TexasCHLforum.com

Smokey613 wrote:Yes, you have to have a "real ID" to fly but not to exercise arguably the most important duty we as Americans have and that is to vote. Yes sir, typical Federal bureaucrat logic.

I remember when I registered to vote for the first time in North Carolina when I was 18 (actually 17 because I was turning 18 before the election). I brought in my Massachusetts birth certificate to the Mecklenburg Public Library, put my left hand on the Bible (they don't call it the bible belt for nuthin') and raised my right hand to swear that I was eligible. . I think I had to find something with my address on it too. A couple months later I enlisted in the US Navy Reserve for officer training.

The reason the LTC is not accepted by TSA is that it doesn't meet the federal "REAL ID ACT" standards for identification passed after 9/11. Newer Texas Drivers Licenses and ID Cards do meet the standards and older ones are grandfathered until 2018. You can tell if you have a new one of there's a "star" logo on the upper right side of the card. LTC's could meet the the standard easily based on the documentation required to obtain one and the physical features. But I actually think it's a bad idea. It's not necessary to have a picture and all sorts of other fancy features. It could be a slip of paper for that matter. It's bad enough to even have to have a license to exercise a constitutional right. With REAL ID our driver's licenses are being turned into internal passports and permission slips for us to travel in the US or go about our business. The answer is not more Soviet style bureaucracy, it's more freedom.