Research Journal Part 4

Search Engine: ASK.com
Search Statement: (U.S. OR "United States") AND law AND national AND "REAL ID"
****.GOV
Cacas, Max. Daniel Kahikina Akaka, U.S. Senator for Hawaii. Federal News Radio: Pass ID better than Real ID? 16 July, 2009. 14 November, 2009. http://akaka.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=newsarticles.home&month=7&year=2009&release_id=2733

Authority, Purpose, Evenness: This article, placed on Sen. Akaka's official website, outlines the difficulties since the passing of the REAL ID Act. Cacas' expertise appears to be in the area of news reporting with no other expertise identified. Sen. Akaka, a key player in the alternative proposed Act called PASS ID, would have a vested interest in the views presented in the article since it presents PASS ID in a positive light. While the article presents several viewpoints, the thrust appears to be to promote PASS ID and to demonstrate the collective opinion that REAL ID is too cumbersome and expensive. Sources: This article uses direct quotes and attributed sources, plus an MP3 download of testimony before the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. No bibliography or links are provided other than a list of articles pertaining to this issue at the bottom of the article. Coverage, Timeliness: The information is current, supports other news releases, and pertains to issues, however it is not comprehensive.

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Hsu, Spencer S. The Washington Post. Administration Plans to Scale Back Real ID Law. 14 June, 2009. 14 November, 2009. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/13/AR2009061302036.html?sid=ST2009072002461

Authority: Mr. Hsu writes many articles for the Washington Post on Immigration Law, Homeland Security, and terrorist issues. His other articles indicates a familiarity with law, policies, and political events surrounding security and issues pertaining to U.S. citizens. Sources: While the article quotes several sources, few links are offered to find this information. There is a feature that allows a reader to click on a name of a Senator to view their voting record. Other information is attributed to particular sources which could be verified by using the information given in the article. Purpose and Evenness: This article informed and educated readers regarding the latest information over the controversial REAL ID cards. Many sides of the issue were presented to inform the general audience. This article was helpful in that it provided more recent information on the status of this government policy. Coverage and Timeliness: This information supports other articles regarding the status of the REAL ID cards and the opposition. It also covers the Obama administration plan for new policy and is relevant and timely for this subject.

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Electronic Privacy and Information Center. National ID and the Real ID Act. May 2009. 14 November, 2009. http://epic.org/privacy/id-cards

No author listed.
This site is from EPIC.org, although, curiously, the site can also be accessed through 'privacy.com'. When I clicked on several links to information on the site, privacy.com was often the primary URL citation for accessing information although the same information comes up when EPIC.org is searched.
Authority: Since this is an information site, most of the material available links to other information such as government and news links. On the site are a list of people responsible for the material through this organization and many of the board members would be considered to have high level credentials such as professors, government consultants, and noted authors of books along these subjects. Many credentials indicate a reputation for expertise and knowledge as evidenced by their association with universities, teaching positions, and government associations in the same fields. Sources: There is an abundance of factual information as presented through links to the original material. This includes news articles, pdf's from state government documents, original documents describing laws and intention, and archived history from primary sources outlining specific details and sources. Purpose and Evenness: The obvious purpose is to educate and inform using original documents to demonstrate a particular point of view. The opinion is very obviously against ID cards, most notably REAL ID cards, and the abundance of material presented shows that they have plenty to draw from in presenting their opinion. I could not find many incidents of another point of view that was not countered in some way using links to primary sources in order to refute any other perspective. This organization's stated goals indicate that it is dedicated to civil liberties and operates with "no clients, no customers, and no shareholders." It is aimed at a general audience and is easy to navigate and understand. For the purpose of finding historical documents and a timeline that demonstrates previous law and current proposals, this site was a gold mine. Coverage and Timeliness: Most documents on the page first accessed were dated before May 2008, however, I have found this to be consistent with other documents I have searched. Most of the activity regarding this issue took place before this date and seems to have stagnated until recently due to opposition by state governments and groups opposing the implementation of ID cards. Should one want to delve deeper into the subject, a click on "Press" reveals a myriad of articles written by news organizations and staff members about privacy issues, some as recently as November, 2009. EPIC.org puts out an annual report, the latest being 2007-2008.

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****.EDU
Ehret, Christian. Jurist Legal News & Research. Real ID Act reform legislation introduced in Senate. 16 June, 2009. 14 November, 2009. http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2009/06/senator-introduces-real-id-act-reform.php

Authority: The author writes many articles on political subjects. No credentials are given regarding authority. A search only turned up other articles attributed to Ehret. The Jurist, however, is a non-profit legal research service using volunteers in government and legal fields and published through the University of Pittsburgh. They are dedicated to finding primary sources, reporting quickly and objectively, and offering information in a manner that is understandable to the general public as well as legal students, free of ads and commercials. Sources, Purpose, Evenness: Links to many sources are abundant on this site. Rather than in footnotes, they are embedded links right in the document. Information is presented as fact with numerous links for verification. Its purpose is to inform and educate. Since there has been much opposition to the REAL ID Act and some controversy surrounding the new PASS ID Act, the tone of the article relays this tenor. I did not sense any bias in relaying this information. Coverage, Timeliness: This article is very current and reflects the most recent efforts of the Obama administration. While not a comprehensive article, it supports information found in most other news articles and provides enough links to continue a search of the issues.