Comments on: There oughtta be (another) law!

By: dweeb

dweeb — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:24:46 +0000

Driving is a privilege, not a right. Why shouldn’t it be denied to someone who has demonstrated a willingness to disregard the impact of alcohol on operating a vehicle? Boat/car, either way, it’s the act of operating a vehicle when one is not fit to do so. In my state, you can get a DUI conviction on a bicycle, golf cart, or motorized bar stool.

Yes, I had a beer at 18, but I lived in a state where 18 was the legal drinking age.

By: April 7 roundup

April 7 roundup — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 04:09:32 +0000

[...] No DUI, no one hurt, but harsh consequences anyway when Connecticut 18 year old is caught buying six-pack of beer [Fountain] [...]

By: ceanf

ceanf — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 02:06:07 +0000

parse you decided to rip on the wrong comment.

Anonymous’ comment, which Chris responded to, was a rambling collage of sentences. First he says drunk boating is not rare. Fair enough. Then he justifies it by claiming that it is harder to drive a boat drunk. Then wraps it up with an obvious point that applies to driving a car just the same as it does to driving a boat. one paragraph, three sentences, three different ideas.

Chris’ response points out that he is a sailor too, and that he has also seen his share of drunk boating. Then he supports that assertion with a relevant allegory. And he wraps it up by re-enforcing the point made in his previous post that we already have laws for drunk driving boats and cars and that there is no need for a new law linking the two. One paragraph, three sentences, one idea.

Now tell me, whose post had a meaningful point and purpose? It appears to me that Chris’ post was much more meaningful and better written all around. Just because you didn’t understand it does not mean he didn’t ‘respond in any meaningful sense’.

By: Peter

Peter — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 02:05:42 +0000

I had a beer when I was 18. But then again, I was in Canada (Quebec to be exact) so it was legal. Having seen the difference between the two societies responses to drinking, I am wholly in favour of lowering the legal age.

By: parse

parse — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 21:06:15 +0000

But there are already laws on the books prohibiting that behavior – I’d prefer to see better enforcement of those laws than an extension of penalties on the few that are caught now.

You wrote this in reply to a lifelong sailor who objected to your assertion that drunken boating was rare, but your comments doesn’t seem to respond in any meaningful sense to his comment.

By: Rhayader

Rhayader — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:36:44 +0000

The author is absolutely right here — our habit of criminalizing everything under the sun is dangerous and ineffective.

Nowhere is that more apparent than with our drug laws, which are incredibly draconian to say the least. We have completely lost sight of the constitutionally-stated purpose of law: to protect our rights and freedoms from the malicious activities of others. A crime must have a victim, plain and simple.

We cannot legislate our way to a perfect society. In a country with no established religion, who is to say what is right or wrong, what is moral or immoral? The only thing we should be doing is protecting people from immediate, demonstrable encroachments upon their rights or well-being by others.

By: The Agitator » Blog Archive » Morning Links

The Agitator » Blog Archive » Morning Links — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:17:40 +0000

[...] Group of five 18-year-olds get the equivalent of a $9,000 fine for splitting a six-pack of beer. [...]

By: christopherfountain

christopherfountain — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 22:50:20 +0000

I’m a sailor too, Anon, and I’ve seen some wonderous things performed on the water by drunken boaters. In fact, those NFL players who drowned may not have tried freeing their anchor so badly if they hadn’t been drinking. But there are already laws on the books prohibiting that behavior – I’d prefer to see better enforcement of those laws than an extension of penalties on the few that are caught now.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 22:24:05 +0000

Chris,
I have a huge concern with your classification of drunken boating as being rare. I can tell you as a lifelong sailor it is the complete opposite. Being on the water magnifies everything–remember cars have brakes. When out sailing drunken powerboaters (who are usually not very intelligent even when sober) are by far my biggest concern.

By: Donato Loscalzo

Donato Loscalzo — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 00:30:30 +0000

Chris, well said!!

If there is something that really terrifies me here in the US is the absolute lack of proportionality that prosecutors, police and politicians seem not to have. Criminalizing everybody and everyone for even the smallest misdemeanor does not serve society: the US has already the largest inmate population in the western world, almost 3 million people behind bars on any given day. There are more blacks behind bars today (650,000) than enrolled in college…..