The Hassle of Your Life
Imagine someone came to your house. You have a nice little sign by the front door, politely asking people to remove their shoes when inside your house. Your visitor ignores the sign and starts tromping around on your new carpet. When you protest, they say, “Oh, it’s OK. I wear shoes inside my house.”
You’d have every right to be upset by that; after all, just because they have different rules at their house doesn’t mean they can impose their rules or standards on your house, where you have your rules.
I was reminded of that yesterday when a female pro basketball player was sentenced to nine years in prison for having illegal drugs in Russia. Some may say she was being targeted and was only prosecuted because she had some level of fame; just as likely that the only reason we’re hearing about it, or that the administration is trying to trade an arms dealer for her release, is because of that fame.
Near as I can tell, she had a cannabis vape cartridge in the country, after a doctor prescribed it. Fine enough…except it’s still illegal there. No note from a U.S. doctor is going to lead the Russians to say, “Oh, so long as you had a note from someone in another country…we’ll just ignore our laws, then.”
Sorry if I’m not as empathetic as I should be…but where do entitled Americans get off thinking they don’t have to follow the laws of a nation they’re visiting?
I was scared to death as a kid when a late night public service announcement would come on television, showing the deplorable conditions of a foreign prison and the cell door slamming shut on an American. The tag line, voiced by actor Hal Holbrook, was, “when you’re busted for drugs over there…you’re in for the hassle of your life.”
True in 1973, when the public service announcement cautioned to check the laws of the places you are visiting. Still true today.
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