The presidents of about 100 colleges and universities, including the head of Maryland's public university system and the president of Johns Hopkins University, claim that the current alcohol laws may actually encourage binge drinking on campuses.

The Amethyst Initiative, launched in July 2008, is a coalition of college presidents who believe the legal drinking age of 21 encourages binge drinking on campuses. William Kirwan, chancellor of the University System of Maryland, William Brody, president of Johns Hopkins, C.D. Mote Jr. of the University of Maryland and the presidents of Washington and Lee, Sweet Briar, Towson, Randolph-Macon, Duke, Tufts, Dartmouth and others have signed on to the effort.

These experts are asking U.S. lawmakers to consider lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18. We agree. As a people, we expect 18-year-olds to serve this nation in a time of war -- they can die to protect our freedom, yet cannot buy a beer. They can vote, marry, have children or in cases of anti-social activity or crime, they will be tried as adults and possible put to death. We cannot continue a policy that pretends these young people are not adults.

Prohibition does not teach or educate our young people. We need responsible parenting combined with effective public education. The examples highlighted below show that our current system has been a dismal failure. We are abandoning our responsibilities as parents and role models and hiding behind prohibition to excuse our neglect.

Happy Holidays New Mexico
As we pointed out above, there is a recommendation to reduce the legal drinking age to 18 from 21. The HennyPenny, sky will fall, crowd claims these young people will turn our streets blood red. Yet once again, we find another elderly and seasoned man who has added another DWI to his LONG history of problem drinking.

Patrick Bierner was arrested for the 13th time for drunken driving on about December 7, 2008. His first arrest occurred in 1984 -- about 24 years ago when Bierner was 22.

Although Patrick has been convicted of DWI six times, with four of those arrests related to accidents, and is currently awaiting sentencing on a different DWI charge, he has spent very little time in jail. His past sentences include probation or suspended sentences. Arrests, convictions, and even limited jail time does not change behavior. The solution is mental health treatment in combination with an alcohol rehab program, as Patrick is sick. There is no excuse for allowing him to continue to put others at risk.

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Drunk Driver Has History of DWI
Yes, we realize that this posting seems like "deja vu." We have heard this story before -- another drunk driver creating chaos in our community who has been arrested/penalized before.

Drunk driver, Harry Ray, crashed into Kelly's Liquors in northwest Albuquerque Tuesday night in Albuquerque smashing about $200,000 worth of wine.

Drunk driver, Harry Ray, told police he went to the store to get a bottle of vodka. Ray told them he had four vodka drinks before getting behind the wheel. Ray failed a police sobriety test.

Police have charged Ray with DWI for the fourth time along with one count of criminal damage to property.

As we said below, you might be the next victim!

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Drunk Driver Has History of DWI
How often do we hear of such incidents? Police say Emmit Arkie was drunk when he slammed his truck into a jeep in Albuquerque on Sunday (8.5.07). Arkie had been arrested earlier this year for DWI.

In this latest alleged incident, Arkie’s blood-alcohol level was three times the legal limit when the crash ejected Angie Jacket from her Jeep.

Arkie was arrested earlier this year in Aztec, NM and charged with aggravated drunk driving. That case is pending. He was convicted of aggravated drunk driving in 1996.

Football season is ramping up... beer, beer and more beer commericals. Throw in heavy doses of male testostone, add direct and subliminal messages about drinking being cool or that people who drink are sexy, and you end up with a large number of alcohol-addicted citizens. People like Arkie aren't bad apples. They are sick and out of control. Society wants to blame them, but alcohol companies, the NFL and others who profit from alcohol consumption constantly encourage drinking. By the time a kid reaches the age of 18, they have seen thousands of "let's drink" commercials. You support this by watching the TV programs or buying products from the sponsors... Why?

You might be the next victim!

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Drunk Driving in New Mexico
Albuquerque columnist Dennis Domrzalski recently reported that New Mexico State Police arrested 45 year old Joe Leonard Rael of Santa Fe for drunken driving -- Rael's 21st arrest for DWI. He has received 20 convictions for DWI since 1977. In 1997, Rael was sentenced to 18 months in prison after being convicted for the 20th time. There are many people like Rael in New Mexico...

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Do you know how many people die each year because people who drink and drive? Nationally, an estimated 17,126 people were killed in 1996 -- an average of one every 32 minutes. Last year, alcohol-related traffic deaths among youth ages 15-20 increased for the first time in seven years -- from 2,206 in 1995 to 2,315 in 1996. The number of alcohol related traffic fatalities involving youth ages 15-20 with high blood alcohol levels increased. Almost one quarter (or 3,732) of the total number of alcohol-related traffic fatalities involved drivers at BAC levels under .10 -- the legal limit in 34 states.

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One of the problems is the lack of public will to end such irresponsible behavior. An example is the relatively successful golfer, Notah Begay III. Begay, 27, is part Navajo, San Felipe Pueblo and Isleta Pueblo American Indian. On January 19, 2000, Begay was arrested on an aggravated drunken driving offense. It was his second drunken driving incident in five years.

That night, Begay walked out of a bar in Albuquerque, got in his car and backed into a parked Jaguar. Police arrested and jailed him. Begay registered 0.21 blood alcohol in the breath analyzer test. In New Mexico, 0.08 is legally drunk; higher than 0.16 is aggravated. Begay pleaded guilty to the charges.

The result -- 364 days in jail, with all but seven suspended; $1,000 fine; $203 in court costs; 48 hours of community service; victim impact panel discussions; no alcohol and no arrests for one year; and Begay lost his driver's license for a year. If he gets his license back, I bet even the little gecko won't give him a low car insurance quote.

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Do these statistics and stories matter? Even if we only killed or injured one person due to our irresponsible behavior with alcohol, that should be enough, especially to the victim or to the family of the victim. In New Mexico, hundreds of people die each year in alcohol-related traffic fatalities. In 1996, the State of New Mexico ranked fifth in the percent of alcohol-related fatalities. Fifty percent of the state's traffic fatalities are alcohol-related.

New Mexico (50%) followed Texas (56%), North Dakota (53%), Louisiana (51%), and Alaska (51%) for worst performance in this area.

Recently releases statistics show highway deaths increased by 10% across New Mexico last year. This runs counter to the nation trend where traffic deaths declined slightly. In 1999, 465 people died on New Mexico's highways. In 1998, 424 individuals lost their lives driving in New Mexico. Both the 1999 and 1998 figures are below the 484 deaths that occurred on New Mexico's roads in 1997.

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Advertising like the example from Foxes lounge (shown at the top of page), and lenient judges who suspend tough jail sentences for well-known repeat offenders such as Begay, do not help the problem. Each of us must something about this problem. Take a moment now to act now. If a drunken driver kills someone in your family -- don't complain. You could have taken a stand today.

What can you do? For starters, contact Foxes Lounge. Ask their management to remove the sign that encourages drinking and driving. Make it clear you will not tolerate such public immaturity.

Foxes Lounge
8521 Central Ave. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87108
505.255-3060

Second, write your local and state representatives and demand stronger DWI legislation that includes mandatory sentencing. We must stop the unequal treatment shown those in the public arena. These high profile individuals are role models. As such, they must serve complete sentences to demonstrate the severity of irresponsible behavior. We should not need tougher laws, but as you can see, there are stupid and terribly ignorant people in New Mexico.

Third, contact the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. They oppose proposed bans to limit alcohol advertising. If the industry would regulate themselves, we would not need legislation. Their address and phone number is:

Distilled Spirits Council of the United States
Kevin Tipton
Western Area Director
9580 Oak Avenue Pkwy., #7-266
Folsom, CA 95630
916.987-6847
fax: 916.987-6848

Lastly, you are not alone. In 1997, the UNM Center for Opinion Research conducted an opinion study of Albuquerque citizens regarding the issue of alcohol advertising. Seventy-one percent of respondents supported a proposed ban the public practice. It is unfortunate we must limit commercial free speech. Yet, some businesses do not respect the priviledge. They definitely do not respect you or their role in our community.

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Espanola Man Arrested on 13th Drunken Driving Charge
ESPANOLA -- An Espanola man who a sheriff's deputy said was "weaving all over the road" was arrested for the 13th time on a drunken-driving charge. Please note: Martinez is one of the most common surnames in the Southwest and Joseph Martinez is one of the most common full names. Readers should take care not to mistake the identity of law-abiding citizens with the actions of this one person.

Joseph P. Martinez, 39, was traveling east on N.M. 76 on Saturday evening when he was stopped by a Santa Fe County sheriff's deputy. Santa Fe Undersheriff Benjie Montano said the man's 17-year-old niece and her 19-year-old boyfriend were passengers in Martinez's car. Deputies gave the teens, who did not appear to be drinking, a ride home.

Martinez failed a field-sobriety test and registered a blood-alcohol level of 0.27 percent -- more than three times the legal limit. He also was arrested on a charge of driving with a revoked license. Martinez was arraigned and is being held in the Santa Fe County jail without bond, Montano said.

Martinez first was arrested on a charge of driving while intoxicated in 1984. According to Motor Vehicle Department records, he has 12 previous arrests for drunken driving. Martinez faces at least two years in prison if convicted.