Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Bar Sweep Sparks Controversy (Drunk People Arrested in Bars!!)
NBC5i.com ^ | March 23, 2006

Posted on 03/22/2006 10:40:15 AM PST by Daytyn71

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission sent a message to bar patrons last week.

TABC agents and Irving police swept through 36 Irving bars and arrested about 30 people on charges of public intoxication. Agency representatives say the move came as a proactive measure to curtail drunken driving.

North Texans interviewed by NBC 5, however, worried that the sweep went too far.

At one location, for example, agents and police arrested patrons of a hotel bar. Some of the suspects said they were registered at the hotel and had no intention of driving. Arresting authorities said the patrons were a danger to themselves and others.

"Going to a bar is not an opportunity to go get drunk," TABC Capt. David Alexander said. "It's to have a good time but not to get drunk."

Dallas comedian Steve Harvey agreed with the Texas residents who said the arrests infringed on individual rights.

"If a guy's got a designated driver, go ahead and let him get toasted," Harvey told NBC 5.

Texas law states that inebriated individuals could be subjected to arrest anywhere for public intoxication. Harvey and other North Texans called the measure extreme.

"That seems to be an extreme case," one man said. "You are self-contained, in the hotel, you're not going in the streets, it seems a little ridiculous."

TABC officials said the sweep concerned saving lives, not individual rights. Harvey and others interviewed by NBC 5 said they believe drunken driving to be unacceptable, although Harvey wanted to confirm that the United States remains a free country.

"Freedom of drinking should always be allowed, and it is only American to let a guy get drunk where he wants to get drunk," Harvey said.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: bars; beer; brownshirts; dallas; donutwatch; drunkdriving; fourthamendment; houston; leoabuse; liqour; policestate; revenueenhancement; sanantonio; spelling; texas; theman
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 141-160161-180181-200 ... 221-239 next last
To: Gabz

Bigs deserves a pat on the back for conversation stimulation....but that's all....


161 posted on 03/22/2006 1:11:37 PM PST by cbkaty (I may not always post...but I am always here......)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 160 | View Replies]

To: Petronski
"...a plastic sleeve that would slip over a beer can..."

We used to have a whole bunch of them. Some were Pepsi... actually they said "Popsi" and some were Mountoin Dew. We would individually wrap a case of beer and throw them all in a cooler to take into concerts or to the beach.

162 posted on 03/22/2006 1:12:07 PM PST by Hatteras
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 146 | View Replies]

To: cherry
My opinion is bigs needs zot. We zot all types of people with different and dangerous beliefs. He is attacking my right to get drunk on my boat while at anchor. I have no sympathy for that.


163 posted on 03/22/2006 1:13:41 PM PST by CJ Wolf
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 142 | View Replies]

To: Bigs from Michigan
What you do in your own home booze wise is up to you if you are an adult.

Now, hold on one second! What about people who have children in their home? Their children might see them drunk, which is certainly a bad example, and at any moment that child might slip and fall or something and need a ride to the ER.

Nope, no drinking at home either!

164 posted on 03/22/2006 1:14:26 PM PST by Dianna
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: Gabz

There are bars in Texas that the police would never visit....unless they were searching for a murderer and had SWAT backup.... Busting a well-dressed businessman in the local Holiday Inn takes "guts"..... Wonder when these cowboys will come in blasting away with tasers?/sarcasm...


165 posted on 03/22/2006 1:14:50 PM PST by cbkaty (I may not always post...but I am always here......)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 160 | View Replies]

To: Bigs from Michigan
You have no right what so ever to be plastered/drunk in public. Not in a moving car, behind the wheel, walking in the park, or down the street on your anchored boat, sitting on a bench, or any other location; period.

I lived on a boat for a few months, so the boat was my home.

166 posted on 03/22/2006 1:17:23 PM PST by george wythe
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: cbkaty

I don't doubt that. I've never been to Texas, but my husband used to live there and I have heard some stories about those type places!!!!


167 posted on 03/22/2006 1:18:42 PM PST by Gabz (Smokers are the beta version)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 165 | View Replies]

To: Bikers4Bush
Isn't Texas the state where until recently (hell may still be) you could ride around in a car with an open container as long as you weren't the driver?

Yep. That changed in 2001.
Before that, an open container was hunky-dory as long as the driver wasn't observed by the officer to be drinking from it. But then, not too many years ago, say around 1990, there wasn't any such thing as 'open container' in Texas ...

168 posted on 03/22/2006 1:19:31 PM PST by dread78645 (Sorry Mr. Franklin, We couldn't keep it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 76 | View Replies]

To: Bigs from Michigan
Wrong again!!!

You have no right what so ever to be plastered/drunk in public. Not in a moving car, behind the wheel, walking in the park, or down the street on your anchored boat, sitting on a bench, or any other location; period.

What you do in your own home booze wise is up to you if you are an adult.

In truth, your attitude is one of the reasons that there are 10s of thousands of people killed by boozed up drivers in this country every year.

Spoken like someone who, as a teenager, got her drunk and still didn't get any.

169 posted on 03/22/2006 1:20:09 PM PST by Ghengis (Alexander was a wuss!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: Gabz
I don't doubt that. I've never been to Texas, but my husband used to live there and I have heard some stories about those type places!!!!

I am a native Texan... When a police department starts crap like this, it is usually because the chief was hired from another country errrr state....

170 posted on 03/22/2006 1:20:31 PM PST by cbkaty (I may not always post...but I am always here......)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 167 | View Replies]

To: Flavius Josephus
NAw, Kinky Friedman got spotted drinking a Guiness while riding in a car in a parade on St. Patrick's day, and they tried to make some hay out of his being a scofflaw for breaking the Open Container law. His comment? Lighten up, it's St. Patrick's day.

I'm getting to like Kinky even more ...

171 posted on 03/22/2006 1:21:50 PM PST by dread78645 (Sorry Mr. Franklin, We couldn't keep it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 99 | View Replies]

To: Daytyn71


Texas...? You'd think they would be busy rounding up all those who are breaking the law by being here illegally!


172 posted on 03/22/2006 1:23:34 PM PST by SouthernFreebird
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: D.P.Roberts

Time for the local citizens to call the police dept. and report any drunken police in the bars where they hangout.


173 posted on 03/22/2006 1:25:01 PM PST by rock58seg (Republicans on ports,As funny as Democrats pretending to know about Natl Security and quail hunting.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: cbkaty

Didn't a former NYC Police Chief relocate there sometime back and take over one of your PDs and a huge fuster cluck ensue? (I come from 3 generations of NYPD and so have no qualms about finding fault with them when they deserve it)


174 posted on 03/22/2006 1:25:08 PM PST by Gabz (Smokers are the beta version)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 170 | View Replies]

To: Flavius Josephus
NAw, Kinky Friedman got spotted drinking a Guiness while riding in a car in a parade on St. Patrick's day, and they tried to make some hay out of his being a scofflaw for breaking the Open Container law. His comment? Lighten up, it's St. Patrick's day.

Kinky was right.

175 posted on 03/22/2006 1:28:53 PM PST by Ghengis (Alexander was a wuss!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 99 | View Replies]

To: dread78645
Not so many years ago, there was no such thing as a container in over half the counties of Texas, And in the other half you couldn't buy a "mixed" drink either.
176 posted on 03/22/2006 1:33:23 PM PST by rock58seg (Republicans on ports,As funny as Democrats pretending to know about Natl Security and quail hunting.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 168 | View Replies]

To: dread78645
Not so many years ago, there was no such thing as a container in over half the counties of Texas, And in the other half you couldn't buy a "mixed" drink either.
177 posted on 03/22/2006 1:33:28 PM PST by rock58seg (Republicans on ports,As funny as Democrats pretending to know about Natl Security and quail hunting.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 168 | View Replies]

To: Gabz
Didn't a former NYC Police Chief relocate there sometime back and take over one of your PDs and a huge fuster cluck ensue? (I come from 3 generations of NYPD and so have no qualms about finding fault with them when they deserve it)

Yes, Lee. P. Brown. (the periods were utilized by his "professional" staff in marketing mail-outs to enhance his reelection prospects...most of his supporters never noticed...)

His handle was, "Out-ta-Town Leroy Brown" He visited Africa, on the public dole, as a Houston area economic effort.....BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA

178 posted on 03/22/2006 1:37:39 PM PST by cbkaty (I may not always post...but I am always here......)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 174 | View Replies]

To: toomanygrasshoppers

It could be that they did so reluctantly. But they should have flat out refused to assist them, or forced TABC to get an order from a state judge.

As it went down the citizens had rights trampled on, if you assist in trampling rights, you are no different than the German troops who were just following orders. They are no more than instruments of tyranny.


179 posted on 03/22/2006 1:42:52 PM PST by American_Centurion (No, I don't trust the government to automatically do the right thing.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 156 | View Replies]

To: cbkaty

LOL!!!!!

I thought it was Houston, but wasn't 100% sure and since my husband isn't home, I couldn't ask him to refresh my memory.


180 posted on 03/22/2006 1:44:03 PM PST by Gabz (Smokers are the beta version)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 178 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 141-160161-180181-200 ... 221-239 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson