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.