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I am so angry ... a drunken driving rant ... sentencing held

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by Rosie, Jul 10, 2010.

  1. leo1

    leo1 Active Member

    Re: I am so angry ...

    i agree on the surface, but it's not that simple, unfortunately. it's a societal problem that has to do with overcrowded prisons, mandatory-minimum sentences for certain offenses that aren't even criminal in other countries and the politics of drafting criminal laws. putting a DUI side by side with, say, possession of a few grams (or ounces, whatever) of cocaine or with a third degree sexual assault is an impossible comparison and it is impossible to decide which is worse thus meriting more incarceration.

    with that said, i'm sorry for rosie's loss and hope the perp never forgets what he did to rosie's family and if he does forget, that he rots in hell for all eternity when this life is over.
     
  2. Rosie

    Rosie Active Member

    Re: I am so angry ...

    STG, I saw the story about the crash in SW MN, just haven't read it yet. Again, how much is it going to take?!

    Thank you everyone, for your condolences.

    Because we were so short-staffed this last week, even though my editor said she would if I wanted her to, I said I would go ahead and write up the staff report about the charges filed - something I've done hundreds and hundreds of times before, it's my job to do them.

    It was another awful in a long string of awfuls.

    After we found out the alleged driver's name, I pulled up his court records. He had several probation violations on the current felony conviction he is still on probation for. (Drug possession) Just makes me sick.

    I'm thinking of writing an editorial - but I might need to cool down first.
     
  3. Baron Scicluna

    Baron Scicluna Well-Known Member

    Re: I am so angry ...

    I would cool down before writing your editorial, just to make sure there's nothing in there that you might regret writing.

    If anything, sit at home and write out an editorial not for publication, but just for yourself with everything you want to say to let out some of the anger.
     
  4. WolvEagle

    WolvEagle Well-Known Member

    Re: I am so angry ... a drunken driving rant ...

    Rosie - I'm so, so sorry about your loss, and especially about the circumstances. What sucks more than anything is that no matter how much the evils of drinking and driving are publicized, people still will be stupid and drink and drive. I wish there were some way it could be stopped.

    A mentor of mine in college decided to drive to his parents' house about 40 miles away after he was drinking on St. Patrick's Day. About halfway home, he drove up under an 18-wheeler. I was amazed that the casket was open. They put a LOT of makeup on him.

    The choice is simple: If you drink, don't drive. Too bad there are so many friggin' idiots out there.

    Maybe if there were no chances of plea bargains, people would take this seriously. Lately in in the Detroit market, there have been TV ads about the consequences of drinking and driving - how you'll face jail time, lose your job and pay hefty fines. A couple weeks ago, the Detroit Lions' president, Tom Lewand, got popped for drunken driving in northern Michigan. He got probation and didn't lose his job. I thought of that as I saw the commercial again this weekend.
     
  5. HandsomeHarley

    HandsomeHarley Well-Known Member

    Re: I am so angry ... a drunken driving rant ...

    The month before I ended up living on the streets, my friends deserted me en masse, including my first real girlfriend.

    The only friend I had left was a little 10-year-old girl who was like a niece to me.

    She comes up to me one night and gives me a hug, saying, "I'll always be your friend, Harley."

    She was hit and killed by a drunk driver later that night.

    I'll never forget anything about that night and the next morning as long as I live.

    And yes, I would still shoot the motherfucker if I had the chance.

    I really feel your pain, Rosie.
     
  6. 21

    21 Well-Known Member

    Re: I am so angry ... a drunken driving rant ...

    Rosie--What you wrote in your first post is the perfect editorial. I hope you run it.

    So so sorry for your loss. :(
     
  7. murphyc

    murphyc Well-Known Member

    Re: I am so angry ... a drunken driving rant ...

    So sorry for your family's loss, Rosie.
    Like Baron suggested, I say go ahead and write the editorial. If not for publication, for yourself to get some frustration out.
    To me, the worst part about drunk driving is how often the drunk a-hole survives the fatal accident.
    What's sad is how great a job organizations like MADD have done over the years talking about this problem, yet there are still so many who simply don't and probably won't ever get it until they cause a fatal accident by driving drunk.
     
  8. Machine Head

    Machine Head Well-Known Member

    Re: I am so angry ... a drunken driving rant ...


    Sending thoughts and prayers your way, Rosie.
     
  9. Rosie

    Rosie Active Member

    Re: I am so angry ... a drunken driving rant ...

    Thanks everyone.

    You know what else is hard about this? Since she and I share the same last name, I'm constantly getting asked if we are related. I do appreciate everyone's concern for asking, but then again, the gamut of emotions ...

    It's a lot easier being on the reporter side of a tragedy. :(
     
  10. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    Re: I am so angry ... a drunken driving rant ...

    First of all, don't wish death on anyone. It's not healthy. Even the drunk driver who killed someone else. Feeling that sort of anger and thirst for vengeance hurts you, not them. Forgiveness is difficult, but it is the more couragous path.

    I received a DUI about a year ago. Thankfully, I didn't kill anyone. I didn't hurt anyone. I didn't harm any property. I was speeding. I thought I was under the legal limit. I wasn't. Obviously.

    It was the most humiliating experience of my life, as I've posted before. Not just being cuffed. Not just hearing my Miranda rights. Not just sitting in a cell with a drunk f$&$&-up all night (I didn't sleep), wondering when someone would come get me. Not just making the phone call to my wife.

    The most humilating part was realizing that I am one of THOSE people, and that I will now always be one of THOSE people. It took a long, long, loooooong time for me to start to feel an identity again other than "Drunk Driver." I know that some people, if they were to find out, would judge me completely with no opportunity for redemption, even though that experience completely changed my life. After it happened, I started poking around the Internet for people's thoughts on justice related to drunk driving. The anger was staggering to me. Some people felt that the first offense should merit life in prison, for example. Even the death penalty.

    There are two kinds of people in this world, I decided. Those who would drive drunk. And those who wouldn't, under any circumstances. I'm now in the latter category. I am now the most responsible person I know. I send out bills the day they arrive. I show up everywhere on time, and typically early. I am impeccably organized. These may seem like little things, but if you knew me before, they are not. I woke up the morning after and decided to become a man, not a foolish little boy any longer. It permeated every facet of my life.

    The next 50-60 years that I have left, in some ways, will be an ongoing battle for redemption. It is remarkable what you find out about yourself after going through something like that. At times, I convinced myself that the arrest was an aberration. But then something little will happen. A few weeks ago, I finished 18 holes with some friends, two four-somes. My friend from the other foursome cracked: "So can Dick still stand up?" to laughs all around. That was my reputation, and it will take a long time to shed.

    Unfortunately, as the OP's experience pointed out, the experience doesn't have the same effect on everybody as it has had on me. The fact that this person had all of these priors just drives me insane.

    I think that the ads that you see have it wrong. They stress driving over the limit. Problem is, everyone who is over the limit convinces themselves that they are under it. Because the first thing to go is your judgment. If I were in charge of the ad campaigns, I would start stressing that, "One sip is too many. Why take a chance?" Otherwise, people play Russian Roulette with .08. And they are playing it with other people's lives.

    Maybe heftier punishments are the answer, but it's difficult to throw the book at someone on a first-offense misdemeanor of any kind, and particularly one in which there is no victim. Maybe I'm naive, but I feel like bombarding people with more and more education is the answer. Stress designated drivers. Stress not the legal limit, but, "One is too many."

    Sorry. Didn't mean to make this about me. But the thread seemed to be veering into a drunk driving conversation, and I feel like I have something to offer. In fact, I feel obligated to offer my thought, if it just convinces one person to behave differently.
     
  11. Cosmo

    Cosmo Well-Known Member

    Re: I am so angry ... a drunken driving rant ...

    Just a PSA ... if you do choose to sleep it off in your car, sleep either in the back seat or on the passenger side and do not have your keys in the ignition. I'm pretty sure you can get popped for DUI if you're parked and the keys are in the ignition, even if the vehicle isn't running.

    In fact:

    http://www.dui.com/dui-library/connecticut/news/high-court-decision
     
  12. Rosie

    Rosie Active Member

    Re: I am so angry ... a drunken driving rant ...

    If this thread veers into a serious, heart-felt discussion on driving under the influence - and stops just one person reading this from ever taking the wheel with alcohol or some other mind-altering substance in his or her system, then I am fine with that.
     
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