Brickbat: Driving Me Crazy

David O'Connor is a Navy veteran who spent many years as a commercial truck driver. He's had standard and commercial driver's licenses in New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, and for the past eight years, in Tennessee. But when he went to renew his license and get a REAL ID, Tennessee Driver Service Center officials not only refused to issue a REAL ID but also canceled his existing driver's license, citing a state law prohibiting licenses for noncitizens. O'Connor has been a U.S. citizen since birth: His Navy discharge papers say so, and he's also collecting Social Security. The problem is that O'Connor was born in Canada, where his parents—both U.S. citizens—were living temporarily. When employees at the Driver Service Center saw his birth certificate, they assumed he was Canadian, and refused to believe otherwise; their only recommendation was that he apply for citizenship.

Comments

[I am not paying for your stinkin' subscription]

Charles, I think you could have saved your readers some time. This has been reported for awhile now. I believe the consensus was that the old codger's parents should have registered him at the American Consulate or something. And that he should whip this out every time he needs to prove citizenship, like, you know, every 70 years or something. Also, his birth certificate long-form shows evidence of American citizenship, but of course this is unofficial, as we have to take's the nurse's word for his Mommy being an American on Canadian soil. Furthermore, he is probably going to get a politician to vouch for him in an act of congress or something. It's the American way!

[Vernon Depner]

Finally, Reason comes out as opposed to birthright citizenship.

[Fist of Etiquette]

FLEE TO CANADA, PAY THE PRICE

[Longtobefree]

Typical bureaucrat.
What I feel and think is way more important than any old scrap of paper, such as a birth certificate or a constitution, or anything else!

[mad.casual]

Typical bureaucrat.

Fuckin' Canadian Trucker probably deserved it.

[Á àß äẞç ãþÇđ âÞ¢Đæ ǎB€Ðëf ảhf]

For those interested, here's a link:
https://www.newschannel5.com/news/newschannel-5-investigates/veteran-who-lost-drivers-license-because-tn-said-he-wasnt-a-u-s-citizen-gets-welcome-news-from-the-state

6 weeks and still no license, marooned in New Hampshire with his kids because he can't drive or fly back, and now he's filed a federal lawsuit.

[sarcasmic]

Says he can get a drivers license, but not a REAL ID because of federal requirements. Looks to me like a flaw in the REAL ID law that doesn't account for having a foreign birth certificate without naturalization papers, which he doesn't need because his parents were Americans.

[Incunabulum]

Uh, Reason, DD-214's - the 'navy discharge papers' - do not list citizenship.

[Liberty_Belle]

Drive to New York, New Hampshire, or Vermont , where he had a DL before, and get a real id there where they aren't sticklers.