Madd Founder Candice Lightner

My name is Erica Lightner And Im candice lightner's granddaughter. I love what she did and im so proud of her . my dad(travis) told me the story of aunt carie and i know the story.

Great work to Candice Lightener but your granddaughter should really go to school to learn to spell...

The tirade Ms Lightner began back in the 80's has long since spiralled out of control since her departure, and despite the tragedy she endured; the amount of unnecessary control she's exerted and lives ruined by the punitive measures she helped initiate has outweighed her pain. Period. Anyway you'd like to quantify it, her daughter has been avenged, and now we have passed over into victimization and prohibition.
An equivalent situation might be: I get diahrrea from a burrito I eat at a Taqueria, and right away begin an all out war on Immigration. Or a black man mugs me once, so I begin calling the police to report suspicious activities any time I see an African-Americann anywhere. An exaggeration? Hardly. Drinking is NOT illegal but has been criminalized to such a high degree that the only next step available is the complete erradication of alcohol altogether. I can only imagine how many spouses and children of convicted DUI offenders have had to suffer every day that their loved one remained a criminal. This includes- becoming flat broke from DUI fines, loss of employment due to suspended license. These methods of punishment have pushed many on the poverty line into homelessness, and yet, those that seem to care the least (actors, politicians, celebrities) seem to be punished the least as well. Their pocketbooks provide a thick shielding against the true financial drain
a DUI can be.Can we really stand behind legislation that makes one mistake cause your whole life to fall apart with no chance of ever recovering? I'd love to see how many suicides are related to DUI convictions. There's a hard stat to come by. And yet they have the clairvoyance to assess hoe many accidents have been PREVENTED?? Right. Real convincing stats.
My pops always said, Take responsibility or someone else will take it for you...
Well what about when a group has stripped us of our rights, and not allowed us to prove responsibility, yet saddled us with all the liability in the world in order to remain in power.
When will we stop the zealots from shifting our free society into a prison that they designed in order to make them(self appointed judge-jury-AND-executioner) feel secure?
Maybe we won't feel the need to act until they've taken away all of our rights completely, but by then it will surely be far too late .

This comment is for YH who wrote the idiotic comment above! YOu should be ashamed of yourself! You would not feel that way if you had lost a loved one due to the selfish act of a DUI driver. I was hit by a 6 time repeat offender and nearly lost my life. I spent 2 years in a hospital learning to do all the things that you probably take for granted. I applaud the movement that Candi Lightner started and I will do EVERYTHING in my power to stop drunk driving. I do not, however, have anything against alcohol, as long as it is consumed responsibly. Maybe that is your underlying problem - you do not know how to be responsible and do not like the consequences. Too bad. People know the laws, if they break them and hurt or kill someone, they should be tried for attempted murder and murder. As angry as I am at YOU for your stupidity I do not wish the pain and suffering that I have been through at the hands of a drunk driver. Not to mention that my 4 year old niece was killed by yet another repeat DUI offender. Please grow up.

drunk driving is one thing... criminalizing a million people a year because of a personal vendetta because of a person who caused you harm is another. Even the founder of MADD, Candace Lightner (god bless her) stated that the newer goals of MADD were neo-prohibitionist, that the real problem lies at drivers at 0.15 and above, and the system letting them go, not lower the BAC, etc. I feel incredibly bad for your situation J Phillips, but I would also like to know the BAC of these persons who victimized you and your family. Would these incidents (I am very careful not to use the word "accidents" here) have happened if the driver was stone cold sober? Please note, the number of "drunk" driving deaths are declining, but the overall automobile deaths are rising... see any disparagy here?

This comment is for Don posted above. I do not have a personal vendetta against anyone. In fact I have forgiven the man that hurt me. I know that he wasn't a bad person, and that alcohol causes poor judgement. However, I USED to work for MADD but left because I had a different opinion on certain things. And I appreciate you not calling them "accidents". However, laws are laws. Anyone who breaks any of them should be punished! And people know the risks of driving under the influence and are gambling with theirs and other innocent people's lives. Like playing Russian Roulette. Sometimes it might end up without harm to anyone, and sometimes it could be fatal. I believe education is the key, not the miracle cure. The BAC of my crash was over a .10 and the one that killed my niece was merely at the limit. And if both of the drivers of my crash and my nieces had been sober, they would not have been on the wrong side of the road and hit us head on. Yes the number of DUI deaths is declining and that is great but is it down enough if one of those numbers is someone you love? Last year I was hit by a driver high on meth doing over a 100mph! Its not just alcohol we have to worry about.

Against the law means someone should automatically be punished. With total disregard to that individual's personal rights and civil liberties. If laws are such a noble concept, why are they always being changed and/or repealed? I could list all the downright silly to absolutely heinous laws this country has had in the past, but that would make this an incredibly long post. Just because something is law does NOT make it right. Laws are made by humans, humans are flawed and often times driven more by emotion than common sense or logic. Case in point, studies have shown that cell phone use is more dangerous than drunk driving. Some states have already taken action, and I applaud them for that, but these same states do not take away that persons license automatically, charge them insanely high court costs, nearly ensure that person has to hire a lawyer and pay high costs, face jail time and/or community service, an alcohol interlock device (should cell phone users/offenders have a disabler installed in their vehicle?) public humiliation, loss of employment, suicide for being treated so harshly, etc. And this can all happen at the whim of a police officer. Even though proven more dangerous than "drunk" driving, no "Candace Lightner" has decided to start an organization to end this activity that takes many lives every year, been taken over by zealots over the years (anti technology freaks) and escalated to making literally millions of people criminals because of a vendetta. I believe the highways should be made safer, but in an intelligent, rational, and logical way; not based in emotion. I truly empathize with what has happened to you, but I also invite you to consider the fallout of punishing every one for a few peoples mistakes. If you have not watched them, I recommend the following movies as a warning to where this country is steadily heading; Minority Report, Judge Dredd (crappy movie, but pertinent), V for Vendetta, Gattaca and Aeon Flux. I am certain there are more, but if you have seen them, watch them again (hell, I will send you the money to rent them if necessary) and pay attention to what happens when liberties are eroded from individuals. These movies are intentended as entertainment of course, but they also hold a warning for the future. I also invite you to check out some links on my website that give further insight to what I am talking about http://www.webspawner.com/users/poelf/index.html. It is a terrible occasion when someone incurs personal injury or death due to someone elses irresponsibility, it is also a terrible occasion when a responsible person is punished due to someone elses irresponsibility.

I'd just like to comment on these posts. I've been a victim of a driver/pedestrian "accident". The driver who ran me over was totally stone sober. I spent 2 weeks in the hospital in intensive care. Spent another 2 months at home under "observation", and was only then allowed to return to school. I'm also a victim of receiving a DUI. An unfairly and unjust check point was established which I was forced into. That's called entrapment boys and girls. Anyway, the laws and fines associated with DUIs are only in existence to create revenue for the State. Period. There are more people killed in "accidents" that do not involve alcohol than there are that do involve alcohol. Check the web, there's all kinds of stats you can look up about the "bad science" MADD uses in order to convey their message. While you're at it, look up the earning figures for the MADD executives. And also remember it's a tax exempt corporation. FREE MONEY!!!! One again the almighty dollar making the world go 'round. One other point I wanted to make was the law here in the glorious Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, restricts COD (commercial drivers license) drivers (think big rig drivers) from renewing their license, ever again. Just after their first offense. But the surgeon who may be cutting your head or chest open gets a slap on the wrist. That's somewhat ironic to me. I have to agree with Don as per posted above. Go watch the movies he listed. It's a sickening realization to the future this p.o.s. country is heading for. I'm on the next boat outta here if you ask me. And would someone please teach "Erica" how to spell? Maybe some of the MADD money should be used towards educating the youth of the nation. Instead of being use to incriminate it. And lastly, remember the only certainty in life is death (more irony). If you die from an alcohol related "accident", it's probably better than suffering the horror of cancer. Just a thought.

Am I reading this right? You have suddenly jumped ship on the whole alcohol issue and now have brought illegal drugs into the picture. Perfect and you said you didn't mind responsible consumption. It really is hard to believe your not pushing for the complete prohibition of alcohol and even then do you think it is going to prevent all alcohol related crashes? Hardly, now instead of a peaceful drunk pulling over calmly, they are going to be evading police and surely putting inocent lives in danger. Whatever your agenda may be, I dont like it and it is truely against every aspect are founders fought for. But then again, I couldn't expect any of you to know what freedom is.

For all that have been injured by drunk drivers, I get it. The question is why is alcohol legal if it is such a horrible thing. I sit in my DUI class listening to my teacher tell me that she had a 30 year meth/speed habit and she has gone 10 days without sleeping and driven a car when she was imagining things coming at her, and she wants ZERO TOLERANCE for people drinking. I drank from 18 til 43 moderately and never had a problem...Was I over the limit, hell yes but that doesn't mean drunk. This law is destroying lives and criminalizing millions of people who have never committed a crime in their life. When you suspend a person's liciese for a year(even to go to work) you destroy families. After a hard days work, going to a bar for pitcher has become Russian roulette. Police officers are some of the biggest drinkers but they have to go and enforce .08 for everyone else and then sleep at night. This law and now domestic violence laws have given lawyers the right to make EASY MONEY for doing NOTHING but getting someone the same plea deal they could have gotten without them. If you take a DUI charge to a jury you could end up doing 6 months to a year in prison. Here in California with all the gangbangers in prison, that could be a death sentence. Personally I think the cameras in the police cars should be removed cause the cops have to do a thankless job and they are being USED AS MUCH AS ANYONE. It is all about money and destroying average americans lives. If i wanted to have a couple of beers and walk my dog, due to ZERO TOLERANCE I would be looking at another DUI. MADD has destroyed more lives then it could have saved and financially destroyed people to the point where they might be drinking MORE THEN EVER to deal with all the stress. I feel sorry for the 21 year olds who want to hang out with their friends on a weekend at a bar or nightclub in California, they are truly screwed and DUI charges will destroy families in the process. It is pathetic.

"Please note, the number of "drunk" driving deaths are declining, but the overall automobile deaths are rising... see any disparagy here?" pretty much explains the whole problem. Even IF drining drivers CAUSED 20% of the accidents, that means that EIGHTY PERCENT of the accidents are CAUSED by non-drinking drivers. iow,that would mean that you're four TIMES as likely to be in an accident with a non-drinkig driver than a drinking driver. BUT, I've researched the FARS data base everyway but Sunday and at MOST 4% of all accidents INVOLVE a drinking driver, but are not CAUSED by a drinking driver. So people who have NOT been drinking are at least TWENTY FOUR TIMES more likely to CAUSE an accident than a drinking driver.

Plus, women are 50% more likely tban men at any BAC level, including ZERO, to have an accident, according to multiple NHTSA studies.

4:24 means nothing without knowing the ratio of drunk driving hours vs nondrunk driving hours.

Two "mathematically extreme" examples to more clearly illustrate. 1st example:
James O'Skeeve releases 4 "works" of "investigative journalism". All 4 are hoaxes.
Also, a large corporate operative of "Teh MSM" releases 1000's of "works" of "investigative journalism". Flaws or prevarication are spotted in 12 of these.
Result: foxpravda "admits" once that O'Skeeve may have erred a little, while foxdroids forever wail, "Mommmmyyyyy! The big bad MSM are Nazis!"

2nd example: driver Bob, has drove UI *only once* for a total of 6 hours, during which he mowed 3 stop signs, splintered 30ft of two fences, and caused $45k of body damage to multiple vehicles.
However, driver Bob has also driven 10,000 hours over 10 years, not UI, during which he once accidentally backed into another car while leaving a tight parallel parking spot, and another time backed over his child's tricycle left in the driveway. $600 in damage (mostly, plastic tailight replacement).
Result: "OMG! Bob is 2:1 more dangerous while driving sober! Quick! Install a kegger/likker injection system into Bob's driver's seat before Bob kills someone!"

you don't mention whether the driver who hit you was drunk at the time or not. Or the driver that hit and killed your niece. Assuming they were, however, isn't this evidence that D.U.I. laws did nothing to prevent your injuries and your niece's death? If lower and lower BAC limits aren't preventing these tragedies, what is their purpose?

Funny, no mention of how Candy's departure from the MADD scene came about though her OWN DUI arrest !

Please check your facts before posting something like this. It is not true.

While I can empathize with your loss; the comment by YH concerning the overreach of these DUI laws and the shredding of our civil rights is very accurat. The law is not written for your feelings, but for some fairness and balance in our society. The person who chose to drive drunk and cause your loss broke the law, but that should not give you or any legislature recourse to deprive the rest of us of our liberties. MADD is not about preventing drunk driving, it is about prohibition. Politicians love MADD because this emotional tirade gives them the shelter to hide behind while they deprive us of further rights. If you are so concerned about this issue, then why not be proactive and have breathylizers in every bar, so patrons can make sure they are not legally impaired. Again, this is not about prevention, but about prohibition and revenge. I think MADD has such excesses now that THEY need a 12-step program. MADD is action like the classic 'dry drunk.' And, NO I WILL NOT APOLOGIZE FOR DEMANDING MY RIGHTS. IF YOU DON'T LIKE WHAT I HAVE TO SAY THEN DON'T LISTEN.

I AGREE THAT BEING IRRATIONAL IF THE MESSAGE GETS UNDERSTOOD. VERY CLEARLY. GETTING DIAHRHEA DIAHRHEA IMMATURE FROM A MEXICAN RESTAURANT EQUIVALENT TO A TIJUANA JAIL. IS IN KNOW WAY COMMON SENSE THEN BY A DRUNK OR MEDICATION NOT MEDITATION FROM A MOTHER WHOSE DAUGHTER AND A SISTER WAS KILLED BY A DRUNK DRIVER. I WENT TO SCHOOL WITH TRAVIS LIGHTNER AS I RECALL I SET RIGHT NEXT 2 HIM OR AROUND HIM. TO EVEN COMPARE THE PAINS OF GROWING UP AND GROWING PAINS SHE MISSED B/C OF LACK OF CONSEQUENCES AND ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT. YOU WILL BE ARRESTED IF YOU DRUNK DRIVE ON ALCOHOL OR ANYTHING ELSE. STIFFER LAWS, STIFFER PENALTIES, FINES FEES AND RESTITUTION AND PUNISHMENT.

Does a thief have a right to complain about being caught? If I write a check that has no funds, should I have the right to complain to the bank for my lack of responsibility? Just in case you were wondering, the answers to these questions above is the same: Hell no. Adults, (and I use the term loosely) please take responsibility for your own actions. Rather than whine about the "harsh" consequences of a DUI, take control of your lives by not drinking and driving. The matter is quite simple. An individual who knows they have to drive home and yet chooses to consume any mood altering substance despite all the possible consequences is one who does not have control over the substance they are using. Inherently these individuals have a serious problem. Lets even get away from drugs and alcohol for a second. We are all forced to make choices on a daily basis. It is our responsibility to make informed choices and choose those options that will bring about the most benefits. Ignorance is not an excuse for avoiding punishment for our choices. DUI laws are very well known by lay persons. Therefore, those of you who have received a DUI were most likely informed of the implications of drinking and driving long before your arrest. I know several individuals who have been convicted of a DUI. Some friends and even family. The only unfortunate part of a DUI is that these individuals have some unresolved issue either within themselves or with friends and family. From very personal experiences I can assure you that people that have been convicted of DUI are better off. Sometimes this is the only way that these individuals are able to get help. I am in no way shape or form stating that all people who drink and drive have some mental or emotional deficiency. Some people simply lack the responsibility to make the "adult" choice.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is why there is an established drinking age. Children "for the most part" (because I have met some teenagers that are more mature and wiser than many adults I know) lack the responsibility to use mood altering substances in a responsible and safe manner.

We live in the United States of America. If any of you have a problem with the laws then do something about it or move to a third world country where there are little to no laws regarding these issues. No one will care how irresponsible you are and therefore can drink and drive all you want.

Moral of the story people is "Get your shit straight. Lets take a long look at ourselves before we start pointing fingers."

Europe doesn't restrict kids from drinking...they are not third world.
The moral of your story is good...as long as you are including MADD. Nobody in this free land should be forced to deal with more restrictions, maybe forced to deal with making adult decisions, but STOP telling me what I can and can't do with my life.
As someone that has experience with DUIs (personally and family), I am deeply offended by your comment that people that get them have mental deficiency. In addition, you follow that sentence trying to explain that is not what you said. Are you employed by Obama? Sounds like the health care bill that was reduce costs, now the truth comes out the costs will rise for 10 years at least (we only forecast out 10 years, go figure).
Generalizing such large groups of people together to make a point is very dangerous and reduces your credibility.
Would I prefer breathalyzers in bars? Sure, then people could at least know if they were legal or not. Better yet, if that is the true goal, then just make it illegal to drive if you've had a drink within 4 hours. Obviously the goal is to fleece more money from the populace. Leaning of the salaries that MADD workers get is also disgusting. What happened to civic responsibility and the associated groups that were volunteers out to do the right thing?
These laws don't prevent the action from happening. Logical decision based on common sense would though. That takes education, not fear. Someday I hope there will be a society on this planet that can understand learning and positive reinforcement are FAR more valuable and offer much more substantial rewards than imposing the opinions of some on all.
The more we move forward, the further back we fall. That is lack of planning and foresight. Which leads right into cell phones. Nobody even considered what impact they'd have on drivers when they first hit the market. Heck, it took 20 years before anyone even mentioned they could be related. It'll be 20 more before the scientific community can say with any certainty that yes, cell phones can cause cancer. Again, common sense. You have beams of energy directed at your body whenever you carry it and it's on. Do you really believe the phone catches the entire signal? Anyone that has ever experienced a dropped call should know better.
In the end, each of us must live and die with our decisions.
I hope you don't regret yours.

Nicely said. Please take responsibity for yourself and pay attention to what you are doing, drunk or sober. But please if you drive the limit is one or two no more. Show them you are responsible. It is only going to get worse here and the limit will be none soon. But in the mean time show your maturity and you will not have to pay huge fines and get dragged through the mad by the courts, family, work and friends. So sad it is this way.

Yh - it is now 2011 and your comment is still accurate. MADD and the politicians have taken this situation from one of "lets get the alcholic off the road" to "anyone that takes a drink, drives and gets stopped should be punished for the rest of their lives". You notice they are still playing the game of lets see if you think you're lucky enough to drive because if they really wanted to get the drunk drive off the road, they would put the responsibility and more penalty on the bar. If you really wanted to protect society, why would you allow bars to serve and let people walk out the door. I realize this would not prevent people from drinking and driving from home. We could even go so far as to penalize the person that hosts a party and lets people walk from the party. Why not, MADD says they want to protect society from harm, so if the driver gets punished, why not the host of the party who let them drive. It's supposed to be about responsibility, but it isn't. It's about giving the police one more thing to do and putting money in the pocket of the criminal justice system. Now, I'm probably taking away the freedom that you mentioned, but why just pick on the driver. There are so many people who drive when they shouldn't, it's not just the person who had a couple of drinks, but what about the person who hasn't had enought sleep.......I just think the laws are out of wack and need to be realinged. The penalties only hurt the ones that get caught without doing anything. The ones that kill someone are charged with that - killing someone and the DUI doesn't mean a thing in that case, then it's just an excuse, it wouldn't have happened if the person was sober, but would it?

Back in the 1960s, my mother had been drinking and driving MANY times. She alone, and with us sons in the car were pulled over and they, the nice policemen would tell her to follow them, the police, to our home. She never got arrested for a DUI. She had accidents, messy ones, with alcohol in her. Never a ticket. She never had a license until she was 63, just over 3 years before she died. Go figure.

I, on the other hand continued in her legacy and paid through the _ _ _ and it cost lots of money. I finally woke up. I know about the system we have now. More people and many more problems.

We have lost many freedoms partly because we have abused them and pushed the law too far. Everyone is guilty, including religions and the governments.

We have a lot of work to do my friends. Never give up. Work to change policy locally and statewide. Then, watch your congressman like a hawk. Make sure you know every time he goes to the bathroom. Know his voting record and hold him accountable. I no longer hate any one because I understand what greed and jealousy can do to nice people.

what kind of hurtful person are you? is that the only thing you have to say to that little girl. what if she was very young when she wrote that? you are just what this world doesn't need, more pain!!! how dare you? i can just imagine this girls heart being hurt when she read your comment. that the only thing you had to say was that crap. you go around and break little kids hearts much? i bet you do. you're evil.

With regard to the comment "what kind of hurtful person are you? is that the only thing you have to say to that little girl", I do believe it was such fuzzy logic which created this entire mad MADD paradigm, which has DESTROYED our culture, not to mention any vestiges of the US Constitution.

In this neck of the woods, adults MUST correct such horrible spelling no matter how "hurtful" someone thinks it might be.

Hello Erica! I would love to talk to you if you are interested. You're grandmother Candi has been my inspiration for the last 20 years. She is an incredible person who has changed millions of lives, mine included. MADD helped my mother back in 1983 when I was 16 and was hit by a drunk driver. Please tell her that I am one of her biggest fans. You can email me at stopDUI@gmail.com. I hope to hear from you soon!

Hey Erica!

My friends and I are working on a project for National History Day. We have decided to do your grandmother for our project. We would like to contact her in some way, but we just can not find anything. We live in Alexandria Virginia as well and we really need to get working on our project. Do you think you could maybe give us an address or email? We are doing a documentary, and would LOVE if we could get a short interview. If you would, pass this on to your grandmother that would be so wonderful.

thanks a lot,
Becca,Fatima and Michelle

yah, give me your email and ill give it to her to email you back. my email is ericalightner@yahoo.com

ok. my email is guitaramp101@gmail.com

thank you SOOO much!!

Here's my concern. My girlfriend receieved a d.u.i. after drinking about 10 oz of beer. We arrived to the bar and almost immediately had to give a friend a ride home because he had too much to drink and we didn't want him driving. We were pulled over for a minor traffic infraction and the police smelled alcohol in the car, from our friend. They obviously questioned my girlfriend and she told them then she drank about a 1/2 pint of beer. She weighs about 100 pounds and blew a .08 and was taken to jail. Because of this she lost her license for 6 months. During that time she had to quit college as well as her job as they were both more then 20 minutes away. Up to that point she had never been arrested and was well upon her way to a successfull life. The d.u.i. caused her to put her life on hold and it took her years to be able to get back to a point which she could return and finally finish college. I do believe that drinking and driving can be a bad thing if you're actually drunk. I also believe that reading, texting, talking, laughing, joking, and generally not paying attention while driving is also very dangerous. Only difference is people do not have their lives ruined by the police and state for g.o.w.d. or goofing off while driving. I believe that the punishment should fit the crime. When a person goes through a personal tradgedy they want to lash out and blame others for their own situations. My girlfriend had nothing to to with killing anyone's loved ones or ruining lives. All she was doing was giving a friend a ride who would have driven drunk had we not helped. This country is growing so increasingly ridiculous in it's judgement on both sides of the law. A person has two beers and their life is ruined. I am sorry to families who have lost loved ones, it's a tradgedy but it isn't fair to inflict harm because harm has been inflicted upon you. I think Candice Lightner is an angry person and if it is true that she has had multiple d.u.i.'s then she is a hipocrate as well.

Hi Tom. My situation is much like your girlfriend's. Only I was arrested 1 and a half years ago and still have not gone to trial because this particular court is so back-logged with DWI cases. My attorney says I'm looking at another possible 9 months before I am afforded my right to a "SPEEDY" trial. Because of these hypocritical crusaders and the rediculous police state that they have created for the rest of us, my right to due process has been stripped from me. Over two years without a trial? No license for the past 18mos. (and not getting it back anytime soon)I was DOT certified in the state of NY so I was fired from my job, I have paid several thousands of dollars in fines and legal fees,and subsequently financially ruined. I have a husband and three children, and a roof over our heads that we can no longer afford because of this travisty. Where's the bleeding hearts for my family? I have been convicted and sentenced while supposidly still under the assumtion of innocence! I certainly feel for the loss of a child or any loved-one for that matter, but my God people, must we all be punished for her revenge. If one of my children was killed by a speeding driver in a red truck, does that make all speeders in red trucks criminals? absolutely not. The only thing this woman has succeeded at is giving the local and state courts and the lawyers free reign to rape us! An accusation of DWI, not even a conviction but an accusation alone will and is destroying families and livelihoods. In my case it was a very hot August 15th, 2008 and I had put in 12 hour in the sun at work that day. I stopped at a local bar at 6pm to meet up with friends (well within my rights I'm 42yo) Between 6pm and 10:30pm I had 3 beers and 1 shot. I had left the bar to go home when my bestfriend called me and asked me to come back to get her as she was intoxicated and needed a ride home. She needed me and I quite frankly never even considered the possibility of getting arrested. 1 drink per hour right? Shortly after I dropped her off, I was quickly approached by a dark car (no lights on at all). Once the car reached about 10ft. from my back bumper, these very bright white, very blinding lights turned on and I was immediately disoriented. The officer approached my vehicle and asked for my info, and then he asked if I had had anything to drink that night. If I had only known then what I know now things might have turned out differently. Me being the law abiding citizen that I am (clean driving record, no criminal background) I answered him honestly. Besides it was now almost 11:30pm, a whole nother hour had passed since my last drink. Nothing mattered to him after that. In his mind he had yet another DWI under his belt. Big praises from his boss! Oh and btw I must mention that it was the beginning of DWI week or month or whatever they call it. I was doomed the moment I spoke.
Because of all of this I have become very angry and have lost all respect for the judicial system, the laws themselves and police officers (believe it or not, I have a criminal law degree and was going to become a police officer myself at one time. The police report was so embellished and had outright lies on part of it. Everybody knows that cops do this to make the charges stick. While I'm on the subject of the police, every and I mean every cop I know drinks and drives regularly!) I have no respect for our government as a whole, and most of all I've lost all respect for Candy and her organization that has gone MADD. I've also found that she has had DWI's of her own. Seriosly she will burn in hell for the destruction her revenge has caused people. God help her. I wish such an organization existed for us citizens whom have been afflicted with her legacy. But since MADD has made it such a taboo subject, noone can speak out. She is no longer even a part of the evil organization that her bitterness created! She has single handedly destroyed our beloved U.S. Constitution, which is merely just a old piece of paper now.
Hate to say it Candy Lightner, but maybe there is a reason that such tradgedy happened to you? Could it be that your nothing more that a busy-bodied hypocrite that has now ruined hundreds of thousands of lives? Sleep peaceful tonight, my family won't be. As for her poor Granddaughter, someone needs to enlighten this poor child to the truth before she grows up to continue the destruction.

hi mary jo, just reading over your night of entrapment and found a lot of consitencies with my nov 13 1990 i got screwed and completely for not knowing the law.. MADD needs a protagonist to fight them word for word with their violation of civil rights.. i happen to be a student at the time of my arrest and the dept of public safety nazi who could care less about public saftey and the states revenue pulled me over.. i was scared out of my mind and was willing to do anything to prove my innosence(sp)and did everything the officer asked (field test) and willing to give breath test if needed. all he kept saying was that i was not drunk and all i had to do was go down and take the breath test.. after they impounded my truck and told me i could drive home only if i would take the breath test i blew... after blowing four times they were not getting the reading they wanted and started to get aggressive by screaming at me to blow harder and i blew a 1.03 and the legal limit was 1.0 and after that they started to high five each other and told me you dont have to be drunk to be intoxicated and told me i was a rich kid and could afford it, i had four 12oz beer in three and a half hours.
the problem with the law is that you can drink one beverage and blow over the legal limit.. with the government and alcohol companies telling you to " know when to say when" people are going to continue to get into trouble. when do you know to say when? most law abiding citizens do not know they are breaking the law and the bodies natural response to alcohol is to release sorotonin which make you feel happy and confident which makes you make the awful mistake to do what the police want and to get their revenue from you... we need a lobby to counter MADD and expose them for what they are a bunch of hypocrites who have done the same thing but never been caught.. mary jo, get this out of your system now and dont let it drag you down.. you are my age and you have a life time to do something about this and with your credentials show up at the next MADD gathering and show them the stats..

The stories of personal tragedies of those convicted because they MIGHT have committed a "crime" (a hypothesis based on the WORST type of science imaginable) are absolutely maddening.

The perps of this hoax need to be buried UNDER the prisons they helped fill up.

i demand my rites to store 3000 lbs of sarin in my garden shed not be infringed! I've never accidentally released any sarin on a commuter train, so i also demand my god given inalienable rites to carry sarin on MARTA!

To the Lightner family: First of all, God Bless All Of You... without you and your experience with this tragic situation, I don't know where I would have turned. I lost my husband in 1989, due to a drunk driving accident. He was the driver. He was 29 years old. I became a single mother of three daughters within seconds... they are all grown up now and of course asking me questions...which I have tried to answer to the best of my ability. Thank God for you!!!!! After a few years, I found another man and we fell in love!! I got pregnant in November of 1996 with twin boys. We were head over heels in love and doing really well. In April of 2000, he too lost his life in a drunk driving accident. He was 31 years old. He was riding a bicycle and crashed into a curb. WWWHHHOOOAAAA!!!!! What the heck??? What happrned and why was I/we going through this again? Why was I/we ever going through this ever?? I loved these two men with all of my heart and soul and I felt then and still feel so alone without them. I look at my children and know deep down inside that they carry on their beauty, their handsomeness, their over-all beings...Thank you so much for opening up your lives and hearts to all of us out here that feel the same pain. I'm so glad I have a place to speak, even though it's been a while since I've spoken to anyone about our losses...it feels better to just know that you are here... GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY AND MAY YOU ALWAYS CARRY LOVE AND HOPE IN YOUR HEARTS!!!!! LOVE TO YOUR HEARTS FROM OURS, The Lewis Family

I am truly sorry for your family's loss. However my Husband whom I have been married to for 21 years and is a diabetic, came to an event I was sponsoring for a cancer patient. He had 2 drinks and had not eaten all day and was convicted of a DWI since this event enused it has cost us 20,000.00 out of pocket and I lost my job having to take him to all the required classes that are involved. We have two children and this has ruined our lives. All this and your grand mother has had her own or should I say multiple DWI"S herself. She only lead the way for Local Governments to get the ALL MIGHTY DOLLAL from her personal issues.

SHAME ON HER AND YOUR WHOLE FAMILY
YOU HAVE TOTALLY FUCKED MINE UP!!!!!!

GO AHEAD AND BANG YOUR DRUM YOUR NOT THAT POPULAR!!!!!!!

Excellent point. Keep up the insightful comments.

It seems that being unable to parent is a family wide problem with the Lightner family. They blame EVERYONE else for their OWN failure, while shredding the last vestiges of constitutional right using an agenda based on the WORST of science.

MADD and every one of its m embers, staff, and supporters deserve to rot in hell for eternity. Add up all the ruin they caused, multiply by a BILLION, and only then will we have true justice.

Ask Gramma about that one will ya sweetie?

I know this site is going to support this MADD woman, After serving in the military I just want to know when your friend Candice Lightner plans to apologize about her statements about the military this morning on The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet, She said "They Are Not Adults, that's why they're in the military."

As a veteran of a foreign war, while serving in Afghanistan at 19, I think I Deserve an apology. Also, I think the military deserves an apology too Candice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHpAgVYlB0w

This is Erica's mother. Erica is only 11 years old and I just found out that she posted this. I apologize that she did not mention her age in her original post. I know that her grandmother is a controversial figure and do not wish to get in to any debates with anyone about it. I will try to monitor her internet use more carefully in the future. Meanwhile, I will post a clarification of her age on here so that everyone who replies to her can be aware that she is only 11 years old. Thank you.

It would appear that the Lightner's ALL have a huge problem with being responsible parents, and think that by DESTROYING the US Constitution and PUNISHING millions of innocent men who MIGHT have an accident (but who NEVER did), that you think you can make up for your own irresponsibility.

Do not let your 11 year old daughter even NEAR the internet.

Hello everyone! I am Erica Lightner's mother and she just showed me the comment she posted here some time ago. Unfortunately, she did not mention that she is only 11 years old. I understand that adults use this forum to discuss various issues related to her grandmother and drunk driving issues, but I would like to ask everyone that replies to her to please remember that she is only 11 years old and keep that in mind when writing to her. Thank you.

No one I'm sure intends to traumatize a sweet young girl such as Erica . But It must be ackcnowleged that Erica too will grow into Adolesence --- Adulthood --- and will be held to the same standards advocated by her parents

In the interem so many lives are being affected by the dubious and at times totally arbitrary misuse of power

This situation is justified by ambiguous statistics tailored to reflect the opinions of a Zealous Few --- They use political pragmatism --- to Impose the Sacred Will of the few -- on the Many

Victimless crimes are punished by Statutes -- forced into law by the Zealots who Carry the Cross of Rightousness to Washington and find their reason for existence in it's cause. Victimized or not

Who threaten to use highway funding as a sword of Damaclese hanging over the heads of local government forcing ( comply )

And who of course could never imagine their Children at some future point being victimized by this same lack of REASON. Yes REASON!!

My Heart felt condolences go out to Erica's Mom and all those who have fallen victim to DRUNK DRIVERS

" What Zealot seeking Justice Ever Found it in the End
When clouded in Extremity --- reason ends -- and people tend -- to Cast the First Stone "

quite using the term drunk driver, intoxicated dosent mean drunk... you can honestly tell me that you are an adult and have never had a glass of wine or some kind of adult beverage at dinner and driven home? if you have then you were more than intoxicated and should have been charged..

"<i>you can honestly tell me that you are an adult and have never had a glass of wine or some kind of adult beverage at dinner and driven home?</i>"
I don't use non-Rx substances, and doubt I've ever operated any machinery more dangerous than a manual can opener, ballpoint pen, or soup spoon, while "under the influence" of naproxen or antibiotics. Even my pencil sharpeners (I own more than one!) are not motor-powered. I am such an Unamerican© girliesissyboy! I feel so bad admitting this, that I am going to have a good 56 minute Glenn Beck bawl right now.
PS. Substances most fiendishly consumed by teenagers should not be labeled "adult beverages".

While this has appeared to be a great organization, the rhetoric of this organization has turned into 'big money' for every state. Do you actually think that the states care how many people actually die on the road, whether it be from drunk driving, people that are half-blind, can't drive, speeding, etc.? And look how many of our government officials are drinking and driving and pedophiling and everything else. Nope, it's how much money my particular state of Ohio can glean from these people. Do you think every person that drinks and uses bad judgement is a criminal? That's why it's defined as bad judgement. And if a person is 'impaired' to begin with, why would anyone allow a judicial system to use that same 'impairment' against these very same people? The very word itself says it all. I would sugget a grass-roots organization called DAMM. By the way, I'd like to know why DUI offenders are the only ones required to drive with "Party Plates". Talk about inequality! I'd love to see bankrobbers, arsonists, rapists, etc. all have to have license plates indicating what their crime is.

I was in an accident yesterday with a drunk driver, he swerved out of his lane and into mine, almost hitting me head on at about 60mph. Luckily I was able to swerve right and avoid a head on collision, but he still hit the right front fender and took the drivers side of my car off. My injuries are minimal, but I cannot get the vision of those headlights coming at me dead on out of my head. All I thought at that moment is "This is how I die"

It happens so fast, even when you are following all the rules, your life can be taken from you in a heartbeat. Now I am going to be scared everytime I get behind the wheel. But I am thankful to have not been severely injured and to still have my life.

Thanks for listening.

You must be a rookie driver. I can help you learn to drive.

First, hang up the phone. When you get behind the wheel of an automobile, your activities are reduced to one; driving.

Once you learn to concentrate, that's right, CONCENTRATE, on driving, you will become better at defensive driving.

You will face constant and numerous hazards every time you take a drive.
Including cars veering into your lane of travel. Your job when that happens is to make up for the offending driver's dangerous move with a counter move that reduces or eliminates the danger to you and that driver. Instead of swerving right, into the path of the oncoming vehicle, thereby causing damage to your right front fender, try STEERING left away from the danger, while lightly applying brakes to slow your speed.

With enough experience, when faced with this sitiuation and others even more dangerous, your thoughts will become, hey did you see that idiot, he almost hit me, instead of " Oh My God! WE"RE ALL GONNA' DIE, BECAUSE THAT GUY DRANK BEER AND I SUCK AT DRIVING!"

You are just an idiot!

And your a big poopie head. But even poopie heads can learn to drive defensively. It may save your life.

You don't know anything about me. Don't assume I was talking on the phone or do not know how to drive defensively. And let me be more clear about what happened, since you obviously didn't understand my post. Picture a single lane road. You are going one way, the drunk is coming in the opposite direction. Get it? One second I was passing cars driving in the opposite direction, the next second one of those cars was in my lane coming straight at me. I had less than one second to react. Unless your car has Speed Racer vertical ability where you can lift it up into the air to sail over oncoming objects, I can assure you that the only possible action was to go to the right, and there still was not enough time even for that because he hit me anyway. Swerving right put me in the field next to the road, not into the path of other cars. The person who hit me was not only drinking, but had numerous drugs in his system and had been up all night. I am a nurse and was on my way to work at 6:30am.

I am not 18 years old and this is the second accident I have been in in over 20 years of driving. The first one I was rear ended. I suppose I could have avoided that one too? You obviously think you are a superior driver and can drink and drive, and that is fine, but I doubt you will feel this way if the day comes that you are hurt or one of your family is killed by someone with the same attitude.

I wonder what the IDIOTS at MADD "think" the following means?:



"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses,
papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall
not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause,
supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the
place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."


Or do they "think" the US Constitution doesn't apply to their oh so lofty goals?

"probable cause"

I wonder what the IDIOTS at MADD "think" the following means?:



"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses,
papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall
not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause,
supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the
place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."


Or do they "think" the US Constitution doesn't apply to their oh so lofty goals?

"right to drive" "appears in the constitution".
or, where you find "right to drive" "anywhere in the constitution".

this exact thing happened to me yesterday except that is was 12:00 in the afternoon and the person was texting on her cell phone and laughed at me when i screamed at her for almost killing me.. location hwy 183 north of leander texas.

Hi my name is Alexis and i am 15 years old. About 2 years ago my uncle lost his mother to a drunk driver, and yet to this day the guy that killed her hasnt spend one day in jail. I think drunk driving is not taken seriously. And I think that all drunk drivers should get life in prison and/or the death penalty. I have no forgiveness for stupidity. Why should he get to run the streets scott free, when my uncle has no mother now. She was only about 50 years old and she left behind three beautiful grand children that will never know their grandmother. I wish i could so something to stop drunk driving but i cant, so i think this group that you organized is wonderful and i hope that one day i can make a difference.

The drunk driving poem

I went to a party, Mom, I remembered what you said.
You told me not to drink, Mom, so I drank soda instead
I really felt proud inside, Mom, the way you said I would.
I didn't drink and drive, Mom, even though the others said I should.
I know I did the right thing, Mom, I know you are always right.

Now the party is finally ending
Mom, as everyone is driving out of sight.
As I got into my car, Mom, I knew I'd get home in one piece.
Because of the way you raised me, so responsible and sweet.
I started to drive away, Mom, but as I pulled out into the road,
the other car didn't see me, Mom, and hit me like a load.

As I lay there on the pavement, Mom, I hear the policeman say,
the other guy is drunk, Mom, and now I'm the one who will pay.
I'm lying here dying, Mom.. I wish you'd get here soon.
How could this happen to me, Mom? My life just burst like a balloon.
There is blood all around me, Mom, and most of it is mine.
I hear the medic say, Mom, I'll die in a short time.

I just wanted to tell you, Mom, I swear I didn't drink.
It was the others, Mom. The others didn't think.
He was probably at the same party as I.
The only difference is, he drank and I will die.
Why do people drink, Mom? It can ruin your whole life.
I'm feeling sharp pains now. Pains just like a knife.

The guy who hit me is walking, Mom, and I don't think it's fair.
I'm lying here dying and all he can do is stare.
Tell my brother not to cry, Mom. Tell Daddy to be brave.
And when I go to heaven, Mom, put "Daddy's Girl" on my grave.
Someone should have told him, Mom, not to drink and drive.

If only they had told him, Mom, I would still be alive.
My breath is getting shorter, Mom. I'm becoming very scared.
Please don't cry for me, Mom. When I needed you, you were always there.
I have one last question, Mom, before I say good bye.
I didn't drink and drive, so why am I the one to die?


IF THIS DOESNT CHANGE YOUR OPINION ON DRUNK DRIVING, I DONT KNOW WHAT WILL.

thank you for giving us yet another example of the level of feminization we've come to in this country.we're talking about a multidimensional problem that has its social, political and financial impact on millions of people on both sides and on our society as a whole and the direction we're chosing for our future.you would think that we might need a "Logical" and "scintific" approach that involves collecting relevant facts which can be turned into info which then can be carefully studied and analyzed in order to produce solutions that can be suggested to the decision makers!a strictly professional process conducted by qualified unbiased non "emotionally impaired" individuals and as far away as possible from the zealots of the"special groups" and the crooks of the state.but why do that if we can always present the public with a poem?hey how about mom I'm bleedig because the other driver was simply a dumbass!mom I'm crippled because the other driver was a senior citizen who can't see shit but he's still allowed to drive a huge RV across the country because it's "politically incorrect"to tell him he can't.mom I'm in a comma because the other driver was eating,drinking coffe,playing with the radio,messing with the navigator, talking on the phone,looking at the map, horsing around and porbably getting some head!mom I'm dead because the other driver had an angry argument, hadn't slept for 2 days or simply was over exhausted and still got behind the wheel!see there's a shit load of factors that could impaire your driving ability and judgement and cause accidents!this's where I see hypocracy in DUI laws!it's a lot easier to turn the public against alcohol and alcohol drinkers in such feminized society where the majority have become willing to just take their pants off and take it up their tailpipe at the mere mentioning of words like
"victims", "mothers","children"and"safety"!great deal for the state and MADD,first:mislead the public on the issue, second:get their blind support and use it to criminalize them and third:simply eat their hard earned money under their watch!as for the problem that still exists and more importantly the future of freedom in this country,screw that,just show me the damn money!!

No this poem had nothing to do with the amount of feminization we have in our world today. It shows that people care and how do we know that a woman wrote this poem, it was a poem submitted by an unknown author. And by posting a ignorant comment like this just shows that you are probably just another drunk driver yourself. And you have no common sense what so ever, and while you're at it maybe you should go back to school and learn to spell. I would like to see what you would do if you lost someone that you love due to a drunk driver. Then let's see who's talking.

thank you AGAIN for validating my point by posting a typical
FEMINIZED "rabble rabble rabble"response!I don't know what
education or knowledge you possess other than probably watching daytime rubbish tv shows to call me ignorant simply because I don't buy into misleading propagandas ,cheap sentements and not to mention DUMB and TALENTLESS poem!why don't you do us a favor and help yourself to a book or some news paper before you ask ME to go back to school?because then
you would know that feminization has NOTHING to do with the author being a man or a woman or even a frog!you didn't have ANY valid logical argument other than pointing fingers and accusing me of being an"ignorant drunk driver"so what does
that make you?for your info,I am educated,I am very well rounded,I'm not a"dunk" driver and I do have common sense!that
same common sense demands that angry intolerant irrational narrow minded people should NOT shape our laws!those who lost
loved ones have every right to be angry and they sure have the
right to justice and restitution!however,they don't have the right to turn the issue into merely a SCAM to make money for
the state and certain organizations at the expense of INNOCENT
hard working fathers,mothers,brothers,sisters,sons and daughters while DIShonoring the memory of the actual victims of drunk driving and DMAGING freedom and civil liberties in our country!this is not just about drunk driving,this is about our general attitude towards solving issues,our way of life as a free country,our constitution and the future of democracy!

amen, amen...

A great deal of manipulation of the data, and even ignoring a HUGE portion of the data which would have made the complete study worthless had the ignored data contained even a small percentage of drinking drivers, the very best science from government produces the following REMARKABLE ADMISSION:
<<< For all BAC classes above 0%, we found 330 drivers in the accident study. Of those accidents, 213 were attributable to the effects of alcohol. By dividing those two numbers, we obtain an AR for exposed persons of 213/330=0.65 or 65%. That means, 65% of all accidents involving an intoxicated driver can be attributed to the effects of alcohol. However, in only 16.8% of all accidents (or 330 accidents) was the driver intoxicated. To determine which proportion of all accidents are attributable to the effects of alcohol, the population AR should be computed. This is done by dividing the excess accidents by the total number of all accidents, that is, 213/1968=0.108. Thus, 10.8% of all accidents may be attributed to the effects of alcohol. >>>
In other words, the most expert government weasel wording proved that 89.2% of the fatal accidents in this study were NOT caused by alcohol, but were caused by OTHER factors. In other words, the average driver in this study was 8.3 TIMES more likely to be killed in an accident where alcohol was NOT a factor than he was to be killed in an accident where alcohol WAS a factor?
WHAT are these other factors? Why is it assumed that these other factors which are responsible for 89.2% of the accidents are not the IDENTICAL factors involved in the fatal accidents which “may be attributed to the effects of alcohol”?

yoseph,so true. So true. And I have been in an accident where I was hit by a drunk driver, yet still agree with you.

I just don't understand how people can be so naive as to believe that "outlawing" something, or even making the fines more devastating than they already are, will really stop people from doing it. This has never worked in the past with anything - even the death penalty for murder has not been shown to stop people from killing in the states where it is enforced.

by other drivers (or spacejunk)?

i agree that the death penalty is welfare for lawyers, but "outlawing" murder undoubtedly reduces murder.

(site comment: these c*apchas are slightly funny)

aka "foxification" has been more damaging to all of mortal existence than the (virtually meaningless teapottier term) "feminization".

Ummm... didn't change my opinion, at all, just made me agree with all the dui'ers. This is life, stuff happens, period. if its not a drunk driver today, then it will be something tomorrow. Yeah drinking and driving is bad, but it this whole just plain "ban it!" attitude is crap and will get nothing done. Keeping the drinking age so high and being in such an ati-alcohol attitude to kids will only make it worse, if I cannot get it, I really want it, that is the way we are, human.

BTW: That poem is horrible, all it does is make young adults just want to get away from that crap... (who wants to be a mama's boy?)

*****Please Standby for a PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT****

Plagiarism is yet another nasty, and virulent, side effect of this watered-down SNOWFLAKE nation wishing away the bad things with "magic numbers math" to hold up wildly ridiculous fantasies as hard facts while frantically sprinting from reasonable intellectual criticism of conversations that challenge the mental laziness that has all but shattered what little hope our mammalian species had left.

Translation: U R the prblem - nd if u didnt rite it than u cant post it on the internets w/o persimmons. YOU IGNORANT A**HAT!

Unless you are the one person in the world that can reprint that (and I doubt it, but if you post your name I'll know...) then you have no right to assume someone else's words, inspiring as they may be to you and your cause, without the expressed permission of the person whose mind they originated in (and to whom I assume exists some deep personal attachment to the particular sequence they were in, conveying to a reader the horrific and tragic nature of the character's plight - a sequence that you not only stole, but utterly ruined by approximating instead of quoting ...!) you have violated one of our sacrosanct edicts: "Thou shalt not pontificate through plundered prose" and I am sorry to inform you that the mandatory punishment for such an offense to the Almighty Internet is 6 months imprisonment in a state correctional facility, a fine of not less than $500, but not to exceed $1,500, restitution in the form of (undisclosed amount) dollars to be paid in monthly installments for the remainder of your natural life, completion of the "1st time offender" plagiarist program and the suspension of all Internet privileges until proof of such completion has been received, and authenticated, by the governing moderator of the forum. Furthermore......

Get the point, Snowflake?

I agree/diagree with so much here. I believe dwi/dui is all a money maker. Those who have money hire a lawyer go thru the drill and get off. I am middle class but worry about those that are not. Those men who are payint child support and then can't b/c they have to pay dwi costs even though they harmed no one. Plus the entrapment by police officers. I have been pulled over twice, and no wasn't doing antything wrong. I exited my vehicle clumsily(sorry natural for me) so they quizzed me about drinking alcohol w/not a drop in me. I had to explain to the cop that my high beams were not on I was stopped at a stop sign that sloped. NOW WHO'S THE IDIOT? MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE ARRESTED HIM FOR STUPIDITY....

im going to have to agree here...Stiffer penalties only result in negative effects on society. DUI's are mainly money generators for the government as well as motivation for police incentives such as their fancy Dodge CHARGER cop cars as well as faster promotion through the ranks. Most of society is more negatively affected by DUI convictions than positively affected. As stated above even middleclass people struggle paying DUI fines/attorneys as well as getting to work/school. This is the class of people that the economy relies on, not being able to get to work results in people not being able to pay their bills, which is a major issue in todays economy. Drunk driving is deffinetly wrong but not everybody is drunk at the legal limit, so why should these people be penalized as drunk driving offenders? The most effective route in fixing the driving under the influence problem is to use money from convictions to go to public transportation. A neighbor in my area lost a son to a drunk driving accident and now there is a fund for free taxi rides from bars/restaurants/and parties to your residence within 30 miles, this has to be one of the most effective solutions to driving drunk. MADD should focus on public transportation not people who drive with alcohol on my breath.

Dear bus1, I read your letter and feel for your neighbor. Please tell them that I send my heartfelt feelings, as I too, have lost 2 men (fathers to my children),to drunk driving accidents. I think that your town is wonderful in fulfilling a greatly needed need. The other day I was talking to a friend and she looked into my eyes and said "If they just would've called a cab Laurie, 5 of your 6 kids would'nt be fatherless". In the town where I live, Roseburg, Oregon, there are so many drunk driving incidents and arrests and when I read your letter a little light bulb went off in my head and I said to myself ...self.."what a great idea they came up with!!!" My big brother works for a taxi cab company here in our town, I will be talking to him and his boss/company to see if we too can have the same response as your town did!!!! Wish me luck and if it works I will be in touch(if you don't mind) to let you know how it all plays out. Peace harmony and love to you and your town.... Laurie

im sorry to hear that you have lost loves ones to DUI incidents. Please be in touch if this works, I believe this is one of the most effective way to preventing drunk driving accidents and convictions. This fixes the problem before it happens unlike post-incident punishment. I live in Southern California and it is definetely not a good option to even walk home. First of all around here most cities are zones for serving alcohol which are far away from residential areas. Secondly Police will still arrest people and give them a Drunk in public ticket, police arent promoting walking home from bars/restaurants or parties. MADD should be more worried about preventing people from driving while drunk, not focus on the punishment. Simply taking the thousands of dollars from DUI convictions should be plenty of money to power complimentary taxi rides. In my area they offer a ride up to 30 miles, for southern california that is far, and should definetly be enough to get somebody home. There are also options for those who do not wish to leave their car away from home. Two people come to pick people up the drunk person and one of the taxi drivers drives their car home while the drunk person and the other driver follow, there u will have your car aswell as a safe ride home. But the matter of the fact is the cost, shouldnt MADD sponsor programs such as this? thanks!

I completely agree with both of you up there.one of the KEY solutions to the problem is public transportation and AFFORDABLE cab rides!most of those who drive under the influence,do so because there are no public transportation and they can't afford a cab.I live in central california and YES bars and restaurants are zoned faraway from residential areas.

the state is directing ALL the efforts and resources towards arresting,
convicting and punishing people,taking the easy and more profitable way out,rather than CURING the problem and preserving lives and liberties.

and from what I heard,MADD's spokesmen consistently show "indifferent" if not discouraging attitude towards this approach or ANY approach for that matter other than stiffer policies and penalties,which exposes them for what they really are,a special interest group that cares about nothing but capitalizing on our problems and sharing profits with the state.

the free or nominal fee cab is a great idea!I saw how effective it was when I used to live in columbus Ga and I have no problem contributing to a similar project here in central california.

in the mean time,I think we all have an obligation to pressure the state into picking up its REAL responsibilities by adopting similar ideas including improvement of the virtually NON EXISTENT public transportation
rather than prosecuting everybody.

I also believe that if MADD refuses "as expected" to contribute to such projects,then WE the citizens should subject them to MORE public scrutiny
and should DEMAND a thorough audit to the organization and its individual
executives.

This is to all the people in the military who are under 21. I can understand why this comment by Lightner upsets you. But the fact of the matter is that you don't need this woman's approval to be respected. There is a good chance that she has never had to see the things you've seen. You have already proven yourselves worthy of a glass of beer. Many people will over-simplify the duties of soldier, marine, etc. There will be a day when she has to answer for the things she says on this messed-up Earth. As will I. I can imagine that losing a child in such a tragic way can be crushing to a parent, but I'm also against the use of scapegoats. Will this offend the people on this site? Of course. But I am not sorry.

I lived in Germany for two and a half years in the Army. They have crazy overzealous laws there. In some areas in Germany you can lose your license for life after the first one. I can understand it there. It makes sense. There, there is about fifteen ways to get home that are cheap other than driving.

In this country where Alcohol is part of our culture and in our media and movies, how can we criminalize people for doing what is legal and for some a way of life? Stopping on the way home and hearing about the happy hour at your favorite watering hole you should be able to stop in. Then, you are made a criminal for driving home.

That is ridiculous not because I condone drinking in driving but, you can’t entice people to do something and make it criminal as long as you don’t get caught.

This is supposed to be the land of the free. We are now becoming so over burdened with ridiculous laws; it might as well be communist Russia. Minorities and organizations are writing our laws and it helps the few and hurts the many. This is mainly because pockets are being lined to pass these ridiculous laws. The hypocritical aspect of that is most of the people who pass these laws do it themselves or make enough they can afford to take cabs home when public transportation isn’t available.

This means drinking in public will only be reserved for the wealthy. The laws are being passed because the organizations are making money to push these laws. The law makers are making money off those organizations. The industries that cater to the laws are making a mint, for example, Lawyers, councilors, dui equipment manufacturers, etc. It should also be brought up that the states and local government are making a good part of their budgets from it.

If people really wanted to stop DUI then there is only two ways. Prohibition, or come up with alternatives to DUI; An example of a DUI alternative is, a service like an idea I have for a DUI cab company that runs large passenger vans. You pay a once a month fee and you get twenty-four rides to a bar from home and back. You can also use it to a party or where ever you drink. It’s like DUI insurance. If you use the service and are at a bar you can grab it and bar hop for a real small free of like $5.00. You can take it home and get a ride back to your car the next day. This is reachable by most and you should save gas and your insurance company should lower your rates to belong to such a business.

This is a cheap intelligent way to stop or lower the DUI rate…. I want to start the company but it takes too much capital. I hope someone runs with this idea. People could make millions and save millions of lives.

I am on the border of losing, my house, my job, my car, and being on the street. This isn’t right. DUI laws are meant to punish not put people on the street and ruin lives. We can come up with better ways if we all put our heads together and want to solve problems and stop being hypocrites.

Most people in our adult lives have gone to a wedding reception, bar, or party and had too much to drink. Just because you didn’t get caught doesn’t make you better than those who have. We all need to take responsibility and either fix this problem the right way or, stop it all together and go back to prohibition. We have to be real. If everyone in this country only drank enough not to get a DUI every bar in this country would close in a month. The alcohol companies would all close and millions of jobs would be lost. So let’s fix this the right way if we want to be realistic and live in the land of the free called America.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!! WE CAN DO BETTER!!!

2 Years ago I got my 3rd DUI. It took me 30 years to do it. I never had an accident, hurt anyone or did any property damage due to drinking and driving.
Why did I have to go to prison for 120 days? 4 months of my life in prison.(first time incarcerated) Don't even think of calling it jail. I was put into an environment of complete chaos for having a few beers. I was pulled over for doing 15 MPH over the speed limit on a turnpike in Connecticut.(it was midnight,so who else would be on the road except drunks and cops?)The state police were profiling. I was barely over the limit. I was 5 miles from home.

Yes I broke the law. I AM STILL PAYING THE PRICE. The following was (is) my punishment.

First of all, I called a New Haven lawyer... He told me not to waste my money because I was going to jail. I shrugged it off and thought "no way", boy was I wrong. Here is what happend.

1. One year loss of license.
2. 120 days in prison.
3. $1000.00 fine.
4. 200 hours of community service.
5. An "alcohol education program" (which I will comment on later)
6. An ignition interlock system (Breathalyzer) to be installed on my vehicle for 2 years after my license was reinstalled which I had to pay to have installed and calibrated periodically.

WHAT? For speeding?

Now I am a convicted felon. I used to do alot of contract work for United Technologies ( Pratt and Whitney, Sikorsky, Hamilton Sunstrand,etc.) as a computer tech. Everytime a recruiter hired me for defense plant work they would require a backgroung check. Now when my name is put into the Connecticut Judicial website my profile is listed as a covicted felon charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and or drugs. Drugs? Where did that come from?

The court gave me my time in prison, fine and community service. Then DMV steps in. They took my license, made me put the interlock device on, and sent me to "alcohol education".

Alcohol Education in Connecticut is run by The Commonwealth Group. A good name because they are getting very wealthy. It consists of a weekend retreat(Phase 1) to evaluate you, then 6 months of 2 AA meetings a week which has to be documented and 1 Commonwealth meeting a month (Phase 2) which was 60 miles away from my house. Then 1 meeting every 3 months for 1 year (Phase 3) Before you can get your license reinstated. These metting were all run by "counselors" who were all ex drug addicts or alcoholics. And these meetings were all "mandatory" unless it snowed or the classes got so big they told us we were exempt from the final meeting. Oh, it cost me $900.00 for this "education", which was basically a glorified AA meeting.

So, did the punishment fit the crime? I live in a small shoreline town that goes through corrupt cops all the time. At one point they were running a prostitution ring at a school after hours and the chief of police was stealing money... he gets fired with 3 years pay!

In the 70's when things were different We used to hang out in our muscle cars in town drinking and talking to cops at the same time. Drinking in public was legal then. If you were too buzzed, the cops would take your keys or give you a ride home.

I guess my point is, If you kill or hurt someone in a car accident, it should be vehicular manslauter or assault. People SHOULD be punished for that. Police SHOULD NOT be out "hunting" every night to fill a quota. Especially since there in nobody to sniff out the skeletons in their closets. My life is ruined because I went to see a friend who happens to be a bartenter to loan him some money. Of course he gave me a few beers for helping him out. It was the first time I had been in a bar in over 3 years. These laws need some refinement.

Right now it is all about the money. The fines, the money the state gets for every person in the over crowded jails, DMV gets thier share. Alcohol is LEGAL... RIGHT? Might as well close all of the bars and resturaunts next.

As for all of you spelling bee champs out there, give Erica a break. There are typos all over the place here.

I was stopped for a DUI did a blood test and spent a night in jail. Luckily my case was dismissed because I tested low even though I had drank earlier. I was not impaired the whole time I drank, but could have failed a DUI if I had left the establishment I was at a little earlier than I did. This whole incident could have easily ruined my life, as I am a teacher. I could have lost my career (who would hire me with a criminal record) my home, car and forced me to go bankrupt with fines. I think of all of the lives that have been ruined for nothing. I think that repeat offenders or people with a high BAC while driving have a problem and should be dealt with, but what about those who decided to drive home before it got to late and where not impaired, but did not meet the standards of a test. How many young people have had their future obliterated? How many families have been broken? For what, having a drink and I'm not talking about drunk. Doesn't everyone make a slight (very slight at times) lapse in judgement from time to time.

How true it is that "I could have lost my career (who would hire me with a criminal record) my home, car and forced me to go bankrupt with fines. I think of all of the lives that have been ruined for nothing".

As a teacher, you might want to consider the following from HNTSA itself:

"The analysis by Connolly, Kimball, and Moulton (1989) mentioned above suggests that female drivers have both a higher overall crash risk and a higher alcohol-related fatal-crash risk. Combined data from FARS and the 1986 National Roadside Breathtesting Survey suggest that the relative fatal-crash risk of a female driver with a BAC of 0.10% or more could be of the order of 50% higher than it is for a male driver at the same BAC. Of course, estimates based on these two unmatched data sets are, as indicated above, are only very rough, but they are consistent with prior case-control studies (see Jones and Joscelyn 1978)."

Iow, women drivers are 50% more likely than sober men drivers to have an accident.

This compares to men drinking drivers with a BAC of 0.12 (about 7 drinks) who are only 30% more likely.

Why does nobody comment on the following report?:

Fatal Accident Reporting System
"The analysis by Connolly, Kimball, and Moulton (1989) mentioned above suggests that female drivers have both a higher overall crash risk and a higher alcohol-related fatal-crash risk. Combined data from FARS and the 1986 National Roadside Breathtesting Survey suggest that the relative fatal-crash risk of a female driver with a BAC of 0.10% or more could be of the order of 50% higher than it is for a male driver at the same BAC. Of course, estimates based on these two unmatched data sets are, as indicated above, are only very rough, but they are consistent with prior case-control studies (see Jones and Joscelyn 1978)."

which puts doubt into the statement: "female drivers have both a higher overall crash risk", unless you think that hard***ed corporate bean-counters give insurance rate breaks to women customers.
also, I am not going to hunt for data, but men get drunk/dazed more often than women do.
so what's the end comparison? who knows.

(PS. jk's posts are dated 2009, so i realize *jk* won't be replying to my replies.)

Lots of good views here, even though some sound kind of defensive, but that is the benefit of livig in a free republic. So, I have a CDL and rarely drive commercial vehicles, but because I want to keep the CDL I have to be sure to never drink and drive, as I am illegal once I pass .02(commercial license only), so to be sure I always plan ahead and I got myself in the habit, which is the hard part, by getting a ignition interlock put in my car for 6 months and that was the best money ever spent. This was my decision to control my circumstance.

I drank 4 drinks in 5 and a half hours! A devise would have let me drive. I was arrested because I was honest enough to admit to drinking. period!

Fuck you beothch. Your dauhter died right away which is very, very heart breaking....I saw my brother suffer for 13 wicked years...the disruption on my soul has only wanted me to drink more....I am way to honest...your law has made my life un-liveable..I want to die because of it. ... I will commit suicide because of you...the society we live in (as I forgave the man who hit my brother) is way to unforgivinging...Thank you for taking another life...Me! I know better and longer than you will ever know! Leave first and 2nd dui's alone unless they cause a fatality! I am dead because of you! You have killed another person who was not driving drunk!

It sounds to me like you have a drinking problem and are seriously immature.

We cannot leave 1st and 2nd DUIs alone - people DIE during those illegal acts too!

Get into a bar fight and kill someone, and you get 30 years to life in prison. A person from that same bar kills someone while driving under the influence, and gets less of a sentence? Why? BOTH actions are MURDER.

Go drink yourself into a frenzy...just don't drive.

First of all, I have not lost anyone to drunk driving or any other violent crimes (thank God). I have no substance abuse problems and have no family members who have been penalized with DUIs. My viewpoint is that of a conscientious adult who believes in cause and effect.

Laws are in place to protect people with differing opinions. Too many people disagree on what is common sense, so a law based on prevailing wisdom is enacted to protect people with one belief from people with a different belief. Maybe group A thinks it's fair, and group B does not because they feel that it infringes on their personal freedom. People develop this attitude of, "Well, since I can handle it, I should be allowed to do it." That's great! So for those of us who follow the rules and laws, despite our personal opinions of them, we should have no protection (whether real or imagined) from those who do not want to follow them because they feel it constricts their freedom?

I think of it this way: I ride a motorcycle and have to wear a helmet BY LAW - but I would still wear it without the law out of COMMON SENSE. I support your right to ride without a helmet if you so desire - and I expect you and your family to bear the brunt of whatever might happen to you (because chances are that if you wreck without one, you are the only one who will get hurt and that, my friends, is called 'natural selection').

I can't drive under the influence because it's against the LAW - but I also wouldn't drive under the influence because I know the effect that would have on my life, and potentially other's lives, too. The problem with driving under the influence is that YOUR actions can affect OTHERS - you aren't the only one suffering from your choices. I support your right to drive under the influence through a cornfield, for example, but most people don't do that - they try to go somewhere. Between point A and point B, there are several opportunities for this individual to hurt or kill someone, or maybe just destroy property. In any case, there is a financial injury - if nothing else.

People in CA gripe about the high cost of insurance - imagine what it would cost for insurance for everyone if there were no penalties for driving under the influence! Everyone would be punished for the actions of drivers under the influence.

It's 100% simple - just don't drive anywhere when you've used something. If you need a ride, CALL A CAB. It's way cheaper than a DUI/DWI ticket and the related expenses. I know someone with multiple DUIs who wrecked his friend's car (a car he took without permission in the middle of the day while his friend was at work) and he blew a .25! His friend did not press Grand Theft Auto charges, but the cops took him in for his BAC level and admission of fault. Imagine if he had hit someone... or even sideswiped a car? The rightful owner would then have to jump through all kinds of hoops and added expense to prove he wasn't behind the wheel at the time. And the guy who wrecked the car, well, he hasn't accepted any blame for his actions. He even seems to blame the car owner for the accident!

Therein lies the problem - acceptance of the effects of one's actions. If everyone was responsible and took responsibility for their actions, we wouldn't need rules or laws. But people, as a whole, DON'T. I hear all the claims of government trying to take your liberties, or money-making machines, or politicians using it like a riot shield, emotional fear mongering and feminization of the nation (which makes me say WTF?),etc, etc, etc. These are also scapegoats.

Personal responsibility - catch the fever!

you are biased and cannot help it with you unbeivable ignorance... 99.9 percent of law abiding people would never break the law if they know they are breaking the law... intoxication, this is a simple issue of neurotransmitters and the bodies natural ability to say no to something that feels good...

First of all, I have not lost anyone to drunk driving or any other violent crimes (thank God). I have no substance abuse problems and have no family members who have been penalized with DUIs. My viewpoint is that of a conscientious adult who believes in cause and effect.

Laws are in place to protect people with differing opinions. Too many people disagree on what is common sense, so a law based on prevailing wisdom is enacted to protect people with one belief from people with a different belief. Maybe group A thinks it's fair, and group B does not because they feel that it infringes on their personal freedom. People develop this attitude of, "Well, since I can handle it, I should be allowed to do it." That's great! So for those of us who follow the rules and laws, despite our personal opinions of them, we should have no protection (whether real or imagined) from those who do not want to follow them because they feel it constricts their freedom?

I think of it this way: I ride a motorcycle and have to wear a helmet BY LAW - but I would still wear it without the law out of COMMON SENSE. I support your right to ride without a helmet if you so desire - and I expect you and your family to bear the brunt of whatever might happen to you (because chances are that if you wreck without one, you are the only one who will get hurt and that, my friends, is called 'natural selection').

I can't drive under the influence because it's against the LAW - but I also wouldn't drive under the influence because I know the effect that would have on my life, and potentially other's lives, too. The problem with driving under the influence is that YOUR actions can affect OTHERS - you aren't the only one suffering from your choices. I support your right to drive under the influence through a cornfield, for example, but most people don't do that - they try to go somewhere. Between point A and point B, there are several opportunities for this individual to hurt or kill someone, or maybe just destroy property. In any case, there is a financial injury - if nothing else.

People in CA gripe about the high cost of insurance - imagine what it would cost for insurance for everyone if there were no penalties for driving under the influence! Everyone would be punished for the actions of drivers under the influence.

It's 100% simple - just don't drive anywhere when you've used something. If you need a ride, CALL A CAB. It's way cheaper than a DUI/DWI ticket and the related expenses. I know someone with multiple DUIs who wrecked his friend's car (a car he took without permission in the middle of the day while his friend was at work) and he blew a .25! His friend did not press Grand Theft Auto charges, but the cops took him in for his BAC level and admission of fault. Imagine if he had hit someone... or even sideswiped a car? The rightful owner would then have to jump through all kinds of hoops and added expense to prove he wasn't behind the wheel at the time. And the guy who wrecked the car, well, he hasn't accepted any blame for his actions. He even seems to blame the car owner for the accident!

Therein lies the problem - acceptance of the effects of one's actions. If everyone was responsible and took responsibility for their actions, we wouldn't need rules or laws. But people, as a whole, DON'T. I hear all the claims of government trying to take your liberties, or money-making machines, or politicians using it like a riot shield, emotional fear mongering and feminization of the nation (which makes me say WTF?),etc, etc, etc. These are also scapegoats.

Personal responsibility - catch the fever!

check out this website.. it just PROVES THAT IT IS ALL FOR MONEY.. It's a good idea.. but to use it for personal gain, and not because you care about the well-being of others, well, it pretty much makes me sick.
http://www.alcoholalert.com/alcohol-breath-testing.html

It's funny how no one cares about things that are going on in the world, until it happens to them.. You don't see laws on all the processed, fast food we eat, but it all leads to THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF DEATH, HEART DISEASE.. We tell people not to drink and drive, but we allow them to stuff their faces with cheeseburgers and french fries and slowly kill themselves. And smoking cigarettes, leading to the FOURTH CAUSE OF DEATH, respiratory diseases. People suffering from emphysema or COPD, asthma, they all end up on ventilators not even breathing on their own, and most of the time, never get off. There is WORSE out there that no one cares about because it hasnt happened to them or someone they LOVE.. Open your eyes people !

Top 10 Causes of Death - US
1. Diseases of Heart 28.5%
2. Malignant Neoplasms (cancer) 22.8%
3. Cerebrovascular Diseases (stroke) 6.7%
4. Chronic Lower Respiratory Diseases 5.1%
5. Accidents 4.4%
o Motor Vehicle Traffic Accidents (41% of all accidents)
o Poisoning (16% of all accidents)
o Fall (15% of all accidents)
6. Diabetes Mellitus 3.0%
7. Influenza and Pneumonia 2.7%
8. Alzheimer's Disease 2.4%
9. Nephritis, Nephrotic Syndrome and Nephrosis(kidney diseases) 1.7%
10. Septicemia (blood poisoning) 1.4%



*According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), "A motor vehicle crash is considered to be alcohol-relatedif at least one driver or non-occupant (such as a pedestrian or pedalcyclist) involved in the crash is determined to have had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .01 gram per deciliter (g/dL) or higher. Thus, any fatality that occurs in an alcohol-related crash is considered an alcohol-related fatality. The term 'alcohol-related' does not indicate that a crash or fatality was caused by the presence of alcohol."

Would you like to get married Kandi? hahahahaha! I LOVED your input!

Great research, Kandi.

When all these other "alcohol related" factors are taken into account, it turns out that less than 4% (and probably as little as 2%) of the DRIVERS involved in fatal accidents had a BAC greater than 0.10, yet 90% of those arrested had a BAC less than 0.10.

The communists behind this joke need to be put in prison for a LONG time.

Saved 300,000 but ruined 3,000,000 due to not hireing past DUI offenders and that just puts more of a burden on the entire taxpayer society. Whooopeee! you've decreased DUI death but methamphetamine use and driving on that God forsaken crap has increased 2800% mainly because it's not so easily detectable. I know law enforcement says "hey we'll catch 'em" but those $9 an hour steroid freak flunkies who drive drunk REAGURALLY couldn't catch AIDS from a two dollar whore. Get off your damn high horse and lets deal with the problem where it starts....AT HOME. Kids are going to drink...early adults are going to drink and most WILL drive but they don't need thier lives destroyed by a bunch of politcal bullshit....I don't care what they "could have done". It's alway coulda, shoulda, woulda with you people and you're so f*ing blind you can't see that you have caused a way worse problem than what you have been trying to cure. Now, I am truly sorry for your losses but that does not give you the right to pretty much have your own little extortion group in congress swaying votes by people who pretty much drive drunk weekly....yes I mean out illustrious congressmen and women.
Take care and start doing what's right for this country.....not what boost your damn ego !

I am Mad, I agree with you on many points. I do believe the government and the system overseeing some laws don't have a clue or they try to act as though they do and pass and try and enforce laws that, I believe, in many ways only fuels the problem. I understand consequenses for ones actions but if you want to make DWI a capital crime go ahead but then make alcohol illegal. I believe too alcohol is ingrained in young people's heads because every where you look or what you see and read makes alcohol appealing, wine festivals/tastings, spirits, champagne, go to a ball game, you need a beer!!! Let's not forget the taxes that are reaped by the government on alcohol either, and the people employed by the alcohol industry, even the attorneys. It's like it's own conglomerate. But then get a DWI and wham, you are on the wrong side of the tracks. You are bad, you made a bad choice (and by the way who decided you make sound choices when drinking?), you must now pay, you might as well have walked down the street with a loaded gun and randomly pulled the trigger at people, etc. Why didn't you take a cab - always an easy come back but most people are not wanting to wait for a cab or pay the outrageous cab fares compared to the fact most people probably will make it home without consequence.

Also, alcoholics are a whole other situation, and don't talk to me about the, mostly crap treatments, that folks are forced to take. There is not must research you just go where they put you and, again, overseen by the state and the same folks regulating what they teach and how that have no clue.

The meth problem. Never have tried nor do I want to try meth. But...you got rid of cold medicine over the counter, I have to sign a, I don't know what, to get a few lousy cold or allergy/sinus pills - that solved the majority of the meth problem, government officials patting themselvs on the back. Well, tell that to the people in AZ, CA, TX, where the Mexican drug lords are about the worse bunch of criminals I have heard of in recent years, invading border citites and states. Is it all about illegal aliens they are fighting or are they trying to get to illegal aliens who are smuggling drugs, taking over where the MN government succeeded?

I do not like to just complain and actually do feel there are some sound solutions worth a try, first educate kids to care enough about themselves to not want drugs and alcohol, to feel better, to celebrate. The system likes to pound and pound on only consequences, well yes, there are consequences but that just turns people off, builds resentments - THAT is not the solution. Another thing, get some people in with common sense and a sense of reality offering suggestions with treatments. That 100 year old video of a catholic clergy talking about alcohol has got to go. Videos made by actors who couldn't make it in the porn business have got to go. We are so afraid to talk about a higher power because that might have relevence to a God. No, don't talk about spirituality and hope, and offering confidence. Give eveyone stiff consequences and a 'good luck'. Good luck finding a job, housing, but don't drink or use drugs.

Whatever, I've said enough. For those that have lost someone, I have too, you need to move forward and look for positive solutions, not just punishment, and more punishment, you can't make the whole world try and feel as bad as you do, and especially those who can't move forward. You may never forget but you can forgive and move on. Help those people who are living now and not for the sake of those who are gone all the time. Want to help someone, let a shelter move in next door, or better yet, take a drug addict or alcoholic into your home. Give them a job.

Years of emotional abuse from immediate family, an ex-spouse and victimization of "myself" led me to an out of control anger one late evening. Yes, I am blaming the hell I endured for 47 years and still endure from the circumstances of my former life.

Never new what it was like to live or really feel, I was awakened or reborn on October 7, 2005 into another world. I did not know what had happened until July, 2007. The person I had been for 42 years was no longer the person I am now. I had become a child in a grown woman's body. For years I sought help from psychiatrists and counselors, but to no avail. My former therapist realized what had happened and we became friends. I was also under the care of a psychiatrist and anti-depressants were not working. My mother had died of ovarian cancer in 1998 with a 7 year battle till the end. I watched her die right before my eyes. Grieved for 3 long years, but went back to college to attain a degree in Horticulture.

Still married to my abuser while in school, I was gaining confidence within and many wonderful friends. He didn't like this and he was losing control of me. As a result of his actions our entire family has suffered. I have 3 precious boys and one who just got married. One graduated from college last year and my youngest is with me.

Drinking was the only thing we seemed to have in common for "fun". I knew this would be a dead end for me eventually.

My ex has a great job and owns a bar. My oldest and middle child drink, but the oldest more responsibly. I had asked the Divine to use me as an example for others and on the night I was issued a DWI I became the example that I pray my ex and my boys will not repeat.

I moved away from all I knew and moved to the mountains. Left my home (because I couldn't sell it). Freelancing landscape design jobs in the mountains brings me satisfaction and a little bit of cash.

I am a lost child stuck in a grown woman's body. I had been under the care of a psychiatrist the night I took off in my car because I was so angry at my ex's bullying. The angry and hurt little girl is on trial for this DWI. I take full responsibility that my car was wrecked on a curvy mountain road where no one saw the accident. I also take full responsibility for allowing my drinking to get out of control over the last 5 years after my separation from my ex-spouse.

I spent a night in a holding tank and was later led to the woman's facility at the local county jail. I should have been released at 8am. The only number I remembered was my ex-boyfriend who lived in the area. My family was another state away. Have you ever had to wipe your bottom after a bowel movement with your hands? Well, guess what this facility didn't believe in toilet paper. I felt sorry for the women in here as the matron said, "Oh they get used to it". Sorry, but no one can get used to having your freedom revoked.

No one cares there and yes, they do want you in prison. Good luck trying to contact a bondsman or family members from the phones during free time and you have no idea what time it is.

I blew a .11 and no other tests were done. No one was involved, it was just my car sitting in a creek. Now I have to buy a new one or get it repaired which will cost over $5 grand. I am getting close to 50 years old and have had a clean record all of my life.

The classes I am attending I believe will bring the help I have been reaching out for. My court date is in a couple of months and I have hired an attorney.

To summarize: A DWI also includes prescription meds or anything that will "impair" your driving ability. Let's get even further into the future.....A DWT (Driving while talking) of course on a cell phone. DUICB (Driving under the influence of a crying baby or disruptive children). The list could go on forever. I drove for FED EX and had to take 24 hours driving course. I was clean as a whistle and learned a lot! Now I will never be able to drive with them because of a corrupt judicial system and my out of control anger that night.

My instructor said I should be a lobbyist so here goes.....When will the USA realize we need passenger trains all over the US (just like Europe) and better public transportation. I am living in a rural area and have to move.

I could live in NYC and get around fairly easily without driving and paying enormous insurance amounts. Heck, I could go live in France too and get free health care plus great public transportation.

Our country is passive-aggressive and probably more so with the local bacon, politicians, religious....No harm this is just a generalization, but how about "narrow mindedness"? People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, but they do. You can't see the thorn in your own eye but you can sure see it in the eye of another.

I am working on my anger, hurt, spiritual agony (depression) and my tequila use. It took me to "run aground" to get help. By the way, this is what happens when people turn their backs on you. The homeless, the elderly, neglected children, the sick, the poor, etc....are all a part of a class of people who are dismissed or turned away because someone thinks, "Oh I am sure they are getting some help from somebody". Guess what, they probably aren't. I sat with a homeless man one day and we talked. I started the conversation, "Beautiful day"? "Yes, it is". Turns out he was homeless because he had no family and was color blind. When his employer found out he was let go. He never asked me for a dime.

We can hem and haw all day long over the DUI laws and MADD, but it starts within before we can make a real change! Let's get to the bottom of this.

Learn mindfulness, volunteer, give people a smile, talk to your neighbors, share a sandwich with someone in need, go ahead and take a leap of faith. Most of the time people won't bite if you just be yourself and not fear them. Spend time looking people in the eyes and you will have them in your corner. The compassion corner.

Peace everyone.

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses,
papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall
not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause,
supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the
place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."


What exactly do these MADD morons think this means?

They always use exaggerated and distort numbers to convince people that things are changing when in fact they have done nothing to the % of alcohol fatalities in over 14 years.

All you have to do is use the same system they use to get their numbers...
http://www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/Trends/TrendsAlcohol.aspx

And if you take a look at the general traffic fatalities broken down by vehicle, you'll notice that almost 10,000 less passenger cars have been in accidents in 2008 compared to 1994. On the other hand, there have been about 1,800 more light truck/SUV crashes in 2008, and a whopping 3,500+ difference in 2007.(See, high gas prices actually saved lives!) Another category that accounts for a massive amount of fatalities in 2008, is motorcycles at 5,290 compared to a mere 2,320 in 1994...

The funny thing is that even though people have ditched smaller cars and gone to SUVs, trucks, and motorcycles, we are still at the lowest "accident involvement" rates ever across the board. (except for motorcycles which have increased)

So despite our lower legal BAC requirements, safer cars, and hysteria over "Drunk Driving", the same percentage of fatal accidents involve alcohol and it will continue to be that way since the people that drive drunk to the point they crash and hurt people are ones that need REAL help and rehabilitation, not fines and jail terms that will lead to them drinking more and/or being depressed more.

Until we correctly address the real problem of TREATMENT AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE CAUSE, they will continue to be the same problem as they have always been. (although you're more likely to be poisoned or drown than being killed by a drunk driver...especially since the involvement rate keeps declining as the crash numbers stay virtually the same.)

When all of these other factors are taken into account, the percent of actual drivers with a BAC greater than 0.10 who are involved in fatal crashes is less than 2%.

Seems like it's the OTHER 98% who create the problem.

I have had my life ruined from my arrest, which was a one time bad choice on my part. The sentences do not reflect a first time, non accident, non injury situation, and the fact that MANY felonies have lower and less draconian results. Fortunately I am single, but I knoww of many families that are simply destroyed by this situation. So shame on MADD, their heart is cold, and they are vindictive, and it's ghastly that a first time arrestee can be destroyed. MADD is creating a huge class of ruined, unemployable people in this country. It is truly aakin to the Holocaust.

I personally have never had this happen to me, but so many of my friends and relatives and employees have had their lives ruined by these draconian and unconstitutional laws that I would not wish a million DUI's on Candice Lightner--she deserves nothing but an ETERNITY in MADD hell.

I'm thinking suicide is really the only option. The list of sentences and fines and costs, not to mention the ruination of my professional life, has me thinking that extreme. This is the only site thus far where I see the truth spoken. Are there any support groups for people to discuss how and if they overcome DUI arrest? I am NOT talking AA - mine was an isolated incident, one that fucked me for life in every respect. And, no- you pompous/righteous fuckers with heads stuck in the mud, and who feel yourselves to be sitting at the right hand side of god? I am NOT in denial. Thanks, there's a lot of tearful insight in here as to the wholesale desctruction of millions of families. KarlFarmer@live.com

I just read aa couple books on breast cancer Karl- in each, the husbands lamented that their friends and even some family members distanced themselves after a cancer diagnosis. Their thoughts are thaat it is ssimply too brutal and scary and life altering for some people to deal with, so they fade back out of the picture to avoid having to face it. Also they both made comments that 'you find out who your freins really are' after your wife is diagnosed with breats cancer. I am feeeling the same way since DUI. Not only that I know many many people who drink and rive regulary, and caan't imaagine ever beeing in a DUI situation- so I think that's another reason fade back, and moral support if so hard to find.

DWI vs. DWB

Driving While Intoxicated vs. Driving While Black

A German roadside study showed that the drunkest White driver imaginable was 30 TIMES more likely than a sober White driver to have a fatal accident.

http://fathersmanifesto.net/duigerman.htm

A UN survey showed that Black drivers are ONE THOUSAND TIMES more likely to have a fatal accident than the average White driver.
http://fathersmanifesto.net/iqdrivers.htm
http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_safety_status/key_data/en/index.html

This makes the AVERAGE Black driver 33 TIMES more dangerous than the DRUNKEST White driver.

The World Health Organization recently released a report on the number of cars per traffic fatality for most countries around the world. It showed that the most dangerous cars are in the Central Republic of Africa where a car is 1,447 times more likely to kill someone than a car in Switzerland, and 85 times more likely than a car in Congo.

It would appear that there's another factor besides alcohol responsible for our STILL high (relatively) motor vehicle fatality rate, eh?


Country Vehicles per death
San Marino 51,590
Malta 24,723
Switzerland 14,476
Japan 13,764
Germany 11,217
Netherlands 11,205
Norway 11,158
Sweden 8,983
Spain 7,661
Italy 7,632
Canada 7,148
England, Wales 7,141
Uruguay 6,566
USA 5,896
Korea 2,954
Marshall Is. 2,487
Thailand 2,051
United Arab Emirates 1,661
China 1,503
Iraq 1,161
Libya 854
Congo 854
Eriteria 751
India 688
S. Africa 573
Ghana 502
Gaza Strip 418
Afghanistan 411
Guinea-Bisau 381
Angola 285
Egypt 269
Gambia 268
Kenya 267
Tanzania 223
Niger 133
Uganda 128
Sao Tome 61
Ethiopia 61
Central African Republic 10

I lived in Germany for two and a half years in the Army. They have crazy overzealous laws there. In some areas in Germany you can lose your license for life after the first one. I can understand it there. It makes sense. There, there is about fifteen ways to get home that are cheap other than driving.

In this country where Alcohol is part of our culture and in our media and movies, how can we criminalize people for doing what is legal and for some a way of life? Stopping on the way home and hearing about the happy hour at your favorite watering hole you should be able to stop in. Then, you are made a criminal for driving home.

That is ridiculous not because I condone drinking in driving but, you can’t entice people to do something and make it criminal as long as you don’t get caught.

This is supposed to be the land of the free. We are now becoming so over burdened with ridiculous laws; it might as well be communist Russia. Minorities and organizations are writing our laws and it helps the few and hurts the many. This is mainly because pockets are being lined to pass these ridiculous laws. The hypocritical aspect of that is most of the people who pass these laws do it themselves or make enough they can afford to take cabs home when public transportation isn’t available.

This means drinking in public will only be reserved for the wealthy. The laws are being passed because the organizations are making money to push these laws. The law makers are making money off those organizations. The industries that cater to the laws are making a mint, for example, Lawyers, councilors, dui equipment manufacturers, etc. It should also be brought up that the states and local government are making a good part of their budgets from it.

If people really wanted to stop DUI then there is only two ways. Prohibition, or come up with alternatives to DUI; An example of a DUI alternative is, a service like an idea I have for a DUI cab company that runs large passenger vans. You pay a once a month fee and you get twenty-four rides to a bar from home and back. You can also use it to a party or where ever you drink. It’s like DUI insurance. If you use the service and are at a bar you can grab it and bar hop for a real small free of like $5.00. You can take it home and get a ride back to your car the next day. This is reachable by most and you should save gas and your insurance company should lower your rates to belong to such a business.

This is a cheap intelligent way to stop or lower the DUI rate…. I want to start the company but it takes too much capital. I hope someone runs with this idea. People could make millions and save millions of lives.

I am on the border of losing, my house, my job, my car, and being on the street. This isn’t right. DUI laws are meant to punish not put people on the street and ruin lives. We can come up with better ways if we all put our heads together and want to solve problems and stop being hypocrites.

Most people in our adult lives have gone to a wedding reception, bar, or party and had too much to drink. Just because you didn’t get caught doesn’t make you better than those who have. We all need to take responsibility and either fix this problem the right way or, stop it all together and go back to prohibition. We have to be real. If everyone in this country only drank enough not to get a DUI every bar in this country would close in a month. The alcohol companies would all close and millions of jobs would be lost. So let’s fix this the right way if we want to be realistic and live in the land of the free called America.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!

Did you know that a man must drink 7 drinks to drive as dangerously as a sober woman? When are we going to crack down on SOBER women drivers?

Quiz

Ignoring the above facts, and ASSUMING that 10% of all fatal accidents involve a driver with a BAC greater than 0.10 (drunk drivers), that 90% involve only drivers with a BAC < 0.10 (sober drivers), and that only 30% of all drivers IN GENERAL have a BAC greater than 0.10:

Which driver are you most likely to be killed by? A drunk driver or a sober driver?
By how much?
Per mile, which is the most dangerous driver?
By how much?

You can take the poll here:

http://polldaddy.com/s/E22005B7CF8AC52C

What makes a "dui driver". I know of companies that have going away parties, celebrations, Christmas parties, job fairs, etc. and promote drinking. I've been to job fairs where the company themselve may not hire someone with a dui, but the recruiters are there getting smashed afterwards. ALL those people are driving home after drinking. What's the difference.....well, one person got caught and the others didn't and sometimes it's coincidence and cop entraptment. They are all doing it, but the ONE that gets caught is suddenly the evil "dui driver". Quit being self-righteous all of you. I've witnessed cops off duty that drink and drive and just get off because they're a cop if they are stopped. By condemning that person that got caught, while the media, companies, social clubs, etc. all still promote drinking, you wonder why so many that get charged with a dui committ suicide!!!

Interesting point. It would be nice to know how many suicides there are as the result of the humongous problems caused by a DUI. My bet is that there are more suicides than there are lives saved by MADD from drunk drivers.

ESPECIALLY since even the FARS database makes the drinking driver about the safest driver around. This straight from FARS:

http://www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/QueryTool/QuerySection/SelectFields.aspx

Greater than 0.10 BAC in 2009

Police reported alcohol involved 8791


NOT confirmed with BAC analysis = 39.4% 3459

Confirmed with BAC analysis 5332


No seat belt a factor 2265
Pedestrian 978
Motorcycles 874
Passenger 710
Police reported drugs a factor 675
ATV 97
Bicyclist 94
Unknown 21
Snow mobile 17
Go cart 14
Mopeds 13
Other motor cycles 11
Off-road motorcycle 10
Personal conveyances 10
Uknown 9
Farm Equipment 4
small ATV 3

Total 5805

Confirmed minus all other factors -473

NO Random BAC Testing in England! Yet England's MVFR (motor vehicle fatality rate) is ONE third of ours?

EACH YEAR, if we had had an MVFR equivalent to England's, we would have had 30 THOUSAND fewer traffic fatalities in the country. Since MADD was founded three decades ago, this is almost ONE MILLION LIVES (900,000 to be more precise).
MADD DID NOT WORK!!
And we KNOW what WOULD have worked would have saved almost ONE MILLION AMERICAN LIVES.

SIXTY MILLION AMERICANS arrested; 17,600 in prison, 41,100 in jails, and 455,500 on probation; their lives, reputations, and families ruined; $TRILLIONS wasted: for WHAT purpose?


RANDOM ALCOHOL BREATH TESTING IS NOT CARRIED OUT!!!

Yet Englishmen have one THIRD the fatal accident rate of Americans--5.6 vs. 15.6 fatalities per 100,000 population!!
What England discovered is that DOUBLING "alcohol dependence" from 0.6 to 1.0 actually DECREASED traffic fatalities by one third, from 15 to 5.6!






World Health Organization FURTHERMORE, the World Health Organization ranks the US DEAD LAST amongst industrialized nations in traffic safety, with American cars being three TIMES more deadly than cars in Japan, Switzerland, and Finland, on par with Uruguay, and only slightly safer than Korea.

England Control of alcohol problems:

There is a minimum legal age limit of 18 for purchasing alcoholic beverages. However it is possible to consume some alcoholic beverages in bars or restaurants at 16 or 17 years of age. BAC limit is 0.08 g% for drivers. On conviction for a first or subsequent offence of driving above the BAC limit, suspension of driving licence is usual. Random alcohol breath testing is not carried out. [England REDUCED fatality rates two thirds by DOUBLING alcohol dependence].

Italy Control of alcohol problems

The sale of alcohol to those under 16 years of age is prohibited. The BAC limit is 0.08 g% for drivers. Suspension of driving licence or imprisonment is a usual penalty when a person is convicted for a first offence. Random alcohol breath testing is not carried out.

Japan Control of alcohol products:

There are no price controls on alcoholic beverages. No official subsidy is given to the domestic alcohol trade except in the form of the import tariffs imposed on foreign alcoholic beverages.

Malta Control of alcohol problems

There is a minimum legal age limit of 16 years for buying alcohol. There is no specific legislation on the maximum blood alcohol content permitted while driving. If a person has a severe traffic crash and is admitted to the hospital, BAC will be tested there and the result may be used as evidence for insurance purposes. The legal offence is most likely to be one of careless driving

Sweden At the national level, priorities of the 1990s have been reducing availability; mass media campaigns to encourage safer drinking; encouraging lighter drinking in work settings; increasing the role of primary health care teams in the prevention and early detection of alcohol problems; using price policy to reduce demand; developing the roles of the social welfare system and the criminal justice system in the prevention and management of alcohol problems; developing specialized treatment for alcohol dependence and other alcohol problems; and addressing particular alcohol problems.

Switzerland Control of alcohol problems:

There is a minimum legal age limit of 16 years for buying fermented beverages and an age limit of 18 years for buying distilled beverages. Since the mid-1980s the Federal Law prohibits advertising of spirits in or on places for public usage, sporting fields and events, events for young people and price lists, etc. The BAC limit is 0.08 g% for drivers. Random alcohol breath testing is not carried out. Penalties for driving above the permitted limit vary from canton to canton.

I know your post is from about 6 mths ago, but you put into words a lot of what I have a problem with. I am helping a relative who got a DUI. We have talked about a lot of things over the past year or so. We see all the people at happy hour and now all the summer parties. So many people walking around with a beer in hand. If I only had a breath-lizer. I would love to know who could drive and who shouldn't. When this happened, I talked to a few people and other family members and found SO MANY people willing to condemn and then go have a drink themselves. My relative and I have not touched a drink since the DUI charge. There is so much people don't know about the law and there are so many of them that are breaking it and pointing the finger at the one that gets caught. I've done a lot of thinking too about another situation that I'm uncomfortable with - guns. We have so many people that own guns and every gun is a potential death, but we don't see a stop NRA movement like MADD. Think about it, a person choses to drive drunk and a person choses to own a gun. A person doesn't choose to have an accident driving home, it is a direct result of loosing control. Well, a person doesn't choose to let their child pick up the gun and shot themselves like a 5 year old boy did in our City. It was an accident, the father left the gun out by mistake. So why do we allow guns? because it is our right to own them. If we are careful, nothing will happen - but that is the same thing the person that stopped for a few on their way home from work - nothing will happen, I'll just have a couple and be careful driving home. I think MADD has had it's way for too long. There are a lot of people who get a DUI that shouldn't and a lot that haven't that should.

driving a car is a privilege .. not your right. you get in the vehicle and drive drunk, you deserve what you get. You drive drunk through a check point and your drunk too bad. Get a taxi or get a ride if you plan to drink .Its that simple. you have no right to drive.

You are right, Tom. Driving IS a priviledge and not a right. We all learned that in driver's ed when we were in high school. We do however have the right to examine, protest, and possibly CHANGE the laws that govern us as a society. This is precisely what Candice Lightner did, and I applaud her for it.

If I lost a loved one due to an under penalized, multiple DUI offender, and thought the current laws to be unprotective, I would probably have done the same. Like everything in life though, if there is such a thing as being 'under' penalized, then there must also be the possibility of the 'over'. (You wouldn't want someone to spend life in prison, after being stopped at a check point, having just enjoyed a glass of wine with dinner, would you? Of course not.)

We both know that is an extreme example, but herein lies my point:

That example shows a massive 'overcorrection' to a problem. With it comes obvious consequences. So you must now agree, just as there can be 'massive' overcorrection, there can, and WILL be cases to a lesser degree, but nevertheless hold consequences as well.

I feel this to be the case concerning MADD's influence on the current DUI laws. We have overcorrected.

I don't subscribe to any theories that "It's all about money" or "Socio-economic" this or that, but I do see too many cases of good people being over prosecuted because of a 'knee-jerk' 25 years ago. I don't pretend to know all the stats as far as BAC levels, and crash statistics, but shouldn't we at least take them into account if real data exits? Especialy if Candice herself recognized the difference between a .08 driver and a habitual .15?
The problem is, it's hard to go back. No elected official will ever touch upon the subject of recalculating existing laws, to more reflect the wantings of the people. There are greater platforms to run on, and perhaps rightly so. We move on.
This is obviously not one of our society's most pressing issues, but I am thankful for forums such as this, where an open discussion can take place. Even if it is only to vent.
You're right about another thing, Tom. Many of the postings on this forum have been ill-informed and even childish. You might however, go back and read some of the real concerns by real people you may have only skimmed past. I only hope to have added an extra dimension to your "You drive drunk through a check point and your drunk too bad" argument.
If any of this was too 'nimwited' for you, I would like to know why, and I await your response.

There is NEVER a justification to attempt to curtail drunk driving accidents by ARRESTING more than 48 MILLION American drivers JUST because that MIGHT reduce the 5,000 fatal accidents which are ultimately attributed to them.

The fact is that England, whose fatal accident rate was just as high as ours back when they did the same thing, is now one third of ours AFTER they curtailed the practice.

One more INDEPENDENT study from the University of Michigan reveals that sober women drivers are more dangerous than DRINKING men drivers:

http://fathersmanifesto.net/womendrivers.htm

I have a question . I need so help I am MADD2 I want to help others with this terrible thing called drugs. My daughter is a recovering addict. I would like to use the name madd2. Can you help me ? i have no clue where to start. I too am a real estate agent here in Texas. Please let me hear from you .

Diane

It was a terrible tragety what happen to candy's daughter i can only imagine what she went threw..but blaming others wasn't the way to go as far as she is concern every drunk person killed her daughter and thats called Revenge!!! Everyone is put threw a test in life to see how great their faith is in God!!! instead of her waiting to let God revenge for her she did it herself but on others, "REVENGE"IS MINE THUS SAID THE LORD!!! and while that idiot that killed her daughter will make it up to the heavens gate she might not!! she created a thing that was suppose to "so called" non profit into a greed for money and suicide death machine!!
The lord works in misterious ways and so does the devil!! after she started this Madd program thats all it took for the devil to start his business at this point he already inherited her soul he didn't need her any longer i believe for every soul that commit suicide for her "REVENGE"
SHE WILL BURN FOR IT, not because just because she created this program but defying and not believing in God's word !!!! This is one of the main reason why it was Written because God foresaw all this before it would happen!!! It seems everytime someone sneeze people wants to put a "Law" out!!! But everyone has forgotten we were all born with a DATE,TIME AND YEAR FOR DEATH??? weather someone get in an accident,shot death by rape,etc...it's all the same but the Law treats it different the Law is playing God with peoples life in the wrong way!!! i lost a love one 16 years old by her boyfriend stabbing her to death..i refuse to seek REVENGE!! because i want to make it to the heavens gates when its my time REVENGE IS NOT MINE BUT HIS SAID THE LORD!! and i'm going to blame everyone for that idiots fault but i am required by GOD!! to love thy neighbor no matter what as for candy she has a lot of people to answer for come JUDGEMENT DAY!!!! Just like that prosecuter who killed himself in conn. over his dwi.. people say it was many reason why he killed himself because he might loose his job, he had family problems,etc...I say he found himself guilty not because of any of those but because he Judged people for the same thing he got not only did he probably ruin peoples livelyhood but then realized that he was playing God and he saw that playing God also comes with a price sooner or later!!! he knew by destroying other peoples lives wasn't something he could take back instead he manned up and Judged himself like the rest of them will have to do sooner or later in the eyes of God!!! I can go on with this forever but figure the rest out for yourself...And God bless candy and those that Judge others for they will need all the blessing they can get when it's Gods turn to Judge!!! THEM FOR IT MAY BE ETERNITY!!!