FACT: You’re More Likely Dead from a Drunk Driver in FLA Than From an MJ User in Colorado!

Well, let's get it out into the open: Fact-based reality is a challenge for most repukes and Southern Tea party types in the best of times. In times of political upheaval especially with the North-South divide increasing due to hatred of Obama, it goes over the top. Especially for a certain blogger who yaps a lot but is unable to even pass a relatively simple test in his self-proclaimed area of expertise.


Enter then a recent, semi-serious blog in which he holds Florida up as an exemplar “vacation spot” (along with other formerly Rebel enclaves like MS, AL) while dissing all the “Yankee” states- i.e. north of the Mason-Dixon line- as well as Colorado. In the latter case he bloviates about the prospective traveler’s likelihood of getting killed – maybe run down or whatever- by a pot-crazed lunatic, given our state has passed Amendment 64 to allow recreational use of pot.


Of course, this is as much codswallop as his obsession over a non-existent "salvation" and  its schizoid driving forces: “Satan” and “Hell”. So one must wonder if those puerile, phantasmagorical ideations formed some kind of embolism in his deteriorating brain leading him to write so much crap about Colorado and marijuana!   The FACT is that any would-be traveler is much more likely to be killed by a drunk in Florida than even sideswiped by an MJ user here in Colorado. But don’t believe me, check out the state of Florida’s own statistics from a state site:  http://www.dmvflorida.org/florida-dui.shtml
Therein we learn:

"According to Florida DMV records there were 33,625 DUI convictions in Florida in 2011. Of the 55,722 DUI tickets issued in Florida in 2011 - 9,328 were issued by the FHP, 23,649 were issued by police departments in Florida, and 21,868 were issued by Florida Sheriffs departments.”


Comparable statistics in all categories for MJ users in COLORADO : O

We also learn the following DUI stats for assorted arrests in Florida counties:


· Hillsborough County (Tampa) - 3,256

· Miami-Dade - (Miami) - 2,274

· Duval County - (Jacksonvile Area) - 2,222

· Pinellas County (St Petersburg) - 1,824

· Palm Beach County (West Palm Beach) - 1,561

· Orange County (Orlando) - 1,383

· Brevard County (Melbourne) - 1,072

· Broward County (Fort Lauderdale) - 985

Comparable driving-related stats for MJ users in COLO, for all counties: Zero

We also learn about fatalities from this site: http://www.dui-usa.drinkdriving.org/Florida_dui_drunkdriving_statistics.php


For which we find:

717 fatal accidents in Florida where at least one driver had a BAC (Blood alcohol content) of 0.08% or above


803 people were killed in Florida in accidents where at least one driver had a BAC of 0.08% or above

154 people were killed in Florida in accidents where at least one driver had a BAC between 0.01% and 0.07%


These are startling stats! Look at them! That is a total of  957 deaths from drunken drivers! There are also likely hundreds of shooting incidents, including accidents, engendered by too high a BAC but the state (fortuitously) keeps no records on those. Meanwhile, the comparable stats for marijuana users in Colorado? Zero!

The hard truth, which this bozo seems not to process, is that you’re much more likely to lose your life from a drunken driver in FLA than from an MJ user in Colorado. Yes, the basis analog for the argument is different, but then he brought it on himself by harping on all the “ills” of pot use in Colorado – while neatly overlooking that marijuana is not the culprit in ANY state, rather alcohol is. It leads to more DUI deaths, more accidents – including by use of weapons- than MJ does in any parallel universe.


The guy’s fact base is so distorted that he actually impugned Gov. John Hickenlooper of CO despite the fact he was never a fan of Amendment 64. Indeed, in the wake of its passage, he was the one that  snarkily warned voters they’d best “not get high on Cheetos”.


Hickenlooper was also the one that proposed, after 64’s passage, a way to get MORE Federal oversight- working with the U.S. Attorney Gen. ! This so outraged many that Denver Post columnist Vincent Carroll was driven to write a column ('Come On, Governor, Defend 64!' , Nov. 8, 2012, p. 21A) to steer the Guv to the side of the angels. (Alas, he's gone more to the side of the 'devils'- as in recently drinking a glass of allegedly "fracked" water and declaring it "tastes fine, has no ill effects".)


Sadly, what all of this shows is that “Mr. Johnny Reb Blogger” has no clue what goes on in this state, nor the comparable damage done by alcohol relative to MJ. But then why be surprised when he earlier shot his yap off about Chicago being the the No. 1 city for homicides in the USA, when FBI uniform crime stats disclosed Detroit! Or, being totally unaware that the Vietnam conflict was started on a pretext, or that the ‘Amazing Race’ episode he calumniated was not about “forcing contestants to learn a communist song” but rather matching different symbols on posterboards.


But after all, why be surprised? This is the same character that wouldn’t even attempt a test in his own proclaimed specialty area, biblical exegesis, i.e. http://brane-space.blogspot.com/2013/04/can-pastor-mike-pass-basic-test-on.html

This despite being given unlimited time to take it!


Perhaps, before  Mr. 'Goober' next blogs on MJ or Colorado, he might learn a bit more from other subjects. Say like: Sociology, crime statistics, American history......oh, and basic English.  Maybe at his FLA Smokehouse Bible College, assuming there are any offerings besides "bible study" and watching Woody Woodpecker cartoons!