It's really difficult to both fiercely protect your 4th and 5th amendment rights while simultaneously giving SOME authorities the deference they seem to crave and require as they interpret their role in law enforcement.
I PERSONALLY would be more willing to oblige authorities willingly and eagerly if it were illegal for them to lie to me. Since its's not, I see a lot of value in taking the responsibility to protect and exercise the rights afforded to me by the United States Constitution.
But the thing is, there's 'fiercely protecting your rights' and there's 'being a bit of a dick'. Someone might say this officer craved authority, but others might say she understandably expected some level of respect, as a police officer. In this case, I tend to think this biker was closer to being a dick.
Somewhat relatedly:
I'm originally from the UK, where we don't have a written constitution, and it's much vaguer - most people generally believe the government (no matter which party is in power) is going to follow certain norms. And for the most part they do. So the level of trust in government and the police etc. is much higher than it is here. If anyone here has lived for a period in another country, they may know that it's weird to live somewhere like the US where for lots of folks there is a "Don't trust the Government" feeling that pervades everything.
Since I've lived here (29 years), I've seen how much more aggressive people are about protecting their rights. But along with the written rights afforded under the Constitution, there are also unwritten 'responsibilities' that we have as good citizens - to be fair to others, for example. Too many folks focus on the rights and not the responsibilities. Not looking specifically at you,
@Mike95060...
And as I noted before, if you're not a white male, you may understandably have less trust in the police.
Anyway, apologies for the off-topic post.
