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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsLawmaker who thinks gays a threat to children crashes boat into children
A homophobic Maryland lawmaker has admitted to being drunk when he accidentally crashed his boat into a boat full of children.
Maryland delegate Don H. Dwyer Jr was drinking with another man on his boat on the Magothy River in Pasadena around 7pm when his boat struck a smaller vessel with five children on board.Four of the children were injured with one, a five year old girl, taken by helicopter to Baltimores Johns Hopkins Childrens Center.
Two adults on the boat were unharmed.The smash was so severe that Dwyers boat sunk in the river.Dwyer later admitted to having a blood alcohol level of 0.2 twice the legal limit.
Dwyer, a Tea Party Republican, has in the past suggested that homosexuals were a threat to children and that same-sex marriage would lead to homosexuality being taught in schools.
Dwyer has previously attempted to ban same-sex marriage in Maryland by attaching an amendment to a bill on marriage license fees and sought the sacking or impeachment of public officials who have made decisions that were supportive of same-sex couples having the right to marry.
Earlier this year Dwyer supported a ballot measure to strip lawmakers of their office when found guilty of serious crimes which Maryland voters will decide on in November.
If Dwyer is found to have committed an offense and the ballot initiative is successful he may find himself out of office under the law.
http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/lawmaker-who-thinks-gays-threat-children-crashes-boat-children240812?utm_source=New+email+sign-ups&utm_campaign=5a2c6f4264-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email
Turbineguy
(37,322 posts)He was 5 times over the limit.
Brother Buzz
(36,422 posts)The Federal Government's statutes and regulations regarding Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) limits related to Operators of Recreational Watercraft specify a 0.08 per se rule for all Federal waterways except "within the geographical boundaries of any State that has established" a separate and different BAC limit. In those cases, " a standard established by State statute is applicable to the operation of any recreational vessel on waters within the geographical boundaries of the State."
xchrom
(108,903 posts)Hells Liberal
(88 posts)Let me guess, their wives and kids weren't with them.
He sounds like another right-wing, heavily closeted homophobe. He was probably too busy practicing his "wide stance" to notice he was about to kill those kids.
Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)Your theory that he could not be heterosexual AND a rotten rat fink so that he MUST be closeted is just so fucked up, so old and tired, that few on DU will accept such bigoted and backward crap.
I mean, let's be specific. What about him 'sounds' as if he's really gay? You claim he sounds like another of them. What elements in this story preclude his heterosexuality?
BlueToTheBone
(3,747 posts)Lets start with his obsession with homosexuality. Nasty perv can't stop thinking about what I do with my husband in the privacy of our own home (And he's jealous). And then (nothing to do with homosexuality) he offers prayers and asks for forgiveness. Nice touch.
TBF
(32,056 posts)"A randomly-selected Jury of DU members completed their review of this alert at Sat Aug 25, 2012, 09:02 AM, and voted 2-4 to LEAVE IT ALONE"
I won't take it to Meta because I really hate that forum, but this kind of stuff goes on every day at this website and various stealth trolls get away with it.
Ichingcarpenter
(36,988 posts)on his own.
chervilant
(8,267 posts)with sexism. Apparently, it's okay to be sexist, as long as it is directed toward Republican women...
TBF
(32,056 posts)Loudestlib
(980 posts)"In this months issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, we and our fellow researchers provide empirical evidence that homophobia can result, at least in part, from the suppression of same-sex desire."
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/29/opinion/sunday/homophobic-maybe-youre-gay.html?ref=opinion
yardwork
(61,599 posts)Stinky The Clown
(67,796 posts)How does two men being on a small, cabinless runabout boat on a normally crowded, narrow, highly visible waterway imply they are gay?
Yes, there are many self loathing, self-denying, probably closeted gay people. Nothing in this story points to that. The man is what he appears to be - a right wing bigot and hater. He may be more, but nothing in this story - and certainly nothing in the fact you cite - points to his being gay.
Welcome to DU.
Hells Liberal
(88 posts)than the way repubs assume President Obama is not really American or that I and all my fellow liberals, progressives and Democrats are all Communists, or that we're using climate change as an excuse to bring down American business.
When the repubs decide to act like civilized people and debate in an honest fashion, I'll return the courtesy. But if they're going to cast aspersions, then they better be ready when we offer our speculations on their behaviors.
Besides, it's not like there aren't any precedents for homophobic repubs to turn out to be closeted, self-loathing gays. (Sarcasm).
madinmaryland
(64,931 posts)Anne Arundel County Sheriff in 2006.
Just because two men are on a boat together, doesn't mean they are gay.
Hells Liberal
(88 posts)I'll admit, I'm just speculating. But they are a couple of right-wing homophobes and those people tend to be self-loathing closet cases.
Which means I have more to base my speculation on that the birthers do for their aspersions.
ChairmanAgnostic
(28,017 posts)We celebrate the facts that the kids were ok
And
That his boat sank.
rocktivity
(44,576 posts)If Dwyer is found to have committed an offense and the ballot initiative is successful he may find himself out of office under the law.
rocktivity
yardwork
(61,599 posts)LiberalEsto
(22,845 posts)Let's all hope she recovers quickly and completely
Ilsa
(61,694 posts)Alot of states treat drunken boat drivers as severely as drunken auto driving. He should be arrested and charged with a felony, especially since those kids were hurt.
I didn't see it in the article.
Ichingcarpenter
(36,988 posts)but you are right.... HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ARRESTED
if we did that we would have been.
xtraxritical
(3,576 posts)midnight
(26,624 posts)a Republican does it, it is a human error that is being politically prosecuted...
mwooldri
(10,303 posts)Johns Hopkins is a brilliant hospital - I hope the girl gets on the mend soon. If Mr. Dwyer identifies as being "pro life", his actions were certainly not promoting and preserving life.
Intoxicated people are far more dangerous to children than sober ones. Sexual or gender identity has absolutely nothing to do with it. There is a reason why alcoholic beverages are advertised as "please drink responsibly".
Mr. Dwyer Jr. needs to man up and take some responsibility for this. A resignation may be in order here... he got the ballot initiative onto the ballot, he supports it, and since he has committed a serious crime, he needs to be held up to his own standards, no matter what the election in November brings.
Auntie Bush
(17,528 posts)zbdent
(35,392 posts)so he's not "attempting murder" ....
Right?
Ilsa
(61,694 posts)""The cause of the collision is still under investigation," Albert said. "A number of investigators are on a fact-finding mission.""
And:
""Pending the analysis, DNR police will determine what charges if any will be filed, Albert said.
"We're in no hurry to expedite the investigation," Albert said. "It takes a long time to reconstruct an accident that occurs on the water, we have both vessels and we don't think any of the parties are going anywhere.""
mike dub
(541 posts)And the kids and their parents, & Dwyer and passenger are lucky both boats were shut down after the accident (Dwyer's is down permanently) and that apparently no one was ejected into the water.
My friends were powerboating when they were broadsided by a powerboat pulling a waterskier (driver looking rearward to observe skier and drive at same time). One of my friends was ejected from the helm of his boat into the water, sending his boat into a "death spiral": engine at 3/4 throttle and wheel hard-over, and boat and propeller making concentric circles in the water.
As my friend's boat inched closer to him, helpless in the water, the driver of the boat that hit my friend's boat purposely collided into my friend's boat Again, to knock its churning propeller away from my friend bobbing in the water. The waterskier was down in the water too, and in peril as well.
So many things can go way wrong with people drinking (or in just driving distracted) and then operating a boat.
Did I Just Type This
(77 posts)Last time i checked, the emergency crews don't make it a habit of air lifting people with minor injuries.
LiberalEsto
(22,845 posts)louis-t
(23,292 posts)He should "find himself out of office" whether the law passes or not.
Liberal_in_LA
(44,397 posts)glad no one died from his drunkedness