Fort Myer rule change?

That sucks! I wish the bike path that is supposed to be built following rt 50 was done so I had another alternative. But for me the best and safest route is going through Ft Myer.

@dasgeh 67528 wrote:

UGH! Seriously, ArlCo? WABA? Where are the people advocating for us little people?

And more importantly, on what grounds are they requiring drivers licenses? I understand if they want to stop us feds and write down our info (though I think that’s dumb), but if I can fly with my govt issued work ID, I should be able to bike with it.

well, as you know, the validation required for a driver’s license is far more extensive than that required for HSPD-12 PIV cards, right?

It wouldn’t surprise me if they’re thumbing their nose at the whole non-DoD background investigation process. For example, I know that DHS completely ignores an active DoD security clearance when it does its own clearance process, and it’s a safe bet it goes the other way, too.

So, if you step into the mindset, it makes sense that a federal id is just a piece of plastic. And a drivers license doesn’t bring much information about you, but it’s pretty reliable as far as identifying you.

@DismalScientist 67533 wrote:

Why should feds be treated any better than the little people in this little bit of security kabuki theater?

I’m not sure of your point. If you meant, why should the rule stay as it is now, my answer is that we have to go through clearance to get this ID (and honestly, I think the whole thing is silly). If you meant, why should they accept my fed ID in lieu of a DL, that’s because it’s a government issued ID, similar to a DL or a passport or a student ID from a state U. Why discriminate between them?

@DismalScientist 67542 wrote:

Well, I guess if you had a federal ID and the guards stopped you to log you in, that would constitute similar treatment between feds and the little people and I wouldn’t have a problem with that. Apparently, before the feds only had to “flash” their ID to get on base. Did the ID go through a card reader or the fed go through any other process that would be similar to what non-feds have to go through so that the guards would know who was passing through?

Before feds went through the same process as military. Sounds like the new rules are non-military feds go through the same process as non-fed. Whether that make sense or not depends on the goals of the program, which I’ve never seen articulated. Don’t forget that people do go through background checks and submit disclosure forms to get these ids. It’s not all rainbows and unicorns to work for the federal government.

@jrenaut 67536 wrote:

For example, I know that DHS completely ignores an active DoD security clearance when it does its own clearance process, and it’s a safe bet it goes the other way, too.

When I went from DoD to NRC, the NRC did not recognize my DoD security clearance. I was going up in clearance level, so I’d have had to go through the investigation anyway, but while it was being processed, I was considered completely without a clearance even though I had one via DoD. When I went back to DoD two years later, since my previous DoD clearance had expired, I had to do it all over again from scratch even though I had a current, higher-level clearance at the NRC. So, yeah, different agencies apparently don’t trust each other’s processes. I might suggest the government could have saved more money by eliminating that last highly redundant security clearance investigation than they saved by furloughing me this past year. If anyone were to ask me, which they have not.

I went though twice showing my Federal ID. No problems. But then again November 1 is this week and they could be waiting until then to start the new policy.