Tom, this post is so misguided as to make me violently ill - and I thought only a Phillip Winn post could do that.

Anyway, while MADD is a great target - obsessed soccer Moms with an ax to grind - drinking and driving is no longer as socially acceptable as it once was before they began their crusade. Drinking and driving is irresponsible, though amazingly it used to be cool to drink and drive. Thank God for MADD. Yes, they have attached a social stigma to drinking and driving - and that's a good thing. Only losers drink and drive. Yes, a social stigma is now attached to smoking. But let's be frank - only losers smoke these days. Take a look at people smoking in public. It's the trash of society. The same with drinking and driving. If you drive drunk, you get thrown in jail. MADD has gone a long way in attaching a stigma to what was once a common habit in our society.

You wish a return to the good old days, move to Jasper, Texas....

Tom, this post is so misguided as to make me violently ill - and I thought only a Phillip Winn post could do that.


Let me add to this. Drinking and Driving is bad. But I don't need draconian police enforcement or groups who claim not be pushing a neoprohabitionist agenda to keep me safe.

When I get stopped at checkpoints and they as me where I'm going I tell them it's none of their business. As a libertarian, I believe in increasing personal responsibility. With that comes a little bit of danger, but it's worth it to live in a free society.

Gee, Chris, I'm confused. Since I can't remember you ever posting a negative comment on one of my posts, I have no idea why I'm singled out here. Perhaps you can check the list and tell me which post made you throw up?

It couldn't have been the revew of Twelve Angry Men, you seemed okay with that. Not a listing of upcoming DVDs, either. At least, I don't think that my comments about Helter Skelter were that awful.

Admittedly, I only checked my 30 most recent posts, which took me back to October of last year. Perhaps there was an older post that made you physically ill? Perhaps you began to retch so violently that you were unable to post a comments?

I mean, reviews of 1990s horror films, Spider-Man 2, 12 Angry Men, Reign Of Fire, Crossroads Guitar Festival, Alias, Matrix Revolutions -- these can be offensive, to be sure. And news about Apple or downloadable music is just *asking* for trouble!

Or did you mean the birth announcement? Maybe that was it. Or the administrative notes.

Ah, wait -- it must be the two articles that dealt frankly with issues related to racism in America?

Nah.

Thanks, Tom, for the thoughtful post. I've devoted an entire blog to changing the hearts and minds of people on this issue.

Chris,
Did you realize that "drinking and driving" is not agaisnt the law. "Drunk Driving" is, get your facts straight before spouting your objections. You also need to check the real facts about "drunk driving" to realize that more than 82% of all fatal accidents are casued by Sober Drivers.

The four main culprits are 1)Inattentiveness; 2)Speeding; 3)Failure To Yield; 4) Following Too Close.

No one is trying to say not punish "drunk drivers", this country is in a sad state of affairs when it punishes repsonsible drivers. And dead is dead in my book, and being killed by a "drunk dirver" is no worse than being killed by a sober dirver.

So read up on the subject, rather than posting only an emotional response.

www.getmadd.com

And take the $20,000 challenge.

i want to know your address so i could send some questions to ask you.i need it for my shool report


Thank you!!

Do you mean my address or Tom?

MAAD-Mothers Against Drunk Drivers. Tom are you a mother?Every photo that I have seen from your buch always have a man or two. I beleive the last might have been a secretary or transportation something. A one time MAAD even had a man for a president, how about that. The MAAD bunch are not a bunch of old church biddies as projected, but a corporation of power and lots of bucks, lots. Many car mfg, 25% of tickets and much more. I beleive that most of the older ladies that go to church spend all of their time with god, not roaming around to see who gets a beer or not. Put the shoe on the right foot, corporation of lots of men among them.The little old ladies are ladies thats why they are home. Dui has become big bussiness. Remember the lawyer that followed the ambulance and had the client whiplash Harry, in an old movie? MAAD is being subsidized by traffic tickets. And they lobby for more penalties constantly. The unsuspecting taxpayer pays the higher and higher taxes, complaines and never bothers to find out.All of the lawyers that get out of college have to go somewhere, why not drop the dui again. No I say that resolves nothing, just like people loosing their job, home and all for lives. I cannot candone alcohol either. I would suggest that all of the taverns and bars be shut down and the state establish a state owned liquor store.I don't beleive that alcohol would be a problem if people were not allowed to sit around in public places and drink it.I would be on the road less, much less.

I did a search on google, "madd is a bunch of losers" and got here, well i was just pondering the idea that so many drugs are still available to drive on and yet infact the stupid MADD group is in a way taking away our freedom, and in the end i bet the madd group was formed by those lame fuc*(s who created prohibition. at either rate i guess soon we shall have alot of drivers without insurance because the companies wont insure them, thanks madd your helping clog up the legal system all over a 6 pack of beer.. madd is a bunch of losers, face it if they have family that died they are the real losers. and now they are mad at every drunk driver because one was a stupid idiot and coulnt see that well and yet still drove.. its to bad its illegal to put your damn key in your car and keep warm while your drunk till you sober up, now you got people being forced to drive so they dont look suspicas sitting around the bar parking lot waiting to sober up in there car. anyhow i could talk all day but i wont. Im begining to think that true freedom only lasts for about 100 years when a country is first formed. after that its to profitable to take freedoms away.

I have an uncle who was drinking and driving after coming home from a party and happened to be driving on the wrong side of the road. To make a long story short, he hit a young man head on and killed him. The young man had just gotten married and was coming home from military basic training to see his young wife who had just advised him that he was soon to be a daddy. Don't tell me MAAD is an unworthy organization or that what they are doing is of some type of harm to anyone. Tell that to this young man's wife and child he never met, and then ask yourself if MAAD is fighting a worthy cause because the next time it might be you on the wrong side of the road. P. S. My uncle lived, spent some time in prison, and is still crippled from the accident. Anything else you wanna know?

What a load of crap this article is, you should be ashamed of yourself. Sob stories? Someone getting killed by a drunk driver is a sob story?
How truly insensitive of you. I think the earlier people get into trouble through alcohol the earlier their recovery can begin. So you that wrote this and that is probably working your drinking problem into full blown alcoholism, you will one day look back on this article with shame and will need to make a very public step 9 in order to help in your recovery.

i have had a dui in az. the mad mothers were unable to schedule me in the legal amount of time to attend a session! friends i have had a bad experience with madd. thre are men running the meetings. not mothers with a sob story. no one knows how the money is spent.

I'm sorry that standing up for civil liberties offends you. If you want to live in a safe society, free from most harm, move to Singapore. There, spitting on the street will get you a year in jail.

I feel for families affected by drunk drivers. I myself have had a close friend killed by a drunk driver. But we shouldn't use emotion and anger as reasons to erode civil liberties. Once they are gone, they are gone.

as i said before i have had two duis in az
the mad mothers wre unable to schedule me in the alloted time by law. i wnt to the state required thirty day rehab. i found this more helpful than aa, another program that every one thinks is a great program. its not! diana ross and glenn cambell were busted for dui in tucson. also a priest busted for hit and run causing death. none of them had to serve the minimum sentence for dui! iserved te minumin time in the "mission". not too bad bad but there other criminals there. i kept my mouth shut

I am not really understanding why everyone is getting so defensive about drinking and driving, I am a college student and yes I know it is illegal for minors to drink, IT HAPPENS EVERYDAY! it doesnt matter if you have one drink of five, you should not drive!! Everyone is getting so defensive because they think, oh that cant happen to me, we stop being so stupid because it can happen to anyone! Futhermore, whom ever is getting "put out" by the police check points, get over yourself and realize that if those check points saves one persons life they are worht it!!!!

Whether tragic events touch your family personally or are brought into your home via newspapers and television, you can help children cope with the anxiety that violence, death, and disasters can cause.

Listening and talking to children about their concerns can reassure them that they will be safe. Start by encouraging them to discuss how they have been affected by what is happening around them. Even young children may have specific questions about tragedies. Children react to stress at their own developmental level.

The Caring for Every Child's Mental Health Campaign offers these pointers for parents and other caregivers:

* Encourage children to ask questions. Listen to what they say. Provide comfort and assurance that address their specific fears. It's okay to admit you can't answer all of their questions.
* Talk on their level. Communicate with your children in a way they can understand. Don't get too technical or complicated.
* Find out what frightens them. Encourage your children to talk about fears they may have. They may worry that someone will harm them at school or that someone will try to hurt you.
* Focus on the positive. Reinforce the fact that most people are kind and caring. Remind your child of the heroic actions taken by ordinary people to help victims of tragedy.
* Pay attention. Your children's play and drawings may give you a glimpse into their questions or concerns. Ask them to tell you what is going on in the game or the picture. It's an opportunity to clarify any misconceptions, answer questions, and give reassurance.
* Develop a plan. Establish a family emergency plan for the future, such as a meeting place where everyone should gather if something unexpected happens in your family or neighborhood. It can help you and your children feel safer.

If you are concerned about your child's reaction to stress or trauma, call your physician or a community mental health center.