Texas has begun sending undercover agents into bars to arrest drinkers for being drunk, a spokeswoman for the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission said on Wednesday. The first sting operation was conducted recently in a Dallas suburb where agents infiltrated 36 bars and arrested 30 people for public intoxication, said the commission's Carolyn Beck. Being in a bar does not exempt one from the state laws against public drunkeness, Beck said.In other news, why haven't I been blogging lately? I don't really know.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Texas!
That should be a musical.
My friend Andrew sent me this story.
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To me, this is like going to the gym and arresting the people in the showers for public nudity. As long as the behavior is appropriate to the venue, I see nothing wrong with it. Now, if you're being disruptive and puking all over the bar, *then* maybe an arrest is in order, but otherwise, it seems kind of silly to me.
ReplyDeleteJen says:
ReplyDeleteArresting a person before they actually drive, when the goal is to prevent drunk driving, seems too similar to arresting someone before the actual commission of the crime.
Too similar? It's not that it's _similar_; that's _exactly_ what this is.
The drunk driving rationale was even more absurd in some cases. According to Rachel Maddow on Air America, many of the arrests were made in hotel bars, and many of the arrestees were registered guests of hotels.
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