Jan 06 2009
ripping down the zion curtain
it’s no secret that drinking in utah can be complicated. with that said, i’ve traveled enough to know that it can be complicated in most states. some states have ENTIRELY DRY COUNTIES. many states have state-controlled liquor stores - utah is one of these states. recently, an 18-yr-old was able to purchase liquor at a state store in vernal.
however, a recent state law moved so-called “cheer beer” (wine coolers and other flavored malt beverages like mike’s hard lemonade, bacardi raz, and smirnoff silver) OUT of grocery and convenience stores and INTO the state controlled liquor stores. this law was designed to keep minors from buying “alco-pops” as these drinks were labeled by some douche bag at the utah alcohol control board, or whatever it’s called. (DABC…btw..) 
maybe the media labeled the drinks as such, i’m not sure. it doesn’t matter. you also can no longer purchase these “cheer beers” in bars, either.
governor jon m. huntsman has long wanted to remove the private club law from the books. for you out of towners, the private club law says you have to have a membership to any bar in utah in order to buy mixed drinks. you have to provide them with your personal information and pay a membership fee just to get in the door - whether you plan to order an alcoholic beverage or not. the thinking here is that if you buy a membership, you are likely to drink less and then you definitely won’t drive AFTER drinking. see the logic??
me neither.
currently, this is a hot topic in utah and is being argued before the state senate. the senate president, michael waddoups, is completely against changing ANY of the liquor laws and has said that he will fight for the status quo. his wife was hit by a drunk driver a few years ago (she lived, i believe), so he’s got a personal interest in this legislation (which is see as a slight conflict of interest). he believes that this stupid private club law will continue to keep drunk drivers off the streets.
he’s dead wrong (no pun intended). it only puts a stigma on the state of utah and makes it difficult for people who are on vacation to have a drink while they are relaxing. this state relies heavily on tourism year round and drinking is something tourists do.
now waddoups is getting even crazier. he wants to put up barriers to prevent children from SEEING alcohol being poured in restaurants. this idea has been brought up before and the barriers are commonly referred to as “zion curtains.”
from the deseret news: (h/t to tom grover)
“Restaurants are turning into bars,” Senate President Michael Waddoups, R-Taylorsville, said. “It’s making it look attractive. Kids see it and wonder what they’re missing. I think we need to be a little more strict.”
mixing drinks behind a “zion curtain” or behind closed doors makes them all secret (imagine me wiggling my fingers and talking in a spooky voice…) and mysterious and kids just can’t help but wonder, “hey! what is IN that glass??” do kids really Damien: Omen II the movie Quid Pro Quo trailer
wonder what they are missing?? what planet does this guy live on? what if my son sees a scantily clad woman? does he wonder what he’s missing? what if he reads a story in a book about drinking or smoking or killing? does he wonder what he’s missing then?? don’t insult the intelligence* of children, mr. waddoups. and let me do my own damn parenting, thank you very much.
*while i believe children are as intelligent as adults, they are nowhere near as wise. that is where PARENTING comes into play…
“I just don’t think the message we want to send is, ‘Look at the pretty bottles,”‘ he [waddoups] said.
waddoups’ kind of thinking irritates me to no end. there is no free agency. don’t we teach our children to be responsible? i know that is my biggest job as a parent: to teach my children. i follow a fairly basic philosophy when it comes to choices: here are your choices, and here are the consequences of those choices. every choice has a consequence. and while the term “consequence” has negative connotation, not every consequence is negative. there are positive outcomes to our choices. i’m not just talking about drinking. i’m talking about every single choice we make. that is how i’ve taught my kids. in addition to choices and outcomes, everything needs to be done in moderation. there IS too much of a good thing, even if you do want to eat 27 cups of spinach for dinner. trust me, your bowels will pay you back tomorrow.
there is no easy answer here, but i will tell you this: making prohibition-type laws will NOT decrease alcohol consumption or get people to quit drinking and driving. education is paramount. i’m in favor of liberalizing liquor laws, and stiffening the penalties for people who ARE dumb enough to drink and drive. for minors who try to sneak into bars and liquor stores and restaurants to imbibe. people who are caught driving under the influence typically get off way.too.easy. let’s up the penalty for the first offense, and triple it for each additional offense. driving is a PRIVILEGE, not a right. the state should consider seizure of the property of the offender and sell it at state auction or donate it to charity. offenders should face stiff fines and be required to do an insane amount of community service hours. rehabilitation should be mandatory. we don’t have room in the jails for these people; so rehab, fines and community service are the way to go.
maybe THESE penalties will be scarier than the ultimate life sentence: death. we all know drunk driving kills. and that doesn’t dissuade the drunk driver. it’s time for judges and communities to be strict on the consequences of the law…and it’s time to consider stiffening the penalties exponentially. but limiting the alcohol consumption is the backwards way of doing this.The Merry Gentleman dvd
Stumble it!
blows my mind
I don’t understand his logic (I use that term loosely) at all
As a very faithful “Mormon” and think that drinking is a bad choice, it is mine to make to not drink and mine to teach my children about it. I totally agree with you Jess. Making these laws will do nothing for less drunk driving and kids try what they are seeing because those same stupid peaple that drive drunk now will still drive drunk and those same lazy parents that aren’t teaching their children still won’t and they will still grow-up wanting to try what is behind the “zion curtain” (that’s the most stupid thing I have heard). We are all here on this earth for gain experience. We choose those experiences. If they are going to fight against things that might “kill” someone then they need to regulate all the foods that are making all those wonderful “Utah Mormons” fat because they are against the word of wisdom and will kill you.
You have just given me one more reason why I am not one of those “Mormon” women that have to move back to Utah. Been there, done that, don’t need to do it again.
Even though I don’t drink I do feel bad for all the responsible adults that do drink in Utah. They are being punished for all the stupid people.
utah’s liquor laws have long been geared not to allow people have a drink, but to get people drunk… remember the brown bag, take a whole bottle into a bar and then drink the whole thing because you can’t have an open container in your vehicle? {drunk}, mini bottles 1.5 oz versus a 1.0 oz shot? {drunk}, can’t sell a single beer, so you have to buy a 6, 12 or 18 pack {drunk} ~ i think this is because the liquor laws in utah are proposed and legislated by people who don’t drink and don’t have a clue what they are making into law. there are responsible drinkers out there and any one of us can see how stupid these regulations are. hiding something only makes it more tempting and using a ‘zion curtain’ to hide someone mixing a cocktail for someone to enjoy with dinner doesn’t make it go away. it is a parent’s responsiblity to educate their children and give them the wisdom to make their own informed choices when they are faced with any decision, drinking included. exposing your children to someone having a cocktail will not make them wonder what they are missing. hiding it from them is just another way to make them socially retarded.
I could have written this post jess… just not as well. I agree with everything you said.
Being on of those MORMON Utah Girls.. I see what their concerns are..
HOWEVER, I pretty much agree with CARE.
I must admit, those Laws are lame and useless.. And really are just more inconvient then effective.
I like your idea with the consequences for actions. I would like super tough laws for irresponsiblity while drinking. And a ZERO tolerence policy on D.D. I think that would work better then Lame alchy laws.
Maybe you should submit your theory and idea’s to your ut rep. It just makes more sense. ( hey, maybe you should just run for office.)
Hey, Even IN. has a can’t sell alchy on Sunday. So what do people do if they know they Can’t buy on SUnday….Buy 3x as much on Sat… yup… good law.. very effective…..( when I first found this out while working at Target.. I had a lapse and wondered if I somehow landed back in UT.)
Very well put Jess. Kudos.
i’m glad my mormon pals see my logic. i have the utmost respect for mormons and i’m even ok with some of the LDS ideology that has shaped some of the law in utah. that is what makes this such a great place to live.
it’s not just that this is about alcohol and/or that i choose to drink. i am arguing with the LOGIC behind it all. i truly believe that advertising for mcdonald’s (i’m singling mickey d’s out - ANY fast food would fit this label) is more harmful to children than seeing pretty bottles of liquor at a restaurant. the chances of your child being overweight and out of shape are MUCH higher than the chance of your kid becoming an alcoholic or just a binge drinker.
it’s sad that so many people have chosen to make poor decisions. it seems like every time we hear a story where drinking was involved and someone was killed, the drunk person is never the one that loses their life. it’s always the truly innocent person. so i understand why people get riled up and want to ban liquor altogether. i get it, i really do. but it’s been proven that it’s ineffective. we’ve got to keep working to find something that is effective. it’s all about moderation and responsibility - in all choices, not just in drinking.
xoxo. thanks for listening.
I think there needs to be more bars. A lot more bars. And make them walking distance, that way people won’t be tempted to drive to get home. OK that’s just silly, but something really has to be done. I have wondered how much business bars lose because people like me refuse to pay a membership fee (maybe there is a lawsuit there). Not to mention the tourist dollars lost. I think if this whack-job got his way all drinkers would be sequestered to hermetically sealed rooms so not even the thought of alcohol could escape and screw peoples kids up (worse than parents telling them that coffee will kill you). I just think it’s sad that some parents think the only way to protect their kids to to hide them away and not mention what goes on in the real world. I’m just glad Idaho is close and not just for the beer, there is also powerball!
Right on Jess, I think that you hit the nail on the head. Thanks for the post!
I am so glad that I dont have to worry about that. Now I have to worry about the smoking laws here. Its not going to be a fun one if what they have planned passes. Commonwealth of Virginia. Its wierd not living in a state and living in a commonwealth.
Just my 2-cents, just like anything else that you try to “hide” from your kids, in my opinion, they are going to want to do it more. So by making it a room, or “curtain” that is blocked off, they will, as stated from Senate President Michael Waddoups, “see it and wonder what they’re missing”. I agree with everyone who has commented on the fact that it is up to us to teach our own kids our personal beliefs, what ever they may be. If it is in the open to be discussed with them, then they can learn and make an educated decision on their own.
::Standing ovation::
Brilliant post, Jess. I wholeheartedly agree that upping the consequences of drunk driving and underage drinking is the way to go. A DUI is a slap on the wrist. I’m not sure how accurate this is, but I was once told that if you get a DUI in Germany, you lose your driver’s license for life. Seems fair to me.
The forbidden fruit is the most enticing. The more taboo we make talk or exhibition of alcohol, sex, etc., the more enticing it will be to kids. Education is the key. Teach them about responsibility, consequences, choices, safety, etc.
We live in a dry county, Faulkner County, in Arkansas.
We also have two colleges and a university of 13, 000 students in our fair city.
Being married with kids, I think it is a good thing.