Not many people would disagree with the sentiment that driving a car while under the influence of alcohol is a good idea.

It’s selfish and poses a great risk to other drivers, among a million other reasons why people shouldn’t do it. That said, something about MADD has always gotten on my nerves- perhaps it’s the near thirty minutes I spent detained at a routine alcohol checkpoint Thanksgiving Eve last year, delayed on my late-night journey along with over a dozen other vehicles, all of us interrupted because hey, people drink the night before Thanksgiving. In addition to the dozens of cops and cruisers costing the county God knows what, a big police trailer and several floodlights, each driver was subject to an additional stop at the end of the checkpoint to receive a packet reminding us not to drive drunk and a sticker, courtesy of MADD. State sanctioned proselytizing by private groups seems a bit busybody-ish.

None of these opinions are meant to minimize the fact that drunk driving is a terrible crime, to be sure, and people of all walks of life are arrested for it. Like Debra Oberlin, 48, the former president of a former MADD chapter in Gainesville, Florida. Oberlin didn’t have a change of heart- the chapter ran out of dough back in the 90s and fizzled out. Or maybe she did- it was reported that Oberlin’s BAC was measured at .234 and .239 on Breathalyzer tests, well, well above the legal limit in Florida of .08.

Oberlin, who was a MADD president for four years, told the officer she’d consumed four beers prior to her February 18th arrest. She declined comment on the incident.

Former MADD chapter president arrested for DUI in Florida is a post from: The Inquisitr

The award for irony in costuming this year goes to a 19-year-old man in Nebraska who was arrested for driving while intoxicated, while dressed as a breathalyzer test.

19-year-old Matthew Nieveen was arrested after he was spotting driving erratically, eventually being booked for second-offense driving under the influence as well as  “being a minor in possession of alcohol,” an open container violation, and negligent driving. The officer reported that the teen, when stopped, slurred his speech, smelled of alcohol and had glassy eyes. In Nieveen’s Ford F-150, police found several empty beer cans, a bottle of vodka, and a partially consumed bottle of Mountain Dew. He was taken to a local police station, where his blood alcohol content was measured at more than twice the local legal limit of 0.08. In Nebraska, the legal limit for a minor driver is zero.

The police report also noted his choice of costume:

“He was dressed as a PBT (preliminary breath testing) alcohol sensor and had been attending a Halloween party prior to the stop,” the report says.

Nieveen is not the first person to be arrested for a DUI in that costume- last year a man in Oxford, Ohio was cited under similar circumstances.

[Journal Star via snopes]

Man dressed as breathalyzer cited for drunken driving is a post from: The Inquisitr

Seriously, who do you call?

[Friends of Irony]

Call the… oh is a post from: The Inquisitr

…sometimes it’s kind of depressing.

[via Digg]

Irony… is a post from: The Inquisitr

Meleanie Hain, 31, of Lebanon PA, became nationally known last year for carrying a loaded gun to her daughter’s soccer games.

Hain was seen as a champion of second amendment rights, and the media called her the pistol-packin’ soccer mom. The Lebanon Daily News broke the story in 2008, printing a picture of Hain at soccer matches with her Glock 9mm clearly visible. Hain’s permit to carry was confiscated by authorities after the press attention, but Hain appealed and her permit was returned. Hain filed a federal civil rights lawsuit and was awaiting scheduling of the case when she was killed.

Police are remaining tight lipped about the details of the case, although it is known to have been a murder suicide. Witnesses say that around 6:20 pm on Wednesday, the Hains’ three children (Girls, 2 and 6, and a 10-year-old boy) fled from the home screaming, “Daddy shot Mommy!”

Neighbors report some signs of marital trouble in the Hain household, but late Wednesday afternoon, nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary:

Brian Witmer, who lives between Mise and Bossler said he saw Scott Hain mowing the lawn about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.

“He was mowing his lawn, and the dog was outside. There was nothing out of the ordinary. He didn’t seem strange at all,” he said.

(Debbie) Mise said she had a feeling something bad would eventually happen at the Hain home.

“She just wasn’t right,” Mise said of Meleanie Hain. “You don’t bring a gun to a kids’ soccer game, and you don’t wear a gun when you go shopping at Kohl’s.”

The tragic deaths of the Hains are very sad, with three children witness to the violence and traumatic deaths of their parents. I just can’t help but wonder what Meleanie Hain would have thought of the incident, had she not been a part of it. The irony is, of course, that Hain remained a responsible gun owner- she just didn’t live long enough to legally bear out her second amendment rights. Her story will likely be used by those who opposed her right to legally carry a firearm, in an effort to limit the rights she fought to protect.

[Source: Lebanon Daily News]

Live by the sword: Mom who gained fame for gun at soccer games shot dead is a post from: The Inquisitr

Esquire hosted a swanky party last night, with models and free flowing booze in a pricey Soho penthouse.

The occasion? Michael Moore taking down those jerks who live in excess while the rest of the country suffers under the worst recession since like, time immemorial. Was the exclusive event supposed to be an ironic nod to the themes of the film? Interesting factoid: the party was held in the Soho Mews, an overpriced downtown building wherein only 13 of 68 multi-million dollar apartments have sold.

An attendee summed the party up pretty well on his Tumblr:

This happened last night…

1. Esquire sponsors the premiere of ‘Capitalism: A Love Story’. Michael Moore’s new shocking and inspirational doc about hard times in America and the evils of capitalism.
2. Following the Premiere, Esquire shuttles many of the attendees straight down to SoHo to the opening of The Esquire Apartment – a fully decadent penthouse where every square inch is paid for by a luxury sponsor. Hot tub, $120k pool table, $60k home theater, fine food. The only thing lacking was a doormat saying “Welcome To Capitalism.”

I had fun….But ooooh the irony. Everyone I talked to was like, “man, this is the most bizarre combination. I bet Michael Moore would freak out if he saw that this was happening.”….And then he showed up. And was eating it up. And then one of the families from the film came.

Alas- the tale ends there. No word on their reactions, but still a pretty amusing story overall. Wish you were there? You can get the dirt on Esquire’s “Ultimate Bachelor Pad” on its very own website.

Irony alert: Esquire throws hedonistic bash to celebrate release of new Moore anti-Capitalism film is a post from: The Inquisitr

The communications company sent more than a dozen e-mails containing the addresses, according to technology professionals who contacted Network World. The messages touted a series of upcoming events, including one called “Secure the Information, Secure the Infrastructure,” and another called the “Data Breach Investigations Report Road Show.” The Verizon employee who sent them put all the e-mail addresses in plain view in the “To” field, rather than obscuring them in the “BCC” field as most mass mailings would do, the recipients say.

When one IT worker responded to point out the problems, Verizon wrote back and apologized for the “lapse in judgment,” he tells Network World. The worker says he received 17 different messages from Verizon within the day, each with hundreds of e-mail addresses listed at the top.

Let’s hope Verizon saved a front-row seat at the seminar for its employee to attend.

Verizon Suffers Security Slip in Security Seminar Invites is a post from: The Inquisitr