from http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=304833&cid=20699181

The point is that we should not have to justify ourselves to anyone,
period. The police are not our masters, the government is not our
master. We are each, our own master; this is what Liberty means. By
requiring us to present any sort of papers or justification for us to be
somewhere where we are allowed to be (especially a public place), the
government and specifically the police are attempting to proclaim
superiority over us. This is absolutely wrong. I applaud Michael Righi
for taking a stand and saying, "no." It is sad that he has been dragged
through this ordeal. It is sad that, in order to defend his rights as a
human being, he was forced to pay out a considerable sum and that his
family was so put upon; but this is the price of freedom.
I find it sad that we have become so timid, in this country, that we are
willing to tolerate this type of activity by the police. While the
officer in question might have thought himself justified in making such
a demand, and then enforced his wrongheaded belief with the authority we
have granted him , he was wrong and should be called to account for it.
We have given the police special powers, because it is necessary for
them to do their job. I realize it is a very hard and thankless job; it
does not pay well, and is often looked upon with scorn. But, that is
something which must be accepted when a person chooses to become a
police officer. Along with that, there must come an added level of
responsibility to use the powers granted by the people, in an
appropriate fashion. Any abuse of those powers, no matter how slight,
must be punished. This is were we, as a society, are failing to uphold
our rights, and will lose them eventually; we not only allow abuses such
as these to go unpunished, we have people who encourage it. The AC who
posted the idiocy of, "Why not cooperate?" is complicit is the
destruction of our rights. He would give over his personal sovereignty
to the police because it is easier. Freedom and Liberty are not easy,
they are hard, but they are worth the constant struggle. He may think
that having the police rule his life will make him safer, but time and
again history has shown us that this is not the case. Governments given
absolute sovereignty over their citizens do not long remain benign, and
usually lead to tyranny and abuses far greater than the constant
annoyance of crime.

Liberty requires that each of us take responsibility for ourselves. This
includes accepting a certain level of risk from criminals who may abuse
their freedom. This means that you will be responsible for protecting
and caring for yourself. In then end, you must ask yourself whether it
is better to die on your feet or live on your knees.
Patrick Henry said it best:

I know not what course others make take, but as for me: give me Liberty,
or give me death.