Politicians in Washington today are tripping over themselves to trumpet their outrage at the Veterans Administration's admission that the agency potentially lost the personal data of 26 million of our nation's veterans. It is true - the news is awful. But make no mistake about it - as I note in my new book Hostile Takeover, Congress long ago went on record as not caring about people who are the victims of identity theft. That's right, back in 2005, the Senate voted down courageous legislation by Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) that would have preserved bankruptcy protections for those who are victims of identity theft.
So, for instance, Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) is all over the media today saying he's outraged about the loss of the records. But it was Craig who voted against Nelson's bill, effectively throwing vicitms of identity theft to the wolves. So while politicians may be running in front of cameras telling reporters that they are determined to protect us - don't be fooled. They've long ago let us know where they really stand.
In the years before becoming a full-time writer, Sirota worked as the press secretary for Vermont Independent Congressman Bernard Sanders, the chief spokesman for Democrats on the U.S. House Appropriations Committee, the Director of Strategic Communications for the Center for American Progress, a campaign consultant for Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer and a media strategist for Connecticut Senate candidate Ned Lamont. He also previously contributed writing to the website of the California Democratic Party. For more on Sirota, see these profiles of him in Newsweek or the Rocky Mountain News. Feel free to email him at lists [at] davidsirota.com Note: this online publication represents Sirota's personal views, and not the official views of the organizations he works with.
I am a victim of Identity Theft. Not as a veteran, as a private citizen whose identity is no longer private.
By the time I wound around and through all of the agencies that "my" government has set up to protect me, I was exhuasted. Not so exhausted, however, that I couldn't stop laughter from bursting forth as the Social Security Dept. gave me the number of the Dept. of Homeland Security~what? Yes, in a case of ID theft, your final stop will be that "in"famous, in charge-of-all-my-security dept.
It's not at all funny, this ID theft, and senators who believe that it will never happen to them so they needn't be concerned about how the bankruptcy laws are written, well, it not only can happen, it probably will. To them and to all of you, possibly to me again. My info was stolen from my rural mail box; sometimes it's taken from computers of the ones who feel safe without any protection; a stolen (where did I put that?) wallet or purse is a big step up; camera phones are so sneaky - they're talking (you think) while the camera clicks as you lay your card on the counter; garbage unshredded? all it takes is one of those credit card bills. So many ways to be a thief, Senator Craig and all of your fellow "conservatives". It couldn't happen to nicer people!
by
Marjean Wallace (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 12 comments)
on Tuesday, May 23, 2006 at 10:33:42 PM
David Sirota is a full-time political journalist, best-selling author and 
