...but most of us don't think of them that way: driver's licenses. We must present two forms of official ID to get them, there's a physical description, an address, an identifying number, and a (usually) dreadful headshot. In PA we have the option of an official Dept. of Transportation ID card for those who don't drive.

Hi, Raoul. :)

Police are authorized to ask for the license when stopping a driver, but a routine "show me your ID" is not needed, and I think would be resisted, for a passenger or a pedestrian minding his or her own business. Many businesses and other service organizations (my library is one) require one to show a form of ID to conduct a transaction, or become a member of the organization. The driver's license is the first choice for many people, and the one we prefer.

Most people carry ID, though children don't, except things like swimming pool cards or school ID cards for library and computer lab use.

I think the sticking point is the idea that one must prove one's self innocent by allowing the police to demand ID. If we're not guilty, whose business is it where we go and whom we're with? I understand that the presumption of guilt is the norm in nations with legal traditions derived from the Code Napoleon. Is Belgium one of that group of nations? America has a long tradition, informed by British legal tradition, of being innocent until proven guilty. That's the grounding of our Fourth Amendment, prohibiting unreasonable search and seizure.

I hope you're well. Sorry I mouthed off at you a couple days ago. Feelings have been running pretty high.

Regards--
Mary Anne