USA has the strongest "Rule of Law" spirit in the world. That is maybe why it is also the champion of democracy...

Episode 1:

I was having lunch a few months ago in Fort Lee, NJ when I saw a amazing happening outside the window. A young man stops his foreign-built SUV in front of Starbucks, get out of the car and into the store to get a coffee. The Starbucks store is inside a small mall with enough parking spots but the young man chose not to bother parking properly since it would just take a few minutes. Well, that was not his day of luck. A police car happened to pass by and inevitably the policeman got out and started to write a ticket in front of the car. The young man rushed out from the Starbucks and discussed with the law enforcement officer. That Starbucks store had an outside terrace full of table and people and they obviously had a lot of fun witnessing the enforcement of the law in front of their eyes.

I assumed the interaction between the police officer and the young man did not quite go well since the former made a call and 5 minutes later a towing car came by to tow the car!

So what are the lessons to be learned? First, don't break the law. Second, don't show to a police officer how not sorry you are of having broken the law....  


Episode 2:

During that same summer, I went to take the road test in one of the MVA  (Motor Vehicle Authority) of the state of Maryland. The appointment was made at 8:30 am and there was a notice stating that if the person taking the test is late more than 15 minutes, he or she will have to make another appointment, meaning that that person will have to come back in about two weeks...I was at the MVA at 7:30 with all the required document. After waiting in line, I presented all my documents and I realized I did not bring the car insurance. I excused myself and rushed back to my friend's car to get the insurance card only to find out that the card was expired. My friend forgot to put the new card in the car...I went back to explain the situation, that my friend could come with the new card within 20 minutes but already the 15-minutes dealy time had passed and the lady coldly suggested to make another appointment. In many other countries, I could probably have presented the documents later but not in the USA. It was nothing personal. Just following the rule.


Episode 3: I was driving in Miami. My friend was driving his car just ahead of me. We both drank a lot and I guess we both should not have taken the wheel to get home. Suddenly a police car started to follow my friend's car and naturally he pulled over. I also stopped my car a little bit behind  as a gesture of solidarity, I guess (although I should not have....The police officer could have discovered I was drunk also...). I could not leave my friend behind in that situation. After the usual sobriety tests, the policeman decided my friend was drunk enough to handcuff him and take him to jail to spend the night. Is was as simple as that. You break the law, you get handcuffed, and spend the night in jail.