What Else Is New?

The Express News is breathlessly reporting that San Antonio led the nation in drunk driving arrests for the time period 2009-2018. Yawn.

https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/Study-San-Antonio-had-the-most-drunk-driving-15171411.php

Back in the late 90’s the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) funded a nationwide DWI study. San Antonio was part of the study.

The results were tabulated and reported as a percentage of potential DWI’s on the road at any time. Most statistics stated that that one in twenty, or one in thirty drivers were legally drunk while on the road at any time day or night. These numbers were used to illustrate the problem.

San Antonio, Bexar County reported one in eight. No matter the time of day, every eighth car was operated by a DWI. Those numbers, I remember. NHTSA was highly upset. There were accusations that San Antonio law enforcement was too stupid to conduct a meaningful study.

The “pros from Dover,” in the form of NHTSA, rode into town to show San Antonio how the study should be done. They validated the San Antonio numbers. Embarrassed, the NHTSA team left town without an apology.

Several years later the Feds showed up to do a drug study. The purpose was to determine what percentage of people who were booked into Bexar County jail were under the influence of illegal drugs. It was another study that never got published. The answer was…everybody.

Those who don’t remember history are condemned to repeat it.

During Dwight D Eisenhower’s second posting at Fort Sam Houston one of his duties was to interface with local authorities. The Second World War was on the horizon. San Antonio was in the running for a major expansion of military activity. There was just one problem.

Eisenhower had to convince local authorities that if they wanted an expanded military presence. The Army was proposing to expand the number of GI’s stationed in San Antonio. Before the Army would do that, the City fathers had to shut down some of the whorehouses. They did. And that is how San Antonio became military city.

Newspapers and MSM are for people with a short attention spans.