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 Drunk Driver Kills Friend 
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This entire semester we have been talking about equality and acceptance in the classroom, but also how it applies in our personal lives. Last Friday, one of my friends that I grew up with and worked with was killed by a drunk driver and his father is still in a coma. The driver was an illegal immigrant from Mexico, did not have a driver's liscense and survived the wreck without a scratch. I know what I'm about to say sounds horrible, but it's bad enough that me friend was killed by a drunk driver, but it infuriates me that the driver was not liscensed to be on the road and not a legal immigrant in our country. I just wanted to share this because I don't know what to think about this situation.

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Jonathan Chase Weaver


Tue Nov 27, 2007 10:40 am
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I am sorry to hear about that Chase. I agree totally with what you said. I'm not saying we send all the illegal immigrants home but we need a way to assimilate them into our culture. By culture I mean our laws, standards, and so on. I believe that if they are going to live and work here they need to understand the laws and abide by them. I had heard from someone, and I don't know if this is true or not, but this was the man's second DUI charge. Why not after the first one do we not send him back to his home country? I have no problem with people wanting to come to America and be productive citizens, legal or illegal. But obviously he did not want to abide by our laws and now a person has lost their life, maybe 2 people.

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Matthew Ruff


Tue Nov 27, 2007 1:47 pm
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I'm really sorry about your friend, Chase. What really sucks about all this is that these few instances turn into basis for public opinion. You can't blame the drunk driver for not having a license, but you can hold him accountable for driving without a license and, more importantly, doing so drunk. Its such a sticky situation that its hard to make a judgment call on how to deal with the problem.


Tue Nov 27, 2007 3:01 pm
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This is a horrible tradegy!
I know that it makes matters worse that this guy was drinking and driving without a license and isnt even a legal citizen but I think the big issue here is the drinking and driving!
So many people drive drunk every night and they risk killing themselves and others but do not care!
While it may be expensive to get out of a DUI it is relatively easy.
My uncle was killed by a drunk driver and the man did not even serve a year in before he was out on parole.
This was a slap in the face for my family who lost someone due to this mans mistake and he didnt even have to pay for it.
Drinking and driving is a serious crime and there needs to be something done to punish those who do.

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Nikki Gardner


Tue Nov 27, 2007 3:12 pm
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Chase, I'm very sorry to hear about friend and his father. With that said, I dont know what direction to take this topic. I know personally that illegal immigrants over looking our laws is a growing problem. In Yadkin County I am a corrections officer, and I know that almost every time I work we have an immigrant brought in for DWI and most dont have a drivers license. Many say that they know they are breaking the law and some are wanting to get caught so they will have someone to feed them and have a place to stay. Sorry if this has sounded rude, but I know first hand that this is a growing problem.

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Robert Reavis


Wed Nov 28, 2007 12:40 pm
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I am very sorry for your lose Chase. I was very bothered with this story and hearing about what happened that night. It pisses me off that nothing will probably not even happen to this guy and he will just be sent back to Mexico. That is not fair at all because if it was a US citizen they would be punished. Drinking and Driving is a huge problem in our society. Usually, every time it happens the drunk person never gets hurt it is always the sober person which is harsh reality as well. I saw on the news also that this is the second time this man had been caught being an illegal immigrant. I just dont think it's fair that just because they are illegal they do not have to follow the same roles.

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Shannon Lynn


Wed Nov 28, 2007 6:53 pm
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I too am sorry for your loss, Chase.

I really have nothing new to really offer to this discussion. As some have mentioned before, I have no problem with people wanting to come to America. I just believe if you come to this country, you should come here legally. The real issue here is that an illegal immigrant has broken the law at least twice by driving drunk, and nothing of much consequence has happened to him. I think he should have to do his time for his DUI and then be sent back to Mexico because he is living here illegally. Then, maybe one day when he decides he can be a responsible citizen, he might can come back to America..legally.

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Wed Nov 28, 2007 7:35 pm
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Chase, I am sorry to hear about your lose. I lost a Uncle about 13 years because someone was drunk and hit my Uncle's car head-on. He was on his way home from work. It angers me that people today are still being killed by something that could easily be avoided. The only thing that will stop this (that I believe) are tougher laws against drunk driving. The laws have become tougher since my uncles death, but I think that more laws against drunk drivng are needed.

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Stephen Wood


Thu Nov 29, 2007 10:17 am
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Like everyone has said, I'm so sorry Chase. I know that doesn't mean anything and unfortunetly many of us have similar experiences. July 29 2006 my best friend, Mike, was a passenger in a car with another friend Kevin who was drunk. Kevin, driving 80 mph in a neighborhood hit a tree, killed Mike and he survived. Last week his case was closed with 3 years probation. Thats it! Granted he does have massive brain damage but he is still living. Going on facebook, talking to friends and doing volunteer work. I still don't know how to deal with it.


Thu Nov 29, 2007 3:16 pm
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Chase,

I would encourage you to focus on the drinking and driving part of this. It's too easy to make it about an illegal alien, which plays to people's prejudices. To me, anything that takes the focus off drinking and driving is taking our attention away from the real, awful, issue.

Other people in our class have lost loved ones to drunk drivers. I, too, have experienced this sort of loss. My high school boyfriend was the victim.

If no one ever drove drunk, no one would have to suffer this sort of tragedy. If there were no illegal aliens, people would still die at the hands of drunk drivers.

I am so very sorry for your loss. I'm with Maja on this: it can take years to sort through.

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Gayle Turner


Thu Dec 06, 2007 8:05 pm
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Chase,
I understand where you're coming from. It's really sad that happened, and it is frustrating that it was caused by an illegal immigrant who was drunk. However, it could've been anyone who caused that accident, including a citizen of the US who was drunk. I am really sorry though, and I hope your friend's dad comes out of the coma.


Thu Dec 06, 2007 9:34 pm
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