American pirates who go by the names "Coast Guardsmen" and "Natural Resources Police" will be joining forces this weekend to ramp up their harassment of boaters who might be operating vessels while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
According to its website, "Operation Dry Water" -- be sure to check out the fancy police-state artwork in the logo -- is a government initiative ostensibly "aimed at reducing the number of alcohol-related accidents and fatalities" amongst boaters.
Certainly it has nothing to do with increasing the scope of the state's authority in its attempts to control us and generate revenue. Per one report out of Maryland:
"Nationally, one in five boating deaths are directly caused by operating under the influence of alcohol," said Capt. Mark O'Malley, the Captain of the Port of Baltimore. "That equates to between five and 15 people who are at risk of being injured or killed this year within Maryland state waters. That's unacceptable. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the NRP, we're going to get ahead of this problem this year," he said.
[...]
"We will be out in force looking for boat operators who are operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol or drugs," said Sgt. Art Windemuth, the public information officer for NRP. "Impaired boaters caught this weekend can expect penalties to be severe. In Maryland, they include one year in jail and a $1,000 fine for the first offense."
Unless death is perceived to be a lesser penalty than a year in jail or a $1,000 fine, I'm not sure how any serious person could feasibly believe that this increased enforcement has anything at all to do with preventing alcohol-related deaths.
Moreover, one wonders how the police are going to detect those who are boating under the influence. Boats generally rock from side to side, so maybe they'll just wait for our vessels to touch one of the yellow or white lines painted on the waterways. Given that marine police need no probable cause to detain boaters, we can expect these floating fascists to conduct even more random inspections than usual.
As I pointed out in an article a few years ago as Maryland was contemplating a statute that would have required all boaters to wear life vests while underway, the percentage of boaters killed in Maryland in 2004 for any reason was virtually zero. I wrote:
According to Boating Statistics 2004, published by the U.S. Coast Guard in September 2005, there were 206,681 motorboats registered in Maryland in 2004 and only 16 boating fatalities.
According to a Maryland Natural Resources Police report for 2008, there were nine boating fatalities last year throughout the entire state, with only three attributable to alcohol. Three. Out of how many hundreds of thousands of boating expeditions that took place all year?
Furthermore, per page 4 of the same report, only 3 percent of boating accidents can be blamed on alcohol in the first place. Considering that "operator inattention" (9 percent), "operator inexperience" (12 percent), and good ol' "human error" (6 percent) account for 27 percent of all accidents, clearly the state of Maryland needs to just cut to the chase and ban boating altogether!
The only plausible conclusion one can draw when assessing the state's hysteria over "boating under the influence" is that this is an undeniably safe activity -- you don't need to be sober to realize the statistics prove that alcohol consumption on the water is a non-issue.
Indeed, the biggest threat to American boaters is the heavy-handed, civil liberties-trampling state itself.
Comments
Perhaps the author would feel differently if one of those boating fatalities attributable to alcohol was a friend or relative.
Bill-
Perhaps you would be wrong. An acquaintance of mine was actually killed in a non-alcohol-related crash last year, and i don't suggest the fascist state monitor us all and prevent us from going faster than 5 knots.
We're all on a timer. Life involves risk. I'd rather spend what little time I have living in freedom, thanks very much.
The author of this article is a freaking idiot who was probably stopped by NRP & placed under arrest for OWI. How you can sit here and condone Operating While Impaired (OWI) is beyond me. NRP officer's need probable cause to stop a vessel, so the author's assumption is wrong regarding that. If you are stopped for a violation, and are impaired to the point where you can't operate a vessel safely, shame on you and you will be arrested. OWI is much more dangerous via waterways due to all the novice boaters on Maryland waterways and the face that there are no roads that one can see and follow. Regarding the comment about the state enforcing 5 knot speed zones, you speak like they are everywhere. They are generally placed in areas of high activity and or narrow channels etc. For the most part, there are no speed limits on the water. So suck it up, sorry you can't go balls to the wall next to joe blow and his family who are trying to enjoy themselves in a far cove. Focus on important issues.
Waterman, thank you for that fascistic insight. It's OK though - you're in the majority so you won't feel alone any time soon.
While DNR needs operator permission or a warrant to search a cabin, it does not need any probable cause to stop a boat. Officers can pull you over for random "safety checks" any time they feel like it.
You really are wrong. The Coast Guard can stop you for any reason, but NRP needs probable cause or evidence of a violation to stop you just like on in land in a car. You really should check your facts before you write your articles. It might get people to listen a little bit more.
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