Tennessee will make drunk drivers wear a scarlet letter

[Thom Little]

A new Tennessee law is enlisting the power of shame to discourage drunken driving - even though law enforcement, the governor and various experts are calling it an expensive and bad idea.

Starting Jan. 1, convicted drunken drivers are required to do 24 hours of roadside cleanup while wearing orange vests emblazoned with the phrase "I am a Drunk Driver."

The new law is aimed at first-time offenders, says one of its sponsors, state Rep. Charles Curtiss.

"You cause them to go out and pick up trash in front of their friends and neighbors, the embarrassment is going to be such that they're never going to want to go through that again," Curtiss said. "Hopefully you can turn them around to never become a second-time offender."



http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SHAMING_DRUNKEN_DRIVERS?SITE=VARIT&SECTION=US

[wakeme2008]

1. i like it myself...

Anything to get drunk drivers off the road.

[zanne]

10. Why not just whip them in the public square then?

"Anything" to get drunk drivers off the road? How about thieves? Shall we cut off their hands? Please think about things like this. We're trying to have a civilization here.

[Toots]

13. What about trying something different to stop a serious offense upsets you

You sound like it will effect you personally.. It is a damn serious offense and something drastic needs to be done. This is actually quite mild and I doubt it will have any effect at all but at least they are trying something..As for your example of cutting people's hands off for stealing, what an idiotic thing to say. How about the death penalty, do you feel it works as a deterrent? I suspect there are better ways to address a lot of societie's problems and this tiny bit of embarrassment over a very serious crime is at least a start..

[zanne]

14. If you're trying to make a political point by insulting me...

You should know that doesn't work. NO, it doesn't apply to me personally--what a gutless thing to say. But if you'd like to take a journey back a few hundred years, don't be surprised when one of your kids or grandchildren is in that public square. I guess "cruel and UNUSUAL" punishment doesn't matter anymore.

[0007]

2. Haven't we learned long a ago this type of punishment doesn't work?

Wouldn't that be like making Monica Lewisky wear a big "CS" on her chest?

[HeeBGBz]

3. I think that would make me want to drink more

Just sayin.

[murielm99]

11. Just Monica?

I can think of tons of current politicians who could wear that on their chests.

I think the law is a bad idea, though.

[izzie]

4. I am sure Mass will really go for this. It is their history on crazy

doing. Course as always the preachers can have their letters sent over sees or some other places.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

5. Imagine if people who started wars without cause were forced to

go to Iraq and rebuild little faux paux's such as this one.... mebbe they wouldn't be in such a hurry to bow to their corporate masters next go around.


I don't know about you, but I really like what they've done with this space around the last remaining picture... hope he had bomb insurance.



Picture of destruction: A U.S. bomb wrecked this man's home in Fallujah, Iraq -- except for a framed page of the Quran, which was good as new after a dusting. The air strike killed 13 people and wounded 17 at a wedding party, according to hospital sources.

[USA_1]

6. Race Based Selective Enforcement of the Law

Will police selectively enforce the law based on the race of the driver? Will they disregard drivers who are white but enforce it on blacks? Race based selective enforcement of the law is a big problem here in Minnesota and surrounding states. Is there a chance of this happening in Tennesssee?

[rodeodance]

8. it will be applied selectively--those with good lawyers will not have to

do this.

[rodeodance]

7. so, lets do this for white collar crimes--?---I do not like this idea.

[zanne]

9. Shame-based morality.

It's the fundies at work again. When are we going to be a truly civilized society? Some people have a need to revisit the past and revive it, producing more and more mental illness as they go along. Shame-based punishment has NO merit, it does NOT deter criminals, and only satisfies our base emotions.

[Mend]

12. People are not addicts because they enjoy it....they can't help it.

They need our assistance and we need research into addiction to know how to do a better job.

[MercutioATC]

18. Yes, but they CAN decide not to drive when they drink.

[FreedomAngel82]

15. Weird

Can't the governor veto it since he is against it? :shrug:

[dilligas]

16. Cool...

:applause:

[newyawker99]

17. Hi dilligas!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast: