THERE ARE many good- sounding arguments against tracking, "profiling," fingerprinting, and registering of aliens and citizens alike. All one need do is mention "database," and images of Orwellian telescreens and chip implants flash across some folks' delicate minds.

Others recoil at the thought of a national information base that tracks credit-card purchases, but consider that such traces are already used by police--generally after crimes have been committed--to track and locate criminals. The federal government is not concerned that you bought Twinkies on sale at Food Lion and has little use for such data. However, a purchase of ammonium nitrate and a few blasting caps just might (rightfully) get the attention of a federal agency.

Terrorists love IDs. Most seem to have dozens of passports, driver's licenses, national ID cards--you name it. Anyone who can surf the Net can obtain or manufacture good-quality cards that identify them as anything from the Lost Dauphin of France to George W. Bush.

Thus, the utility of widespread fingerprinting. Because of government (including military) service, many citizens already have several copies of their prints on file.

We do not balk at all about fingerprinting native-born, law-abiding Americans who hold higher security clearances than James Bond, but mention printing aliens and suddenly the whine goes up that we are compromising someone's rights. Please, someone, direct me to the part of the Constitution that addresses the "rights" of noncitizens.

If you are not yet convinced of the efficacy of having a clue who is in our fair land and knowing what the hell he or she is up to, consider this:

Mexican consulate staff recently posed as U.S. immigration agents and interfered with a murder, drug, and smuggling probe. This act was called "a total violation of national sovereignty, and a huge security risk."

Choudhry G. Muhammad and Mohammad Rana (whereabouts unknown) operated a human smuggling ring successfully breaching our borders about 40 times, bringing in Pakistani nationals from Canada in trucks.

The Matricula Consular card, issued by Mexican consulates, is proliferating like the flu virus and is recognized by some screw-loose local and state governments. If you are a terrorist, felon, or illegal alien, don't leave home without it. Better yet--they're cheap--get several.

For the second time this year, armed Mexican Army units chased American Border Patrol agents after crossing into U.S. territory.

A Nigerian man accused in Australia of operating an international fraud syndicate had 31 California driver's licenses, 68 credit cards, and five passports--all bearing different names.

If national security is not enough to convince you that fingerprinting may be useful, consider the difficulty of perpetrating identity theft if credit cards were fingerprint-based.

Only two things are required to have a nation: borders and laws. Far, far too many illegals with both good and bad intentions are ignoring both our laws and our borders.

Those who thumb their noses at our sovereignty should soon find that only a fool violates our borders with impunity.

BOB SARGEANT is a defense expert who lives in Spotsylvania County.