4 ms·

Interesting. I was reading it as an actual (and modest) proposal and, living in Europe, wasn't able to understand what's the deal. Carry you ID on you? Oh, sure

by thingie 16y ago

Interesting. I was reading it as an actual (and modest) proposal and, living in Europe, wasn't able to understand what's the deal. Carry you ID on you? Oh, sure, I've been doing that since I was 15 and never had a problem with it. Quite a strange issue (for me), really. I like these articles pointing out interesting differences that would otherwise never occur to me. Like there might be a country where such proposal actually parodies something. :-)

tptacek 16y ago
You can't be arrested in the US simply for not carrying ID. Unless you're brown-skinned and live in Arizona (hence the uproar). You can be arrested for refusing to identify yourself to a police officer, and you can certainly be arrested for driving without ID, but you aren't required to carry papers simply to walk down the street. We like it that way.
- skorgu 16y ago
  To clarify, you can't be convicted in the US for simply not carrying ID. You can still be effectively arrested and detained for a while with little or no recourse in many places.
  - cscott 16y ago
    No doubt. Those who do not follow police officer instructions to produce identification, even in states without "stop and identify" statutes, will find themselves risking an obstruction charge. It may be dropped at the state/city attorney's discretion later, but it will create a very unpleasant period of time. Case in point: http://www.seattlepi.com/local/418746_video.html http://www.seattlepi.com/local/418746_video.html
  - tptacek 16y ago
    You can be detained for virtually any reason, but an arrest is more serious, and requires cause. You "can be" arrested, or beaten, or held incommunicado without an attorney; like being arrested simply for not carrying identification, those things are unlawful. You do have to identify yourself; presumably, if you're carrying ID and refuse to show it simply to be a dick, you're inviting trouble. But you'd have grounds for a complaint if you were detained and then arrested because you genuinely didn't have an ID card.
- cscott 16y ago
  Unless the state has a "stop and identify" statute on the books, you cannot be arrested for refusing to identify yourself. 24 states have such a statute. My new home state, California, has none.
  - ultrasaurus 16y ago
    I was a Canadian living in Seattle for a while, and I was asked to produce ID by a cop in my apartment complex. I politely asked if I was required to, he said no and asked politely again but that was the end of it. I find if you clearly & politely ask what you are legally required to do, most cops will honestly tell you.

by thingie 16y ago

tptacek 16y ago

You can't be arrested in the US simply for not carrying ID. Unless you're brown-skinned and live in Arizona (hence the uproar). You can be arrested for refusing to identify yourself to a police officer, and you can certainly be arrested for driving without ID, but you aren't required to carry papers simply to walk down the street. We like it that way.

skorgu 16y ago
To clarify, you can't be convicted in the US for simply not carrying ID. You can still be effectively arrested and detained for a while with little or no recourse in many places.
- cscott 16y ago
  No doubt. Those who do not follow police officer instructions to produce identification, even in states without "stop and identify" statutes, will find themselves risking an obstruction charge. It may be dropped at the state/city attorney's discretion later, but it will create a very unpleasant period of time. Case in point: http://www.seattlepi.com/local/418746_video.html http://www.seattlepi.com/local/418746_video.html
- tptacek 16y ago
  You can be detained for virtually any reason, but an arrest is more serious, and requires cause. You "can be" arrested, or beaten, or held incommunicado without an attorney; like being arrested simply for not carrying identification, those things are unlawful. You do have to identify yourself; presumably, if you're carrying ID and refuse to show it simply to be a dick, you're inviting trouble. But you'd have grounds for a complaint if you were detained and then arrested because you genuinely didn't have an ID card.
cscott 16y ago
Unless the state has a "stop and identify" statute on the books, you cannot be arrested for refusing to identify yourself. 24 states have such a statute. My new home state, California, has none.
- ultrasaurus 16y ago
  I was a Canadian living in Seattle for a while, and I was asked to produce ID by a cop in my apartment complex. I politely asked if I was required to, he said no and asked politely again but that was the end of it. I find if you clearly & politely ask what you are legally required to do, most cops will honestly tell you.