Random Drivel from your Average Tosser

...with your host, Binty McShae - whether you like it or not!

Friday, March 24, 2006

Tackling the Sauce of the Problem

It seems that the US is found of tackling its problems at the source. Too many drugs flooding in? Let's go to Cuba and nip it in the bud. Afghan-based terrorists? Take the war to them... and anyone else in the neighbourhood. Problem with drunks? Arrest them in the bars. That's right, not outside the bars but IN the bars. Well, in Texas at least...

Now before we carp on about the ridiculousness of such an idea I have to say I am reminded of my many years spent earning an extra few bob as a bar-steward. At that time there was actually a law in existence (and maybe there still is) whereby it was illegal to serve alcohol to someone who was under the influence of, erm, alcohol. Taken literally you could serve everyone one drink but then if they came back for more you would have to turn them away. Although I suppose a customer could always buy all the drinks he / she intended to consume at once, before a drop touched their lips...

I understand the basis behind laws like this. I know that alcohol can ignite terribly anti-social behaviour and something needs to be done to protect others from the fall-out. But these kind of fuzzy, not quite implementable laws usually end up having limited impact on their intended targets and more often than not catch out those who are undeserving. For example...

...Should I ever be in Texas you will probably find me, at some point, in a bar. And as I will more than likely be on holiday at the time I shall probably indulge in a few beers. And yes, I might even end up quite pissed. But I would never, under any circumstances, leave the bar and attempt to drive. Nor am I the kind to go around starting fights. Or for that matter be 'inappropriate' with women. But it's virtually guarranteed that as the happy, smiley and often obvious drunk that I am I would be among the first in the back of the police-wagon whilst Mr Broody in the corner who had been quietly nursing 3 bottles of cheap whiskey all evening innocently slips out the door and goes home to batter the fuck out of his wife.

Ah well, what can you do? I just hope that if they do bang me up they have enough kindness in their hearts to send me to a place like this.....

Cheers m'dears!

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4 Comments:

At Saturday, March 25, 2006 3:37:00 am, Blogger Ivar said...

god help the sorry sob that comes into a bar in my town and tries to get between a sod and his suds! we tolerate the police, and you are correct in your take that the drinker is in charge of protecting the public (i.e. driving post and the like), but the walls of ye olde pub are for the protection of us drunks!!! i'm a barman myself and the bastards that are getting sloshed at my bar are only free game to the police after i throw them into the street on their arses...before that, they are mine to do with as i please! then again, i think "drive up" booze shops are legal in texas...????

 
At Sunday, March 26, 2006 4:43:00 am, Blogger SafeTinspector said...

IN Michigan a bartender isn't allowed to give booze to someone who is DRUNK, not necessarily someone who has been drinkING.

My wife was a probation officer for a small inner suburb of Detroit for a year.
A rather larger number of drunks than you might expect were ticketed for urinating in public while riding a bicycle.

What isn't clear to me is if the fear of riding in their severely impaired state caused the urination or mere alcohol induced incontinence was to blame.

 
At Sunday, March 26, 2006 3:36:00 pm, Blogger Binty McShae said...

" ticketed for urinating in public while riding a bicycle"

Now THAT'S fucking impressive! I've heard of drive-by-shootings but ride-by-pissings?

 
At Tuesday, March 28, 2006 2:33:00 am, Blogger SafeTinspector said...

Since they were mainly watering the roadway, I'm not sure it qualifies.

 

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