Drink, drive, get arrested and bear the mark forever

By Lee Cataluna

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Apr 01, 2012

~~<p>When a local politician gets arrested for DUI, doesn't your mind instantly go down the list of all the others in that category, all the other lawmakers who have DUI arrests in their past? Human nature does a head count and an instant compare/contrast of who was drunker, who was dumber, who did more damage. The same holds true for other groups: local entertainers, prominent attorneys, athletes. … An arrest dredges up all similar sins and sinners. Meanwhile, all the politicians with DUIs in their past cringe to see if their names end up on the list of shame attached to stories of the new incident.</p>
<p>For most, DUI really never goes away.</p>
~~

When a local politician gets arrested for DUI, doesn't your mind instantly go down the list of all the others in that category, all the other lawmakers who have DUI arrests in their past? Human nature does a head count and an instant compare/contrast of who was drunker, who was dumber, who did more damage. The same holds true for other groups: local entertainers, prominent attorneys, athletes. … An arrest dredges up all similar sins and sinners. Meanwhile, all the politicians with DUIs in their past cringe to see if their names end up on the list of shame attached to stories of the new incident.