tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400574.post1000599754767130850..comments2024-03-29T01:09:22.557-07:00Comments on Paying attention: The breathalyzer scandalUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400574.post-77806529435479398242010-11-26T14:40:19.304-08:002010-11-26T14:40:19.304-08:00Well Graham it appears you really want to punish o...Well Graham it appears you really want to punish others who perhaps drive less safely than possible because they had a pint or too, while excusing completely folks like yourself that are at times many times more impaired because of distraction, health and emotional issues. <br /><br />That is hypocracy sir.<br /><br />We could almost eliminate traffic fatalities if all occupants of a vehicle wore NASCAR approved clothing and helmets as well. Where does it all end. <br /><br />Do we bankrupt the nation to save one life!!!!sethnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400574.post-4399080312319408232010-11-25T16:31:44.353-08:002010-11-25T16:31:44.353-08:00Seth, a Hypocrite is one who "professes belie...Seth, a Hypocrite is one who "professes beliefs and opinions that he or she does not hold in order to conceal his or her real feelings or motives". In fact, come to think about it, it's not likely that very many of us could plead entirely innocent to the charge. But still, while not denying that I am one, I don't see how you concluded that from my comments above. Is it my characterization of alcohol as a drug and my use of charged language such as "peddling" to characterize its sale? In my opinion there is a huge disconnect for most people when it comes to the entire "gestalt" of alcohol versus all of the "illegal" mood and perception altering drugs, but I would say that those who argue for the toleration of drinking drivers "because, yeh but, it's legal" are possibly even more hypocritical than I (I mean about this one subject - I might be just as or even more hypocritical than most when it comes to other subjects).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400574.post-87572075903196526192010-11-25T10:54:53.550-08:002010-11-25T10:54:53.550-08:00Ya know we should have private detectives follow h...Ya know we should have private detectives follow hypocrites like Graham here around. If they are ever ever caught driving a car with a cold, after a fight with the wife or boss, seen talking to a front seat passenger, or driving and adjusting his radio, he should be arrested for impaired driving and given a mandatory 1 year jail sentence.<br /><br />It is no wonder our politicians are all half wits with voters like Graham.sethnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400574.post-39356285627495605102010-11-24T23:29:12.841-08:002010-11-24T23:29:12.841-08:00Let’s be honest about what really happened here. ...Let’s be honest about what really happened here. The court system is in chaos. Not enough judges, cases being postponed, and now even hi-profile cases are being dismissed because of the lack of judges or available court time. And of course Mike de Jong does not want to put in any more money to fix the problem (that was all spent on Basi-Virk). But He does want to run for Premier apparently.<br /><br />So what cases are most clogging up the court system? Drunk driving cases. The bread butter of a segment of the legal profession. These cases not only tie up a fair bit of the courts time, they also tie up the time of law enforcement who often waste time having to appear in court. The solution? Change the law, well really skirt the law by basically decriminalizing drunk driving. Drink as much as you want, you will NOT be charged criminally, you will instead get a mandatory 90 day suspension, a 30 day vehicle impoundment and roughly $ 4,000 in fines and other costs.<br /><br />Sounds like a perfect solution ? The only problem of course is that the new penalties never see the courtroom. Your average three years of experience twenty something police officer now get’s to be judge, jury, and executioner. And if they had a bad day, don’t like you, or whatever the case may be, good luck to you. We already knew we had an accountability problem with the RCMP in this province so what does Mike DeJong do ? He gives them more power with even less accountability. Small wonder they will not publicly release the RCMP audit.<br /><br />These new laws are a smokescreen to ultimately fleece more money out of people, and to keep those same people out of the court system by design. None of us support drunk drivers but this new legislation is not the answer. It is a glorified tax grab. I will say it has had success though in keeping cases out of the courts, and also keeping people out of pubs, bars, and restaurants too. Eventually this is going to take a toll on BC Lotteries as well (that are often sold within these same establishments) maybe then the government will finally take notice. Someone should ask the BC Lottery group if sales are down much like everything else is.<br /><br /><br />If anyone is serious about becoming the next Premier they need to start by fixing this mess that Mike DeJong created.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400574.post-78014453797536733472010-11-24T20:36:45.245-08:002010-11-24T20:36:45.245-08:00Any measuring device has a built in error, and tha...Any measuring device has a built in error, and that applies to blood level meters just as much as any other measuring instrument.<br /><br />Since the law sets .05 as a special level the meter should have been set slightly higher than this to avoid having penalties for those who are under .05. There is a chance that someone at .049 could be improperly punished.<br /><br />So moving to .06 seems like a good idea to me. It is just a fact of life that no measurement is free of possible error. Of course that should have been done first, not after an interval, and that seems to me to be where the mistake lies.<br /><br />I am no friend of this government but let's not be unjust about this. As another poster says, if you have to wonder if you are at or over .05 then you just shouldn't drive, period.Ed Seedhousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05193005256681783842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400574.post-85324450715578311292010-11-24T13:14:10.283-08:002010-11-24T13:14:10.283-08:00There are obviously a lot of folks who think they ...There are obviously a lot of folks who think they know that it is safe for them to drink and drive. It is not, and what's worse, they make the roads unsafe for me and mine. Zero tolerance should be the measure for driving any vehicle on a public road. It is a shame that so many restaurateurs have come to depend on the peddling of a drug, albeit legal, to make their living, and now feel compelled to make excuses for drinking drivers. That's too bad, but I don't see why their making a profit should trump another's right to safer roads and highways. Save yourself the angst and the headaches - don't drink and drive. But save your crocodile tears for all those drinking drivers who received a roadside suspension they were only under the influence by 0.0495 rather than 0.050. That's exactly the kind of rediculous hair-splitting that legal defense lawyers get paid for, and that resulted in the so very unsatisfactory status quo, prior to the recent and very welcome increased sanctions. <br /><br />Raymond GrahamAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1400574.post-11977833936074833582010-11-24T12:28:04.167-08:002010-11-24T12:28:04.167-08:00The T-C's editorial missed its mark.
The Real...The T-C's editorial missed its mark.<br /><br /><b>The Real Breathalyzer Scandal</b><br /><br />Gosh, what a coincidence.<br /><br />Ex RCMP and now Solicitor General Rich Coleman publicly mulls rolling back new blood-alcohol level law. Coleman needs time to figure out a politically palatable way to flip flop on drunk driving while keeping his premiership hopes alive.<br /><br />Lo and behold another ex horseman comes charging to the rescue in the form of Victoria police Chief Jamie Graham who declares that certain devices need to be taken off the streets for some time.<br /><br />Who decided that the devices needed to be recalibrated? The RCMP.<br /><br />Who's looking to keep their lucrative BC contract? The RCMP.<br /><br />Too cute.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com