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The expression "beating a dead horse" comes to mind. Rep. Jeff Wood, still in the process of trying to dodge 2008 charges of third-offense drunk driving and drug possession, has gotten himself arrested again on suspicion of operating while under the influence.
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This time overdoses of cough syrup and prescription anxiety meds, not booze, were the culprits. The Independent representative from Bloomer was cited for inattentive driving Sept. 23 in Marathon County; a trooper pulled him over after a caller reported he was driving erratically. OWI charges have not yet been filed.
The anxiety meds weren't surprising. I witnessed Wood's agitation at the Western Wisconsin Freight Rail Summit in February. He was pinched and cowering, avoiding everyone's eyes as he lingered in the doorway in Sen. Pat Kreitlow's shadow.
Shame might've provoked his behavior then, but I didn't see a lot of pointing fingers. If his arrest was humiliating, the statement he released made the best of a bad situation. He vowed to take responsibility for his actions. Accept the consequences. Reform.
Mistakes happen, you might've said to yourself. It was a stupid move, but at least he's taking his punishment like a man.
Of course, the scene didn't quite play out that way. Instead of pleading guilty, he hired one of the best defense attorneys in the state, and she's trying to get the drug charges tossed out on a legal technicality. He was transporting a friend's pot, he told the officer in December. He was reading a map, he told the officer in September. Excuses, excuses-and not particularly good ones.
The Wisconsin GOP (still annoyed by his defection before the last election, perchance?) was poised to have him kicked out of office, but then Wood checked himself into rehab at a Minnesota VA hospital. They agreed to give it a few more days after his treatment ends. Again, he hangs onto his office by a thread.
There's no need to flog the idiomatic dead horse. A glance at our poll question shows most respondents believe Wood should resign. More significant than the rise and fall of one man is (1) the example Wood sets; and (2) the evidence that repeat offenders keep on repeating unto the loss of self-respect, honor, career and, potentially, life.
Several years ago, I had a conversation with an Eau Claire County judge about his creative sentencing of an eight-time drunk driver. Since it's a free country and abusing substances is the right of every free person, the judge gave the offender a choice: to protect others, either vow to remain absolutely sober-never drink a drop-for the rest of your life, or move within a few hundred feet of a bar, surrender your car and be free to drink yourself to death.
Not a pretty crossroads.
It is a fact that repeat offenders are responsible for 58 percent of alcohol-related fatalities. They are 380 times more likely to be in a crash than other drivers. They are dangerous to others and themselves. Whatever the reason for Wood's irresponsibility, he has let down his constituents. He doesn't belong in a position of power until he regains control of himself.
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©The Chetek Alert 2009
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