[sanderjd]

I would argue that we don't know yet whether the system has worked or failed here. No amount of high idealism written on parchment paper can keep small people given power from using it corruptly. What matters is what happens then. If everyone were to shrug this off and say "well of course, that's just the way things go in America", then yep, I'm totally with you that this is really upsetting.

But I don't think that's what's happening here at all. I have seen this story all over the place in national news. And what I think is that the mere fact that any of us living nowhere near this little town are aware this happened means that the people responsible for it are in deep sh*t. I think they'll be made an example of. I think the state and federal justice systems will be racing each other to make an example of them.

And if I'm right about that, it's not an upsetting indictment of the system, it's an affirmation of its success.