal government to pass a 4 billion dollar government mandate without letting the public know. Finally, by mandating this program, the federal government is forcing the states to not only comply, but pay. It seems to me, like it's blatant abuse of the entire idea of a democracy.
Hollow weenies
They're all so sorry now. They're lining up and rushing to the microphones, one steroid-cheating baseball player after another, to offer up heartfelt apologies, now that they see how easy the guy with the first apology got off. I've heard an awful lot of mentions of God and children and the right thing to do. .
|
