Arresting People For Drinking In Bars?

That's not exactly what's going on in Texas, but it's pretty damn close...

Texas has begun sending undercover agents into bars to arrest drinkers for being drunk, a spokeswoman for the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission said on Wednesday.

The first sting operation was conducted recently in a Dallas suburb where agents infiltrated 36 bars and arrested 30 people for public intoxication, said the commission's Carolyn Beck.

Being in a bar does not exempt one from the state laws against public drunkenness, Beck said.

The goal, she said, was to detain drunks before they leave a bar and go do something dangerous like drive a car.

I'm all for keeping drunk people off the streets, but who exactly decides what is considered "public intoxication" in a bar?

Could high-fiving your buddies after your team wins in overtime get you a ticket to the slammer?

Could talking too loud on your cellphone get you shit-canned?

If you stand up and accidentally trip over something, will the authorities automatically assume you're trashed?

Where's the line, here?

Sounds like more Big Brother-type shit from Dubya country to me...
- posted by Brian @ 4:37 PM