@FullHeartedly -- something else you might be getting mixed up.... the difference between criminal law and administrative law. What you have argued for in this thread and the other DUI thread is the former, which may be correct in many other areas of life other than flying in the USofA. But the FAA is the latter, so the rules as they apply to medical certification are very different.
As Nate (
@denverpilot) explained in the other thread, the FAA isn't as much interested that you were caught in the past, but what is going on with you now with regards to alcohol, especially your psychological wiring. This is why the HIMS doctors must be involved.
So we get it that your particular incidents were expunged. But please get from us that for the FAA and your situation, there is way more to it than just "the record was expunged." Continuing to declare "but it was expunged!" will still have the FAA saying, "That's nice, but we still need the required tests results from those HIMS psychologists before we can process your application."
They are not singling you out or creating an unfair process. Many of the FAA rules/refs/processes are written in blood. Because they didn't have the right preventative measure in place, people died. So the process of asking you to prove how alcohol (or any other substance abuse) factors into your life is their means of protecting you and others.
It's said that life is the set of consequences that result from our decisions and choices. That you must take these additional difficult and potentially very expensive steps to achieve your desire to fly an airplane is a consequence of your choice to drink excessively when you were younger.
Continuing to complain about it amongst us isn't going to change your require path. What will impress us more is you acknowledging what must be done, doing it, and coming out the other end successfully.