Drunk drivers are responsible

Once again, a government agency chooses to punish all for the crimes of one to exhibit its absolute power. I don’t know any of the officials’ names (and don’t care to) in the Montana Department of Revenue, but I do know they are attacking and punishing a large number of people who had little or no part in the deaths of Montana Highway Trooper Michael Haynes or Likeisha Thibault. The drunk driver is at fault and no one else. I make no excuses for any drunk driver who kills or harms someone else. It is a poor and tragic choice they made.

Yes, these were tragic and needless deaths perpetrated by two (and only two) drunk drivers. Travis Vandersloot paid for his crime with his life, and Tyrone Stallcup is serving 10 years of his life in prison for his crime (civil suits are another matter). I’m sure the victims’ and perpetrator’s families and loved ones suffer emotionally everyday, and I grieve for and bless them all.

It is absurd to blame any drinking establishment or its employees for a patron’s behavior, whether it is fighting, arguing or driving drunk. How can a bartender or waitress keep an eye on every customer and determine how much is too much for each and every one?

How can they know what other substances (alcohol, pills, pot, etc.) their customers have ingested throughout the night? How can they know which customer is going to kill someone with a gun, car, etc.?

If this is the logic of punishing drunk drivers and everyone who might have been involved in some way, why don’t we apply this logic to the weapons industry? Every gun and bullet that has been used to commit murder was sold or furnished by someone. Why don’t we revoke the business licenses from every gun dealer that sold a weapon or bullet that was used to kill someone? Why not? Because it is absurd.

In my opinion, it is a tragic injustice to take the liquor and gambling licenses from Pick’s Bowling Center, Blue Moon Nite Club or any other business unless the Department or Revenue can prove, in court, that the owners and/or employees of an establishment had prior knowledge of what was going to happen after a patron left that establishment. We all possess 20/20 hindsight.

With their tunnel vision and cross-hair sights, the Department of Revenue cannot see that they are unjustly creating more misery. By revoking these liquor and gambling licenses, they are effectively putting these establishments out of business. By this absurd abuse of power they are eliminating dozens of jobs in an already stagnant economy.

How does this help the families that will lose their incomes because of two drunk drivers? How does this help the owners of these businesses that have spent their lives, blood, sweat, tears and millions of dollars? How does this help Montana’s economy? How does this help the people who lost loved ones?

Perhaps we should try to “Prohibit” again. We know how well that worked last time. I am not excusing or condoning impaired driving in any way. As long as there are ways to become intoxicated, there will be intoxicated drivers. As long as there are ways to kill people, people will be killed. It is a fact of life, there will always be needless deaths and tragedies. Yes, we can try to keep it to a minimum, but punish the perpetrators, not everyone else.

Before you condemn me and cast the first stone, let it be known that I lost a 25-year-old sister who rode with a drunk driver. I know what it’s like to hear a 3-year-old niece ask repeatedly, “Where’s mommy?” It was the driver’s fault, and no one else.

I also lost a 24-year-old brother due to another grossly negligent and tragic accident. In neither case did my parents press charges or file wrongful death suits. In neither case were the perpetrators punished by the law. My mother and father had the wisdom to know that their consciences would punish them for the rest of their days.

I do not know the owners of Pick’s Bowling Center, but I do know the owners of the Blue Moon Nite Club. Dick and Charlotte Sapa are fine, upstanding, honest, hardworking Americans who do not deserve to have everything they have worked for taken away from them because of a tragedy caused by a drunk driver.

Keep in mind the drunken boating accident and the drunk driving death of a young man that involved Montana politicians.

If you agree with my opinion, I invite you to call Gov. Brian Schweitzer at 1-406-444-3111; Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock at 1-406-444-2026; Sen. Max Baucus at 1-406-756-1150; Sen. Jon Tester at 1-406-257-3660; and Rep. Denny Rehberg at 1-406-443-7878.

Bert White lives in Kalispell.