If this doesn't make you laugh, nothing will:

April 8, 2003

Lawmaker Stopped at City Hall For No ID

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 5:46 a.m. ET

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -- A Tucson city councilman was denied access to City Hall when he arrived early for a meeting without his city ID badge or driver's license.

Jose Ibarra, an eight-year council member, was stopped on Monday when he was unable to show security guards an acceptable form of identification after leaving his wallet at home -- although his picture hangs with those of the other council members on the lobby wall near the security checkpoint.

Ibarra said he went to City Hall early to do some business at the payroll office before the 11:30 a.m. council meeting. He said three different security officers refused him admission.

He said the guards finally let him in when his wife arrived and persuaded them to accept her identification for both of them.

But Ibarra's difficulties continued after he finished at the payroll office. Ibarra said his wife left after their business was completed, and the councilman planned to take his seat early in the council chambers to review some material.

However, a security guard and a city maintenance worker again refused to allow him through a back entrance reserved for elected officials.

Ibarra said he ultimately had to wait for 45 minutes outside a public entrance to the meeting room.

``I think we're going a little too far,'' Ibarra said of the city's stepped-up security. ``I need to remind everybody City Hall is a public building, for the public.''

City Clerk Kathy Detrick, who is responsible for City Hall security, said she's sorry about what happened to Ibarra, but the need to monitor building entrants is ``the reality of the times we live in.''

She said Monday's events show that the security policy is effective.

Effective my @$$.

All he needed was a laminated piece of paper with his name on it and a picture of Ronald McDonald or Krusty the Klown and they would have let him in. Like security guards are going to spot a fake ID? Gimme a break. They'd be better off hiring bouncers from the local college bar.

The clerk should be sued for wasting the taxpayers' money on this idiocy.

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"Give me Liberty or give me Death." - Patrick Henry

The "the reality of the times we live in" is that blindly doing anything that makes someone, somewhere feel "safer" is now deemed necessary.

So true. As so many times before, they only want SOME KIND OF ID. Does not have to be the real ID, because they are not really checking for that.

Let's get real. If you are a bad guy, does showing your ID really make a difference?

NO WAY!

And does the "bouncer" check the ID against any database? No. You don't have to be 21 to enter the building, so theres no point there.
I also doubt that said "bouncer" has the entire FBI/CIA/INS/Fatherland Security watch list memorized.

Does the "bouncer" prevent school kids from entering?
Have children been used as suicide bombers before?

Asshats!

Of course this sort of thing is stupid, and non-productive, but until the citizens of Tucson get worked up about it, nothing much will be done. I wonder what they think?

I'm sure they feel much "safer"...

Meanwhile in here in the Capitol (of Arizona) they're rewiting the loyalty oath for state employees, it's gonna be OK to be a commie, but you gonna have to swear not to be a terrorist.

Don't ya feel safer already?

But since most people *are* morons, they will vote against any politician who doesn't fully support this assinine measure. This assures its passage.

There's obviously no way this situation will be satisfactory to certain people.

If the ID check was truly effective by linking to a database, there'd be people protesting the potential privacy violation.

If the ID check is just cursory to see the reaction of the person checked, there'd be people protesting that it's just useless security.

At the end of the day, some people won't be satisfied unless everybody was free to wander around into any place they felt like that's not a private home, unless said person was some sort of a police or security person. Then the privacy shield comes up.

A comment from another board regarding this story:

OK, you're a terrorist. When the guard asks for your ID you:
A) Say you don't have one.
B) Pull out your legitimate ID.
C) Pull out a handy forgery.
D) Blow his lungs out his ... with a 9 mm pistol.
All this terrorism prevention crap is very good at requiring us to be good little cogs in the machine, but not going to do much to stop a determined terrorist.

Amen!

Originally posted by HeHateY:
All this terrorism prevention crap is very good at requiring us to be good little cogs in the machine, but not going to do much to stop a determined terrorist.

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Here! Here!

This all seems so simple to understand. Why cann't the rest of America see the foolishness behind all this ID checking?

What am I missing?


[This message has been edited by NoStressHere (edited 04-10-2003).]

What you are missing is this: security is a feeling, not a real thing.

It makes people feel secure when they undergo some minor inconvenience like showing their ID multiple times.

There is no such thing as "real" security. We are all going to die sometime. We are all going to get sick. "Real" security is a lie.

Meanwhile, can I please check your ID, sir? It's For Your Protection.

Anyone know when Flyertalkistan will be issuing either Passports or Credit Card-sized photo ID cards?

I'd like to see how many times "Krusty the Klown" can get past a rent-a-cop.

Actually, I'd better use a name that will not have any cultural relavence to today's youth.

Perhaps "Mutt Andjeff" or "Buster Brown" or "Mortimer Rat" or, for our European readers, "Captain Haddock"?

[This message has been edited by HeHateY (edited 04-10-2003).]