Is the tide finally turning? For years I’ve expected to see a backlash from the citizens of this country as politicians and judges continue to bow to MADD’s hysterical crusade against drinking (and, secondarily, drunk driving) and whittle away at the Bill of Rights and basic concepts of justice and fairness. Recently, however, there seems to be an increasing number of isolated voices of reason arising from the wilderness. In yesterday’s media….
A Better Way to Go After Drunk Drivers
KOMO-TV News, Seattle. Jan. 7 — So now the governor wants to get tough on drunk driving…
The governor’s idea is to set up sobriety checkpoints so that police can arbitrarily stop anyone out driving on a particular stretch of road at a particular time.
In other words, it’s about showmanship over substance.
I don’t like sobriety checkpoints. Not because I have any interest in protecting drunk drivers, but because I’m not too keen on giving up another piece of our constitutional rights.
Call me simplistic, but I’m kind of partial to those 4th amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure.
So while I’m all for Governor Gregoire getting tough on drunk driving, I’d prefer something more direct, like actually going after drunk drivers while leaving the rest of us sober folks alone.
Obviously an unpatriotic, wife-beating, alcohol-abusing radical.
Instant Suspension of DUI Suspect Licenses
Crosses Line
Phoenix Tribune. Jan. 7 — Sen. Jim Waring, R-Phoenix, has decided to continue a reckless vendetta against drunken driving and he seems willing to sacrifice our civil liberties and every bit of common sense in his rush to save just one more life.
A set of new DUI laws recognized as among the toughest in the country, including the mandated use of ignition interlock devices for a year on a person’s first misdemeanor conviction, has been in effect for less than three months. We have no idea if more jail time, higher fines and a physical barrier to driving after drinking will be wildly successful, an abject failure or fall somewhere in between…
State law already requires police to physically take away the driver’s license of DUI suspects. But they receive a temporary permit in return, giving the motorists an opportunity to challenge a license suspension at a state administrative hearing. As driving is considered a privilege, not a right, the standard in such cases is lower than “beyond a reasonable doubt.†DUI suspects can lose their driver’s license for 90 days even if they eventually defeat the criminal charges.
But at least a truly innocent person has a chance to appeal to an authority not beholden to the police before they lose access to a daily part of most people’s lives that often is critical to keeping a job and caring for a family.
Waring’s bill would deny even this minimal version of the due process of law. A DUI suspect anywhere in the state instantly would be powerless to drive, even if the police don’t yet have any physical evidence of intoxication (such as breath or blood test results)…
SB1008 completely disregards the American notion of “innocent until proven guilty†and would push Arizona much closer toward a police state in which judges and other independent arbiters of justice are irrelevant relics.
Obviously another rabble-rousing, child-molesting, communist pervert.
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