In life, there are often (at minimum) two sets of rules — one that applies to average people, and one that applies to those on a more rarefied plane. Our legislators do it all the time, enacting laws that they have little intention of following or carving out exceptions in those that already exist.
The law enforcement community is one of the worst offenders of the double standard. Unwritten rules protect bad cops and a nearly universal “hands off” policy ensures everything from minor traffic violations to drunk driving will be neatly swept under the rug.
Mike Riggs at Reason points out a particularly egregious application of the double standard. In recent months, a pair of teens have been arrested and arraigned on terrorism charges stemming from some ill-advised postings. Cameron D’Ambrosio, whose charges were ultimately dropped, was held without bail for two months as prosecutors pursued “communicating terrorist threat” charges. Justin Carter, a teen who made some unfortunate remarks during the course of some perfectly normal video game smack-talking, was arrested on March 27th and is still in jail.
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