-Caveat Lector- WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War! ID cards "don't stop crime" LONDON (Reuters) - Civil liberties groups are crying foul over the possible introduction of identity cards in Britain, claiming they would infringe liberty but have little impact on the West's newly declared war on terrorism. Britons have only ever had to carry identity documents during wartime, unlike the majority of Europeans, who have to produce ID cards at the request of police or officials. But the September 11 suicide attacks in the United States, which left nearly 7,000 dead or missing, have focused attention on whether Britain strikes the right balance between individual liberty and public safety. Home Secretary David Blunkett says the possible introduction of identity cards in Britain was being studied "very seriously indeed". Civil liberties groups accused the government of planning to exploit the U.S. calamity to rush through legislation. "I think it's just one of a series of anti-civil libertarian measures they (the government) want to put in place and they have been waiting years to do it," said Trevor Hemmings, a spokesman for Statewatch, which monitors civil liberties across Europe. Building a database in Britain would not solve the problem, said the London-based group. "People who perpetrate these kind of things usually use false ID." Leading politicians have also expressed caution. Charles Kennedy, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, said ID cards had failed to stop terrorism in other countries such as France, Spain and Italy. "Rushed legislation, particularly if it's got all-party agreement, history teaches, is usually bad legislation," he said. Liberty, a group which campaigns for personal freedom, insisted that bringing in ID was neither necessary nor desirable. Mark Littlewood, its director of campaigns, told Reuters: "Our concern is that this is, however well-intentioned, a very misguided response to the necessary war on terrorism. It will potentially significantly undermine civil liberties, but it will have no impact in reducing crime or terrorism in the UK." *COPYRIGHT NOTICE** In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for nonprofit research and educational purposes only.[Ref. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ] Want to be on our lists? Write at [EMAIL PROTECTED] for a menu of our lists! <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
