Read the article. He is willing to show identification, he just wants to see the law requiring it first. There is something wrong with having to obey secret laws, that is why the US Constitution calls for Public Trials.
Yes let's write another law...will he pay for the costs of writing this new law?..he's an idiot! He can get a passport, but chooses not to. Did I say he was an idiot? He's an idiot!
The applicable laws, by the way, are 49 U.S.C. § 44901 (as amended in 2004); and 49 U.S.C. § 44902 (as amended in 2004).
Here's the 1/22/02 version, which says much the same thing:
Section 44901. Screening passengers and property
(a) In General. - The Under Secretary of Transportation for
Security shall provide for the screening of all passengers and
property, including United States mail, cargo, carry-on and checked
baggage, and other articles, that will be carried aboard a
passenger aircraft operated by an air carrier or foreign air
carrier in air transportation or intrastate air transportation. In
the case of flights and flight segments originating in the United
States, the screening shall take place before boarding and shall be
carried out by a Federal Government employee (as defined in section
2105 of title 5, United States Code), except as otherwise provided
in section 44919 or 44920 and except for identifying passengers and
baggage for screening under the CAPPS and known shipper programs
and conducting positive bag-match programs.
(b) Supervision of Screening. - All screening of passengers and
property at airports in the United States where screening is
required under this section shall be supervised by uniformed
Federal personnel of the Transportation Security Administration who
shall have the power to order the dismissal of any individual
performing such screening. [snip]
Section 44902. Refusal to transport passengers and property
(a) Mandatory Refusal. - The Under Secretary of Transportation
for Security shall prescribe regulations requiring an air carrier,
intrastate air carrier, or foreign air carrier to refuse to
transport -
(1) a passenger who does not consent to a search under section
44901(a) of this title establishing whether the passenger is
carrying unlawfully a dangerous weapon, explosive, or other
destructive substance; or
(2) property of a passenger who does not consent to a search of
the property establishing whether the property unlawfully
contains a dangerous weapon, explosive, or other destructive
substance.
(b) Permissive Refusal. - Subject to regulations of the Under
Secretary, an air carrier, intrastate air carrier, or foreign air
carrier may refuse to transport a passenger or property the carrier
decides is, or might be, inimical to safety.
(c) Agreeing to Consent to Search. - An agreement to carry
passengers or property in air transportation or intrastate air
transportation by an air carrier, intrastate air carrier, or
foreign air carrier is deemed to include an agreement that the
passenger or property will not be carried if consent to search the
passenger or property for a purpose referred to in this section is
not given.
So, basically, there's two ways that they can legally refuse you - first, by not presenting ID, you are not consenting to search and therefore cannot board; second, by not presenting ID, you cause the airline to think that you might be inimical to safety, which allows them to deny you boarding.
So you believe you have a right to over ride the airline's personal property rights? It's their planes and they have a right to say who does and who does not fly in them.