Zeb Little's lost opportunity

By: Dothan Eagle editorial | Dothan Eagle
Published: May 19, 2009

There are at least two schools of thought on state Senate Majority Leader Zeb Little’s drinking and driving.

One is that he’s only human, and makes mistakes like anyone else.

Another is that, as an elected official, he should be held to a higher standard.

We see the matter from both perspectives.

As criminal behavior goes, driving under the influence is among the more egregious acts. Unlike someone who commits a crime of violence with purpose, an intoxicated driver shows a lack of disregard for himself and for the lives and property of others. He doesn’t set out to kill or maim, but he doesn’t have the mental acuity to understand the gravity of his actions.

Then there’s the Russian roulette aspect of DUI. Many drivers slip behind the wheel and weave their way to their destination without incident. That doesn’t make them agile altered drivers. It makes them lucky.

Sen. Little showed up in Jefferson County District Court this week to plead guilty to driving under the influence and having an open liquor container in his pickup truck. As part of his plea agreement, he was fined $625, given a suspended 30-day jail sentence, relieved of his driver’s license for 90 days and ordered to attend driving classes.

What did he have to say?

Only that he didn’t ask for special treatment, and did not receive special treatment. And that he took responsibility for his action.

It’s unfortunate that he could muster nothing more than a pat on his own back. He might have taken the opportunity to turn a human foible into a sobering moment.

He might have called a press conference to remind Alabamians of the potential horror of drunk driving. He could have pointed out that Alabama is No. 14 in the nation in the number of DUI-related traffic fatalities, well above the national average, and that 445 people died in drunk driving crashes in our state in 2006.

Sen. Little could have shown leadership. Instead he pointed out how he took his lumps without special treatment.

Perhaps when he gets his driver’s license back, it’ll have a gold star in the corner.