Dry counties

[musher]

Is this just a small but loud fraction of "fire & brimstone" types or do they (horror of horrors!) exercise a considerable amount of influence?

I would suspect that it is the former rather than the latter. The only question is whether or not they are able to make enough noise to get any serious attention.

We have an expression in the US (and maybe in other countries and languages, as well); "The squeaky wheel gets the grease." In this case, though, the "squeaky wheel" seems to be against being "lubricated".

[tdelling]

> Most states have something called "local option" that lets counties and even
> smaller jurisdictions, like precints, vote themselves dry.

Another intersting "local option" is the Open Container law.
Some states (Montana, Wyoming and Mississippi) don't have a state-level
ban on drinking while you are driving, so it's up to to local lawmakers to
enact these (or not).

http://www.dpeg.org/drugs_and_societ..._container.htm

So yes, it's legal in certain places to drink a beer while you're driving
your car!


Tim Dellinger

[tdelling]

> The temperance movement seems to be alive and kicking at least in some parts
> of the US.
>...
> Is this just a small but loud fraction of "fire & brimstone" types or do they
> (horror of horrors!) exercise a considerable amount of influence?

Well, there are a lot of movements in the U.S. that are still alive and
kicking! You name it, they've got a website. Secession of the Southern
states? They're still kicking! How about Communist overthrow of the U.S.
Government? You bet!

I'd venture a guess that the largest and most powerful Prohibition
organization/movement you'll find is MADD (Mothers Against
Drunk Driving). Many members are rational people who really want
to decrease drunk driving, but many members are raving lunatics who
want to enact all kinds of absurd laws to prohibit alcohol any way
that they can.

Tim Dellinger

[bobbyc]

MADD (Mothers Against
Drunk Driving).

I didn't realise their scope was beyond what the name implies. Their cause is a serious one, I doubt anyone here really feels their rights are compromised because of not being able to legally operate a motor vehicle while impaired.

[wadewood]

Define impaired. Is it the .08 level that the federal government blackmailed (by threatening to suspend federal highway funds) all the states to enacting?

Is it a first sip of a the first drink that week while driving?

I'm jokingly a member of DAMM; Drinks against Mad Mothers. I think the pendulum has swung a little too far.

[tdelling]

> I didn't realise their scope was beyond what the name implies.

Well, the founder quit, calling the organization "overzealous".

Like most political fights, there's huge variation in agendas and
attitudes, so the standard political stuff happens: extremisits
on both sides get the headlines, the issue becomes polarized, both
sides exaggerate and lie with statistics, each side points out
how crazy the extremists on the other side are, each side questions
the motives/partriotism/honesty/values of the other side, strategies
evolve to incrementalism, positions are modearated and extremism
and pseudo-science are outsourced, etc. etc. etc., wash rinse repeat.


People from MADD have, in the past, advocated
- increasing alcohol taxes
- banning all alcohol advertizing
- banning beer at professional baseball and football games
- reducing the drunk driving thresholds to levels where using mouthwash
would get you convicted (an absolute "no tolerance" policy)


A random googled quote:

The founder of MADD, Candy Lightner, believes it is moving in the wrong
direction. "It has become far more neo-prohibitionist than I ever wanted
or envisioned," said MADD's founder. "I didn't start MADD to deal with
alcohol. I started MADD to deal with the issue of drunk driving."


Tim Dellinger

[jbutler]

Disclaimer:

Ken Weber was having some trouble with this image, and so I sized and posted it for him. Whatever you read into it is his fault.

[wrbriggs]

I understand "wet" and "dry" counties, but what exactly is a "moist" county? This whole map comes across in a very dirty way...

[BSS]

Moist counties are ones that have a wet city within a dry county. Kentucky has several different types of wet-dry counties. Here is a much better map, but my 7 year old computer couldn't handle the pdf. So here's the link: Map

[Ken Weber]

If you find Butler County on the map, you will notice that it is in the midst of a number of dry counties. My relatives, being the enterprising types, made a living in the liquor distribution business. It is very interesting to note that some liquor stores on the county line do an unusually large volume in 200ml bottles of Ancient Age.

Ken