Chez Chesler

BostonHerald.com - As You Were Saying: To draft a better DUI law In the "As You Were Saying" op-ed in the Sunday Herald, November 3, local attorney Randy S. Chapman says

The major problem with our existing laws is that it is legally permissible to have a drink or two or three and drive a car. Juries at drunk driving trials are actually instructed it is not against the law to drink alcohol and drive. It is only when the person is impaired or reaches the magical .08 blood alcohol level that he has committed a crime. This fuzzy line almost guarantees bad decisions. We have created a situation where people will inevitably drive drunk. We expect individuals who may be impaired to make rational, intelligent decisions about whether they are alright to drive. But unless someone is a toxicologist, he or she will not know if their blood alcohol level is a .08. They may feel fine because they are impaired. Many people confess they have consumed alcohol, felt fine and then drove home only to wake up the next day and realize their lapse in judgment. So what is the solution? Perhaps it is time to make it illegal to drink any alcohol and drive a car. The penalty does not have to be as severe as it is for drunken driving, but it can still send a message. We punish people for not having an inspection sticker or not registering their cars. Is it such a big leap to tell people to not drink and drive?

I don't have to be a toxicologist to know that at 195 pounds, two drinks completely unmetabolized is well below the legal limit. The Commonwealth used to post the "buddy wheel" to tell you this. After two, or four, drinks my inhibitions may be loosened, my judgement may be weakened, but I can still do the math. But what is Chapman calling for? Since I have already drunk alcohol (at least once in my life) am I forever barred from driving a car? Otherwise, it still comes down to an allowable amount of alcohol. Whether it's the old pilot's "24 hours, bottle to throttle", or the 0.2% young-adult standard that Chapman praises, and which is probably within the noise level, there is a line, and it is equally bright.

BostonHerald.com - Local / Regional News: Trick-or-treating nightmare: Boy, 12, shot on Halloween

[Melrose Detective Sgt. Barry] Campbell said the air-powered weapon used on Bobby [Hansen, shot while trick-or-treating] is normally used to kill small animals.

What kind of weapon would that be?