Mothers
Against Drunk DriversMothers
Against Drunk DriversMADD is the kind of fanatics group from which the Bill of Rights and the entire justice system were set up to protect us. Their emotional arguments, based on equal parts of vengeance and pity, seek to destroy or circumvent all concepts of law and justice. That they have been so successful in influencing lawmakers is frightening...what other groups might use MADD's tactics to bring their own agendas to fruition?
When a woman stands before the cameras weeping and wailing that her beautiful 13-year-old son was taken from her by a drunk driver, one seems a hard-hearted ogre not to give her what she wants...all rationality and judgement fly out the window.
However, let this ogre point out that in most cases, that beautiful 13-year-old son would still be alive today, had he been wearing his seat belt. When a drunk driver plows into a pickup truck and kills the four teenagers who were riding in the back, who points out that it was stupid for the teenagers to be riding in the back of a pickup truck to begin with?
I am not defending drunk drivers...but all of the laws and all of the emotional displays in the world are not going to succeed in getting all drunk (or dangerous) drivers off the roads. Teaching kids to wear safety belts, and not to sit in the back of pickup trucks, will ultimately save more of these beautiful young lives than trying to subvert justice.
I've been challenged on this opinion by people who say, "How would you feel if your son/daughter were killed by a drunk driver?" Well, if that were to happen, I would be in such an emotional state of rage and grief, that I know I would not be able to think rationally. And the justice system, which (in theory) is based on rational thought, would be quite correct in ignoring my emotional and irrational blatherings.
-Don Sakers (2/8/98)
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