Family tradition?

[mnealtx 0]

From CNN

Fair use applies:

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Rep. Patrick Kennedy, son of Sen. Ted Kennedy, said Thursday he was apparently disoriented by medication when he crashed his car into a barricade on Capitol Hill overnight.

Rep. Kennedy said in a written statement late Thursday after media reports of the incident emerged that he had returned home after the final House votes around midnight Wednesday and taken "the prescribed amount" of sleep aid Ambien and an anti-nausea drug.

The Rhode Island Democrat said that drug was Phenergan, "which in addition to treating gastroenteritis, I now know can cause drowsiness and sedation."

"Sometime around 2:45 a.m., I drove the few blocks to the Capitol complex believing I needed to vote," he said. "Apparently, I was disoriented from the medication."

He added, "At no time before the incident did I consume any alcohol" and said he would cooperate with any investigation.

Kennedy, 39, was not injured in the accident, and he said his was the only car involved.

Kennedy said police drove him home after the crash, but that he did not "ask for any special consideration."

The elder Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat, said he had no comment.

A top law enforcement official and an official in Congress said Capitol Hill Police witnessed the accident, and they reported that Kennedy was the only one in the car.

A statement on the police Web site said, "The United States Capitol Police are investigating a traffic violation that occurred in the early morning hours ... in the 100 Block of C Street, SE." They did not identify who was involved or provide other details.

The two officials said officers at the scene reported seeing the car swerve before the crash and said Kennedy appeared intoxicated.

There was no indication from the sources that a sobriety test was given or that an arrest was made.

CNN has made a formal request for an incident report from the Capitol Hill Police.

CNN's Brian Todd and Ted Barrett contributed to this report

Well, at least it wasn't near any bridges....

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[Gravitymaster 0]

Kennedy is a white male. Cynthia McKinney is a black female. Maybe there is something to her allegation of racism within the Capital Hill Police.

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[unformed 0]

What the hell? I've taken Ambien, and I can not imagine anyone thinking it would be a good reason to drive on that.... it knocks you completely. I'd trust someone to drive drunk over driving on ambien...

but as a sleeping pill, it works beautifully....

This ad space for sale.

[Amazon 7]

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Well, at least it wasn't near any bridges....

This should be a death penalty offence for sure in your world.

Hell he is a Democrat... he is a Kennedy... he is a liberal..... and he was on prescription drugs....done deal... get a rope.

[DaVinci 0]

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that drug was Phenergan, "which in addition to treating gastroenteritis, I now know can cause drowsiness and sedation."

I can attest to this drug making you loopy.

I hope they treat him just like they would any other person who did the same thing.

[billvon 3,132]

>done deal... get a rope.

I find myself wondering if right wingers who take such note of this will note Rush Limbaugh's arrest this week for prescription drug fraud.

[Gravitymaster 0]

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>done deal... get a rope.

I find myself wondering if right wingers who take such note of this will note Rush Limbaugh's arrest this week for prescription drug fraud.

Limbaughs a private citizen. Kennedy is a public servant. Big difference.

I am willing to wait until the facts are all in, but you gotta admit this smells kinda fishy. He goes home, takes a sleeping pill and then goes out driving at almost 3 am with his headlights out, smashes into a barricade and then claims he was on his way to vote, 6 hours after the House closed. That's some real high-powered sleep walking.

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[mnealtx 0]

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Well, at least it wasn't near any bridges....

This should be a death penalty offence for sure in your world.

Hell he is a Democrat... he is a Kennedy... he is a liberal..... and he was on prescription drugs....done deal... get a rope.

Nope...just glad nobody was hurt...I'm sure he'll be appropriately slapped on the wrist for being a Kennedy that's broken the law...maybe a illegal parking fine or similar...

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[mnealtx 0]

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>done deal... get a rope.

I find myself wondering if right wingers who take such note of this will note Rush Limbaugh's arrest this week for prescription drug fraud.

I hadn't noted it, but good. Do the crime, do the time.

Of course, Limbaugh wasn't a public danger driving under the influence, either...

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[Amazon 7]

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He goes home, takes a sleeping pill and then goes out driving at almost 3 am with his headlights out, smashes into a barricade and then claims he was on his way to vote, 6 hours after the House closed

Here are some facts for you. Ambien has some rather interesting properties in sleep walking for quite a few people.

http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/ambien


Concerns are being raised about the safety of Ambien (zolpidem tartrate), the anti-insomnia drug manufactured by Sanofi-Aventis. Reports are surfacing people taking Ambien are experiencing sleepwalking, memory loss / amnesia, binge eating while sleeping, having sex while sleeping, and other disturbing side effects. Some of the most serious side effects involve Ambien users having auto accidents the day after taking Ambien due to daytime sleepiness and the lingering feeling of being drugged. One disturbing report concerned a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston who could not recall advising residents on rounds the morning after taking Ambien.


Indeed lets wait for the results in our country that exists under the rule of law. Innocent until proven guilty.... regardless of your political affiliation.

Right Mr. Neal?

[jpjc2000 0]

Rush Limbaugh is a entertainer ONLY, not an elected official, Kennedy is a silver spoon elected official, you don't think either of them would be held to different standards than the public do you?...(snicker-sniker)

[Andy9o8 3]

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Limbaughs a private citizen. Kennedy is a public servant. Big difference.

In terms of media treatment, not really. Both are what's known as "limited purpose public figures". Both have roughly equivalent degrees of public fame (notoriety?), more or less. Kennedy's answerable to the public, and especially his constituents, to the extent that he made himself a public figure; and his constituents are "his boss". Limbaugh is principally an entertainer; he created a very public image and makes a living off that very public image, so that equates him to any other fairly famous entertainer. To the extent that either Kennedy as a politician or Limbaugh as a self-styled political commentator publicly hold out certain values or principles as being those that should be adhered to, and then act less than perfect themselves in their personal lives, they leave themselves open to criticisms of hypocrisy.
I'd say that to avoid a double standard, each of them should be subject to roughly equivalent quality and quantity of public scrutiny for their acts.

[popsjumper 2]

Geez....what do you guys want? A public hanging for the guy? Some of your comments show a bias against the guy simply because he's 1) a poltician, 2) wealthy, 3) a Kennedy...WTF?

The comparison to McKinney was so far off the wall as to be disgusting.

What did you want? Jailing and paying bail? Why?

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[SkyDekker 1,465]

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Kennedy is a white male. Cynthia McKinney is a black female. Maybe there is something to her allegation of racism within the Capital Hill Police.

I must have missed the part in the story where Kennedy assaulted an officer.

These two stories are not even closely related, other than proximity of geography.

The drug is known to do some loopy things to people...even if their name is Kennedy....

[Gravitymaster 0]

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Limbaughs a private citizen. Kennedy is a public servant. Big difference.

In terms of media treatment, not really. Both are what's known as "limited purpose public figures". Both have roughly equivalent degrees of public fame (notoriety?), more or less. Kennedy's answerable to the public, and especially his constituents, to the extent that he made himself a public figure; and his constituents are "his boss". Limbaugh is principally an entertainer; he created a very public image and makes a living off that very public image, so that equates him to any other fairly famous entertainer. To the extent that either Kennedy as a politician or Limbaugh as a self-styled political commentator publicly hold out certain values or principles as being those that should be adhered to, and then act less than perfect themselves in their personal lives, they leave themselves open to criticisms of hypocrisy.
I'd say that to avoid a double standard, each of them should be subject to roughly equivalent quality and quantity of public scrutiny for their acts.

Spin it any way you want. Kennedy is accountable to the public, who pays his salary and expects him to act appropriatly. Limbaugh is only answerable to his listeners and advertisers.

Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I still hold my elected officials to a higher standard than I do entertainers.

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[Gravitymaster 0]

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Kennedy is a white male. Cynthia McKinney is a black female. Maybe there is something to her allegation of racism within the Capital Hill Police.

I must have missed the part in the story where Kennedy assaulted an officer.

These two stories are not even closely related, other than proximity of geography.

The drug is known to do some loopy things to people...even if their name is Kennedy....

Do you think if a balck person had been driving around DC at 3am, crashed their car into a barricade, got out of the car staggering, spoken incomprehensibly to the Police, that they would have been driven home by the Police without even being given a sobriety test?

edited to add: I'm not saying there is racism within the Capitol Hill Police. I'm only pointing out the difference in the way the 2 incidents were handled.

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[DaVinci 0]

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edited to add: I'm not saying there is racism within the Capitol Hill Police. I'm only pointing out the difference in the way the 2 incidents were handled

A spokes person for the Capitol Police said that since lower ranking officers were sent away and more Sr. Officers took over that it does appear that there was special treatment and the police are going to look into it .-From CNN

I do not doubt that there was/is special treatment for Kennedy's, Representatives, rich people. Much less all three in one. I also don't doubt that Rush had some special treatment.

"Special" goes both ways. Sometimes its good, such as getting away with a crime. Sometimes its bad, such as people head hunting since you are famous.

It is just human nature to protect people that you like, find attractive, or think can help you. Just like its normal to attack anyone you think can hurt you, or scares you.

[SkyDekker 1,465]

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Do you think if a balck person had been driving around DC at 3am, crashed their car into a barricade, got out of the car staggering, spoken incomprehensibly to the Police, that they would have been driven home by the Police without even being given a sobriety test?

I don't know...but it certainly isn't similar to what happened to the lady who assaulted an officer after more or less demanding special treatment...

Edited to add: I am sure officers are trained in detecting the scent of alcohol. Maybe he indicated he had taken a prescription sleep aid after being questioned? That combined with the fact that he wouldn't have smelled of alcohol would be a decent reason not to give a sobriety test.

[livendive 8]

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I am willing to wait until the facts are all in, but you gotta admit this smells kinda fishy. He goes home, takes a sleeping pill and then goes out driving at almost 3 am with his headlights out, smashes into a barricade and then claims he was on his way to vote, 6 hours after the House closed. That's some real high-powered sleep walking.

It's not only plausible, it's flat-out tame compared to what some people do while on Ambien. And yes, I have personal experience with the drug. Fantastic sleep-aid...if you get to sleep. If you don't, it's a "fuck you up everyway including sideways" kind of drug, with pure amnesia as a possible (common?) side effect.

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[Gravitymaster 0]

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Pat cites pills in car wreck
By Dave Wedge
Friday, May 5, 2006 - Updated: 01:05 AM EST

WASHINGTON -U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy insisted yesterday that he had consumed “no alcohol” before he slammed his Mustang convertible into a concrete barrier near his office, but a hostess at a popular Capitol Hill watering hole told the Herald she saw him drinking in the hours before the crash.

“He was drinking a little bit,” said the woman, who works at the Hawk & Dove and would not give her name.

Leaving his office late last night, Kennedy refused to say whether he’d been to the Hawk & Dove the night before.

Earlier in the evening, Kennedy issued a statement through his office blaming the accident and strange behavior surrounding it on prescription drugs.


Questions arose surrounding the wreck amid police reports that Kennedy was “staggering” and appeared intoxicated after nearly hitting a Capitol Police cruiser and then striking the barrier.

The incident became public when the union representing Capitol Police alleged in a publicly released letter that superior officers prevented rank-and-file cops from properly investigating the crash.

The letter from the cops union said police spotted Kennedy’s Mustang swerving with its lights off. The car narrowly missed a cruiser before slamming into a security barricade, according to the letter written by officer Chris Baird, chairman of the department’s union.

Uh, oh. It's starting to smell a little more fishy. I wonder if the hostess at the Hawk and Dove will lose her job? Still waiting for more facts to come in.

[lawrocket 3]

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>done deal... get a rope.

I find myself wondering if right wingers who take such note of this will note Rush Limbaugh's arrest this week for prescription drug fraud.

I haven't listened to Limbaugh since those allegations came out against him - especially since he sought to blame a vast left-wing conspiracy for gettign him busted.

I see some people out there holding public officials to higher standards than private persons. While there is a good reason for this, and the point is reasonable, I tend to hold people to "standards."

Like it or not, Limbaugh was a junkie, only with licensed drug dealers.

Like it or not, whether Kennedy was drunk or not, he was operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of mind altering chemicals. There is NO excuse. Period. End of story. I don't care if you are Joe Six-Pack or a Congressman. If you are caught operating a vehicle under the influence of a mind-altering chemical, that's it.

The part the pisses me off is that they did not run a breathalyzer. This means that standard procedure was broken. That lends credence to special treatment or a cover up. Who else would get a ride home. Is it Washington's Finest Taxi Service?

Limbaugh - wrong. Kennedy - wrong. Joe Snuffy - wrong. Even if I myself did this, it would be wrong, and I hold myself to a much higher standard than others hold me or than I hold others to (except maybe billvon on here or my wife in the rest of my life, who keep me in check rather nicely (and I also note that this technically goes against what I said about the "one standard" for all - but I think it okay to pass harsher judgment on myself than others)).

To counter other's statement, no, we don't hang Kennedy. We figure out what's up with this. Hopefully, and investigation will gather facts and present a timeline. Then we act appropriately, treating Kennedy no better - or worse - than any other person in this situation.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[rehmwa 2]

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he slammed his Mustang convertible into a concrete barrier near his office,

Forget all this other crap. The real crime is now obvious

Can the MUSTANG be saved?

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[PhreeZone 20]

I'm more worried if the concrete barrier is going to make it through this ordeal or not.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[Amazon 7]

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To counter other's statement, no, we don't hang Kennedy. We figure out what's up with this. Hopefully, and investigation will gather facts and present a timeline. Then we act appropriately, treating Kennedy no better - or worse - than any other person in this situation.

Bingo.... Personally I think the DC police give very special treatment to diplomats and political figures FAR exceeding what a regular citizen would get. To me that is just wrong....one set of rules should apply to ALL of us.

[rehmwa 2]

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I'm more worried if the concrete barrier is going to make it through this ordeal or not.

well, in day to day operation, the concrete barrier (CB) uses less gas than the mustang

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants