Don't update your passport photo yet...
The Federal Government is (once again) giving Oklahoma lawmakers (another) extension to (finally) get compliant with the REAL ID Act, and in the process make life a little bit easier for all Oklahomans.
Via NewsOK via the AP:
Gov. Mary Fallin says Oklahoma has received an extension to comply with the federal REAL ID Act.
Fallin said Tuesday the extension is through June 6, 2017, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security warned that failure to act during the 2017 legislative session to commit Oklahoma to all REAL ID requirements could result in the denial of future extensions.
Yeah, that's great. We just have to count on Oklahoma lawmakers to work together to pass common sense legislation that's only opposed by ple who think the moonlanding was staged.
In other news, you may want to hurry up and get that passport...
The current extension was to expire Jan. 29 and the government in October rejected the state's request for an extension.
Without an extension, residents would be unable to use state driver's licenses to board commercial airline flights or enter federal buildings or military installations.
The act was passed in 2005 to ensure the authenticity of driver's licenses, but legislators in Oklahoma and some other states believe the government is overreaching.
Even if you wear an aluminum foil hat to bed every night, how could you possibly be against this? The Feds already snoop on all of our emails and online activity. What does it matter if they secretly trace our whereabouts via tiny microchips implanted in our IDs?
Seriously, it will be interesting to see how our lawmakers screw this one up. I bet they try to use it as an avenue to ban abortion by giving Real ID rights to the unborn. Then the law will be ruled unconstitutional, and then you'll need to grab a passport to fly to Denver and buy weed.
Actually, I kind of hope they turn this into a circus just so we can see how many different ways the local media can conjure up an image to accompany their stories. Channel 25 goes with the Sally Ann Sample route:
While Channel 5 likes the multiple ID effect...
Channel 4 prefers more of a close up, layered approach:
So does Channel 9...
Sometimes, though, they'll really zoom in...
But they'll also zoom out and go with the distant "Person holding their ID" pic...
Anyway, stayed tuned to TLO for breaking news updates of our local TV news media's creative interpretations of non-compliant Oklahoma driver's licenses.
