by Mark Lerner (June 3, 2013) Constitutional Alliance Stop Real ID Coalition
This document is intended for both Christians and non-Christians. Christians and non-Christians alike, have the same rights in our country under our Constitution. It is my hope that after reading this document, non-Christians will have a better understanding of the reasons many Christians are adamant in their objection to biometric enrollment. Non-Christians who currently have either no position on mandated biometric enrollment or are actually supporting mandated biometric enrollment, may have a change of heart and oppose mandated biometric enrollment when they read why mandated biometric enrollment is a threat to their freedom. This document is also intended to wake up those Christians that have become complacent.
It is my hope that non-Christians and Christians will see the consistency between what Christians are told in Scripture will happen and in fact, what is happening today throughout the world.
What is a biometric? Biometric is defined as a measurement of the body. Bio being “body” and metric being “measurement”. Biometric is the “number of man”. Examples of what is a biometric, include but are not limited to fingerprinting, iris scans, facial recognition and DNA. Facial recognition works by “mapping” the face; measuring the distances between facial characteristics of the face such as our eyes, lips, ears and nose. Many Christians see biometrics as a great threat to the Church. Why is biometric enrollment a threat to the Church and what can Christians and non-Christians do about being forced into a global system of identification and financial control?
Let’s take a look at what the mindset of many Christians is on a global system of identification so that we may better understand their passion to oppose such a system. Those that are not Christians have legitimate objections to mandated biometric enrollment as well. If both Christians and those that are not Christians take the time to understand each other’s objections and the basis for those objections, then perhaps Christians and non-Christians can work together in opposing mandated biometric enrollment.
One of the books in the Christian bible is the Book of Revelation. The Book of Revelation written by the Apostle John, specifically describes a global system of identification and financial control.
Revelation 13:14-18 New King James Version (NKJV)
14 And he deceives those[a] who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. 15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or[b] the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.
Hence, accordingly it is accurate to say that “The person taking the Mark of the Beast will suffer the wrath of the judgment of God while on earth, but also will have committed his soul to eternal damnation in the Lake of Fire.”.
We have reached a point in the United States that a strong case can be made that the ability of Christians to preach the Gospel is being inhibited by mandated biometric enrollment. If a Christian needs to fly commercially to attend an event where the subject matter is the Gospel, that Christian would be required to provide a biometric identification card acceptable to the government starting in January 2014. Under the provisions of the proposed Comprehensive Immigration Reform, churches would not be exempt from biometric requirements in the legislation.
Every Christian has a responsibility to preach the Gospel (Mark 16:15). Christians are also told that the Gospel will be preached to the whole world before Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior will return (Matthew 24:14). The Gospel is that Jesus was born a virgin birth, was God in the flesh, who died on the cross, then rose from the dead so that those that believe would be forgiven for their sins, and because of the Grace of God, would be given eternal life.
There are differing opinions on what “The Mark of the Beast” actually will be. That being said just being enrolled into a global system of identification and financial control does not mean you have accepted the Mark of the Beast. I would say allowing your biometrics to be collected is part of the enrollment process leading up to accepting the “Mark of the Beast”. I believe as many other Christians do, that the actual Mark of the Beast will be an actual “Mark” or RFID chip that will be “on” or “in” the right hand or forehead. I have no doubt that our biometrics will be the primary component of the Mark of the Beast. I say this because our biometrics is unique to each of us.
Many Christians, and non-Christians, recognize our government has gone from requiring the consent of the governed, to the people requiring the consent of government. Our rights as stated in our Constitution are being converted into privileges. Today most people understand we have a right to work and travel. In short, our rights have become “conditional” rights, which is a nice way to say privileges.
There have been many federal programs, initiatives and laws that each require biometric enrollment. None of them in themselves resulted in nearly every citizen having to provide their biometrics. That ceased being the case when the Real ID Act 2005 was signed into law by President Bush. For the first time, nearly every citizen was being mandated to provide their biometrics. The biometric of choice for the Real ID Act was facial recognition. Why was facial recognition the biometric of choice? The answer is simple; facial recognition does not require the individual’s knowledge or consent that they are having their biometric collected. For most people, the photo on a driver’s license seemed “normal” after the Real ID Act was beginning to be implemented. What people did not know was, the standard for the photo or digital facial image was specifically used to make the digital facial image/photograph compatible with the use of facial recognition software. Real ID called for a high pixel count, high resolution photo.
The newly proposed Comprehensive Immigration Reform legislation also has a biometric component to it, just as the Real ID Act does. Once again the digital facial image is the biometric of choice. One of the dangers in our legislative process is the Rulemaking process. The Rulemaking process, in its simplest terms, is where the agency or department tasked with implementing a law, spells out the specifics of how the law will be implemented. It is not unusual to have more than one agency or department being tasked with implementing a law, thus more than one agency or department can issue “rules” pertaining to one law. The word “biometric” was not used in the Real ID Act legislation. It was only in the Rulemaking process for the Real ID Act, that it not just became apparent but irrefutable, that a biometric/facial recognition compatible digital facial image/photograph was required.
Over 600 organizations representative of groups from the “far right” to the “far left”, Christians and non Christians, opposed the Real ID Act of 2005. The Real ID Act, a federal law that put in place federal guidelines that incorporated international standards for the issuing of state driver’s licenses. The standard for the digital facial image/photo is the adopted standard of the International Civil Aviation Organization, an agency of the United Nations. All states, whether those states have complied with the Real ID Act or not, use the same standard now for the digital facial image/photo. The reason non-Real ID compliant states use the same standard for the digital facial image as Real ID compliant states do, is the vendor who supplies nearly every driver’s license in this country, uses the international standard the Real ID Act calls for. The standard ensures individuals can be identified and tracked wherever they may be in the world.
We each see CCTV (Closed Circuit Television Cameras) on just about every major street in our country. Law enforcement now uses smart phones that “capture” our facial images. There has been a great deal of discussion about the use of drones within the United States. By 2020, it is estimated there will be over 30,000 drones flying over U.S. airspace. Once the facial image is captured by cameras, regardless if the cameras are CCTV, smart phones, or on drones, it can be compared using computers to other facial images stored in a myriad of databases, both domestic and foreign, in minutes or hours depending on the size of the databases being searched. The global telecommunication networks that are needed to share information, specifically the biometric data of all people already exists. There is only one reason to use international standards and that is to facilitate global information sharing.
To create a global biometric system, states and nations must:
- Enroll their citizens (Driver’s Licenses/ID cards, passports, national ID, school ID, etc.)
- Adopt international standards for documents, photos and data sharing
- Link databases for global information sharing, global ID-tracking and surveillance
Such a global system is the goal of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), according to Robert Mocny (DHS US-Visit), who stated that “information sharing is appropriate around the world,” and DHS plans to create a “Global Security Envelope of internationally shared biometric data that would permanently link individuals with biometric ID, personal information held by governments and corporations.“. Database sharing turns State ID into not just “national ID” but also a global biometric ID. I am not suggesting that a state driver’s license is accepted as identification in other countries. What I am saying is the digital facial image/photograph on the state driver’s license is a biometric identifier, which meets international standards and can be used by other government or international entities to identify and track you.
Julian Ashbourn, Chairman of the International Biometrics Foundation, believes we need a “Global Agency with Global Powers.”. What say you? Do we need global agencies with global powers?
For the first time in history there is both the political will and technology, to implement and use a global system of identification and financial control. In addition to biometrics, there is RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chips, skin patches and even tattoos where the information is stored in the ink of the tattoo. Biometrics and RFID technology are the only technologies that exist today that many Christians believe can fulfill biblical prophecy with regard to the “Mark of the Beast”.
Given the compromising of databases, including those of government, defense contractors, banks and many others, and the counterfeiting of identification documents, how long will it be before the identification process is moved from the identification document to directly on the individual?
Many people in the United States believe global institutions already have too much influence in the policies and laws of the United States. We commonly hear of “global problems” such as the environment. Most of us are aware that today we have a global economy. It is argued by those who support globalism that “Global problems require global solutions” thus leading to global governance. In scripture we see what can only be referred to as global governance not just in the Book of Revelation but in other places such as Psalms 2:1-3 and Daniel 7:23. Finally, regarding global problems and global solutions, when you have time I suggest each person take a look at U.N. Agenda 21/Sustainable Development. Initiatives and policies have filtered down from the United Nations all the way to our local communities. Areas such as education, law enforcement, healthcare, city planning and much more have originated with U.N. Agenda 21/Sustainable Development.
There is privacy, right to free speech, right to peacefully assemble issues with the use of facial recognition. These rights should not be exercised under fear or intimidation by the government. It is well documented that when people know they are being observed, they alter their behavior. Ask yourself if you think it is right or constitutional that law enforcement can capture your facial image when you attend a rally or protest and immediately identify you? With facial recognition, it is not just that individuals can be observed but also tracked and identified. Non-Christians and Christians should agree that tracking and identifying people is wrong.
I do not focus as much as I might on the technical problems with the use of biometrics in general. Error rates differ depending on the biometric in question. Even small error rates can have a huge adverse impact in our country where we have roughly 320 million people. We have approximately 150 million workers. An error rate of just 1% would result in 1.5 million people being delayed getting a job because of the error rate associated with a biometric. In some cases the delay could cause a person not to get a job under the provisions of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform legislation congress is now considering. The reason I do not focus as much attention as I might on the error rates with different biometrics, is because inevitably someone will always say that the error rates will reduce with advancements in the technology. Although there has not been a clear understanding provided by the courts on our right to privacy, the courts have articulated our right to anonymity. Unless law enforcement has a reasonable suspicion that we have or are doing something illegal, we do have a right to anonymity. For many Christians being enrolled into a global system of identification is first and foremost, a freedom of religion issue. For those that are not Christians, privacy, free speech and the right to peacefully assemble are the primary reasons for opposing mandated biometric enrollment.
“Biblical prophecy” is what Christians are told will happen. Keep in mind these things that Christians were told were stated nearly two thousand years ago. An example of biblical prophecy being fulfilled is when Israel became a state/nation in 1948. Whether a person is a Christian or not, they should not dismiss biblical prophecy. It has been proven to be dependable. What we do see, is all the pieces of the puzzle coming together today for biblical prophecy to be fulfilled.
It is conceded by all Christians that Satan does not have the power God, Almighty does. God is Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent. God is all powerful, all knowing, and is everywhere at all times. This begs the question of how can the Antichrist rule the world and force all people to worship him as well as accept the “Mark of the Beast” if Satan does not have the power God does? The answer is by having man do Satan’s dirty work for him by creating a global surveillance network.
When the time comes that the Antichrist is revealed everything that is needed for the Antichrist to rule the world and force people to accept the Mark of the Beast will be in place. The Antichrist will not only be able to identify all people but know exactly where they are at. The Antichrist who will have global power vis-à-vis global governance to require people to accept the Mark of the Beast or they will be put to death. As we are told in the Book of Revelation, people will need the Mark of the Beast in order to be able to buy and sell.
I would be remiss if I did not say that not all Christians are concerned about the Mark of the Beast or the Antichrist.
The bible says Christians will be “caught up” to meet our Lord in the air before the Lord returns, physically, to the earth (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18). Some Christians believe this (to be caught up) will occur before the Antichrist is revealed. This understanding of scripture, to some Christians, means there is no need for them to be too concerned about the Mark of the Beast.
Each Christian must ensure they have the capability to preach the Gospel, in spite of the fact that religious persecution and restrictions are increasing. By being enrolled into a global system of identification and financial control, Christians are giving governments the ability or mechanism to control every citizen’s movement and/or actions. In the context of preaching the Gospel, not necessarily accepting the Mark of the Beast, all Christians should object to mandated global biometric enrollment.
Christians are told in Matthew 24 and Mark 13 that they will be hated by all nations, Christians will turn on Christians, and the Gospel will be preached to the whole world before the Lord returns. The Pew Research Group conducted a study showing 75% of the world’s population lives in countries where there are strong or very strong religious restrictions. The question Christians must ask themselves is, knowing there is religious persecution taking place how will they continue to fulfill their responsibility to preach the Gospel to the whole world, before the Lord returns?
Christians must resist being enrolled into a global system of identification and financial control; a system that God clearly condemns. Not every Christian will be able to avoid being in this global system of identification and financial control described throughout this document. Some Christians are already in it because they were not aware that biometric enrollment was part of having a passport or a driver’s license. Frankly, when you apply for a passport or driver’s license, you are not told you are being enrolled into a global system of identification and financial control. If a Christian’s biometrics is in a state database, there is a distinct possibility those biometrics can be deleted under state laws and constitutions. Deleting biometrics from federal databases is much more problematic. If a Christian has their biometrics in federal databases or international databases, they can assist those that are educating others about the threat biometric enrollment presents to the Church. Keep in mind, being enrolled into a global system of identification and financial control, is NOT accepting the “Mark of the Beast”, but rather a precursor to the “Mark Of the Beast”, that the Anti-Christ will use to his advantage.
The primary provider of driver’s licenses in our country, is the largest biometric company in the world. This mega corporation is Safran, a French company, 30% owned by the French government, who has offices all over the world, including in Russia and China. Safran’s United States subsidiary is a company called Morph Trust. Safran proudly proclaims on its web-site that they have a nearly 40 year partnership with China.
Neither Christians nor non-Christians should be mandated to provide their biometrics. The obvious exceptions would be when warrants are issued or for those in correctional facilities. All people must contact their members of Congress and their state legislatures to voice their opposition to forced biometric enrollment. That being said, over the last several years lobbyists representing a wide spectrum of interests, have spent on average $3 billion a year lobbying members of Congress. Regardless of the issue being discussed, we should ask ourselves if Congress is listening to the lobbyists with the most amount of money or We, the People? The $3 billion does not include campaign donations. There is on average $5.5 million dollars a year, per member of Congress, spent by lobbyists.
There is also the revolving door that does not stop turning. At first there was Viisage Technology, a small $50 million biometric and identification document production company. Viisage morphed into L-1 Identity Solutions. L-1 is the company that Safran purchased. L-1’s document production and biometrics divisions were sold to Safran. From the early days of Viisage former government officials such as George Tenet (Director CIA), Louis Freeh (Director FBI), Admiral Loy (Chief TSA), Frank Moss (State Department) and others either served on the Board of Directors or were on the payroll as salaried employees of Viisage and/or L-1. Since L-1 was a U.S. company being sold to a foreign company, The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States had to approve the sale of L-1. Former Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff was paid by Safran to be their strategic advisor. The sale of L-1 to Safran went virtually unnoticed.
Because of the steep climb that would be needed with Congress, one brave woman named Kaye Beach who lives in Oklahoma, decided to file a lawsuit in Oklahoma. The Department of Public Safety that oversees the issuance of state driver’s licenses and identification cards for those that do not drive, is the defendant. Kaye Beach is fighting to protect the rights of all people. Kaye is a Christian, mother, wife, and patriot that is sacrificing for all people. Kaye Beach’s lawsuit goes directly to the issue of, should a person be forced to provide their biometrics in order to acquire a driver’s license. The lawsuit is a blueprint for what others can do in their respective states.
You can learn about biometrics, Kaye Beach’s lawsuit, and why biometrics is a threat to the Church by visiting the non partisan Constitutional Alliance web-site www.constitutionalalliance.org The Constitutional Alliance appreciates all contributions. The contributions are especially needed NOW, so we can inform others of the steps they can take to do what Kaye Beach is doing if they choose to do so in their respective states. Contributions are also needed so the Constitutional Alliance can continue to inform citizens of proposed laws and current laws that fall within the Mission Statement of the Constitutional Alliance. The Constitutional Alliance provides information. It is the individual who makes the choice to either take action or not take action.
About The Author 
Mark Lerner is a co-founder of the Constitutional Alliance, an alliance of groups and individuals who support the Mission Statement.