ID.Me!

I am he proud recipient of a North Carolina Real ID.  While the Real ID has been around for a decade, after a little research I discovered while not required to vote, it does qualify as a federal confirmation of your citizen status.  Because ICE, under the second Trump presidency, has morphed into a lot of exiled Proud Boy storm troopers killing at will, a federally recognized  ID could go a long way to protect you.  This is because like ID.me, an online verification system also used for federal programs such as the IRS, the process involved in acquiring said ID is more stringent than engaging in social media.  Both IDs had specific requirements, and these requirements meant you had to do the little tap dance around your personal documents.  For me this was a good idea.  Although I have been meticulous in my organization and archiving of my family's heirlooms, and also have applied the same standards to my own affairs, I knew where my Birth Certificate and Social Security cards were.  Also know where the car titles are, the deed to the house, my parent's death certificates, my complete musical equipment inventory, my lengthy list of passwords, and more.  They have changed places several times, and the acquiring of a safe necessitated those changes.  Being the executor of my mother's will, I was balancing two life histories.  After two years finally I have all but settled her estate, and with that closure came the discarding of years of paperwork.  Because your short term memories are turned into long term memories with sleep, what I have done in the recent past fails to register immediately.  I have to work on it for a bit.  After making myself do this, usually I am pleasantly surprised to find what I am looking for.  In this case for the North Carolina Real ID, it took four different documents.  Your Birth Certificate, in my case a 64 year old piece of paper, my original Social Security card, and two documents verifying your residence or domicile in North Carolina.  For me that was a property tax bill and my home owner's insurance policy.  All of these had to be taken to the local DMV after making an appointment online.  This surprisingly was easy, so I had a week to prepare.  Once at the DMV you are in the same boat as everyone else.  There are many walk in's needing various thing, but with said appointment you are able to step ahead of the line and sign in.  I waited at least half an hour.  They took a new photo, which I wanted, scanned my documents, and told me the new ID card (in this case a new driver's license with a star on it) would arrive in the mail in 14 days.  It did, and never was I so proud to receive it.  It is a little work of art, a departure from a ten year old N.C. Driver's License.  I feel bonafide.  The ID.me was more complicated.  They wanted the same documents, but there is no local office to which to go.  It was confirmed via video chat.  I had never done this before, only set up a Skype for my mother to attend her PEO meetings online during the Covid lock down.  I was able to do this pretty easily, and whether  you know it or not, you computer's built in microphone and speakers allow you do to this easily.  This also means Big Brother can watch and listen to you at will like now.  The idea of taking iPhone pictures of your documents is ludicrous at best.  Cell phone networks are notoriously insecure and monitored continuously by the NSA.  It would not be a good idea to use your infernal phone for anything other than casual texts and conversation.  Big Tech has pushed us in a different direction literally undoing all of the safe guards Americans have been privy to since the Cold War.  Like everything else, our own nation and leaders have sold us out.  Since Donald Trump has been President, our country has turned on us.