By Charlie Warner
Argus editor
Some statistics just jump out and grab you. Last week, as I was going through the myriad of emails that fill up my computer screen each morning, I came across a report provided by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS). The number of persons arrested in Minnesota for DWI (driving while intoxicated) during a two-week crackdown was jaw-dropping.

The two-week Minnesota-wide impaired driving enforcement effort surrounding the Labor Day holiday resulted in 2,270 DWI arrests. Preliminary arrest totals were reported by 317 of more than 400 participating agencies. So the number of arrests will probably be higher! The DPS-coordinated Safe & Sober effort was conducted from August 17 through September 3, which is 17 days. That pencils out to 133.5 DWI arrests per day.

Last year in Minnesota, DPS reported an all-time high of 41,842 DWI arrests for the year, which is 114.5 arrests per day.

More than 493,000 motorists ó one in eight Minnesotans who are licensed drivers ó have been arrested for DWI.

Those are troubling numbers, especially when one considers how many impaired drivers were not stopped. I would be the first to admit there were times when I was younger and more daring (or stupid) I drove home from a bar or a party when I had no business being behind the wheel of a vehicle. For most people, the older they get, the more they realize just how dangerous drinking and driving can be.

The DARE, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and the Safe & Sober campaigns must be paying off. In 2006 a record low 166 alcohol-related traffic deaths were reported. Officials cite increased, consistent DWI patrols paired with educational outreach contributed to these results.

"Despite encouraging progress, impaired driving behavior remains a serious threat that accounts for one-third of all our traffic deaths each year," noted Cheri Marti, director of the stateís Office of Traffic Safety. "Irresponsible decisions continue to stunt the stateís drive toward zero traffic deaths."

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I also received an email from my cousin, who is a retired Lt. Col. in the U.S. Army. "Cousin Jeff" served two tours of duty in Vietnam, was an Army Ranger, Green Beret, spent 20 years serving Uncle Sam and is now a college professor teaching history and political science in Texas.

While my cousin and I disagree on many of our countryís current foreign policies, we still communicate on a regular basis and donít hold the otherís political opinions against each other. The following was written by Robin Williams, who is one of my favorite comedians/actors. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Thanks Jeff, and thanks Robin!

"I see a lot of people yelling for peace but I have not heard of a plan for peace. So, hereís one plan."

1) "The US will apologize to the world for our "interference" in their affairs, past and present. You know, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Tojo, Noriega, Milosevic, Hussein, and the rest of those "good ëoleí boys", we will never "interfere" again.

2) We will withdraw our troops from all over the world, starting with Germany, South Korea, the Middle East, and the Philippines. They donít want us there. We would station troops at our borders. No one allowed sneaking through holes in the fence.

3) All illegal aliens have 90 days to get their affairs together and leave. Weíll give them a free trip home. After 90 days the remainder will be gathered up and deported immediately, regardless of whom or where they are. Theyíre illegal!!! France will welcome them.

4) All future visitors will be thoroughly checked and limited to 90 days unless given a special permit!!!! No one from a terrorist nation will be allowed in. If you donít like it there, change it yourself and donít hide here. Asylum would never be available to anyone. We donít need any more cab drivers or 7-11 cashiers.

5) No foreign "students" over age 21. The older ones are the bombers. If they donít attend classes, they get a "D" and itís back home baby.

6) The US will make a strong effort to become self-sufficient energy wise. This will include developing nonpolluting sources of energy but will require a temporary drilling of oil in the Alaskan wilderness. The caribou will have to cope for a while.

7) Offer Saudi Arabia and other oil producing countries $10 a barrel for their oil. If they donít like it, we go someplace else. They can go somewhere else to sell their production. (About a week of the wells filling up the storage sites would be enough.)

8) If there is a famine or other natural catastrophe in the world, we will not "interfere." They can pray to Allah or whomever, for seeds, rain, cement or whatever they need. Besides most of what we give them is stolen or given to the army. The people who need it most get very little, if anything.

9) Ship the UN Headquarters to an isolated island someplace. We donít need the spies and fair weather friends here. Besides, the building would make a good homeless shelter or lockup for illegal aliens.

10) All Americans must go to charm and beauty school. That way, no one can call us "Ugly Americans" any longer. The Language we speak is ENGLISH..learn it...or LEAVE..Now, isnít that a winner of a plan?

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