I though Texas was smarter than this...
 

Isn't this entrapment?

Either way, it goes way over the line.

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

Wow, next thing you know they will be looking for potential felons in the state senate.

Gotta love those Texicans.... they think of everything.

There are a lot of dangerous and stupid things people do when they're intoxicated, other than get behind the wheel of a car [...]
People walk out into traffic and get run over, people jump off of balconies trying to reach a swimming pool and miss.

Hell, people do that stuff sober

"i don't want to be drunk in public, i want to be drunk in a bar"-ron white

Carolyn Beck: "We *feel* that the only way we're going to get at the drunk driving problem and the problem of people hurting each other while drunk is by crackdowns like this,"...
~~~~~~~~~
Too much feeeeling goin' on in this country - not enough thinking.
Cultural Marxism is alive and thriving in Amerika.

The sadest part is they had to go to 36 bars to get 30 drunk people.

One more neuron and Ms. Beck could make a synapse. F*cking moron. She's much more dangerous than a drunk in a bar.

Maybe we should arrest Ms. Beck for public stupidity. I feel it may be the only way to get at the stupid public servant problem and the problem of public officials doing incredibly stupid things is by crackdowns like this...

What is the standard for intoxication? The same as for driving? What can they do if your refuse a breathalizer? Take away your right to walk? Texas is looking like a big joke.

Darwin at work. Leave 'em alone...

Similar stuff has happened here in Northern Va. Seems that the bars are 'open to the public' so the cops stroll in. Then they target 'potential' drunks and ask them if they would submit to a 'random' breathilyzer test.

When they fail, they are escorted out and downtown. Sucks !!

No drinking in bars? Next thing you know, they'll try to ban smoking in any indoors area.

What is the statue for public drunkeness? Do they define it by a certain % blood alcohol. Or are they using the standard set down for driving?

I blame the press - they have for years being using the term "legally drunk" - when you have in fact have had too much to drive legally.

>Darwin at work. Leave 'em alone...

LOL :D Seriously though, this is ridiculous! I can support staking out bars looking for drunk people GETTING INTO THEIR CARS, but for crying out loud!

Is there anything about Texas that doesn't suck?

Re: I though Texas was smarter than this...
 

Only if the cops are buying the drinks.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/support/smileys/pint1.gif

Re: Re: I though Texas was smarter than this...
 

I thought I remember hearing about a case where a judge ruled that cops waiting outside of bars to arrest drunk drivers was entrapment. How can actually going into bars be better? I don't know what court (state, federal) decided the case, and therefore don't know the scope of the precedent.

They already do that in Cali. No smoking in anyplace including bars. Actually I think that Dallas is coming in a close second. I believe Dallas has a law, no smoking in stores, restaurants, etc... unless at least 75% of the income is due to alcohol. So in Dallas you can still smoke in bars at least. I think it's funny to drive past a bar in Cali and see 5 guys standing on the sidewalk out front smoking.

I take no offense, I'm not a native, and would gladly leave. Not all Texans are dumb, but there are enough.

Yes please stay away, it sucks bad down here. Tell all the others trying to move here that it sucks and will continue to suck even if they do come.

Finally, someone is bagging on Baja Oklahoma instead of Kalifornia ;) .

Re: Re: Re: I though Texas was smarter than this...
 

My wife has prosecuted many cases where cops sit outside the parking lots of bars, and nab people as they get in their cars. If any judge ruled this way he was surely overturned.

"The goal, she said, was to detain drunks before they leave a bar and go do something dangerous like drive a car."

I say BRAVO! job well done! In fact we should take this to the next logical step and start arresting people before they get drunk!

we're going to need a bigger jail

Yes, clearly the only way to prevent people from getting drunk is to arrest them all.

A nice neighborhood type bar, cops watching it at closing time. First guy to come out the door, stumbles & staggers to his car parked in the lot...fumbles in all his pockets, finds keys, spends 30 seconds trying to get them in the lock, finally gets the door open. He then falls heavily into the seat, and after stabbing blindly at the ignition lock several times, starts the car. The car rolls forward a bit, then stops as he puts on his seat belt. He pulls onto the street, cops following. They pull him over 3 blocks later, give him the tests...the tube blows ZERO. He explains that he sometimes has problems with balance, but he's okay to drive, really. Cops go back to the bar parking lot. It's empty. Yep, the designated decoy strikes again! :p

It is not California(that is good)

Sounds a bit like "Majority Report"......Stop the criminal before he or she even knows they are going to do something criminal...

If New-Jersey is the armpit of the USA, then, clearly, Texas would be its a-hole. That does not suck, but it stinks.

Aurel

Its the democrats trying to make a name for civic responcibility - they have been making a run at various seats - also, the S. Baptists are a strong right with clout - a few things going on plus there seems to be a large amount of drunk drivers killing families. It all adds up a very aggresive no nonsense attack on drunk drivers. Unfortunitly it does inpact civil liberties.

Originally posted by HardDrive
Is there anything about Texas that doesn't suck?

Got an hour?

yes, no state income tax and a conservative Guvnah. Loose gun policy, and still being able to smoke cigars in a lot of bars.

The state is going to suck millions more people in during the next 10 years.

Oh, and the fact we don't have many morons making douchebag statements about what they don't know!

I'm just curious , if a bar calls itself a private club and charges everyone entering a dollar to join , wouldn't this make the establishment private and no longer public ?

Sounds like you've been to Salt Lake City.

All you have to do is have the Police target the favorite watering holes of a few of her friends and politicians. Or...

Catch her at her department Xmas party(s) or functions she attends where alcohol is served, have the cops bust in and arrest the suspected drunks. Or...

Find the favorite watering hole of the local police officers and demand that they enforce the law at that bar.

That'll be the end of the her career and this practice.

When I was doing an install in Fort Worth just up the street from TCU (home of the horned lizards... or as some of us say horrny toads). There was a nice seafood place a block away where we would often drop into the bar after a night on the town for a night cap, the bar was usually very busy. Sunday early afternoon my co-worker was doing laundry so I told him I would meet him there for lunch. I walk in the bar, order a beer, start watching football and the bartender and I strike up a conversation about motorcycles. After a while I notice the bar is empty (large bar open to the restaurant) even thought the restaurant is about half full and the bartender tells me "oh yeah, it's Sunday"
Freaked me out a little.

Wow hard drive did you really think you were going to get away with that?
"Don't mess with Texas"

How is this different from arresting people who smoke pot or snort cocaine? They all involve a "Minority Report" approach to crime. Rather than arest people who have already commited bad acts, arrest people who are simply likely to commit future bad acts - as determined by the chemicals they are ingesting.

They are arrested for having an illegal controlled substance in there possession. Shall we start arresting people who drive Porches because they might speed? In fact don't Porsche owner show a tendency to exceed the speed limit?

In Va the limit is .08% blood alcohol content. If you are in a bar and it's open to the public you are (a stretch here) in public. You could be arrested if your are over the limit!!

The trick is that people have to 'agree' to submit to a "voluntary" test. Most would assume it's safe regardless because they are inside the bar. Wrong!

It is the ultimate harassment, MO :mad:

I am amazed you can even get drunk in Texas. As I recall, trying tom have a big night in Dallas was either impossible or commenced at midday because you couldnt buy alcohol after midnight.

Fortunately you coud still buy a gun at midnight, so we did that and robbed a liquor store instead.

That is exactly my point. Pot and cocaine are illegal because people who consume them might do bad things while under the influence - not because they already have. The case in Texas is based on an eerily similar argument.

Hay, look at it this way. They are taking a proactive role. It may be unconstititional but at least it is action!

or Dallas, since much of it is "dry".