68°F
weather icon Clear
Boulder City, NV
Opinion

Real ID will help combat terrorism

By Chuck N. Baker
April 17, 2025 - 5:01 pm
 

Most veterans in Nevada are aware that when they obtain a driver’s license or renew their old one, they can ask the DMV to add the word “veteran” on the license. While that won’t give them a get-out-of-jail-free card, it might evoke some sympathy from an officer if a veteran is pulled over for a minor infraction. (No guarantee, but it has happened to me.)

But now a driver’s license is also being used for a much more important reason. When the United States was attacked on 9/11, it brought many changes to the lives of our nation’s residents. Now all these years later one of those positive changes is finally coming to fruition. The information here applies to just about everyone in Nevada, but I’m reaching out to veterans especially. By May 7 this year, anyone who wants to board a commercial airplane must have a “Real ID” designation for identification. This has been talked about for several years, but the deadline has always been extended. Now, it seems that the date is solid.

There is a military connection in that the law is designed to inhibit terrorists’ ability to evade detection by using fraudulent identification. The Real ID Act is intended to combat terrorism, identity theft, and other crimes by strengthening the integrity and security of state-issued identification. Real ID implements a 9/11 Commission recommendation urging the federal government to “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses.” It is a coordinated effort by the states and the federal government to improve the reliability and accuracy of state-issued identification documents. The Act was part of the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, that includes the Global War on Terror.

Of course there are costs involved. Check with the DMV for details.

Foreign terrorists have not, and will not, win their battle against the West, but they have managed to change some of the ways we live our lives. Real ID is one of the changes, and I believe it is for the good to help protect the nation.

Calendar update:

May 26 is Memorial Day, and the Nevada Dept. of Veterans Services is planning its annual ceremony honoring veterans at the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery. The event is being coordinated with Chapter 711 of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, and I have been asked to emcee the proceedings. It begins at 1 p.m. It’s open to veterans, their families and the public. I’m inviting all of Boulder City to attend and honor Nevada’s veterans.

MOST READ
LISTEN TO THE TOP FIVE HERE
THE LATEST
bcr default image
Bursting our bewitched bubble
By Rod Woodbury

It’s that dreaded time of year again. Monstrous in magnitude. A mysterious ritual. Strange, scary, sinister, and spooky. Macabre and menacing. Dark and gloomy. Dastardly and disturbing. Gruesome and ghoulish. Frightful. Creepy. Petrifying. Even eerie. A wicked, morbid tradition that haunts our city annually.

bcr default image
Mayor’s Corner: Helmets save lives
By Joe Hardy

Emergency personnel in Clark County estimate they respond to four accidents each day involving bikes, e-bikes, or e-scooters. A few of these accidents have involved fatalities of minors — a grim reminder of the dangers of these devices when not used responsibly. Our goal as city leaders is to prevent tragedies from occurring. Any loss of life has a dramatic impact on families, loved ones, friends, as well as on the entire community.

bcr default image
Cheers to 40 years in the biz
By Ron Eland

I thought I’d talk a little about the newspaper business on the heels of the Review winning seven statewide awards the other night in Fallon.

bcr default image
AI is here. Just ask your neighbors
By Bill Evans Boulder City Review

“I’ve done 10 albums in the past year,” my across-the-street neighbor, Dietmar, told me Sunday morning as we stood in the street between our two houses catching up. He added that his wife, Sarah, had put out two collections of songs in the same time period, adding, “You know it’s all AI, right?”

bcr default image
Astronaut lands in Nevada, so to speak
By Chuck N. Baker

I wish to begin by noting that when it comes to politics, I am registered nonpartisan. So when writing about Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, I’m focusing (well, for the most part), on his role as a retired NASA astronaut, not as a politician.

bcr default image
The patriot way
By Rod Woodbury

Today is Patriot Day, a day most of us refer to as 9/11. In the U.S., Patriot Day occurs annually on Sept. 11 in memory of the victims who died in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

bcr default image
Program helps homebuyers in Boulder City
By Michael Mays Acting Dep. City Manager and Community Development Director

Owning a home is part of the American Dream. Unfortunately, the steep rise in rental rates and increasing costs for goods and services have left many home buyers struggling to save enough for a down payment.