Al Gore's son faces drug charges

[RamboLiberal]

Source: CNN

The son of former Vice President Al Gore was charged Friday with speeding and illegal possession of marijuana and prescription drugs, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

Al Gore III, 24, was arrested early in the morning on July 4 when Orange County Sheriff's deputies pulled him over for allegedly driving 100 mph in his 2006 Toyota Prius.

The deputy reported that he could smell marijuana when he approached the car. After conducting a search, the deputy found a small amount of marijuana and prescription pills -- including Adderall, Vicodin, Xanax and Valium -- all without a prescription.

Gore is charged with two felony counts of possession of a controlled substance, two misdemeanor counts of possessing a controlled substance without a prescription, one misdemeanor count of possession of marijuana and a traffic infraction.

If convicted on all charges, he faces a maximum sentence of three years and eight months in prison, but he could be eligible for a drug diversion program, the District Attorney's Office said.



Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/20/gore.son/index.html

[Tab]

1. You can go over 100 mph in a Prius?

Whoa..

[silverojo]

2. That's all you got out of this?

The fact that he was doing enough drugs to kill a small horse is a little more important than the performance of a Prius. :eyes:

[krkaufman]

3. Says you...!

Al Jr's legal and substance abuse issues are a family matter. The performance of the Prius, and other hybrids, is of global concern, rightly.

[Tab]

4. Of course not

But Al's not preaching holier-than-thou family values, and I'm sure being the child of a nationally prominent politician, would-be president, is a bit heady for a young man. I know all that, and I'm not surprised.

That said, I didn't know you could go 100 mph in a Prius.

[Mojorabbit]

5. We were looking at them(prius) this past

weekend. I did not know either you could go that fast in one. The drug thing is a family problem and none of my business.

[Trajan]

8. The lack of prescriptions bothers me, and it is sad .....

But it seems amazing that a Prius could go THAT fast ! ....

You object to that amazement ? ...

BTW: You have enough chemicals in your house to kill a stable of regular sized horses ..... probably never added it all up ....

[NGC_6822]

19. Prius personal experience

I'm sorry to talk about the Prius on this thread, but I would like to clear up a question that several people have raised about the Prius. I have one in Europe, and I can tell you about the performance. Two weeks ago we were driving through Germany to Hungary. Coming out of the mountains, we arrived a long flat, straight away where the Mercedes, BMW's and Audis were flashing past. It was time to test. I could easily accelerate up through 140, 150 and 160 km/hr. Even 170 was easy, but I appeared to hit the limit at 180 km/hr. With some effort, I touched on 181 and then backed off. This
translates into 112.5 mi/hr. My opinion is that I might have squeezed another 1 or 2 km/hr out of it, but no more.

When speed limits exist around Europe they are normally set at 120 km/hr (75 mi/hr.) My comfortable driving speed is between this and 130 km/hr. But autobahns in Germany, Austraia and Hungary have no speed limit as far as I can tell.
Consequently, I was regularly cruising at 140 (87 mi/hr) to 150 (93 mi/hr). This gave the Prius absolutely no problem what so ever. Also of interest, I noted that at these speeds the fuel consumption went up to about 6.5 lt/100 km in European measurements. This translates into about 38.8 mi/gal.

A couple more points about the Prius:

Point 1: The CO2 pollution is 80% less than normal cars largely because it is burning more of the fuel. The fact that it is burning more of the fuel means that it is getting more energy out of the fuel and thus, I think more power. This is NOT an underpowered car.

Point 2: An electric motor actually has great power, but the batteries have traditionally been so bad that people have gotten used to thinking only about power from gas engines. But consider electric trains and many other vehicles—no lack of power.

Point 3: Many people may see the Prius poking along in the right lane and think it is a dog, but this is certainly not true. Prius owners simply have a different fascination about driving. I used to own a Nissan 300ZX, but now I enjoy watching the bar graph on the dash and seeing how much fuel efficiency I can squeeze out of the system. I also have a Prius in California, and let me tell you, it’s a happy experience to make a stealth transit between Los Angeles and San Diego on a couple of gallons with hardly any sound but the car stereo.

[ozone_man]

26. The Prius seems an integral part of the story.

Why I'm not sure, but I appreciate your valuable info on the Prius. I think our presidential candidates should talk more about increasing fuel efficiency, taking away tax credits from gas guzzling SUVs and giving them back to the Prius buyers. Apparently, the tax credits go away after 60,000 vehicles are sold. And it's time to re-examine our entire energy program, providing tax credits for solar energy, wind energy, and other forms of renewable energy, mass transit, and so on. Maybe Al Gore is most effective in his present role (though I haven't given up hope that he will run), but we need some candidate to take leadership on environmental matters.

[NGC_6822]

36. Energy policy

I apologize for expanding this hybrid topic in the present thread; perhaps it should be a separate thread. I just wanted to take the opportunity. Anyway, I agree that we should have a better energy policy. Personally, I don't think the US alone can make much of a difference in the global warming problem given the onset of China and India; but economically, I think it is in our best interest to find alternative energy sources in the face of rising oil costs.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

30. "... it is burning more of the fuel...."

A couple more points about the Prius:

Point 1: The CO2 pollution is 80% less than normal cars largely because it is burning more of the fuel. The fact that it is burning more of the fuel means that it is getting more energy out of the fuel and thus, I think more power.

I'm having a hard time grasping that claim. What do you mean, it's burning more of the fuel? Is it combusting fuel more efficiently than other cars, perhaps with four or five times the efficiency?

This would be quite a remarkable achievement.

[NGC_6822]

37. Fuel efficiency

I'm happy you noted this point, because I admit to not being on firm ground here, but my source is "Scientific American" April 2006, pages 72 to 79. Their explanation is that there are two basic kinds of gasoline engines--the Otto cycle and the Atkinson cycle. The Otto cycle is the least efficient, but was developed a long time ago when oil conservation was not a problem. Its advantage is that it runs modestly well at all speeds, albeit with lower efficiency. The Atkinson cycle, conversely, runs at basically one speed, but at very high efficiency. To make use of this motor, Toyota has assisted it with the battery.

Here is a brief extract from the article, page 75."

"Some car makers replace the conventional Otto cycle gasoline engine with the Atkinson cycle, which burns fuel much more efficiently but has not been widely used because of its lower power production. The hybrid's electric motor makes up the difference for the lost brawn."

(In reading this again, I see that I was wrong about the Prius gaining power by burning more of the fuel. It's actually the electric motor that gives the additional power. Thanks again for your challenge.)

[Maat]

46. Proud Prius owner here!

And I never go over the speed limit - ;-) .

It was in the San Diego LGBT Pride Parade yesterday, as the Kucinich car!

As for Al Jr., this retired social worker wishes him well in his recovery.

[Auntie Bush]

6. And what ever happened to Rush Limpballs?

How many years in prison is he getting?

[DRoseDARs]

7. Good and I hope he gets the full sentence. It'll show how people with clout SHOULD use that clout...

...by NOT calling in favors or arguing for lighter sentences JUST because he is such-and-such's son. Laws were broken, consequences are to be faced. Al Gore shouldn't involve himself in any way but being Jr's father, he can be excused for trying to get him the best defense attorney he can. I just rather he didn't.

[Dervill Crow]

9. Whether or not he goes to prison, I hope he gets the treatment he needs.

At 24 his life is just starting.

[ProudDad]

10. End the phony "war on drugs"

Fucking waste of time and money and lives...

End this shit NOW!!!

[Raine]

11. I don't believe there is a war on prescription drugs

infact they continually push them on people, Gore committed a crime by having all those drugs and no prescription for them. Stopping the war on drugs like pot wouldn't save him from the trouble he's in.

[ProudDad]

13. Gore's problem is a substance abuse problem

a public health problem...NOT A CRIMINAL-INJUSTICE SYSTEM PROBLEM.

His only "criminal justice" issue was speeding. He should have gotten a speeding ticket and a referral to the nearest public, free, substance abuse treatment center...

Oh, that's right, this fucking country is the ONLY industrialized country without Universal, Free at the point of service Health Care, it's not surprising that this country is so fucked up when it comes to substance abuse issues too.

---------

It is COMPLETELY inappropriate to threaten him with jail or prison when his problem is a mental health issue...

This fucking country is one of the worst when it comes to inappropriate application of law enforcement "remedies"...

There are too many fucking laws, too many fucking cops, too many fucking DA's, too many Fucking judges and not nearly enough justice.

[Alexander]

20. Agreed, no one should be prosecuted for simply having drugs on them.

Bringing drugs around kids is about where I'd start wanting prosecution. But Al Jr. never did that.

A speeding ticket, a fine and treatment will be much more valuable to him than the threat of jail.

[rodeodance]

39. I once read that 80% of the jail population is drug related.

[Alexander]

52. I've read similar figures, equally appalling...

Namely, that out of 2 million prisoners, 750,000 of them are in there for non-violent drug offenses.

In other words, no good reason whatsoever.

Except, of course, to prop up the prison industry.

I hope whomever the next president is, they pardon everyone whose only crime was smoking weed.

[420inTN]

23. No, it's a private health problem, not a public health problem. n/t

[sanskritwarrior]

27. HUH???

It in appropriate to enforce the laws that have been drafted by the State of California???

WOW.............

[MiserableFailure]

44. Oh stop it

I hate cops just as much as anyone and I want to end the drug war, but driving under the influence of all that shit is just plain irresponsible. People who are using that much stuff at once should never get behind the wheel of a car. And he was driving 100 MPH, at least 35 MPH over the speed limit. He would have killed anyone that he hit going that fast.

He needs a 60 day jail stint I think and he also needs to lose his driver's license for at least a year. If he agrees to surrender it for two years then maybe forget about the jail. It was completely irresponsible.

[Pirate Smile]

47. He actually wasn't ticketed for driving under the influence.

"the former vice president’s son was not charged with driving under the influence because a drug expert determined he was not impaired."

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/07/04/al-gores-son-arrested-for-marijuana-prescription-drugs/

[MiserableFailure]

48. My mistake. But he was still driving 100 mph

and he deserves to lose his license for a couple of years and do some community service.

[midnight]

60. Don't they have to take blood to determine the level of influence?

Did they do that and do we know the levels?

[hollowdweller]

22. It's terrible The Man has all these people bowing to big pharma.

[Frances]

12. There is a history of depression in Tipper Gore's family

There is a high probability that her son has depression and was self-medicating.

A lot of other drug abusers are in the same situation.

I think drug abuse and alcohol abuse should be treated medically rather than criminally unless the abuser refuses medical treatment.

For what it's worth, I had a relative with drug abuse problems who was sent to rehab by a judge. I am extremely grateful that rehab helped him. I think every person should have the same chance he had.

[ProudDad]

15. As someone who has led well over a thousand

substance abuse recovery meetings and heard tens of thousands of abuse stories, the LEAST RELIABLE indicator of someone who will recover is someone who is "sent to rehab by a judge", someone who is forced to be there. They go through the motions and once the case is resolved can almost be counted on to relapse.

We need to make mental health treatment including substance abuse treatment on demand as part of comprehensive, Universal, Single-payer, NON-PROFIT health CARE available to anyone who needs it when they need it.

We must counter the pro-drinking, pro-drug messages in the media with ACCURATE, positive pro-recovery messages -- not the "war on drugs" bullshit messages coming out of the repuke and Dem right-wing...

Anything less is pissing into a headwind...


In every addicts life there are moments, usually every day, when the misery index gets high enough for the sober voice within to cry out, "I can't do this any more!". That's when they can be helped.

In this country though, when that moment occurs, the addict is usually bombarded with pro-drinking, pro-drug messages (mainly prescription drugs will cure everything from Big Pharma) that drown the spark of survival with predictable consequences.

Every addiction is a complex combination of physical and mental health problems exacerbated by the lure of the particular substance. Every addict is dosing themselves to briefly shut out the pain and avoid dealing with the problems of their lives.

The fucking jails and prisons and judges and DAs just add another layer of pain without doing SHIT about the underlying problems. The religious cult "treatment programs" in jail are another layer of bullshit that do little more than put a band-aid over the addiction until the inmate gets out and, in most cases, at the first good chance, they relapse back into their previous addiction or on to a new one.

[Pavulon]

14. If not for driving a weapon at a 100mph, no big deal

driving dwi risks others. If you want to get messed up stay home and play xbox.

The drug use is a family problem, but since he was on a public road he should be forced to complete rehab and stay clean for a three years and 8 months. That is my 2 cents.

[ProudDad]

17. See my Post #15 for information about being "FORCED" into rehab (n/t)

[Pavulon]

21. I see your point, but

rehab in this case would be better than two felonies for possessing scheduled drugs. The guy needs help. Most people given the choice will enter a rehab program rather than prison.

Now my reaction is that he could have killed himself or others by driving.

If he was not arrested on a public road I would have no opinion beyond wishing him a speedy recovery.

[ProudDad]

34. My original point

was END THE FUCKING BULLSHIT PHONY "war on drugs"!!! (Post #10)

Then he wouldn't have to deal with those "two felonies for possessing scheduled drugs"...

Then "society" could help him deal with the actual underlying causes of his misbehavior rather than making it worse...

[420inTN]

24. Rehab or Jail what's the difference?

They're both confinement. At least in rehab, he'll have access to help if he chooses to accept it.

[ProudDad]

31. "Rehab or Jail what's the difference?"

HUGE DIFFERENCE!!!!!!!


Jail is the house of pain and torture and bad, bad food and fascist cops and a few vicious inmates running the show... and NEARLY NO CHANCE at rehabilitation...


Rehab is a place of healing...and at least a 1 in 20 chance at rehabilitation...


HUGE DIFFERENCE!!!!!!!



Anyway, under Prop 36 drug diversion in California, the rehab is not necessarily inpatient. It's usually outpatient...

[420inTN]

41. Exactly. So isn't it better to be forced into rehab

than into jail?

[ohio2007]

18. A Yugo can go 100mph on a steep enough hill

watch out for dead mans curve

[CRF450]

49. Just about every car now can reach 100+mph

Hell, a new civic can get up to 130, my Trans Am has gone just over 165 (yes I'v done it illegally and legally) my dad's Crown Vic can go 125, my v6 camaro (first car) could go no more than 115mph.

[Chomskyite]

58. Probably not with much control however

Not to mention comfort.

What keeps me from going over 70 besides the law is that the sound of it interferes with the car stereo.

[ProudDad]

16. Of course, being Tipper (PMRC) Gore's son don't help (n/t)

[liberal renegade]

25. Maxium authorized speed is 75 mph....

So who really gives a shit how fast it goes.....


The kid obviously uses his head for nothing more than a hat rack......


Dumb and reckless......

[truthisfreedom]

28. Yeah, well the vice president drank a beer and shot his friend in the face.

And nothing happened to him.

[BrokenBeyondRepair]

29. incarceration is only for us peasants..

[ProudDad]

32. It's funny that no one posting here

even considered the fact that cops lie all the time...

"Orange County Sheriff's deputies pulled him over for allegedly driving 100 mph in his 2006 Toyota Prius"

He may not have been going 100 mph in his Prius.

I've been railroaded into muni (kangaroo) court by a lying cop before. It's standard operating procedure in traffic stops....

I love the way alleged "democrats" are so ready to accept the word of the fucking cops :rofl:

[Harper_is_Bush]

38. Al Gore's son is inconsequential. Nobody posts because intelligent people don't care. n/t

[seriousstan]

40. All police lie and all soldiers torture.....OK....got it. The thing you learn at the DU.

I guess none of us are cops or soldiers.

[MiserableFailure]

45. I'm a former soldier

I doubt that prouddad is either. Like I said I hate cops but I don't doubt that he was going 100 mph. he clearly has mental issues and needs help. If it was Jenna Bush who got pulled over for this everyone would be clamoring for a 10 year prison sentence.

[Chomskyite]

59. You got a point

I was once pulled over in Baton Rouge for eating a sandwich while driving. That's what the cop said anyway.

But I also have a bumper sticker that's a GOP elephant with a red line through it.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

33. He had a close call many years ago.

Al Gore III at Wikipedia

As a child, Gore attended St. Albans school. In April 1989, Gore was the victim of a near-fatal car accident after attending a Baltimore Orioles baseball game in Baltimore, Maryland. As a result of the accident, doctors were forced to remove approximately 60% of his spleen. He also sustained a concussion and fractures to a leg and a rib, as well as bruises to the lung, kidney, and pancreas. His father chose to stay near him during the recovery, bypassing a possible presidential run in 1992.<1> This was discussed in his father's 2006 book, An Inconvenient Truth and in the 2006 documentary of the same name.

This would have happened at the old Memorial Stadium, not the new place where the Orioles now play.

[ProudDad]

35. Yeah, I remember Gore talked about this

in the movie...

This kid's been through the wringer it appears...


It must have been fun hearing all that shit about his dad in 2000 from the rove lie machine...

[divineorder]

42. I Wonder How the Pain Management

Factors into this. Injuries like these have to have lead to both physical and mental pain from stuff that doesn't heal completely. And Al would have been at a sensitive age for mental trauma. Think about it. He was driving with 140 pills, surely enough to kill anyone if he took enough of them. Even under ordinary circumstances, it would have been difficult enough to handle. The whole world knowing only part of the story, and being unable to confide freely in friends may be another. Who do you tell without it ending up in print somewhere? And the whole post 2000 atmosphere at home must have been rough at times.

Add the whole issue of becoming one's own person, with a persona separate from Al's to boot, and it's no wonder he has problems. The girls have it easier-differing from Al in gender, there's no way they could avoid being seen as distinct people. But young Al?

[MiserableFailure]

43. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I think that this stunt

deserves about a 60 day jail sentence, similar to the one that Paris Hilton got. I'm against the drug war and don't believe that they should prosecute him on the marijuana thing, but having those schedule II controlled substances without a prescription is not very cool at all.

What concerns me the most though is driving 100 mph on a public road. That is grossly irresponsible and I think Al Jr needs to lose his license for at least a year.

[CRF450]

50. People can drive 100mph safely where theirs no traffic

Sorry but someone driving a car while under the influence of drugs scares me more than one just speeding.

[NGC_6822]

54. Speed differential and substance abuse

I'm with you on this one. It's the speed differential combined with a substance abuse that would be deadly. If he was doing 30 mph on the highway, that would have been as dangerous as doing 100.

When I tested the Prius in post 19 above, I was driving with a lot of other high speed cars (well spread out) on a four lane straight-away in Germany. It still spooked me a little, and I couldn't imagine doing it without full mental alertness. Say what you want about bad cops, but me for one, I'm happy they're looking for road hazards, and it's better for them to error on the side of safety.

[CRF450]

55. Exactly!

I'd do the same thing out on long open roads if I felt the need for speed.

[Alexander]

53. 100 mph on a public road is commonplace in Montana...

Or other states where there aren't very many people around.

I have driven a Toyota Echo at 100 mph (briefly) in parts of Utah and Idaho where there was literally nobody for at least a 20-mile radius.

Cops even saw me, and were not interested in pulling me over. Out West, it's common to see people drive fast when no one is around.

Do I deserve to lose my license?

I think if Al Jr. needs to lose his license for any length of time, it should be for DUI/DWI, if indeed he was driving under the influence of all these substances.

[MiserableFailure]

57. He was in California...

Montana has no speed limits I think I read somewhere. It's a bit different than California. And no he wasn't driving under the influence someone told me. but going 100 mph deserves him losing his license. i can't believe people are defending someone driving that fast. When the speed limit is 75, even 10 miles over is too much, never mind 25 over...

Orange County is a high population area. No excuse for that. This is not rural Montana

[toadzilla]

51. how does "a small amount of marijuana and prescription pills" add up to 2 felonies?

that sounds really extreme.

[superconnected]

56. That kids got problems and his driving affects everyone on the road

Glad he got caught. Now I hope he stops. The driving really pisses me off.

What an embrassment.