(Untitled)

[celestialcat]

Dearest Texans,
Be careful how inebriated you are... anywhere. They are watching you -
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11965237/from/ET/

Some guy got arrested in Irving at a hotel bar. He was staying in a ROOM there, not intended on driving. They booked him and took him in (

Comments

[schwarzbrille]

Honestly, I find the entire concept abhorrent. Now, we in Lubbock have known about this for quite some time - word broke out last semester that cops were going undercover in bars and arresting people just outside for being drunk, even if they didn't get into a car. As such, we've taken precautions to keep an eye on each other, quieting ourselves when we get too loud or boisterous. Though this isn't a tremendous burden, I think the fact that we can't even go out and have a few drinks without being afraid is a shame. I do feel as though my rights are being impinged upon, and to me it's a terrifying thought that by going out and having a few drinks - even if I'm safe about it - I risk being arrested and forever having my options for work and residence limited.

To take the libertarian standpoint - it's my body, and as long as I'm NOT on my way to hurt someone (by driving, etc.) it's not anyone's right but my own to dictate what does and doesn't go into my body.

[celestialcat]

Very very well said. No one ever feels sorry for an inebriated person because anything they do reflects on their innate personality. I know someone who's gotten a DWI and learned about all these laws passed monthly that no one reads over... mainly from MADD lobbyists.
This is starting towards prohibition again. I know that I, personally, get a little nutty when I have hardly anything to drink. If they are claiming drunken actions are illegal (besides DRIVING which is a totally different arena), then god help us all who overlook this.

I say we should start the Undercover Drunks committee. We will all go to bars and drink, say, Cranberry juice only. Then we'll act extremely drunk and falling around and if I cop tries to give us a ticket we can make a fool out of them. For real, I think it should happen. If only I had some power to start it up.

[sickofchicken]

That's sick. A bsr is a place to drink, and as long as you're not posing a threat to others or planning to get behind a wheel it should be okay. It should be up to the bartenders to kick drunk people out of the bar, not TABC's job to arrest patrons who are enjoying a night out on the town.

[celestialcat]

Apparently no one can enjoy themselves unless they're in the privacy of their own homes... and I'm sure MADD and the TABC will attack that when they lose all their power after people stop going to bar. ::knock knock:: "I heard someone laugh... I suspect that there is alcohol on these premises. We have to search."

[shesbeenelected]

My luck, I'm finally coming home and now it's illegal to enjoy one of the last free legal drugs.

I don't know how people are FREAKING THE FUCK out about this. It's arcane.

[celestialcat]

Well, if you're moving to Austin you can feel a bit more relieved. Living there then moving to Dallas there is a HUGE difference with tolerance from the police. Sometimes I'd go to shows at EMOs and fear my life at the craziness of the drunks there - showering me in beer and trying to crowd surf on girls. I come to Dallas and every single day it's something in the news about Dallas police corruption. They just closed down some 'massage parlors' for prostitution which it is well known underground that many Dallas Policemen frequent there. I guess someone wanted to blow a whistle so they took action. Gahhhh! Where is everyone's head at? Maybe Kinky will save us...

[alineonamap]

i think the assholes who hold a little power just enjoy flexing thier muscles and pushing people around. they probably figure there's no point in holding power unless they remind you now and then that they can fuck you over anytime they want with the slightest excuse.

i'm sure there are some cops out there who are in it to protect and serve, but i've generally gotten the sense that most of them are slightly sadistic assholes who just want a valid way to push people around and make people respect and fear them. as someone who usually dislikes making people follow my demands even more than i hate having to follow someone else's demands, i can't understand the mentality of controling authority figures.

[celestialcat]

My dad's a police man and he even had an alcoholic mother. I told him about this and he thinks it's completely absurd. Not all police men are sadistic but you're right, I've come to realize that I hardly ever hear any good stories about cops recently, just corruption.

As for flexing their muscles, I think that's actually an understatement. You get a DWI or any such ticket from an offense related to alcohol it can seriously fuck up any chance for a future job, keeping a decent reputation, and the costs are ridiculous. The saddest part is this 'flexing one's muscle' is legal and not even questioned! I'm out of this state as soon as I finish school... maybe even this country. The US has turned into a bunch of hateful religious nuts with no tolerance.

[skwrl2]

but you're right, I've come to realize that I hardly ever hear any good stories about cops recently, just corruption.
That's how it is with almost every group, though. You only hear about the teenagers who kill and rape and do drugs (and then do bad things because of it), and never about the ones who are good influences and excel in school, etc.
And you hear about the crazy religious nuts and their violent protests and the absurd ideas they have, but not about the religious people who are way more passive and take the civil path, or give to charities/the poor/the homeless.

Stupid media for not telling all sides of the stories.

(And yes, I think it's ridicuolous, but it only somewhat affects me right now, as I legally can't drink yet, anyway.)

[celestialcat]

Of course the media sensationalizes things but when you've had a personal account of such experiences and then hear about it in the media, it somewhat strengthens your opinion. Of course someone could prove me wrong. Don't get me wrong, there is a huge difference between a religious person and a religious nut. A religious nut goes to soldiers' funerals and protests, saying they were being punished because the US tolerates homosexuality. THAT does not convince me they are in the right mind at all. However, Chris's family is very religious but they don't go spewing it over everyone but try to live by example.

The media was pretty objective about this article - it's the truth. Policemen arresting people in a bar who are drunk. There are better ways to prevent drunk driving than that. THAT is scary and I'm happy the media reports things like that.

[invisibelle]

Wow, that's fucking nuts. Also, the article is coming dangerously close to editorializing, and that is interesting.

[celestialcat]

Oh I know... they're good.