Drinking and Driving in DC, Oh My!!

So much depends on who you are and not on what you did.

0.8 - that's the legal limit in Washington, DC. Lower than most states, but there it is. Used to be a big fat ZERO, less than 8 months ago, but they changed that last fall in The Anti-Drunk Driving Clarification Amendment Act of 2005

However, if there's evidence of impairment present at the scene, they can bust you with a 0.5.

Let's see - "Evidence of Impairment."

Would that include such things as:

"Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy crashed his car into a security barrier near the Capitol early yesterday, and officers at the scene suspected that he might have been intoxicated, a police union official said."

"Earlier yesterday, Cannon said officers at the scene thought Kennedy was staggering and might have been intoxicated. They called for supervisors over the radio, and the supervisors drove Kennedy home, he said.

Cannon said officers were upset that supervisors prevented them from conducting a more thorough investigation, which might have included sobriety tests. "The officers just want to be able to do their jobs," he said."

"Police sources said officers noticed Kennedy's Mustang shortly before the crash because he nearly drove head-on into a Capitol Police car. The Mustang's lights were off, the sources said. The officer turned his patrol car around to pursue Kennedy, whose car then crashed into the barrier, the sources said."

"When police approached, the sources said, Kennedy got out of his car and said he was late for a vote. The House had not been in session for hours."

(all quotes are from the Washington Post)

I'm not a judge or jury, but that certainly seems like enough "Evidence" to me - of course, we'll never know, will we? No "common man" breath or blood testing was administered because the officers on the scene were overridden by their (far-wiser) superiours.

Thank God, tho, for those of us who are curious, all is not lost - We have an explanation!!! Two explanations, in fact!! Ambien and the newly reported (but as yet, unproven) Sleep-Driving Syndrome!!!! It's happened before - it's happened to others!! Congressman Kennedy is not alone!!!

Oh wait - if you read the article all of the other people actually DID get arrested....and many of them also admitted drinking "some" alcohol (including the lady who said she "didn't remember" drinking half a bottle of wine) as well...despite warning labels to the contrary.

Be that as it may, none of them apparently remembered what happened....not immediately, not when they woke up in jail, and not while giving a second statement to the press 19 hours later, either.

Gotta hand it to those congressmen - their selective memory process is so much more finely honed than that of their constituents....I suppose that's why we elect them over and over again....either that, or we're all victims of "Sleep Voting" and it's dreaded consequences.

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Late Entry
3:29PM

How the rich react when the going gets rough or why am I not surprised.