{"id":2291103,"date":"2024-07-09T11:43:01","date_gmt":"2024-07-09T15:43:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vet-applies-for-federal-real-id-card-ends-up-losing-drivers-license-and-citizenship\/"},"modified":"2024-07-09T11:49:31","modified_gmt":"2024-07-09T15:49:31","slug":"vet-applies-for-federal-real-id-card-ends-up-losing-drivers-license-and-citizenship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vet-applies-for-federal-real-id-card-ends-up-losing-drivers-license-and-citizenship\/","title":{"rendered":"Vet Applies for Federal &#8216;Real ID&#8217; Card, Ends Up Losing Driver&#8217;s License and Citizenship"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fvet-applies-for-federal-real-id-card-ends-up-losing-drivers-license-and-citizenship%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2291103&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The \u200darticle discusses the story of David O\u2019Connor, a 77-year-old Navy veteran \u2064who recently faced issues regarding the \u200drenewal of his \u2063Tennessee driver&#8217;s license to\u200c obtain a Real\u2064 ID. Despite living in the United\u200d States for over seven decades and serving in the\u2064 military, O\u2019Connor \u200cwas born \u200cin\u200d Canada and \u200dis now being\u200b considered a non-citizen \u200cby the state due to not having appropriate identification to\u200b prove his American citizenship. The article highlights the\u200d complexities and\u2063 challenges \u200bfaced by\u200b individuals like O\u2019Connor in navigating bureaucratic systems, \u2064especially in the\u2064 context of government\u200d licensure and the Real ID program. The\u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/after-opposing-vax-mandates-canceled-actress-drea-de-matteo-resorted-to-adult-site-to-make-ends-meet\/\" title=\"Actress Drea de Matteo turns to adult site after opposing vax mandates.\">story sheds light<\/a> on the broader issues of government overreach and the impact of stringent regulations \u200con individuals&#8217; daily lives.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"> <?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<header> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/commentary\/\">  Commentary <\/a>   <span> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/cillianzeal\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<p> <span>   By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/cillianzeal\/%20\"><span>C. Douglas Golden<\/span><\/a> <\/span> <span>   July 9, 2024 at 6:29am <\/span> <\/span>  <\/header>\n<section>\n<p>David O\u2019Connor, a Navy veteran who has lived in this country for over 70 years, wanted a Tennessee \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tn.gov\/safety\/driver-services\/real-id.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Real ID<\/a>\u201d driver\u2019s license. He ended up with the state essentially stripping him of his American citizenship, at least for administrative purposes.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newschannel5.com\/news\/newschannel-5-investigates\/state-of-tennessee-tells-u-s-navy-veteran-hes-not-an-american-citizen-and-cancels-his-drivers-license\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WTVF-TV<\/a> in Nashville, in early June, O\u2019Connor \u201cwent to the Driver Service Center in McMinn County to not only renew his driver\u2019s license but get one of the new enhanced or Real IDs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Real ID requires certain documents to prove citizenship. It was created by an act of Congress in 2005, in the wake of 9\/11, to require certain sets of rules for obtaining identification cards \u2014 including driver\u2019s licenses \u2014 that could be used to, among other things, board <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/airlines-fleet-777s-reportedly-prone-spontaneous-mid-air-explosions-boeing-scrambles-deny-risk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">airline flights<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The original deadline for non-Real ID driver\u2019s licenses and ID cards to be accepted was supposed to be <a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/publius\/article\/50\/3\/398\/5831550?login=false\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">May 11, 2008<\/a>. This was problematic enough that it\u2019s been pushed back numerous times; at this point, the final implementation is scheduled for May 7, 2025, according to the Department of Homeland Security\u2019s Real ID <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dhs.gov\/real-id\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The 17-year delay alone should be an augury as to just how problematic the program is.<\/p>\n<p>There are several ways to prove one\u2019s citizenship or lawful permanent residency, according to the state of Tennessee\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tn.gov\/safety\/driver-services\/classd\/dlcitizenship.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This includes \u201cOfficial Birth Certificate issued by a U.S. state, jurisdiction or territory (Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Swain\u2019s Island, Guam),\u201d \u201cU.S. Government-issued Certified Birth Certificate,\u201d \u201cU.S. Certificate of Birth Abroad (DS-1350 or FS-545)\u201d or \u201cValid, unexpired U.S. Passport.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Therein apparently lies the problem. Even though he served in the U.S. military and has held commercial truck driver\u2019s licenses for many years in many states, including Tennessee, O\u2019Connor was born <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/canadian-city-hall-hit-terror-attack-suspect-cited-genocide-gaza-manifesto\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">in Canada<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>So, despite the fact that he\u2019s 77 years old, has lived in the country for seven decades and has been driving for 61 years, he\u2019s now parked by the state because he does not have appropriate identification, in its eyes, to be counted as an American.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey told me I shouldn\u2019t have had the license in the first place \u2019cause I couldn\u2019t prove that I was a citizen,\u201d O\u2019Connor told WTVF.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey said, \u2018No, that\u2019s no good. We shouldn\u2019t have given you the license in the first place,&#8217;\u201d he said. \u201cAnd they just canceled my license right then and there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt just blows my mind,\u201d his wife, Jean, told the station.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am flabbergasted. I am outraged that, at 77 years old, he is now considered a non-citizen by the country that he has lived in his whole life,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>See, O\u2019Connor has \u2014 as one would expect \u2014 a Canadian <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/transgenders-kansas-trying-change-gender-get-bad-news-doctor-delivered\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tenn-gov-lee-transgender-athletes-would-destroy-womens-sports\/\" title=\"Tenn. Gov. Lee: Transgender athletes would \u2018destroy women\u2019s sports\u2019\">birth certificate<\/a><\/a>. It states on there that both of his parents were American.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis American-born parents had temporarily relocated to Canada and soon after O\u2019Connor was born, the family moved back to the U.S.,\u201d WTVF\u2019s report Wednesday said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd since both of his parents were U.S. citizens, and you can see that right there on his birth certificate, the law stated O\u2019Connor is a U.S. citizen, too,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt says on my paperwork I am a U.S. citizen,\u201d O\u2019Connor told the station.<\/p>\n<p>He has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/kamala-harris-dumbest-hits-time-thought-voter-required-access-kinkos-watch\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">voted<\/a> \u201cevery year.\u201d He has a Social Security card, and, since he is retired, he has been receiving benefits. He was able to join the Navy as a sonar tech at age 17 and served for four years. He held a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/scenes-from-the-supply-chain\/\" title=\"Scenes from the Supply Chain\">commercial driver\u2019<\/a>s license in four states \u2014 New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, and, yes, Tennessee.<\/p>\n<p>Until he went in for a Real ID, nobody in officialdom ever questioned whether David O\u2019Connor was an American.\u00a0But now, the state no longer considers him an American citizen \u2014 nor eligible to drive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been here for 77 years,\u201d O\u2019Connor said, telling the station, \u201cNone of this [situation] makes any sense to me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nor does it make any sense to his wife.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow?!\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s the thing. Why now? At 77 years old? Are you kidding me? It\u2019s unbelievable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Nashville outlet went to the state\u2019s homeland security secretary, Jeff Long, recounting O\u2019Connor\u2019s struggles, which have now gone on for over a month.<\/p>\n<p>Long\u2019s response?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can understand that, but everyone has to realize that after 9\/11, the Real ID is very specific and has a federal requirement of what you have to have,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Long said \u201che\u2019d look into it and help however he could, which was more than employees at the state\u2019s Driver Service Center, where they told O\u2019Connor that he would need to apply for citizenship, in other words, file paperwork to become a U.S. citizen, a process, mind you, that takes time,\u201d WTVF reported.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, this maze of bureaucracy is all too believable for anyone who witnesses how governments handle licensure, especially with a quasi-federal ID card.<\/p>\n<p>The Real ID program essentially requires states to agree to a least-common-denominator of security precautions \u2014 with the result being an increasingly greater number of hoops for people to jump through to get it that varies by state but keeps Washington happy.<\/p>\n<p>In this case, a man who has been able to vote in federal elections, serve his country, drive a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-to-showcase-business-tied-to-energy-sec-granholm\/\" title=\"Biden to Showcase Business Tied to Energy Sec Granholm\">commercial vehicle<\/a> in it and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/poll-spike-number-americans-concerned-future-medicare-social-security\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">receive retirement benefits<\/a> from it cannot be proved to be American, at least by the standards of Real ID as regarded by Tennessee.<\/p>\n<p>At a micro level, therefore, this is about the unnecessary and onerous nature of Real ID, which plugged an imaginary hole in the years following 9\/11 and has not been abandoned even though the ability of a terrorist to obtain state identification was the least of our worries following the attacks.<\/p>\n<p>In supporting evidence, I give you the fact we will, this September, have gone 23 years without any similar attacks, all in the 19 years since the Real ID legislation was passed and all with another eight months before the legislation finally takes full effect.<\/p>\n<p>Or else, we are to believe that legislation so ridiculously unwieldy to be fully implemented has nevertheless been able to stop attacks without being in force.<\/p>\n<p>At a macro level, this is another story about the failure of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/op-ed-can-get-people-back-work-get-government-way\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">government licensure<\/a>, period. This man can\u2019t drive a truck because his birth certificate is Canadian, even though it says he\u2019s an American and he\u2019s been treated as an American by American authorities for 77 years.<\/p>\n<p>But then you have to pay the government for the privilege of being able to cut people\u2019s hair or do their nails, for instance. According to a 2022 article in the libertarian outlet <a href=\"https:\/\/reason.com\/2022\/03\/21\/occupational-licensing-hurts-the-vulnerable-without-helping-the-public\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Reason<\/a>, recent studies have indicated roughly a quarter of the American workforce now needs state occupational licensure to practice their profession.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps you can make the case that commercial truck drivers should have to demonstrate certain standards to the state to prove they can drive large trucks.<\/p>\n<p>The irony, of course, is that David O\u2019Connor was able to do that \u2014 and maintain a CDL in good standing. All he wants to do now is drive his truck. And he can\u2019t, because, under the government\u2019s standards, he\u2019s not even an American.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s like your country don\u2019t want you,\u201d O\u2019Connor said. \u201cI\u2019ve tried to do things the right way all my life. And now it\u2019s like I\u2019m nothing.<\/p>\n<p>And to the state, he\u2019s more or less correct. He\u2019s a number, and the number doesn\u2019t check off all the boxes. So that number gets put into bureaucratic limbo.<\/p>\n<p>If there was ever an object lesson in what\u2019s wrong with handing over more power to the federal government, this is it.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div>\n<p><b><i>An Important Message from Our Staff:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><i><span>In just a few months, the world is going to change forever. The 2024 election is the single most important election of our lifetime. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>We here at The Western Journal are committed to covering it in a way the establishment media simply will not: We will tell the truth, and they will lie.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>But Big Tech and the elites don\u2019t want the truth out. That\u2019s why they have cut us off from 90% of advertisers. Imagine if someone cut your monthly income by 90%. That\u2019s what they\u2019ve done to people like us. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>As a staff, we are asking you to <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>join us<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  to fight this once-in<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/caitlin-clark-lands-historic-nike-shoe-deal-worth-millions-just-before-her-rookie-season-kicks-off\/\" title=\"Caitlin Clark Secures Multi-Million Dollar Nike Deal Ahead of Rookie Season Kickoff\">-a-lifetime fight<\/a>. Without you not only will The Western Journal fail, but America will fail also. As Benjamin Franklin said, \u201cWe must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Will you support The Western Journal today and <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>become a member<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>A Western Journal <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>Membership<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  costs less than one coffee and breakfast sandwich each month, and it gets you access to ALL of our content \u2014 news, commentary, and premium articles. You\u2019ll experience a radically reduced number of ads, and most importantly you will be vitally supporting the fight for America\u2019s soul in 2024.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>This is the time. America will live or die based on what happens this year. Please <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>join us<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  to get the real truth out and to fight the elites, Big Tech, and the people who want America to fail. Together, we really can save the country.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><b><i>Thank you for your support!<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><i><span>P.S. <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>Please stand with us<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>!<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/body><\/html><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>David O\u2019Connor, a Navy veteran who has lived in the United States for over 70 years, encountered issues when trying to obtain a Tennessee \u201cReal ID\u201d driver\u2019s license. Despite his long history in the country, the state essentially stripped him of his American citizenship for administrative purposes because he was born in Canada. This situation highlights the challenges and bureaucracy involved in obtaining a Real ID, which was created in response to 9\/11. O\u2019Connor\u2019s case also sheds light on broader issues with government licensure and the need for reform in the system<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":663,"featured_media":2291104,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/David-OConnor.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[7161,34358,34357,6866],"class_list":["post-2291103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-citizenship","tag-drivers-license","tag-real-id","tag-vet"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/David-OConnor.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2291103","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/663"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2291103"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2291103\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2291104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2291103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2291103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2291103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}