No drinking in bars, damnit!

[Selena]

Don't drink in Texas! WTF? I read this report a couple of days ago. It seems one of the persons arrested was in a hotel bar where they were a registered customer. This is just silly!


http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060323/od_nm/bars1_dc

[syndony]

And the next step is our homes.

[AnnaFaerie]

It said they were arresting the drunks. There's a difference between drinking and getting drunk. I'm all for keeping the drunks off the streets.

[Pansy Faye]

I agree with AnnaFaerie, I'm all fro keeping the drunks off the street, so maybe "Big Brother" should wait until they actaully leave the bar drunk to arrest them, like shoplifting, can't arrest 'em until they actually leave the store. ::badhair:

[Savantage]

QUOTE: "There are a lot of dangerous and stupid things people do when they're intoxicated, other than get behind the wheel of a car," Beck said. "People walk out into traffic and get run over, people jump off of balconies trying to reach a swimming pool and miss."
I've seen fights break out over nothing because two or more patrons were drunk. I know here in Oregon if a bartender knowingly serves a patron who is visably drunk and that person goes out and commits any crime the bartender will lose their job. I never thought about it much until I was talking to a friend about this and she was telling me that she has to be able to keep track of the number of patrons and how many drinks they have. that's fine if you are in a small bar, but what about a big night club? My brother performs in a club (down in Dallas) and he loves the free tab that the performers take advantage of.
In my opinion this is another step for big brother by going into bars and arresting people for getting drunk. Why not sit outside the door(s) and wait for them to come out? I know it would be too easy! (I'm thinking out of the box again). If the person is in a hotel bar he should have been allowed to go to his room.

[AnnaFaerie]

I agree with AnnaFaerie, I'm all fro keeping the drunks off the street, so maybe "Big Brother" should wait until they actaully leave the bar drunk to arrest them, like shoplifting, can't arrest 'em until they actually leave the store. ::badhair:


I like this idea even better. Of course...isn't there a law about letting drunks leave your bar...party...whatever....and drive? You become responsible if they hurt someone....I'm not too sure if that's correct...or not. *blah blah blah* Sorry for the blethering...what I'm trying to say is if they are arresting drunks...shouldn't they fine the bartenders for serving them once it becomes apparent that they are drunk?

Okay....I can see this would get crazy pretty quick.

*goes off to rethink this whole thing*

[Lady Laurel]

I don't know if it bothers me or not. The issue is people getting drunk and getting behind the wheel of a car. After living with an alcoholic that would fight anyone for his keys to his car when he was drunk and then swerve all over the road , all the time thinking he knows what he is doing. I kinda like it. Drunks do really stupid things and if it keeps another person from getting killed then I am not going to see anything wronge with it.

[Selena]

Define "drunk". Because believe me, there's a lot of variances to that term.

One drink, two, three drinks? What if you've had half a beer and you act "silly" because you are in a good mood because you just got a promotion and are *perceived* as being drunk?

To me, they are criminalizing drinking in public places, BARS of all places... you are guilty before proven innocent!!! Don't yall understand that?

People are getting arrested and loosing their jobs because of this... all the while doing something that is legal... drinking alcohol in a public place which serves it!

[Blue Pixie]

I not quite sure what to make of it. I mean yea I'm all for not no drinking and driving- But i know a bunch of people that if they get drunk- they have someone who hasn't had any drink take them home. I think that they should at least maybe wait otherside the bar for drunks to come out instead of going in...maybe. Must think some more.

[Selena]

[quote=Lady Laurel]I don't know if it bothers me or not. The issue is people getting drunk and getting behind the wheel of a car. quote]

No, it's not. The issue is arresting people who are in a public place doing something which is completely legal. You are assumed to be "drunk" because you are drinking in a bar. Guilt before innocence. What if there is already someone sober to drive them home? What if the "drunk" is only "buzzed" and no obviously falling down wasted?

People are being arrested on *visual* inspections only and assumptions. No blood tests, nada.

[Selena]

... and something else I just found. Gee... this is the first step to another prohibition!! MADD doesn't want ANY drinking of any kind, zero tolerance, people. Zero! What's next, eh? Renaissance Festival pubs? Shit, even ONE drink... ONE.



Heather Hodges, an Abilene-based MADD victims advocate, said her group is working closely with the TABC on the project.

''We believe responsible adults should drink responsibly,'' Hodges said.
''And those that serve them should be responsible. A lot of people think it's OK to be drunk in bar, but it's illegal. A bar is not intended to be a place to get fall-down drunk ... . You don't have to be fall-down drunk to be considered drunk. Even after one drink, you aren't 100 percent.''

[Lady Laurel]

Selena- I understand what you are saying but lets be clear if you have a buzz you do not need to drive either. I believe that if you are out and having a good time there should be designated driver. Then a cop in a bar has no reason to arrest you, you are not going to go out and hurt anyone else or yourself. I have been a designative driver for years ( since high school) believe me I have seen some crazy stuff that if that person did not have sober person around they would be in some trouble. My definition of drunk is when you are not acting your normal self. That can mean one shot. Sorry if I am so rigid on the subject but believe me I have seen enough public intoxication to last me for the rest off my life. I am a very big fan of MADD they have done some wonderful things in the past for people.

[Cyranno DeBoberac]

Selena- I understand what you are saying but lets be clear if you have a buzz you do not need to drive either. The cops were arresting people drunk in hotel bars even though the persons in question were registered guests of the hotel. There was absolutely zero chance of them getting in a car; there wasn't even any indication that they had any access to a car.

But if it stops even one person from getting on an elevator while drunk, I guess it's worth it. :roll:

[Lady Laurel]

But if it stops even one person from getting on an elevator while drunk, I guess it's worth it

I could not stop laughing thank you.

If the person in question are not going to get in a car and not leaving the hotel then why were they getting arrested? Then there is a question about why they are being arrested. Again if they are not going to harm anyone else or themselves. There hotel is upstairs, have a designated drive etc... then there is question why this is going on. My question however what kind of drunk are they being violent, loud, are they trying to start a fight. Is there more to this story that first appears?

[Cyranno DeBoberac]

I could not stop laughing thank you.

If the person in question are not going to get in a car and not leaving the hotel then why were they getting arrested? Then there is a question about why they are being arrested. Again if they are not going to harm anyone else or themselves. There hotel is upstairs, have a designated drive etc... then there is question why this is going on. My question however what kind of drunk are they being violent, loud, are they trying to start a fight. Is there more to this story that first appears?
No not really. If any of those scenarios were in play, the arrest would be for drunk and disorderly. They weren't. They were for "Drunk in Public". In a place where there is a reasonable expectation for being drunk, no less.

Apparently there has been an incremental crusade underway to get rid of drinking altogether. Prohibition was a failure because it was a brute-force approach, akin to throwing a frog into a pot of boiling water.

Having learned their lesson, the anti-alcohol faction has instead been slowly turning up the heat on the frog in the pot, while it cluelessly sits there until it boils to death.

The major organization spearheading this campaign? MADD. Leard all about it at http://getmadd.com (http://getmadd.com/).

[Reaver]

The cops were arresting people drunk in hotel bars even though the persons in question were registered guests of the hotel. There was absolutely zero chance of them getting in a car; there wasn't even any indication that they had any access to a car.

But if it stops even one person from getting on an elevator while drunk, I guess it's worth it. :roll:


Amen, Brother. And just think of all the money saved by drunken sales reps who after striking out in the hotel bar go to their rooms and order pay-per-view porn. Bail's GOTTA be cheaper.....::horror::

From the "Quarterdeck...of Love"-where Friday nights are ALWAYS "Wenches drink free night" at the Lido Deck bar and powder magazine,:aok:

Sean the R.
SCM::pirate::

[Lilaney]

It is the Public Intoxication law that they are cracking down on.
It has only happened in a few bars in Dallas, some in San Antonio, and Lubbock.
I think that the high level of media is what they wanted.
The more people who see, or hear about this, will help the police
force minimize the overall drunken and disorderly calls this coming spring and summer. It makes sense, because in the long run, the ones who are thinking of getting, "Smashed" in public might think twice cause someone in the bar, sorta 'looks' like a cop. I think this is a pro-active stance on the part of the police force. This is just something that has caught a buzz for the time. I know, being a long standing DD (Designated Driver), that if you work with the cops, they will noramly work with you.
I have talked a few friends out of trouble, and gotten them home safely before. It may seem likes the cops are only out the hassle people. Some may, but the majority are looking out for the public interest and as some stated, MADD is taking a stance right now, there are higher numbers of traffic incedents during the spring and summer. So it seems the general public interest is to crack down right now. The old, 'squeaky wheel gets the grease' phrase, is true.

[Selena]

No not really. If any of those scenarios were in play, the arrest would be for drunk and disorderly. They weren't. They were for "Drunk in Public". In a place where there is a reasonable expectation for being drunk, no less.

Apparently there has been an incremental crusade underway to get rid of drinking altogether. Prohibition was a failure because it was a brute-force approach, akin to throwing a frog into a pot of boiling water.

Having learned their lesson, the anti-alcohol faction has instead been slowly turning up the heat on the frog in the pot, while it cluelessly sits there until it boils to death.

The major organization spearheading this campaign? MADD. Leard all about it at http://getmadd.com.


Wow, I like your analogy, Bob.

And addressing what others have said, here in TX, it's a class C misdemeanor to be "intoxicated in public". As I said before, define drunk. Class C. The exact same category as getting a speeding ticket for going 5 miles over the speed limit. Except the different here, is that people are getting arrested on the pretense they are drunk... in a bar. When was the last time you heard someone getting arrested for driving a bit over the speed limit for only driving a bit above the speed limit?

MADD is going overboard. This is the wrong way to handle this. The solution is not to arrest people for being "drunk" (NOT disorderly!) in public while in a bar. Shit, that's like arresting someone in a titty bar for voyerism! Bob's right... they have been pluging away at the alcohol laws for years now. Ain't getting any better, is it? The "fight" against the bottle isn't working.

So far, the stats I have read comprised of over 2200 people being arrested. This was the talk on one of the local morning radio shows. The best example they are using is the registered guests of hotels. Just what makes the arresting officer even know that the person is even planning on going anywhere except up to bed?

Wow, I guess i better watch my ass the next time I decide to have a couple of drinks in my own home. I might spill that wine on the floor, cause me to slip and fall and hurt myself!

[Blue Pixie]

In the sense that they are arresting people just because they might be drunk- I think is wrong. And I'm not saying that people who are drunk and plan to drive shouldn't be arrested, but people who are going to go to bed in the hotel room, or get a drive home with a DD- that just wrong. I know the feeling of getting hassel- I'm in a college town- police hassel us even if we didn't have a drink. They should be going after the drunks wanting to drive- my neighbor was killed by one- the police let him go and he drank and drive again. The police need to go after people like him who think there gods on the room not people who are smart!!!

Sorry I have to ask this Lady Laurel where did you get you cat in your signature- it's soooooo cute!! Sorry for he thread jack.

[Alianne]

From the "Quarterdeck...of Love"-where Friday nights are ALWAYS "Wenches drink free night" at the Lido Deck bar and powder magazine,:aok:

Sean the R.
SCM::pirate::

Are you scheduling events behind your Cruise Director's back, mon Capitan? ;)

[Lady Laurel]

Heah Blue Pixie -


I found it at www.allemotions.com

However this morning I went on the website to find her an could not. I think she may have been taken off although there are alot other smileys and animals to choose from.

[Emrld]

Part of the problem with this whole thing . . .it is a TABC officers visual opinion that someone is drunk.
It really is going to put a damper on the economy . . .when we don't need one if people start drinking at home.
Also, I happen to be a responsible adult . . . I don't drive if I have been drinking . . .I either stay at home and drink . . .or have a pre arranged driver.
It really is a shame for this guy who was staying in the hotel. I think scoping out hotel bars is taking it a bit too far. If they had chosen a bar that was being known for having issues with fighting . . .or trouble with the neighbors then I could see this tactic going into play.
The article that I read said this guy was not causing a problem or a scene . . just killing time.
By the way - who trains the TABC to know that someone is drunk . . .what test are they performing . . .who sets the standard. Cause I could just see an TABC rep in a bar - hit on someone - get turned down and bust that person . .. or the person they chose over them.
I know just ranting about it at this point. And, I am not even a big drinker . . .

[Selena]

I've been doing some research on this. People are PISSED off. This has caught the attention of the state legislators. And btw, found out that the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission has been reviewed by the Sunset Review Board (who deems a state entity worthy of funding and sometimes their very existence) in the last leg session. Others are stating that this little "operation last call" was concocted as a way to justify their existence and the use of more approved staffing. As as tenured state worker... yeah, I can see this bureaucrap actually happening that way!

Just remember... this is not for "public safety". That's the line of bullshit they are feeding the public. There's always more to the story when dealing with state entities...they are always in bed with money and politics and some special interests groups (madd, anyone?).

Guys, if any of you drink any amount of alcohol, you, too could be subject to this bullshit if you were ever visit this state... even if you aren't "drunk". People across the state are already talking about taking their business elsewhere in regards to having big business meetings and networking in hotels outside of the state. Gee, ya think? Who in the hell wants to talk business in a hotel bar (which is part of networking in many industries) and be in fear of being hauled off to jail for having a few drinks in at your hotel while you're talking business?

Don't think it can't happen in our little realm. TABC has jurisdiction everywhere in the state... including renfaire.

I read this a couple of days ago. As a follow up on this thread, even the state lawmakers are questioning these fascist tactics.



John Kelso column


Arresting people in bars for being drunk: Isn't that like busting the Boy Scouts for building campfires?

Austin American-Statesman
Sunday, March 26, 2006

You've got to hand it to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, a state agency that has an amazing grasp of the obvious.

Over six months, TABC agents issued 2,281 criminal citations to people in Texas bars, many of them cited because they were drunk.

Isn't busting people for being drunk at a bar like shooting a bass in a bathtub? I mean, where else are you going to find drunks? At a University of Texas football game?

But hats off to the TABC for being clever enough to realize that if you're looking for drunks, a bar where alcohol is served is a great place to start.

I think it's time we rewrote the old Texas tourism motto to say: "Texas: It's Like a Whole 'Nother Country -- Saudi Arabia."

You're not supposed to drink in Saudi Arabia, and, after hearing what the TABC is doing with its undercover agents in Texas bars, it's become pretty obvious you're not supposed to drink in Texas, either.

So if you're a tourist from another state trying to settle on a destination, and you drink, you might want to think about spending your vacation money somewhere else. Try someplace nice where they won't mess with you, like maybe New Mexico.

One purpose of the sting is to keep people from presenting a danger to themselves. At least one bar targeted was a hotel bar in Irving. Maybe this was done to cut down on the number of hotel guests falling out of bed.

Going to a bar to arrest drunks: That would be like going out to the golf course and busting people for putting.

Or, better still, it would be like going to a Girl Scout meeting and busting the girls for making s'mores.

'Course, now we're getting into legitimate arrests.

"Maybe they should get somebody to go into the Golden Corral and arrest all the lardasses," said my friend Scott Wilson, who has been known to tip a few on special occasions, like Saturday.

I can hear it now from the food cop who has raids the Golden Corral: "Sir, step away from the gravy and put your fork down where I can see it."

I never have understood why Texas needs an alcoholic beverage commission in the first place. Just about every town -- except for Bartlett -- has its own police force, every county has a sheriff's department, and we have a state agency of cops known as the Department of Public Safety. Don't you suppose there are enough officers to enforce booze laws without having a special department?

And, if all these TABC people have to do is hang out in bars and go after drunks, I think that proves my point. I think the whole bunch should be given useful jobs mowing the Capitol lawn or something. Certainly we can find some worthwhile work for these folks to do.

You know what message this sting sends out to drinkers? The message is this: Instead of drinking with your friends in a bar and listening to country music and carrying on an interesting conversation, you should be drinking at home alone.

Isn't that the sort of thing that leads to a SWAT team out front with a bullhorn?

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/03/26kelso.html (http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/03/26kelso.html)

And another editorial:

EDITORIAL (Austin)

The state's drinking police

Drunken driving is a serious problem, but officials are using over-the-top tactics

AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN EDITORIAL BOARD
Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Surely the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission could have targeted bartenders for overserving inebriated customers without looking like a Lone Star version of George Orwell's "1984."

But the TABC chose the worst possible way to combat drunken driving ? going undercover to arrest patrons in bars across the state. Now Texas has an international reputation for being underhanded, unfair and just plain random.

That's not an entirely accurate picture, though. Operation Last Call, as the TABC brass labeled it, actually has a constructive point to make: that bars and bartenders have a legal obligation not to serve alcohol to folks who obviously have had too much to drink.

If bar employees understand that they are legally liable in those situations and can be arrested by an undercover TABC agent, that ought to make them careful about serving more booze to drunks. Texas has a problem with drivers getting behind the wheel when they are drunk, and any effort to curb that is appreciated.

Drunken driving is a serious problem, one that costs too many lives, too much heartache and too much money each year. So TABC is right to try and prevent more drunks from driving in order to save lives and property.

But the way the commission has gone about doing that laudable work has earned it scathing headlines from Calgary to London. Operation Last Call makes the agency look lazy and the state look silly. And it could hurt tourism and the economy if the TABC continues to foul its own nest in this ongoing operation.

There is a vast gulf between a drunk behind the wheel and a patron at a hotel bar who downed one too many drinks before he retires to his room. No one wishes to have drunks on the highway, but few want undercover agents trying to discern who is drinking too much at the local watering hole whether he or she is driving or not.

And that's where the TABC program went off the road. Agents are going into bars undercover and busting people they think are drunk ? people who might have done nothing more than stumble exiting a bar stool. To the average Texan, there is something about that approach that stinks.

According to published reports, some of the arrests made in the TABC operation cast more aspersions on the program. One involved a guest at a hotel in Irving who was drinking a beer at the hotel bar. He was arrested, taken to jail and fined. He was not a likely threat to drive, and the bust cost him his job.

TABC officials say more than 2,200 people have been arrested in Operation Last Call in the past six months. How many of them were dangers to themselves or others, we might never know. But there has to be a better way to protect the public than furtive forays into saloons to target people who are not a nuisance, rowdy or about to drive.

TABC agents should be concentrating on the bartenders, but statistics show far more patrons arrested than barkeeps. And if the focus truly is on curbing DWIs, then target those about to drive, not ordinary folks in hotel or neighborhood bars.

Everyone wants to keep drunks off the roads, but the commission needs to use discretion ? and a modicum of good sense. TABC should attack the problem, not the random customer.


And I found this, courtesy of thefatguy.com. The melody of "Deep in the Heart of Texas":

The cops at night
Are big and white
[CLAP-CLAP-CLAP-CLAP]
Don’t start a tab in Texas!
Posted by Jim Treacher on 2006 03 23 at 11:52 AM • permalink
#
If you’re high as a kite,
It’s jail for the night,
[CLAP-CLAP-CLAP-CLAP]
Don’t start a tab in Texas!
Posted by paco on 2006 03 23 at 12:10 PM • permalink
#
A sip of booze
Means laceless shoes
[CLAP-CLAP-CLAP-CLAP]
Don’t start a tab in Texas!
Posted by Jim Treacher on 2006 03 23 at 12:46 PM • permalink
#
Throw down that brew
Its the red and blue
[CLAP-CLAP-CLAP-CLAP]
Don’t start a tab in Texas!

[Mistress Lisette]

I wouldn't be surprised that once it starts to actively affect tourist $$ and the Texas economy, this Operation Last Call with go by the wayside, if not sooner. As much as I love Texas and being a Texan, I'll readily admit that we as a state are an arrogant bunch. So just being made fun of by other states and countries will probably just cause us to dig our heels in deeper behind Last Call. Not until the bottom line's affected will we change it. But, then again, that's my own little cynical perspective...

Btw, I got a kick out of the new and improved "Deep in the Heart of Texas" lyrics!

[Selena]

It's very interesting the read the message board on one of the DFW news sites.

One guy posted from Dubai-- who is an American. Said it was very interesting to see the US rights being eroded away from another country's view.
See for yourselves. Remember people... Texas is first with these tactics... then just wait and see what state jumps on board!

I'd love to see the "drinking town with a sailor problem" take issue with all of this!



http://forums.ibsys.com/viewmessages.cfm?sitekey=dfw&forum=515&topic=13525&startmsg=161&messageorder=


Oh, and here's the 411 on the state lawmakers who are upset about this:

Legislative Committee is going to review TABC's tactics


Public outrage and the potential for lost business caused by state regulators arresting bar patrons for being intoxicated prompted a key lawmaker on Tuesday to call for a suspension of the program pending a review by the Texas Legislature.

"Based on what I'm hearing from my constituents and from all across the state, this is a good time to put this program on hold until we have an opportunity to review it," said state Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, vice chairman of the House committee that oversees the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. "I'm getting a lot of calls and e-mails, and it's absolutely all negative."

The commission has garnered national publicity in recent days over its stepped-up enforcement program called Sales to Intoxicated Persons, or SIPs, where undercover officers observe customers in bars and taverns and arrest those who appear drunk. Bartenders and wait staff who serve intoxicated patrons are also subject to arrest.

Carolyn Beck, a spokeswoman for the TABC, said the SIPs program has been around for several years. But the agency has beefed it up after lawmakers last year authorized the hiring of more than 100 additional employees to force compliance with state laws governing alcohol use.

"Our focus is public safety," Beck said. "We intervene when it appears that someone is a danger to himself or others because of being intoxicated in a public place."

Geren, whose Fort Worth barbecue restaurants serve alcohol, said his employees are trained to identify when a patron is becoming intoxicated and will cut them off without hesitation.

The House Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee, of which Geren is vice chairman, will hold a hearing on the SIPs program April 17 in Austin.

The program has its supporters, including Mothers Against Drunk Driving, which regularly lobbies the Legislature to take measures to end Texas' distinction of having the highest DWI fatality rate in the nation.

But critics have pointed out that the program could cost Texas valuable convention business, especially considering that many arrests have occurred in hotel cocktail lounges where patrons planned to travel no farther than the elevator that would take them to their rooms. In other instances, people were arrested even though they had been accompanied by a designated driver, according to reports.

Phillip Jones, president of the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the program has the potential to devastate the Texas tourism and convention industry.

"I just got an e-mail from someone who said he was considering bringing a convention with 25,000 people to Dallas," Jones said. "He told me that until you guys fix this problem, no city in Texas is even going to be on the list."

Jones said that the convention industry pumps more than $8 billion annually into the North Texas economy, and that the cocktail hour is often integral to the experience.

"That's where people relax, socialize and network," Jones said. "They have a right to do that without fear of being arrested."

Under Texas law, anyone with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 or higher is considered too drunk to drive. The legal definition of public intoxication is "not having the normal use of mental or physical faculties because of alcohol or drug use."

Public intoxication is a Class C misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500. A law enforcement officer has the discretion of issuing a citation or making an arrest.

When the program gained attention last week, TABC Administrator Alan Steen sent a memo to state lawmakers listing the agency's justifications for stepping up enforcement.

"Just because someone is not driving or has a designated driver, it does not make it legal to become intoxicated in a public place to the extent that the person may be a danger to him/herself or others," Steen's memo said.

Geren and other lawmakers said that while they have no sympathy for drunken drivers, they are concerned by what appears to be heavy-handed tactics against otherwise law-abiding citizens who are enjoying a night out.

"I'm from a pretty conservative district, but I haven't heard from anybody who supports this," said state Rep. Toby Goodman, R-Arlington.

Kathy Walt, spokeswoman for Gov. Rick Perry, said the governor's office has received more than 140 calls and letters concerning the SIPs program, all of them critical.

Beck, the TABC's spokeswoman, said that the agency's enforcement also includes aggressive steps to curtail underage drinking, even though it often goes unpublicized.

"We have a hot line staffed 24 hours a day where someone can report pasture parties and other events where minors are drinking illegally, and we will respond and take action," she said.

Geren said he would do nothing to discourage the effort to combat underage drinking or to interfere with enforcing DWI laws.

"I've even heard from people who say they don't drink and want a crackdown on drunken driving but think that this is going too far," Geren
said.

[Selena]

*Update*
Heh-- I hope this gets a few people's knickers in a twist over at the TABC! (Texas Alcohol Bully Commitee)


The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission said Wednesday it has suspended a crackdown on public intoxication after a public outcry over the program that sends undercover officers into drinking establishments.

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=state&id=4081041

[Buxom Wench]

*Update*
Heh-- I hope this gets a few people's knickers in a twist over at the TABC! (Texas Alcohol Bully Commitee)


The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission said Wednesday it has suspended a crackdown on public intoxication after a public outcry over the program that sends undercover officers into drinking establishments.

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=state&id=4081041

That was my one worry about coming to Texas.

I admit I like a bit of the grape....... I just didn't want to end up in jail for it. :unamused:

[Ysobelle]

It was really sounding like an Eddie Izzard routine for a bit there.

[I'Cin]

"John Kelso column
Arresting people in bars for being drunk: Isn't that like busting the Boy Scouts for building campfires?"

Boy Scouts can get busted for building campfires, you know. We had an especially dry March, and ground fires were banned to prevent forest fires. Our monthly camping trip went propane, because the rangers do come around and check and they will ticket you, Boy Scout or not. And even when they aren't banned b/c of weather, there are areas that are considered "leave no trace" and ground fires aren't allowed.

Sorry, didn't mean to go off at a tangent. (on a tangent? hmmm.)

I'Cin

[willow of the wooded fortress]

Wow. That is a tough one. It's scary actually. I have mixed feelings, we all want drunk drivers off the roads but......:-? :shock: ::readcar: I wonder how GW would have delt with this years ago?::whistle::

[Mistress Lisette]

I wonder how GW would have delt with this years ago?::whistle::
He was too busy getting high on coke...

Anywho, I'm glad they've suspended this goofy sting operation, what with Scarby on and an upcoming conference I'm going to in, yep, Irving. I wonder what will happen with all the people already ticketed and/or arrested?

[Selena]

That was my one worry about coming to Texas.

I admit I like a bit of the grape....... I just didn't want to end up in jail for it. :unamused:

Rumor had it this past weekend of Scarborough that TABC agents were out there looking for flasks and allegedly could search people. I hadn't heard of any problems, though.

I would like to dare them to even attempt to search my person without a warrant and probable cause. Flask= accessory to my garb.

[willow of the wooded fortress]

It's crazy how much has changed since the 60's. My husband is 14 years my senior, I affectionately call him "my aging hippie". The things he did in the 60's and 70's just can't fly anymore. Festivals and concerts use to be a sanctuary for debauchery. I mean we don't want sloppy drunks running around, but come on....

[Selena]

Festivals and concerts use to be a sanctuary for debauchery. I mean we don't want sloppy drunks running around, but come on....


that's why one of my favorite sayings is, "Do it today, for it may become illegal tomorrow." One of the best bumper stickers I ever saw.

[Cyranno DeBoberac]

"John Kelso column
Arresting people in bars for being drunk: Isn't that like busting the Boy Scouts for building campfires?"
It's like arresting priests for raping little boys.

[willow of the wooded fortress]

Touche Cyrannno, that's a good one!:aok: :haloslip:

[Savantage]

*quoted from Article* Participating officers are instructed to a look for a collection of behaviors, including stumbling, an inability to stand or being inappropriately loud. ***
So I guess that means if you're deaf, hard of hearing or in a wheelchair you'd better stay at home? and if you can walk better be careful and not trip on anything? I hate to say it but they need to consider that a person talking loudly doesn't mean that they're drunk, a person may stumble for many reasons, if the need is there just check them when they try and leave.

[MoonWench]

I wouldn't set foot in a bar in Texas if this law was enforced. See, I don't drink. At all. Am always the DD. But I am a loud, fun loving, and sometimes silly person. I have been known to dance on bars and be just as wild as my intoxicated friends. So the question stands, would they arrest me? That thought is scary.