Cedric Benson arrested

[Deputy Nutz]

Boating while intoxicated seems far less serious than it is. Really, it isn't that much different than drinking and driving, but I can't remember the last time I didn't have a beer while out on a boat.

Key word is "seems". Considering there are no lanes, and sure there is boating code with stuff, but it is open water, where people are swimming, fishing, water sking etc...., Impaired judgement on the water is very dangerous, and again Partial, just because you are niave, doesn't make it seem less dangerous.

I am saying that IT IS dangerous. Just as dangerous as driving, yet I see many, many people having a beer while on the boat.

The difference is you can use your boat as a bar, you can't do that with your car.

Benson had to be peppered sprayed

[Partial]

I don't understand what you're implying, but unless you're flip-flopping it seems we're in agreement.

[SkinBasket]

Boating while intoxicated seems far less serious than it is.

I am saying that IT IS dangerous.

Your tax dollars hard at work. Congratulations Wisconsin and Milwaukee County. You couldn't afford to fund your own child's college fund, but at least your helping pay Partial's way though college. At look at what it's got you!

[Partial]

Boating while intoxicated seems far less serious than it is.

I am saying that IT IS dangerous.

Your tax dollars hard at work. Congratulations Wisconsin and Milwaukee County. You couldn't afford to fund your own child's college fund, but at least your helping pay Partial's way though college. At look at what it's got you!

Hello, think of how many people are out drinking on a boat. Clearly people believe it is less dangerous than it is. It is very dangerous. What is so difficult to understand about that?!? I suppose the medium isn't ideal, but I thought it was pretty clear.

[Bretsky]

Back in college years we partied a few times on a boat; I was skiing on one and had a beer in each pocket. Slammed them as I was water skiing around Lake Ripley. Intoxicated Water Skiing was fun; no fear of anything. Good thing I didn't take some hard spills.

Sorry, just thought of that. I have nothing to add to the thread

[the_idle_threat]

Who doesn't "boat" while intoxicated?

[Partial]

Back in college years we partied a few times on a boat; I was skiing on one and had a beer in each pocket. Slammed them as I was water skiing around Lake Ripley. Intoxicated Water Skiing was fun; no fear of anything. Good thing I didn't take some hard spills.

Sorry, just thought of that. I have nothing to add to the thread

Case and point. Not ripping on your B-Mac. But its true, people party on the boat and don't think anything of it yet wouldn't dare drunk drive, when they are probably equally dangerous. Doesn't make much sense to me.

[Bretsky]

Statistically I don't think you can say they are near equally dangerous. We have this little road you have to stay on when drinking. And with cars coming the other way not a lot of room for error. Even though almost everybody drinks while boating severe accidents are few and far between.

[Gunakor]

I haven't read anything that states Benson was wildly operating that boat while intoxicated, only that he was intoxicated while on board. If that 30 foot boat were sitting idle in the open water as 20 people partied up on the deck, then nobody is really operating that boat. If Benson were in fact piloting that vessel erratically while intoxicated, I would feel a bit differently about it. But to me it sounds like he just took his boat out with some friends onto the open water to drink and have a good time, and I don't see anything wrong with that at all.

Hell, my family and I go out onto Lake Michigan all the time, and always have a few beers while we are on the water. It's customary, and I don't see any danger in it.

It's not the same as driving a car. As B has stated, you are not confined to the road or lane assignments, you are not dealing with cross traffic, and you are not driving just a few feet from streetlights and road signs and mailboxes and such. It's just you and the water.

However, I do think that you should always wear a life jacket - especially when drinking. And I certainly don't agree with his resisting arrest and needing to be sprayed. I just don't think that getting drunk aboard a boat in the open water should be a crime on it's own.

[GrnBay007]

AUSTIN, Texas (May 4) - Chicago Bears running back Cedric Benson failed a sobriety test while operating a 30-foot boat, then resisted arrest before being hit with pepper spray and dragged ashore by officers.

Benson faces charges of boating while intoxicated and resisting arrest after the incident Saturday night on Lake Travis, Travis County Sheriff's Department spokesman Roger Wade said.

Benson was released from jail early Sunday on a $14,500 bond. A call to Benson's agent was not immediately returned.

Benson was operating the boat with 15 passengers aboard when he was stopped by a Lower Colorado River Authority officer for a random safety inspection. He failed a field sobriety test on the officer's boat and was uncooperative when the officer tried to take him ashore, the authority said.

"When Benson did not pass the test, he presented himself as a threat to the officer and argued about whether or not he would be taken to land to have a follow-up field sobriety test performed on land and refused to put on a life jacket," the authority said in a statement.

The officer had to use pepper spray to subdue Benson. He then refused to leave the officer's boat and authorities had to drag him to a car to be taken to the Travis County jail, the authority said.

[Zool]

Here that Ced? Thats your career going downstream.

[DonHutson]

Benson's side of the story: others on the boat were drinking, but he was not. The police officers gave him a field sobriety test (ABC's, counting etc.) after which they asked him to come back to shore for further tests. Benson claims he asked politely why he needed to go to shore and the officer maced him in the eye.

If Benson's story is true, apparently he is so bad at reciting the alphabet and counting to ten that he appears to be wildly intoxicated even when completely sober.

Hey Cedric, they sell field sobriety test prep kits at Toys R Us. They're called flash cards. Study up, buddy.

[Patler]

Statistically I don't think you can say they are near equally dangerous. We have this little road you have to stay on when drinking. And with cars coming the other way not a lot of room for error. Even though almost everybody drinks while boating severe accidents are few and far between.

With no argument pro or con on my part, I provide the following statistics for those who want to debate the impact of alcohol and boating accidents.

In Wisconsin, during the three year period of 2005, 2006 and 2007 there were 50 fatalities from boating accidents. Alcohol impairment was listed as a factor in 16, drugs in 1. Perhaps more important statistically, alcohol and drugs were ruled out as contributing factors in only 9 of those fatalities. In the other 24 the involvement of drugs or alcohol is listed as "unavailable" primarily because it was not investigated adequately or not reported to the state.

In 2006, the Coast Guard attributed 351 boating accidents and 133 boating fatalities to the use of alcohol. I'm not sure how many of those were drunken non-operators falling overboard and drowning, which would not be prevented even with a non-drinking operator.

[MadScientist]

This is terrible news. Now the bears might be forced to start someone who can actually run the ball, instead of keeping their pet first rounder as the starter.

[Freak Out]

I heard that the Bears are working a deal with the Cowboys as we speak.