The deadline of yet another, and perhaps the most insidious, element of the post-9/11 initiatives (a partial list of which includes the establishment of the Transportation Security Agency, the Department of Homeland Security, and a never-ending international war against a nebulously-defined, noncorporeal enemy, "terror") is less than one year from coming to fruition. Beginning no later than October 1, 2020, citizens of all US states and territories will be required to have a Real ID compliant card or US passport to board a commercial plane or enter a Federal government facility. Pundits citing the inevitability of what amounts to a national ID card have, regrettably, been vindicated.
https://www.aier.org/article/while-you-slept-government-created-internal-passports/
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 06 2019, @04:23PM (1 child)
A nation being a "republic" simply means that the head of state is not a monarch. The United States has an elected head of state called the President of the United States, so indeed it is a republic. It is also a democracy due to the election bit.
Of course the older speeches from the founders made a big deal about "our republic", because they were Seriously Pissedâ„¢ at the British monarchy and wanted nothing whatsoever to do with it.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Wednesday November 06 2019, @07:27PM
Agreed, except, again no expert, but I thought "republic" meant we have representatives (and senators), rather than "direct" democracy.
And in USA case, the representatives are "democratically elected"*.
*Is there any other kind of election? OK, maybe one where the already in place officials elect new ones?