And if you refuse to show your ID, the whole thing will be caught on the cameras they have installed on the streets...

I'm scared.

I understand why the UK is doing this, but I don't like it. If we had "no go" neighborhoods for police, I would consider having this kind of measure in America.

I never fully understood the animus against a national ID. it would make life much more difficult for illegal aliens, and also a nice buffer against identity theft, not to mention cut down on voter fraud.

at this very moment in light of recent attacks in India and the fact that these savages are in what I guess you call "sleeping cells" everywhere--I would have no trouble with being asked for ID.

Maybe I am not thinking of the downsides -plus I feel I have nothing to hide -plus I'm extremely upset over the recent attacks seeking out Americans and Brits...so having to show an ID just wouldn't bother me in the slightest.

I'm totally down for IDs. If you're here legit, what's to lose?

The concern about national ID is, I believe, fueled at least in part by Christian fundamentalists who consider it a "mark of the beast" as in Revelation. The Bible says that in the end times, a universal "mark" will be required to conduct any business, selling or buying.

Personally, I just don't like the idea that anyone can track me.
I'm opposed to RFID chips, too, whether in products or in credit cards.
If I'm not doing anything wrong, the government should darn well leave me alone.

In this case, it smacks of a police state, as in Nazi Germany when they could stop anyone on the street and demand to see their papers. I don't think anyone would have a problem with someone being stopped for cause, it's the random and arbitrary part of this that concerns me (and presumably others). It shifts us ever-so-slightly away from being citizens, and toward being subjects.
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The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money. -- Alexis de Tocqueville

If you are law abiding,"they" can already track your movements, through your credit card purchases, and/or using your cell phone. All the new cell phones have GPS tracking. As a matter of fact the can and do use the cellphone to monitor conversations of suspects (through a court order). As long as you have the battery in your phone, and it is charged, it can be used as a walking hidden microphone. Of course criminals know all this, but some are just downright stupid.

Yes, it's a bit creepy.
All the more reason why I don't want to make it any easier for them!
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The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money. -- Alexis de Tocqueville

Still, I think a national ID is not a bad idea in this day and age.

I can certainly see the logic of it.
Stopping people on the street without cause, less so.
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The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money. -- Alexis de Tocqueville