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Wednesday, February 24, 2010

New York Legislator Busted For Cocaine Possession



A Westchester County Legislator was caught with cocaine while he sat in a car in Queensbury. He was apparently headed with a friend to Killington, Vermont for the weekend. They stopped at a gas station, but not only to get gas, but to get gassed. I guess there’s nothing like a snort of cocaine to start the weekend. It used to be that a road trip included just some drinks, now it includes getting high on illegal drugs.

The story is here, here, and here.

Someone spotted the honorable elected official getting high and called the police. The cops found cocaine in the car. The Westchester County legislator was arrested and charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, which is only a misdemeanor. Just before he was arrested the man cried that he could lose his job. Well, he should have thought of that before he took the cocaine and snorted it up his nose. He should have thought about his job, the people who voted for him, and especially his family.

He said he has no plans to resign. Presumably he believes that its okay for politicians to break laws, as long as it doesn't effect their judgment. Wait, what kind of judgment did he demonstrate here? I guess his belief is that no one cares. He claimed it was an isolated incident, an aberration. But how does it come to be that two supposedly responsible men just pull up in a gas station and commence using cocaine? Is this really a first time for him. We will have to let his constituents decide.

Coke, Dust, Toot, Snow, Blow, Sneeze, Powder, Lines, Rock, Crack. These are all slang for various forms of the drug cocaine. The use of cocaine causes a short-lived high that is immediately followed by opposite, intense feelings of depression, edginess, and a craving for more of the drug. Cocaine is snorted as a powder, converted to a liquid form for injection with a needle, or processed into a crystal form to be smoked.

Cocaine is a highly addictive substance. Cocaine affects normal brain function by interfering with the manner in which one’s brain processes chemicals that create feelings of pleasure. The result is that a cocaine user often needs more of the drug just to feel normal. Cocaine is relatively expensive, and regular users can spend hundreds and even thousands of dollars on cocaine each week. As the addiction becomes strong some users will do anything to support their habit, even resorting to crime to obtain money. The impaired judgment caused by cocaine use may also lead to a host of other problems. People who become addicted to cocaine may lose interest in other areas of their life, such as work and friends.

This elected official is a Republican. So it just goes to show that illegal substances don’t discriminate and love to be abused by politicians of any party.

At any rate, lets hope he learned a lesson and seeks help.

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Saturday, February 20, 2010

Another Mayor Arrested for Drunk Driving


All of us have heard the warning that you should not drink and drive. Many responsible, law abiding citizens do in fact heed this warning by arranging alternative transportation if they know they may be going out to have a drink or two. Some of us take taxis, some use a designated driver. All it takes is a little planning. We know the consequences. Since drinking impairs our motor skills and judgment, driving after drinking can result in an accident and injury to others. That is why it is against the law.

How terrible it is to find out that those that have been elected to public office disregard the laws by exhibiting irresponsible and lawless behavior. Take this Mayor from Union Springs, Alabama. He was arrested the day after Christmas for drunk driving. The story is here.

Apparently his step-daughter was stopped for driving without lights. She called the Mayor who arrived in his car reeking of alcohol. After failing a field sobriety test he was busted for drunk driving, and also for obstructing government operations to boot. Apparently he became indignant in his impaired condition, and tried to stop the officers from writing up a citation.

Alcohol affects every organ in the body, not just our brains. It is a central nervous system depressant that is rapidly absorbed from the stomach and small intestine into our bloodstream. Alcohol is metabolized in the liver, but our liver can only metabolize a small amount of alcohol at a time. The safe rule of thumb is one drink per hour. Otherwise excess alcohol circulates throughout the body.
When alcohol gets to our brain cells it slows reaction time and impairs judgment and coordination. These are the skills we need to drive safely. Obviously the more alcohol consumed, the greater the impairment.

In the Marines, we recognized a difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction – or alcoholism. Alcohol abuse is a pattern of drinking that results in harm to one’s health, interpersonal relationships, or ability to work. Alcohol abuse can lead to a failure to fulfill responsibilities at work, school or home. Alcohol abuse is drinking in dangerous situations, such as while driving. Alcohol abuse can lead to legal problems. We would call a DUI one alcohol related incident of alcohol abuse.

Alcohol abuse can lead to alcohol dependence. Alcoholism is a diagnosable disease characterized by a strong craving for alcohol, continued use despite harm or personal injury, the inability to limit drinking, physical illness when drinking stops, and the need to increase the amount consumed to feel the effects of alcohol.

For Marines, those involved in an alcohol related incident receive counseling, or just simple education about the dangers of substance abuse and addiction. Especially if the Marine involved is an NCO or officer. That’s because we expect our NCOs and Officers to lead by example. How about our elected officials?

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Monday, February 15, 2010

A Drunken Rant by Senator Baucus?


In case you haven’t heard, some are saying that Senator Max Baucus of Montana was drunk when he spoke on the Senate floor during the health care debate. Video of his sloppy performance is posted all over the internet. For a great objective analysis see Mark Schenker’s December 30, 2009 post on Associated Content.

Senator Baucus is a Democrat, so it would not be surprising to see him attacked from Republicans. However, if indeed the Senator was drunk, it should be noted that substance abuse and addiction problems are not unique to one political party. For instance alcohol addiction can be caused by genetic and environmental factors. Both factors do not have to be present for a drinker to become dependent on alcohol. Alcohol depedence is not caused by one's political philosophy.

Senator Baucus' judgment was already under fire after he recommended a staffer-turned-girlfriend to be the U.S. attorney for Montana. See a sample article here from the Washington Post.

If Senator Baucus was drunk, it would be right to report on the incident and call him out. Those responsible for creating the laws of this nation should be held to a very high personal and moral standard. Alcoholism is a disease, but the conduct of a drunk must not be condoned. Slamming and confronting a drunk, and making him realize that he has a problem, is often how treatment begins.



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Sunday, February 14, 2010

Disgraced Mayor Resigns After DWI


The mayor from Russellville, Missouri was forced to resign after he was arrested for drunk driving. The disgraced mayor blew a 0.16 – twice the legal limit.

You can read the story unfold from connectmidmissouri.com here, here and here.

A former volunteer firefighter, the mayor was arrested Feb. 3 for drunk driving and disobeying law enforcement. Ironic that his arrest occurred at the scene of a barn fire. Approximately a week after his arrest the mayor appeared in court and pled guilty to misdemeanor DWI. He then resigned from office. He also took his name off the ballot for the April mayoral election. The local prosecutor said the mayor paid the standard $500 fine and won’t have to go to jail. Until the April 6 election, Larry Crocker will be the acting mayor of Russellville.

This is the price one pays for driving while drunk. According to this blood alcohol chart at BRAD21, a 200 pound man would have to consume between 8 and 9 drinks to reach a BAC or 0.16. That’s a lot of drinks.

What are the effects of having that many drinks? At a BAC of 0.13-0.15 BAC the drinker suffers gross motor impairment and lack of physical control, blurred vision, and major loss of balance. The feelings of euphoria that comes with getting drunk begins to turn into dysphoria (anxiety, restlessness). Judgment and perception are severely impaired.

At 0.16-0.19 BAC dysphoria predominates – an unpleasant or uncomfortable mood, such as sadness, anxiety, irritability, or restlessness. Nausea may appear. The drinker has the appearance of a "sloppy drunk."

How much time and effort did it require for this man to become mayor? One thing is for sure, it only took a very short time for him to throw it all away. Not only will he suffer, but his family will suffer as well. That’s something for all of us to think about the next we drink and have to figure out how to get home.

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Saturday, February 13, 2010

Local Politician Arrested For Drunk Driving


A City Council member from Holland, Michigan failed sobriety tests and then blew more than twice the state's legal limit for driving. Fortunately, he was arrested for operating while intoxicated.

The story from the Holland Sentinel is here.

According to the article, the person that voters’ trust to enact and uphold local laws slid off of a highway connecting ramp and ended up on the median. Police observed the helpless politician’s headlights from highway and went to the rescue.
For reasons not given, the officer suspected the 15 year city council member had been drinking. Perhaps it was the slurred speech or that he reeked of alcohol. At any rate, the politician blew a 0.18 on the breathalyzer. That’s more than twice the state’s legal limit of 0.08.

What does it take to get to a 0.18? We don’t know how much the 58-year-old elected official weighs. But according to one Wikipedia chart, a 180 pound man would have to consume about 7 drinks to get that smashed.

His arraignment on the misdemeanor charge is set on a walk-in basis and he must appear before Feb. 18.

The mayor said the alleged offense will not have any effect on the councilman. The charge doesn’t disqualify the councilman from continuing to serve on the city council. Furthermore, the council was not expected to discuss the incident. That’s because the incident does not affect any legal requirements of his being part of the council. Hmm? I guess the council doesn’t mind its members getting sloshed and driving around town blitzed. After all, he has a clean record up to this, only two speeding tickets since 2003.

Hey, I’m not saying don’t drink. But drinking and driving? What about exercising good judgment? Is that asking too much of the people elected to public office? This local leader is damn lucky he didn’t kill anyone. Hopefully his arrest will serve as a wake-up call.

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