One American now getting global ridicule

Janis Powers blogged at the Huffington Post:

Less than a week after July 4, a day when Americans celebrate our freedom and liberty, Sandra Bland was pulled over for a traffic violation. The lawful traffic stop that escalated into an arrest and culminated in Ms. Bland’s untimely death in a jail cell on July 13 has everyone talking about civil rights in America.

As we debate the boundaries of law enforcement’s authority, I am reminded of my own recent run-in with a traffic cop. While I currently live in the state if Texas, where Ms. Bland was pulled over, my incident occurred on the other side of the world in a place widely considered friendly and accommodating: New Zealand. As a visitor in any foreign country, I never expect my rights as an American to supersede those of the nation where I am traveling. But things just didn’t seem right when I was given a mandatory road-side breathalyzer test, just because I was speeding.

Yeah being killed in custody is so comparable to having to do a breath test because you were speeding.

It was dusk, and we were only two kilometers from our hotel. I just wanted the officer to give me my traffic citation so I could head to the hotel and enjoy a glass of New Zealand sauvignon blanc. How ironic.

Your sav was delayed by two minutes. How terrible.

New Zealand law enforcement may have collected my DNA through a breathalyzer test, but they failed to collect my money for the traffic citation before I left the country. Since I can’t find the ticket here at home, am I the one who’s bending the rules?

And boasting she didn’t pay her ticket.

Her post has been picked up by most NZ media. No surpise feedback at both Huff Post and on her facebook post is very negative.

 

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