DUI Checkpoints in Texas (or anywhere)

. . . are a moral evil.

You have an arguably worthwhile goal of getting drunk drivers off the road. You even have the proper people doing the activity (civilian police force). But you are doing a Bad Thing.

Someone who is traveling in a private vehicle on a public road minding their own business and breaking no laws is arrested and assumed to be a criminal. Adding insult to Injury, in Austin they like the idea of having a zero-refusal blood draw. What's that, you say? When you are driving to Aunty Theresa's house, you are forced to stop for no reason. It's nothing personal you understand; it's for your saaaaaafety. Then (because you are going to be late to blow out her 93 birthday candles and you are not a drunk) you get combative and refuse to blow into a breathalyzer. So they STEAL YOUR BLOOD from you at gunpoint.

Sorry, you will have to be filing assault charges on me too, officer. And be sure I'll be filing a few suits back with your name on them. The suits will contain interesting phrases like "under color of law" and "$10,000 or ten years imprisonment, or both."

This is evil and they have already passed enabling legislation for it in my Texas Senate.

They want to have checkpoints only in big cities and only after midnight, and only once in the same location per year, published in advance. Oh, fine. How about this: they want to name the law after a girl who was killed by a repeat drunk driver at 3PM. I don't think they are mocking you while attempting to steal your liberty, but it sure seems like it this time.

Gee, maybe if you hadn't let this jerk out of jail after the first time, or the second time, he drove drunk, that little girl would be alive and you wouldn't be able to demagogue my liberty away in her name.

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In other news, Representative Strama's office has my address in their robot system under my last name. Also, from the tone of voice of the lady on the phone at Governor Perry's office, my comment went straight to the circular file but maybe (let's hope) she's just tired of hearing the same comment all morning.

If not, call her and make her tired of it. The Governor's office can be reached at 1-512-463-2000