This is about 119 times worse than blowing away your husband with a shotgun.

This was just poor. If anything is deserving of a pardon from the governor or whoever, this is it. Also, this should prompt a serious discussion in this country about WTF is up with the rediculous liquor laws around here. For instance, today I heard some bullshit MADD radio commercial about how they should reduce the DUI BAC to 0.06 or some crap. Fuck that.

Some lady tries to encourage responsibility among kids (although going against their parents wishes was probably tres stupid) and she gets smacked down? That is bullshit. It's time for a serious debate about removing that bullshit highway funding requirement for keeping the limit at 21. Hell, I bet if teenagers put down the bong and started mobilizing politically they could have it changed.

Also, this was not coherent, just moral of outrage. Somebody should send this to Bill O'Reilly and see if he'd make it his most rediculous item of the day.

/Done

Bart, don't make fun of grad students. They've just made a terrible life choice.

Second link makes clear that the prosecutor offered the couple a deal before the case went to trial. When you refuse a deal (as is your right), you also know (or at least your counsel advises you) what the theoretical sentence is.

If they insist on going to trial it doesn't matter what the terms are the prosecutor offered them. I don't understand how in cases like this or the teen having consensual sex with the 15 year old the prosecutor can turn around with a straight face and say "Well, I offered him half that."

Aggravated circumstances is a well understood legal concept - this couple throwing the party after a recent high school death, lying to the parents etc.  certainly qualifies.

The only "aggravated factor" I'd accept here is not telling other parents about it. Just because some random high school kids died doesn't mean that the surrounding region must force upon itself an extended period of puritanical mourning. Also, if one accepts the "Think of the children! OMG 9/11!" mentality they would have to accept that the parents held said party out of an attempt to mitigate the chances of such a thing happening again. For example, when I graduated high school the local busybodies sent the graduating class on a boat cruise around some harbor that entire night so we could "party" in a "safe monitored environment." Now, I would argue that if the parents of one of the kids got pissed and sued because their kid was hawking up a lung over the boat railing for 4.3 hours straight because of the quantity of narcotics and alcohol they ingested during said monitored party while onlookers shouted "Where's your God now?" & etc that it was better that they did it there and not in some random 16 year old's daddy's Oldsmobile LG8.

The whole 'this has destroyed the lives of the kids' line of argument cuts no ice with me. This is the same argument that people make about illegal immigrants and their kids. Argue the sentence is unjust on its face - don't give me a horse and bull story about how its the SENTENCE thats screwed up the family.  

Agreed. That line of logic should immediately cause the same results as Godwining a thread on the internet - the person who pulls it out should forfeit all possibility of "winning the debate."

Bart, don't make fun of grad students. They've just made a terrible life choice.

It sucks ass but unless you want to fight for something that would make sense (like dropping the liquor law age to 16), them's the laws and I don't see why anyone is surprised.

This needs to be seriously considered. How many idiot college freshmen pound shot after shot of some low quality (low quality = plastic jug and sterotypical/borderline racist picture of dancing hairy russian guy in ethnic garb on label) vodka because they don't know how they will react to its effects or how to drink socially in moderation?

Hell, I briefly dated a girl in college who apparently did not know her limits and who at once instance which was apparently her first experience with alcohol proceeded to drink several shots of a most foul concoction known as Old Grand Dad 114 in rapid succession, thus leading to me and others taking care of her while she got sick 5 minutes later. It was extremely doubleplusungood.

I would imagine that demystifying drinking and allowing teenagers to learn moderation in the home under the watchful eyes of parents would be the best approach to decreasing these shenanigans in the future. However, this is extremely unlikely to pass anytime soon.

I would be fine with 16 in the home under supervision of parents and with a strict drink limit and 18 for unrestricted drinking like the 21 year olds have now. A compromise between the "Think of the Children" types and everybody else could be that if graduated licenses and other age based restrictions MUST be put on the young then perhaps the alcohol age could be reduced as a concession.

Bart, don't make fun of grad students. They've just made a terrible life choice.