Karaoke Forums

Reuters
   

Finding drunks in a bar -- what are the chances?
Thu Mar 23, 9:57 AM ET

Texas has begun sending undercover agents into bars to arrest drinkers for being drunk, a spokeswoman for the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission said on Wednesday.

The first sting operation was conducted recently in a Dallas suburb where agents infiltrated 36 bars and arrested 30 people for public intoxication, said the commission's Carolyn Beck.

Being in a bar does not exempt one from the state laws against public drunkeness, Beck said.

The goal, she said, was to detain drunks before they leave a bar and go do something dangerous like drive a car.

"We feel that the only way we're going to get at the drunk driving problem and the problem of people hurting each other while drunk is by crackdowns like this," she said.

"There are a lot of dangerous and stupid things people do when they're intoxicated, other than get behind the wheel of a car," Beck said. "People walk out into traffic and get run over, people jump off of balconies trying to reach a swimming pool and miss."

She said the sting operations would continue throughout the state.

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Will sing or fish for food!!I'm not quite right!!

I actually saw this on the local news this weekend...It was a sting in Irving Texas...You know I do like to have a couple of extras from time to time...But the hubby always goes with me when I am in the mood for that and he drives and doesn't drink anything...I guess that won't be happening anymore.....

You can go to nbc5i dot com and they have a discussion board going and you can hear the whole story...

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Will sing or fish for food!!I'm not quite right!!

Now, funny as this may seem...... that is the EXACT word of advice my dad gave me when I packed up and moved back to Texas in 1996.  LOL  His other big word of advice: "And don't get throwed in jail in Texas, cause you'll have a hail of a time getting back out!!"

Now why would my dad warn me of those things?  LOL  Maybe he was talking from experience I reckon, and didn't want his little girl to follow in his footsteps.  :no:

But jiminy christmas..... You can't get DRUNK at a BAR...... in TEXAS ?!?!?!?
And here I was planning on coming to that Karaoke Bash....  :shock:  (kidding, there's still that little "airplane" factor that wont let me come to it)

Is this a new law, or a new twist on an old law? That's ridiculous. I mean, many people will think different than me, but.... I guess it does result in alot of car accidents, etc.... but if people party/get drunk at private homes, same thing will happen. People who get drunk as a habit, and drive, or do other reckless things.... are gonna continue it.

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♥ Laugh your heart out, dance in the rain. Cherish the memories, ignore the pain. Love and learn, forget and forgive. Because you only have one life to live. ♥

That's disgusting IMHO.   Watch the idiot's start handcuffing handicapped people in darkened lounges down there, and start locking them up because of their "slovenly staggering appearance"..  It's just not right. THey have a right to do something on public roads, but this is giving the cops TOO much authority. If they are going to bust for "indecency" in a venue that people must show ADULT Identification to get into, what's next ?  CT will appoint individuals to look in bedroom windows, and make sure noones exposing themselves to their partner ?  Busting couples during sex for indecent exposure ?  This is excessive government IMHO...When a person is behind the wheel, I believe they have a right to take action,  but this is getting excessive.. Who will want to go to bars anymore ?  What's the point ?

These are likely the "dry districts", where they don't want anyone drinking... We have three dry areas in CT too...  Yet why don't they just outlaw alcohol all-together in public places.  To go looking for people  that "appear" drunk in bars, and giving the cops reasons to deliberately HUNT people down at random looking for trouble , gives them excessive authority, and possibiliies to abuse authority even more-so, it takes total control away from the bar owners, and set's up a dictatorial situation IMHO..That does sound like a dictatorial setup waiting to happen in such towns....  They might as well just say "No alcohol or drinking allowed in public places", and treat alcohol in public as open container law violations...  Sounds as if they are trying to dry up the towns and ban alcohol in time.  Breach of peace and drunk and disorderly is one thing, Yet this sounds WAY too subjective.. as if to condone the cops going around looking for trouble...

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Lol... well, this will certianly put a damper on the karaoke business in some places...
[schild=3 fontcolor=000000 shadowcolor=C0C0C0 shieldshadow=1]I said NO having fun![/schild]

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Now you guys understand why I built the disco/bar at home.....Yep, I got a dance pole, lights and sound all at home.....and two empty bedrooms and plenty of spare blankets and pillows to use on the couch and floor....The law in this country is getting out of bounds.

Hey, my 71 year old next door neighbor got arrested last weekend at a DWI check point...he blew just .054, but was charged anyway!....The legal limit is .08, and he was only .054......We he complained to the cops they told him it was because they wanted ALL DRINKERS off the road and they would win in court cause they had the court behind them.

Yet at .054 can't an atty get him off on not being over the legal limit, and file a counter-suit ?   Oh Yeah,  I forgot, you live in a sort've different culture down there Keith   ....  They could arrest a person for anything in some of those areas..


Sort've like the time I was visiting, petting that horse without my shirt on, and animal control threw a net over me !  You couldn't get me out've the pound because it was a sunday !  Like I said,  it's as if they'd never seen a northerner before in those parts !

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

This is not a new law it is just a new interpretation on it....For years they have arrested people for public intoxication for walking down the street and being drunk...I can somewhat...aggree with that.....I can agree with them sitting outside the bar and checking people when they get into their cars....But golly..It takes all the fun out of having a designated driver and sends a message that it doesn't matter if you have a DD or not, you are still not going to drink....

Dave, myself and Rich were just discussing whether or not this would apply to private clubs like the VFW or the American Legion.  rich says that because they are a private club the Texas Alchohol Beverage Commision does not govern those locations, so the law doesn't apply...I do not know this as a fact just stating what Rich said.....

The new gave a little bit more info on what they are doing and they say they are only looking for people that are out of control....But then one has to wonder as someone said on here...What about those handicapped people that go to bars...We have a guy that has polio that comes to our bar...To hear him talk or to see him walk you would think he was drunk before he even has a drink....

Keith great move on putting that Disco in your house, with the pole and everything...Gosh...I can't wait to party with you!!!

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Will sing or fish for food!!I'm not quite right!!

yeah sure...  and if you smoke marijuana you might think you're a bird, start flapping your arms, and try to fly off a sky-scraper, what's worse is it leads to harder drugs !!!  SHEEESH..    Great rationale for busting drunks in bars !  It's always a pleasure to see some brilliant law-maker solve the massive problem of the high percentage of people in bars that have over 4 beers, and start taking elevators up to the "diving board"  :shock:


We really need more dumbs***t* like this in politics !!



..

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

As a former KJ and "bouncer"; I had a hard time personally with bartenders letting people get absolutely trashed and then drive home.

The other side of the coin of this issue is not only are they busting "drunks" and fining them up to $500; but they are also nailing the bartenders AND the bar owners.

You cannot legally stop a drunk "physically" from getting in their car to drive home.  If they are that determined to drive, even after you have offered to either drive them home or get them a cab, they have every right to drive.

I think the way the bars are going to go is to have a "private club" atmosphere, where the only way to get in is to be a member.

The referenced busts that Isis is talking about is in Irving, which is sort of dry.  You can only buy by the drink.  However, these busts have happened all over the state and the "perps" are the TABC (Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission).

If something happens while they are driving (accident with injury or death), the family of the victim can sue the driver, the bartender and the bar.  This is also true if you have  a party at your house!

Whatever happened to personal responsibility?  My dad told me when I was a teenager that when I go partying, as soon as I feel a buzz, stop.  But alas, 8 years in the Navy and being in Texas kinda blew that advice right out the window.  

But what really disturbs me, like others, is the fact that the police and government are getting more power and free reign to do what they want, when they want.

As a veteran, I find this appalling.  Whatever happened to government of the people by the people, for the people?  Too many special interest group, but that is another topic!!!

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[scroll]we're men, manly men, we're men in tights[/scroll]

How do they determine "arrest-worthy intoxication" though Rich ?  This is what concerns me.  It becomes too subjective giving the police excessive authority, which leads to abuse of authority.  Assume I go out, have a limp, or perhaps a slight balance problem, have a speech impediment to begin with, yet have a designated driver, meaning I have NO intent on getting behind the wheel of a car ?  Who determines my behaviour warrants my arrest ?   How subjective is the criteria they use ?   Does this mean if I HAVE NOT had too much to drink, yet have cerebral palsy, as a handicapped person who was drinking diet cola all night, my rights should be violated ?    These are a few of the issues I have.  There are more, it can be a blatant breach of civil rights.  They can isolate a person who they know has had NOTHING to drink, and use this as a means to search & frisk them, next they plant (since they are undercover) a narcotic on a person, and set them up, arrest them and HAPPEN to find "drugs" on the person too....The person get's jail, PERHAPS because they aren't liked by a cop, or are a minority... What is the IMPARTIAL scale these undercover cops use to bust someone in a dark bar ?   Is it merely visual assumption ?  What cops do OFTEN is physically step into the space of a person in order to get them annoyed and than arrest them. Plain clothed, harrassing a person who has been drinking is ASKING for trouble to begin with, EVEN a person who normally won't get confrontational while having had a few drinks,  does this make it right to push a person, irritate them, and than say,  welp he was drunk, we busted him?"... It can be a HORRIBLE setup.. It's aggressive and offensive... and I perceive it as a deliberate violation of what can normally be a peaceful assembling of people that might NOT be difficult...

JMO

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

I am sitting on my couch and I have had two drinks in about an hour and a half...I am thinking I need to climb up the stairs to the second story and maybe place a blow up slide out the window..I will then pur some olive oil (because I AM health conscience) on it I will then put on my bikini and fire up the Karaoke machine and sing my way down to the bottom of the slide...Now keep in mind if I was in Florida on the beach I would not be able to do this because it is against the law to sing karaoke on the beach....I guess I won't be buying a beach house there anytime soon...

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Will sing or fish for food!!I'm not quite right!!

Kappy, if i may call you that, I whole heartedly agree with what you are saying.

Perhaps my 4 beers on the couch as reduced my cerebral capacity which is accentuated in my verbage!

Isis is my designated walker-up-the-stairs.

Please don't call the police!

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[scroll]we're men, manly men, we're men in tights[/scroll]

Isis, Don't do it !!!!

NO... I was only kidding !!!

(getting on the phone dialing 9-1-1)

911, this is Kappy ~
....Hello, (pant pant) its about the Karaoke room, Isis is gonna jump...SHe had more than three beers, and as if it doesn't go without saying,  she thinks she's a Seagull, and she's about to fly off the balcony of her home... She's looking for a swimming pool right now to miss,  what if someone dropped crumbs from their sandwich at a nearby pool ?   I swear, Alcohol kills too many this way !!!!

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Rich,  my feeling is let them have sobriety checkpoints on the road, perhaps roadblock, and test the drivers on the public roads that leave the bar... Yet to go INTO the bar is the problem I have. I do understand what you are saying, and while you can't stop them from getting into the car when drunk, you can get them off the road once you pinpoint they have done this.. Again JMO... Sobriety checkpoints are the way to go, not to invade the space...

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Kappy, see what you have done...I now have my depends on....Dave is looking for the purple plaid thong xxxtal loned me the other night....

You are cracking me up.....bUt then this is a pretty strange/weird topic...We are now planning some house parties so we can avoid this issue...Guess I am going to have to invest in a karaoke system.....

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Will sing or fish for food!!I'm not quite right!!

Hell no...no karaoke system in my house!!!

All our karaoke friends would be over all the time and crashing. Could be thousands of people and we only have two bathrooms!!

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[scroll]we're men, manly men, we're men in tights[/scroll]

Ummm..hey...gosh...I...think....um..I may have forgotten to tell you that I have invited evryone here to crash when we have the KS get together in June...Well not everyone just Lil Mizz, xxxtal, crank, kappy, keith, squid, lonman and I can't remember the rest..I just told them all they have to do is buy you beer....Remember when I told you that???   Right????

Hmm.  I may be in the doghouse instead of Dave....

Dave have fun sleeping in my spot tonight......

 LMAO  LMAO  LMAO  LMAO

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Will sing or fish for food!!I'm not quite right!!

Ummm...EWWWW!!  NO THANKS!!!  I AIN'T snuggling up with Rich!!  You know...we have fun together and all...but there ARE limits!!!  

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[glow=white][scroll]Live, laugh, and love today--just in case tomorrow doesn't make it[/scroll][/glow]

SHE ?    :shock:    My you are impaired !!






I wish I could agree Sharon, yet to me there's nothing funny about things getting to this point. Personally, I feel if an adult's old enough to defend his/her country and risk his life that way, old enough to pay taxes, and make a responsible income, in our society they've earned certain rights... They don't need chaperone's invading the school dance (as in 7th graders) attacking them and dragging them away, just because "they seemed drunk" assuming they are peacefully assembling, yet "happy". Getting drunk should NOT be a crime within itself, drunk and disorderly might be an offense, but not one that should be "created by the cops".If an adult wants to occassionally let his or her hair down and get reasonably drunk every once and awhile, THEY have the right to responsibly decide they need to "let go", and get inebriated, we all can stand to take a vacation from our head IMO... If someone is minding their own business, NON-confrontational, yet needs to let go, and EVEN get $hitfaced, yet they remain friendly, just get giddy.. LET THEM.... If they are with friends driving them home, sobeit... Adults have the right to self-medicate assuming they need to once-in-awhile, they are in a bar, a place that condones alcohol sales, This is a backhanded prejudice towards liquor serving establishments, and an indirect means of punishing the bars. ALSO the people enjoying themselves..  it should be OUR choice as adults to get responsibly drunk and NOT drive.... and believe me, as an alcoholic I'm not advocating alcohol at all,  yes this sounds bizarre,  but I know I'm the one with the problem, I have NO RIGHT to determine what other adults can and can''t handle,  I don't like guns, yet it's not up to me to determine YOU shouldn't have them based upon MY perspective...what I am saying is the responsibility is MY OWN to determine I have a problem and can't handle a legal substance sold and taxed to the public..  ALL adults should have certain rights they've earned as adults in our "free nation"

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".