From: "Strong, Lee" <StrongL at MTMC.ARMY.MIL>
To: "WSFAList (E-mail)" <WSFAList at keithlynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Your Papers, Please
Date: Wed, 5 Nov 2003 12:52:38 -0500
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>

	Keith Lynch objects to being required to show ID for many purposes
and suggests that only the second person claiming to be Person X be required
to show ID.  In the best case, this merely transfers the burden of showing
ID from the first person to the second person.  If you are always the first
person, you might gain from such a rule, but the community of persons does
not gain.  At the typical con, this rule would certainly benefit "morning
people" at the expense of "evening people."  Moreover, the proposed rule
imposes a requirement on the register to realize that Person "2" is claiming
a duplicate identity and challenge "2" instead of all, so the proposed rule
increases the burden on the community.  Further, the proposed rule does not
actually bar undesirable persons (e.g. freeriders at cons, potential
terrorists at airports) from the function in question.  Unscrupulous people
would quickly learn to be the first in line at the expense of legitimate
attendees.
	Given the nature of the world today, I believe that the process of
offering identification will be with us for some time to come.