> Great, I knew I could get the off-topic ball rolling. I don't think it's
> illegal in the state of Washington (don't tell the officer that I said it
> was ok though). Beer is ok if it's legal, just don't get intoxicated or
> you could be getting in trouble, and not just by the law.

> The pendulum has swung way too far in the other direction. When I was a
> kid and I was helping my dad do plumbing, at the end of the day he'd drink
> a beer (one, uno, less than 2...) on the road on the way home. He wasn't
> drunk, and at that time he wasn't even breaking the law. What's the
> difference if he drove down the road and drank it, or if he drank it at
> the shop and then drove home. Today he would be breaking the law if he
> drove and drank the beer, but he would NOT be breaking the law if he drank
> it at the shop and then drove home (NOT intoxicated). Our laws these days
> defy common sense.

> Let's see if I can get some more bites. :-)

> Dale

Dale, I'm with you. I have always thought that it was important to distinguish between "driving drunk" (bad) and "drinking while driving" (can be quite pleasant). My brother and I used to bring a few beers and a cooler of ice on long road trips. We would let them cool while we drove, and when we got half an hour or so from our destination, start drinking. This is of course illegal, but not particularly dangerous -- equivalent to drinking a soda while driving and probably safer than talking on a cell phone while driving. Sometimes the passenger would start in on the beers a little early. This too is illegal -- and utterly safe.

Drinking in a boat is also nice, but I've seen way too many drunks in powerboats who blissfully swamp me with the wake they created in coming up close to admire my "nithe boat. is thag a kayag? ouduv wwood? Djumakit yourself?"

--Will