Posted on 03/23/2006 8:18:08 AM PST by takenoprisoner
More than 2,200 people have been arrested in Texas bars in the six months since the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission announced a crackdown on public intoxication, primarily targeting bars.
The arrests included people who were drunk in bars, who sold alcohol to a drunk person, or a drunk employee on the premises of a bar or restaurant with a license to sell alcohol, said Carolyn Beck, a spokeswoman for the TABC.
The commission has been responsible for enforcing the state's alcoholic beverage code for the past 70 years. In August, 2005, the agency announced it was beginning a crackdown on public intoxication, using both undercover and open operations.
The agency has used undercover agents before, Beck said. In a recent operation, agents infiltrated 36 bars in a Dallas suburb and arrested 30 people for public intoxication.
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
Hey, one more thing since Old Professor pulled me back here. Most drunk drivers don't end up in jail. They pay fines and manipulate their way out of it for at least the first two offenses. So I hardly think this would be an issue of jail time. Smack 'em with a fine just like you would a speeder. You don't think it's oppressive of gov't to put a limit on highway speed do you?
Hotel bars can forbid people under 21 from being in the area. If this was the case, then it is a private place.
Personally, I believe we should outlaw smoking.
If families can sue tobacco companies because their loved ones died while using tobacco products - and WIN - then why is it still a legal product?
Then explain to me why you think that the government of this small community in Texas should do this sort of thing undercover while still announcing sobriety checkpoints prior to setting them up on the highway?
The constitutionality of checkpoints was tested and found reasonable within the determined limits.
Aren't you a sweetheart.
When did this become about drunk drivers? You advocate the arrest of people for merely being drunk in a bar.
A local police officer was driving past a local bar at around closing time so he decided to park on the side of the road across the street from the establishment and observe for a while.
He saw a group of people exit the bar and head for their vehicles.
He noticed one man in particular who was walking with a distinct weave in his step.
While other people got into their cars and drove off, the officer focused on this one, obviously inebriated man while he tried to negotiate the task of finding his car, find his keys and try to unlock the driver side door.
This obviously inebriated man found his car, found the keys in his pocket, dropped them 3 times before finding the keyhole and unlocking the door.
He then proceeded to start the car, place the car in reverse, backed up 10 feet, then placed the car in drive and moved it forward 10 feet.
After 3 attempts to position the car for exit from the parking lot, he was able to guide the vehicle onto the street and proceeded up the road, perfectly straight and within the speed limit.
This was all observed by the police officer so he pulled onto the road, followed the vehicle and turned on his blue lights to signal the car to pull over.
The obviously drunken man pulled his car over to the side of the road and the officer approached the vehicle.
When he got to the driver's window he asked the driver for his license and resgitration.
The driver complied promplty at which point the officer asked, "Have you consumed any alcoholic beverages tonight sir?"
The driver replied, "No sir. Not a drop. You see, I'm the designated decoy for tonight."
All you pussies disgust me. Just wait in 50 years when you public safety fascists finally hit the last straw and crazy libertarians purge you all out of society. It'll be real safe when a death squad wipes you out for controlling our lives. </Crazy Right Wing Conspiracy Rant>
Bubba must need a new set of 'jack-boots'.
Think 'capital extraction'.
Well, here in Texas do not get caught drinking a beer in your front yard before noon on sunday, that will cost you a trip to jail.
"...they can throw up, pass out, pee their pants, and otherwise not be in control of themselves which can be a big problem for communities"
I've seen those. Had this Marine come back from the e club one night sorta like your above. I got him to his bunk and figured all was well. Next thing I knew I heard screaming and yelling like all hell broke loose. He had opened the door to the NCO's room and began peeing all over them. He thought he was in the head. Woke up the entire barracks. We all grabbed him before he got the yonkers knocked outta him and got him to his bunk for good that time. Next day he had major cleanup detail and some still po'd NCOs thinking of ways to get back at him.
Actually as we move closer and closer to thought crimes I'm guessing that it's going to be "I thought about having a drink/committing adultery/eating fried food" crimes.
Sadly most people wouldn't know freedom if it bit them on the butt and if something hits their ewwww button they want goobermint to take another rough edge off of life.
This demonstrates the problem with allowing the neo-Calvinists to assume policy or decision-making positions in the body politic.
These people are at risk of making the Taliban look mainstream.
They are trying to make a world in which relatively few people would care to live.
Or swinging fists at somebody else drunk.
How do you know they were going to drive? And how could the cops? Ever hear of 'designated driver'? That's what's horribly wrong with this.
Somehow I feel more than one public official will pay for this when the backlash comes.
"Free to drink alcohol, but only if you don't become drunk." That isn't exactly freedom.
Says who?
Do you have any reason to believe the 2200 victims in this case fit your hysterical description?
"What is ominous is the ease with which some people go from saying that they don't like something to saying that the government should forbid it. When you go down that road, don't expect freedom to survive very long."-- Thomas Sowell
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