[*BCM*] Drunk driver gets 10 1/2 years for killing cyclist

[Eric Mearns]

It's not vengeance or rehabilitation, it's just logical that if
someone is unable to make the decisions on their own that keep them
from killing those around them, that they be removed from the
equation.  I have zero faith in law enforcement or our justice system,
but if the facts in this article are true, I can't think of a better
candidate for a prison sentence than this clown.
Again, I have to trust the media on this, but according to this article:
She got caught driving drunk once, and her license was taken away.
Not convinced at this point that driving drunk was a bad idea, she
decided to do it again without the benefit of a driver's license this
time.
She killed someone.
So her prison sentence is "arguably" making the world safer? How about
"absolutely"?  What would be a "better way", hiding her car keys in
the cookie jar and making her promise to switch to diet coke after two
beers?  Maybe she could pinky swear and sign a pledge that she would
never ever ever ever do it again.
Some people just aren't capable of making decisions on their own, and
when that inability results in innocent people losing their lives,
someone has to step in and take over the decision making for them.
The people who benefit from the prison term are all of the people who
might have been killed or maimed (Arrington included) had she been
allowed to continue along on her path of poor decision making.  I'd
say the prison term is doing immeasurable good for both her and anyone
unfortunate enough to share a road with her.
That said, I also advocate 10 year prison terms for such crimes as
failing to use a directional and driving while being a cabbie.


On Jan 24, 2008 7:46 PM, Jim Leonard <jim_bcm at xuth.net> wrote:
> On Thu, Jan 24, 2008 at 06:33:06PM -0500, Eric A. Stratton wrote:
> > 10.5 years is so little for the cost of a human life.  This is
>
> And yet 10.5 years might as well be a yet another lifetime.  This isn't
> rehabilitation, this is vengence.  Jail is a deterrent, but at some point
> you have diminishing returns.  Putting her in jail doesn't bring back a
> life and probably hurts many others.  It is arguably making the world
> safer but isn't there a better way?
>
> I don't know that I have the right answer, but I can't see putting
> someone in prison for 10 years doing anybody any good.
>
> --jim
>
>
>
> > terrible to hear about, and I think she really earned this sentence.
> > She was driving on a suspended license according to the article, for a
> > prior DUI.  How dumb do people have to be.
> >
> > -E
> >
> > On Jan 24, 2008, at 12:29 PM, Jym Dyer wrote:
> >
> > >
> > > | ... because she had "taken out" a "tree hugger, a bicyclist,
> > > | a Frenchman and a gay guy all in one shot."
> > >
> > > =v= Excerpts from the recorded conversation are in this video:
> > >
> > > http://www.kgun9.com/NewsArticle/tabid/1112/xmid/18220/Default.aspx
> > >
> > >    <_Jym_>
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > Boston Critical Mass mailing list
> > > list at bostoncriticalmass.org
> > > http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list
> > > To unsubscribe email list-unsubscribe at bostoncriticalmass.org
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Boston Critical Mass mailing list
> > list at bostoncriticalmass.org
> > http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list
> > To unsubscribe email list-unsubscribe at bostoncriticalmass.org
> _______________________________________________
> Boston Critical Mass mailing list
> list at bostoncriticalmass.org
> http://bostoncriticalmass.org/list
> To unsubscribe email list-unsubscribe at bostoncriticalmass.org
>