KJAM reports this morning on pleasant results from the Labor Day sobriety checks on Lake Madison -- over 40 stops, no one boating and boozing. Good work, fellow citizens -- keep the schnapps on shore.
Of greater import, though, is the active work of Conservation Officer Brandon Gust to keep Lake County's boaters safe. In August he participated in some derring-do on Lake Madison, subduing a runaway boat that had thrown its riders (and thus saving a dog, who still remains anonymous!). This weekend, Game Warden Gust rode to the rescue again, pulling a couple of canoeists out of the water. A man and his 6-months-pregnant wife had been braving the high seas when some high waves swamped the canoe. No injuries reported, but tired boaters were surely grateful for Officer Gust's assistance in putting an end to their wetter-than-expected float around the lake.
We like a conservation officer who's a go-getter, especially when he's going and getting folks (and dogs!) out of trouble. Keep up the good work, Officer Gust!
Of course, my right-wing commenters will surely bemoan all this government assistance. Surely Officer Gust's do-goodery is just breeding irresponsibility among lake residents and boaters. Folks fall in the water, they ought to get themselves out, right? ;-)
I say we get Brandon a new uniform, since with all the algae, his old ones are probably trashed.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking something with a big, red "S" on the front!
It's great to hear that our boater are being safe. Not so great to hear what Conservation Officer Brandon Gust has been up to.
ReplyDeletePrivacy was discussed earlier in the drug testing post.
Clearly these boaters where being responsible and the Conservation Officer had no reasonable reason to believe that these guys were guilty of BUIs. His time would be better spent finding troubled canoe-ers (not for sure of the proper spelling there) than stopping innocent law obeying citzens.
Kearing makes a good point about the checkpoints. I may like the 19th Amendment, but I like the 4th Amendment even more. The mere fact that a citizen steps out of his house should not give law enforcement the right to search him. Checkpoints, like drug testing, are a violation of the presumption of innocence and should be ended.
ReplyDeleteYou sure were right about not being a lawyer. Last I heard, checkpoints are legal. Most people are happy to know that law enforcement is taking steps to keep the public safe. I, for one, am glad that my children aren't going to get mowed down by a drunk driver.
ReplyDelete