I think you misunderstood my intention. I was only saying that if you've only found yourself with your "butt in the seat", and never done any work on the other side of the table, you're hardly in a position to make an objective and informed conclusion about any justice system as a whole. It most certainly was not an attack on you personally, so I question why you would get so defensive about it.

My opinion is also not based upon patriotism. As a matter of fact, I think you'll find me to be one of the first to question decisions made in the name of emotional responses to stimulus or some sort of unwavering loyalty to a cause. My opinion is based on nearly a decade of work within judicial systems around the world that strive on a daily basis to uphold the values I mentioned in the post prior to last - even if they don't always manage to do so.

Out of curiosity though....how exactly does being a math teacher set your objectivity above that of anybody else?

I'm rather curious to hear how one's chosen profession makes them better or worse than someone at something that is essentially a trait that someone either has or does not have. I, for example, am a business analyst with a specialization in Common Law judicial systems, and a quasi-programmer - but that doesn't make me think for a second that I'm more capable than anyone else at making objective decisions...at least not based on that