From Iraq: "Massacred according to their identity cards"

A salutary example of what can happen when sectarian hatred and identity cards are combined appears today in The Scotsman.

Let me be clear - I am in no way comparing the horror of what must surely now be considered a civil war in Iraq with our domestic agenda. However, this is one, admittedly extreme example of the fact that ID cards serve to diminish the rights of the powerless in any society. Whether the power in question is to abduct individuals and transfer them to overseas authorities or to commit murder at a checkpoint, ID cards will assist in the targeting of those who have most to lose.