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Anecdotal. Are you saying that nowhere in the US, for example, has any prison guard extorted any favors in exchange for same - e.g. sex for not reporting alleged infringement of the rules? ISTR a US border guard was exchanging letting drugs through for sex not so long ago.

Many, many moons ago, I was stationed in South Carolina. At the time, when you got pulled over, you could just pay your "fine" to the cop right on the spot, and be on your way. Usually, it was about ten or twenty bucks (1968 $) for speeding or an improper lane change or some such.

Cheers! Rich

Don't be silly. I never suggested that there is *no* corruption in the US, and it's absurd for you to accuse me of saying any such thing. You seem to have not read my words, just above, "not very often."

Where do you live? How often to you pay or accept bribes?

John

They used to, maybe still do that, in Florida. But you do get an official receipt. And it does go on your driving record. It's just Government providing convenient services!

John

Render unto Caesar, dude. Go live off roots and mushrooms in the woods and you won't have to pay taxes.

John

They do good work. I send them $5-10K a year. How much do you send them?

John

Chalk that up to Melinda straighteneng him up/out.

No, you don't. You can leave the USA any time you decide to.

Worse, it sounds like a euphoric induced dream.

It has been their job since Al Capone.

Actually the reverse more often, the US cleans up after the UN (that failed to do anything effective).

It is instructive to see the issues between the UN and the African Union.

Homer is in "Canaduh" (Michael Terrell's word... I like it :-)

...Jim Thompson

On the other hand, I was quite pleased once upon a time to have the opportunity to pay a Mexicali traffic cop $20 on the spot and be on my way rather than have to go through the local police and court system.

In your case we all assume it's stupidity.

I'm sure European countries have similar laws (either individually, or as EU laws), but I can't give any references (you can google as well as I can). However, the law is irrelevant here - unless you want to claim that every business in the USA operates entirely within the law. The number of high-level corporate corruption scandals that have hit the news the last few years shows very clearly that American companies (and European ones) often stretch "creative accountancy" into the realms of clear, premeditated crime. (The scandals, court cases, and convictions shows that at least some of the corruption is being dealt with, of course.)

I am not going to appologise for what my great great grandparent's generation did - and I don't expect you to either. You have to *learn* from history, not live in it.

When looking at the US relationship to the rest of the world, it is important to distinguish between different presidents (and their surrounding administration). Past presidents have had their good points and their bad points, and done good and bad throughout the world. Most have considered the USA to be above reproach, and to have the right to do as it wants, where it wants, and when it wants - but nonetheless seen the point in diplomacy and working with other countries and the UN. What is different about Bush is that he really does not care about anything or anybody outside the US borders (or even inside), except in how he case use them for his own benifit. He could not force the UN to accept his demands, so he forced in Bolton to disrupt and block the UN in every possible way.

The UN suffers badly from too much talk and too little action, as you say. It desperately needs a strong USA backing it up, and helping get decisions made and implemented - not a USA that insists on making the decisions for it.

Eh? Now there's certainly a novel twist on reading the news. Bolton did indeed FORCE the UN to actually take some actions they should be doing on their own.

We should dispose of the UN... it has survived well beyond its usefulness.

...Jim Thompson

It was useful?

John

"Jim Thompson" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

So has the Bush family.

Actually it NEVER was. Let's dig up Wilson, our first leftist weenie, and burn his remains ;-)

...Jim Thompson