Drunk Driving and Josh Brent: What Is The Right Punishment?
Everyone
knows that drunk driving takes lives, but does anybody really understand the
ramifications of getting into a car under the influence of alcohol? Does anyone really understand that a motor
vehicle is, as deadly if not more deadly, than an assault rifle or
handgun? Every day of the year, adults
and teens choose to get into cars drunk fully aware of the stories told about
those left behind to mourn the deaths of family members and friends to drunk
driving. We've seen the photographs,
some videos and we've seen people throwing away their careers and relationships
because of making the grave decision to drive under the influence of drugs or
alcohol. Yet, I wonder if we really
understand the gravity of driving drunk.
It doesn't have to happen to each of us before we really understand how
horrible life can become after making a decision to put themselves and everyone
else on the streets in jeopardy because of selfishness and narcissism that sees
the blanket the country in tunnel vision that we seem to have. We seem to have a mentality "This could
possibly happen to me," and it's not just the ignorant and
uneducated. Some of the smartest people
that I know have made the decision to drive after drinking far too much. It's a sense of entitlement or disregard for
others and a lack of respect for other human beings, perhaps even a lack of
respect for us as individuals. I can't
seem to figure out why this continues to be an epidemic, especially considering
some of the most morbid and horrifying of stories of innocent victims being
killed or worse, being disabled or disfigured or both because someone was too
selfish to get a ride home in a taxi or a ride with someone who is not
impaired. I really wonder if anybody
really gets it and I know this will probably offend many who read this, but we
seem to just wipe away the pain of others like the sweat on our brow;
Insignificant and completely irrelevant to our lives because we are not
directly involved. I've posted the story
of Jacqueline "Jacqui" Saburido several times, the story of a
20-year-old young lady permanently blinded and disfigured after being hit by
drunk driver. Just looking at the
photographs of her are enough to make me believe the people who hear her story
will make life changes and not just choosing not to drive drunk, but to
understand how this remarkable woman chose not to give up and not to blame
anyone. She allows herself just five
minutes a day for self-pity, but that's all.
Anyone who read about her story or were fortunate enough to see her
story unfolded on programs like the Oprah Winfrey show have the awesome
opportunity to realize how minute and insignificant most of our stories of
hardship really are. I have to say, I'm
disappointed as people continue to pile into cars drunk off their feet, putting
you, your children and all the other innocent drivers and passengers
immediately at risk. Drunk driving has to be one of the most insidious displays
of human selfishness that I've ever seen in my life. We can do better, there's no doubt about it.
Today,
I read a column by syndicate writer Greg Doyel on CBS sports.com that really
aggravated me. This writer was attacking the Cowboys front office and fans for
coming down too hard on Josh Brent, the Cowboys defensive player who drove
drunk and killed his best friend and teammate, Jerry Brown. Doyel believed that it was cruel and unusual
punishment for the Cowboys to keep Brent off the sidelines for the remainder of
the 2012 season. I'm sick and tired of hearing
about what people deserve and what they
don't deserve. I believe you deserve
what you earn and in my opinion, Josh Brent earned himself a jail sentence and
the wrath of a jury of public opinion against drunk drivers like him that put
everyone else at risk just being on the same roads as him. I believe Greg Doyel wasted his column space,
his time and his effort defending a criminal, rather than advocating for the
victims of drunk driving. Josh Brent
made a choice to drive drunk, and this wasn't his first infraction. Apparently,
Brent is either too stupid to understand the law and the ramifications of
driving drunk, or he is so arrogant and selfish that he believes the loss don't
apply to him for some reason. He had
already been arrested for drunk driving, and with a DUI already on his record,
he again chose to roll the dice. He
wasn't rolling the dice for himself or his car and not necessary even for his
friend, remember Jerry Brown was also drunk and chose to get into the car as
well. Brent rolled the dice for everyone
else on the roads and to anyone walking on the side of the road. Frankly, the dice he rolled weren’t his to
roll.
As
far as Gregg Doyel? Anyone who would waste their time and effort to defend a person
like Josh Brent, just doesn't get how tragic and painful it really is when a
drunk driver takes the lives of innocent victims… but not just faceless victims;
these are people that have a network of family, friends and other loved ones left to grieve the loss of someone
special and irreplaceable. But this is
just another story of another drunk getting into a car, well aware of the laws
and the cost of driving drunk. We see a
predictable rise in drunk driving and drunk driving related accidents around
Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's eve and day, Labor Day and Independence
Day. No one can use the excuse that they
didn't know consequences and potential tragedy waiting to happen.
The
only thing that will decrease the frequency of these horrific accidents is
increasing the penalties for driving impaired.
Drunk driving should be treated like conspiracy to commit murder and in
cases resulting in fatalities, murder one.
It should be treated the same way as possessing an assault weapon
unlawfully just for DUI without incident.
They should be long-term prison sentences and they should have to
register just like a sex offender. There
are no more excuses. There are millions
of examples to show the rest of us how terrible it can be and the ripple effect
has touched every one of us in some way.
Enough
is enough already.
No comments:
Post a Comment