Driving Drunk
Driving Drunk - How Much Is Too Much? Most of the news out of Green Bay, Wisconsin is about the NFL’s Packers, but a recent story out of that small city hit the wires and airwaves this week and tells the story of a broken and ineffective system. Ronald Dunaj, 36, took Brown County Sheriff’s deputies on a high speed chase through city streets, ran eight red lights, while hitting speeds of over 50 mph, and sometimes nearly 100 mph. Dunaj wasn’t going to be taken quietly, and it wasn’t until he spun out that the deputies were able to end the chase. By the time he was finally stopped, the deputies found a six pack of beer, Dunaj admitted to drinking, and he was cited for DUI for the tenth time. That’s right, the 10th time! What makes this story even worse is the fact that he had his 14 year-old son in the car with him. It wasn’t enough for him to be drunk and driving a car, and it wasn’t enough for him to commit a several criminal acts, he had to involve his own son in his dreadful behavior. Even if you curb an overly active imagination, you can surely see what might have happened here. Jeff Wagner, a radio talk show host on WTMJ (620 am) in Milwaukee, is a former prosecutor and has a good take on the situation. Wagner wrote in his blog, “Why don't we just give Ronald Dunaj a loaded firearm and let him start shooting? He sure seems hell bent on killing himself and taking a bunch of innocent people with him. What's even worse though is that the judicial system really doesn't seem that inclined to stop him!... Candidly, Dunaj has so many convictions for traffic violations that it's difficult to keep them all straight. It appears however that he was convicted of drunken driving in 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2005. Some years have multiple convictions.” Obviously, he has to be taken off the streets, as he is a danger to himself and to the community. Prison really isn’t the answer for this man, who has no ability to reason properly, no regard for anyone but himself, and certainly is incapable of understanding that he is a menace. He has been locked up before, but always goes back to his addictive ways. He will likely get locked up for a much longer time than the 18 months he was given previously. He also had a one-year stretch prior to that. Let us assume for conversation’s sake that Dunaj, at some point, has a level of understanding that permits him to see the error of his lifestyle. He sees the situation and accepts responsibility. He is in the state prison system and serves his time. After his stretch, having “paid his debt to society,” he is freed. He has completed his third prison term. Has his problem been addressed? Two previous prison terms had no effect. Dunaj, left untreated, will continue to offend because he will always be an addict. Assuming he is willing to submit to treatment, he still has an opportunity to turn his life around, which is amazing considering his record. If he refuses, he has to be locked up for good, because the potential line between DUI and vehicular homicide is very thin. It’s only a matter of time. DUI is rampant in Wisconsin, and I know that other states have huge concerns as well. People need to say ”enough is enough” and force judges to order treatment for repeat offenders and not merely give a “slap on the wrist” to those who obviously have no respect for themselves, no respect for the lives of others, and no hope without treatment. For more Driving Drunk click for our home page Driving Drunk Driving Drunk Driving Drunk HOW TO USE THIS SITE:This site contains five MAIN pages that EVERYONE should read: RECOVERY… Yourself... Your Family... Your Friends... Your Community... The rest of the pages are there for your reference to explain important topics in more detail.
|
Site Search
Get Help Now!!!
Help is available
Right Now!
Click Here
Advertise on this site:
