>On the one hand: the Sheriff of Kenosha refused to deputize these people
I’m not sure I understand why this is even mentioned - it seems like you’re giving him credit for it, but why on God’s green Earth would he have done that? That would’ve been crazy, right?
>With that being said: I've been to countries with explicit bribery. The American way is better. Period.
I’ve been to (and lived in) countries where there’s pretty much neither - surely that’s where the bar should be?
> I’ve been to (and lived in) countries where there’s pretty much neither - surely that’s where the bar should be?
Well, if the question is "Is this better than bribery", I can say without a doubt that its better than bribery. When EVERY traffic ticket is really a request from the local officer to shake you down for money (you may have not been speeding. Doesn't matter, the local cop wants his breakfast or whatever and knows that bribes are widespread. They stop you for a ticket, which is really a request for a bribe). There's simply no comparison.
> surely that’s where the bar should be?
Well yeah. But the people I was responding to was comparing the behavior to bribery. And bribery is what I have experience with.
You really, really don't want to live with a bribery culture. In this case, you're declaring friendship with the cops (through the use of an FOP sticker or PBA card, or whatever the local police union is). And that's where you get exceptional behavior.
Yeah, the USA has civil asset forfeiture, but given the red tape behind that, its still a step up from bribery.
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> I’m not sure I understand why this is even mentioned - it seems like you’re giving him credit for it, but why on God’s green Earth would he have done that? That would’ve been crazy, right?
Its not crazy in America. These things come down to the local sheriff's decision. I think people underestimate the power of the Sheriff in many cases.
I bring it up because Sheriff of Kenosha seems like a reasonable person, compared to other Sheriffs across the country. On the one hand, the Sheriff of Kenosha is responsible for the actions of his own officers (and in this case: responsible for the failure of his officers to arrest Rittenhouse for violating curfew).
On the other hand, the Sheriff of Kenosha cannot fight the "greater police culture" that's across America. The expectation for pro-police people to be treated with leniency is endemic in virtually every place I've been to in America (again: FOP decals or PBA cards): along with "Police Bill of Rights" (special protections to officers that normal people don't get), and so forth.
I’m not sure I understand why this is even mentioned - it seems like you’re giving him credit for it, but why on God’s green Earth would he have done that? That would’ve been crazy, right?
>With that being said: I've been to countries with explicit bribery. The American way is better. Period.
I’ve been to (and lived in) countries where there’s pretty much neither - surely that’s where the bar should be?