And here we see employees of Congressman Kennedy's grandfather engaged in the process of discreetly importing "sleep medicine."
Posted on 05/04/2006 7:06:03 PM PDT by Jean S
Rep. Patrick Kennedy (news, bio, voting record) crashed his car near the Capitol early Thursday, and a police official said he appeared intoxicated. Kennedy said he had taken sleep medication and a prescription anti-nausea drug that can cause drowsiness.
Kennedy, D-R.I., addressed the issue after a spate of news reports. His initial statement said: "I consumed no alcohol prior to the incident."'
Later, however, he issued a longer statement saying the attending physician for Congress had prescribed Phenergan on Tuesday to treat Kennedy's gastroenteritis.
Kennedy said he returned to his Capitol Hill home on Wednesday evening after a final series of votes in Congress and took "prescribed" amounts of Phenergan and Ambien, another prescribed drug that he occasionally takes to fall asleep.
"Some time around 2:45 a.m., I drove the few blocks to the Capitol Complex believing I needed to vote," his second statement said. "Apparently, I was disoriented from the medication."
Kennedy appeared to be intoxicated when he crashed his Ford Mustand into a barrier on Capitol Hill early Thursday morning, said Louis P. Cannon, president of the Washington chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police.
Cannon, who was not there, said the officers involved in the accident were instructed by an official "above the rank of patrolman" to take Kennedy home.
No sobriety tests were conducted at the scene.
A letter written by a Capitol Police officer to Acting Chief Christopher McGaffin said Kennedy appeared to be staggering when he left the vehicle after the crash about 3 a.m. The letter was first reported by Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper.
Kennedy said he was late for a vote, officer Greg Baird said in the letter to McGaffin. Baird is acting chairman of the Capitol Hill chapter of the FOP police union. The last vote of the night had occurred almost six hours earlier.
Kennedy said he was driven home by Capitol police.
"At no time did I ask for any special consideration," he said. "I simply complied with what the officers asked me to do."
Kennedy, the son of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (news, bio, voting record), D-Mass., and his staff declined to discuss any further details of the accident. The congressman took part in House votes Thursday.
Capitol Police did not immediately return phone calls for comment. They issued a one-line statement saying they were investigating a traffic violation that occurred early in the morning at that location.
Baird wrote McGaffin that two sergeants who responded to the accident conferred with the watch commander and were ordered to leave the scene.
He said that after the officers left, Capitol Police officials gave Kennedy a ride home.
Kennedy spent time at a drug rehabilitation clinic before he went to Providence College. He has been open about mental health issues, including being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
___
Associated Press writer Laurie Kellman contributed to this report.
One has to wonder why citizens would elect a bi-polar, alcoholic, drug-abuser to be their congressional representative. Can you imagine he is trusted to consider policy that affects nearly 300 million residents of this country while he is wrestling with those demons? It just amazes me...
~ Blue Jays ~
"...Over and over everybody makes my predictions.
So if I get stoned, I'm just carrying on
an old family tradition."
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, apparently. Will this drunken stunad be able to cover up his crimes like uncle Teddy did, with the obvious help of donut munchers?
The author of this article stated "he occasionally takes."
Did the AP writer ask Kennedy how often he takes the medication?
The answer is no.
never an ounce of responsibility
And here we see employees of Congressman Kennedy's grandfather engaged in the process of discreetly importing "sleep medicine."
Nah.
It's true that Ambien may have some goofy side-effects (especially if ABUSED) however the fact that there was NO SOBRIETY TEST suggests to me that Uncle Edward may have called in a favor here.
The arresting officers need to answer some questions.
1. Who decided not to administer sobriety tests?
2. Who decided not to administer blood drug screening tests?
3. Were the officers over-ruled or coerced in ANY way to deviate from normal procedures?
4. Were there any threats or offers of favors given to the officers for their "cooperation"?
5. What are the various standard procedures that the arresting officers deviated from (either under order or on thier own volition?) List them.
6. What are other police officers of the same unit saying?
7. (And, a question for the FBI) Is the FBI going to investigate this as a potential police corruption/cover up crime?
.
Also this about Ambien (which is zolpidem)-
"As is the case with many prescription sedative/hypnotic drugs, zolpidem is sometimes used by stimulant users to "come down" after the use of stimulants such as methamphetamine, cocaine, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), or pharmaceutical amphetamines."
Not his uncle -- his father!!
No problem Fred... he's a Kennedy!
Oh, Ambien is prescribed for those wishing to fall asleep in their car?
No.
What a crock of crap from a Kennedy, but, what's new.
"...officers involved in the accident were instructed by an official "above the rank of patrolman" to take Kennedy home."
So, I guess he didn't hurt himself in the crash considering he was taken home and not to a doctor or hospital to get a neck brace...
Oh, it just gets worse... I'm sure he'll cooperate fully - after a couple days of letting things in his bloodstream calm down.
Politicians have always been low lifes but I long for the days when they had some class. Wilbur Mills as I remember may have been drunk but he had a driver and stripper. After Teddy went swimming in his Oldsmobile with Mary Jo, it seems like they give up the whoring part of the Kennedy legacy and are just sticking to the drugs and booze. God the Democratics are pathetic. Just when they were getting a little mileage out of the Rush affair this idiot decides to go work and put in a vote hours after the House was in recess. If I am Cynthia McKinney I play the race card, the Kennedy card and every card in the deck. After all a crazy belligerent African American woman should get the same treatment as the drunken son of the a drunken son of a truly evil patricarch of the Kennedy clan.
Well if it's puking we're talking about.. then that would be the middle name of this disgraceful (former,I hope)
AP author, Andrew Miga's middle name!
His scrawl invites the act of Puking.
He is /was ? the former political writer of the Boston Herald who sucks up to Democrats as if they were Electrolux's at a Gay Convention!
Re: Ambien abuse,
"Abuse of this drug (specifically the Ambien brand) is becoming more common in young people. Abusers claim that "fighting" the effects of the drug by forcing themselves to stay awake will cause vivid visuals and a body high (see side-effects below.) Some recreational users report decreased anxiety, and even mild to moderate euphoria.
Recreational zolpidem use is speculated to lead to tolerance and dependence much more quickly than prescribed use. Recreational use is rising, as demonstrated by the use of street names for the pill, such as: "A-" (because of its sedative and calming effects, "A+" is a street name for Adderall, named so because of its stimulant effects) and "Zombie Pills" (Because of the waking sleep effect many users experience)."
Rhode Island? And his sister represents Maryland? (Slightly off topic, sorry.) Who knew? I wouldn't have guessed. I thought these Kennedys grew up in a Virginia suburb of D.C.
In the Soviet bloc countries where they did hold elections, remember, with 90% voter participation and 100% approval of Party chosen candidates, those candidates, Party career apparatchiks, were typically and more or less arbitrarily assigned the districts they were supposed to represent. What's the difference here in paradise, I ask? (And this applies just as well to the current POTUS, whose brother is a guvnor in Florida, whose father was from Connecticut and represented Texas where he maintained an empty apartment in Houston. Are we dealing with broken families?) D.C. kid Al Goron is from Tennessee, you say? Oh, yeah.
At least, the Gipper spent most of his life in California, where he, as you recall, returned. Otherwise, it's a Magic Carpet Ride all the way!
Holy smokes! I stand corrected.
Cheers.
And he admits it. From my reading of the law, it is unlawful to operate a motor vehicle under the influence of ANY drug, whether OTC, prescription, legal, or illegal.
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