jj (12/23/82)
While it's true that stuck!white (fake fake fake! his article ID
said rabbit.xxx) really flamed about drunk drivers instead of offering his
suggestions on the level, he (she, it???) did make some good suggestions.
The idea of having some unskilled labor to clean the ambulance/check the tires/
help carry stretchers would be very welcome to most (but NOT all) ambulance
attendants, thus accomplishing a useful service at the same time that the
DWI gets a really pointed demonstration of the effects of DWI. The idea
set forth, that the DWI have to dedicate all but one weekend each month for
a year, even shows some consideration for the ex-DWI, since it allows
that person to carry on their life in some near-normal fashion except for
the constant reminder of the ambulance duty.
There are a few problems with the idea, however, since ambulance
attendants have to be trained (I mean even the ones who are NOT EMT's, etc.)
for the job, and must accept great responsibility. The idea of forcing
some individuals to work as part of the ambulance crew could be very
dangerous, as there are certainly some who would not take the job
seriously, and perhaps even some who would act in a malicious manner toward
the job, and the crew. While I don't have a ready solution, I still think
that the idea has enough merit to be considered. (An alternate solution,
that of working in emergency rooms, is even more fraught with liability, and
I dismiss it for that reason.<unfortunate, really>)
The other part of the idea, that of requiring work in an
alcohol detoxification center, is more questionable (at least to me).
I have seen such places, and one of the MOST significant things about
the better places is the complete lack of any non-detoxification related
stress. I would greatly fear the results of putting a sarcastic,
non-repentitant person into that situation, because the non-repentitant
person would not be impressed ("It could NEVER happen to me.") and the
patients would suffer from the hostility. <In this case, at least, the
patients are MUCH wiser than the DWI, having learned one way or another,
but one of the first things a person with an alcohol problem must do is
ADMIT that a problem exists.>
While I went to school, I worked as a security guard, and
as an ambulance attendant, jobs that required me to have experience
with both of the places mentioned above. Grim, really grim. That sort
of job gives you a different viewpoint on alcohol abuse, as well
as a distinct lack of sympathy for drunk drivers. <Note: Abuse,
not use. The distinction must be made, Carrie! >
rabbit!<Where's my Mac stout?>jj
Jim Johnston