Disgustingly Under The Influence

When I began to post blogs my goal was to cover a wide variety of topics. That having been said I find myself returning to a topic I already touched upon recently, folks making the choice to getting hammered and then climbing behind the wheel of a vehicle and driving.

Sheriff’s officials in Manatee County Florida are calling this a record. I call it a tragedy. We again must ask ourselves about an obvious lack of justice and a gross oversight by our judges and ask if the current penalities on our books regarding DUI are stiff enough.

A 41 year old woman was arrested last Saturday for driving under the influence for the 10th time. Ten times, in 10 years. Keep in mind, for every arrest of some person who gets caught they are only denting that person’s drinking and driving pattern. Nobody gets caught the first or only time they drink and drive.

The arrest came at 2:20am after this woman left a bar with someone. That person stated she was too drunk to drive so our Connoisseur of Cocktails volunteered to do the deed. Following her arrest she was able to post the $13,000 bond and was released….

Prior to her arrest Saturday, our Margarita Mama was arrested for DUI in Kentucky in 1988, in Tennessee in 1988 and 1993, in Georgia in 1999 and 2001 and in Florida in 2000, 2001, 2004 and 2005 according to records provided the Manatee Sheriff’s Department.

Along the way our Guinness Girl has been arrested multiple times on a charge of driving with a suspended or revoked license, a charge she was also arrested for this past Saturday.

A local lawyer has been quoted as saying anything beyond three prior convictions can lead to a prison term…so, what is wrong with our legal system? What part of the law don’t our judges get?

As I understand it, our Grey Goose Gal is an accountant so she can count. But, can she think? Does she have children or other family members that could be killed by someone like herself?

I can find no humor to inject into this piece. I have previously suggested contacting our State representatives to strengthen the laws. There is a wonderful organization devoted to stopping these types of abuses, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), of which I am a proud member. You can be a father or a non-parent and still donate funds to this organization. I don’t make many endorsements but I am making an exception today. Prior to joining several years ago I checked into where my donations went, what MADD did with my money and the money of other contributors. They do good things in terms of going after bad judges, trying to put more teeth into DUI laws and educating students in high schools, particularly around the times of the year when there are homecomings and proms, etc.

I am mad. I am asking you to join with me and get MADD. We have to stop these types of abuses, somehow.