Anti-alcohol campaigners should either put up or shut up

If someone abstains from alcohol, that's fine, nobody is going to force him or her to drink. However, some teetotallers have a problem with other people enjoying alcoholic drinks, probably because they feel they are missing out some fun. These envious prudes disguise their jealousy of the enhanced social lives that most drinkers enjoy and pretend to be concerned about public health issues in order to get the consumption of intoxicating beverages banned by law. If anti-alcohol campaigners wish to live in a society where alcohol is prohibited there are plenty of countries they could move to. They include: Afghanistan; Iran; Libya; Mauritania; Pakistan; Saudi Arabia and Yemen all of which ban the consumption of alcohol. But that's not good enough for some of these spiteful, priggish teetotallers. No, they want to force people in their own countries to sit at home sewing or making model aeroplanes instead of going out and having fun. That's right, they want everybody else to stay at home and drink hot chocolate while listening to gramophone records, just like they do. Unbelievably, over the years these stuffed shirts have had considerable success in forcing their will on their fellow citizens. For example, due to fierce objections from anti-alcohol residents, the conservative seaside town of Frinton-on-Sea on the East Coast of England didn't get its first pub until 2000 and it is still the only one in the whole town to this day! http://www.independent.co.uk... But this is nothing compared to the success of the temperance movement in America where alcohol is banned or severely restricted in many parts of the country. To give you some idea about how repressive alcohol legislation is there, here are some examples of the more draconian anti-drinking laws in the United States: UTAH There are no ordinary drinking establishments in Utah; full alcohol service is available only to dues-paying members of private social clubs and a limited number of restaurants. It's illegal in Utah to advertise drink prices, alcohol brands, to show a "drinking scene," to promote happy hour, to advertise free food, or for restaurants to furnish alcohol beverage lists unless a customer specifically requests one. MISSISSIPPI Almost one-half of the counties in Mississippi are "dry" with their own prohibition against the production, advertising, sale, distribution, or transportation of alcoholic beverages within their boundaries. KANSAS An Attorney General of Kansas issued the legal opinion that drinking on an airliner was forbidden by state law while the plane was in airspace over "dry" Kansas. He said: "Kansas goes all the way up and all the way down." TEXAS Of Texas' 254 counties, 79 are still completely dry. Furthermore, Texas state law prohibits taking more than three sips of beer at a time while standing and the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica is banned in Texas because it contains a recipe for making beer that can be used at home. CALIFORNIA An award-winning adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood was withdrawn from a recommended reading list by the school board in Culver City, California, simply because the heroine had included a bottle of wine in the basket she brought to her grandmother. NEBRASKA Nebraska state law prohibits bars from selling beer unless they are simultaneously brewing a kettle of soup. KENTUCKY Bourbon takes its name from Bourbon County in Kentucky, where a Baptist minister first produced it in 1789. Nevertheless, a person can be sent to jail for five years for merely sending a bottle of beer, wine or spirits as a gift to a friend in Kentucky. Yes, even if it's a bottle of bourbon. ALASKA There are 83 dry towns and villages in Alaska. In addition, Fairbanks is a dry town for moose. Apparently moose can't hold their booze so it is illegal to give them alcoholic drinks. http://www2.potsdam.edu... Now, please take a moment to review this old picture of women from the temperance movement threatening to withhold sexual favours from men who drink: http://incredimazing.com... Although I don't suppose the men of the day were unduly concerned about not getting a snog off one of those old munters, this is the sort of protest that the anti-alcohol campaigners should confine themselves to. To lobby lawmakers to restrict the freedom of responsible adult citizens to drink alcohol is an attempt to restrict their freedom of choice. That said, the kind of harsh and repressive anti-alcohol legislation temperence campaigners are seeking does have its place of course, and that place is an authoritarian country that is subject to Shari'a Law. In conclusion, if anti-alcohol campaigners cannot put up with their fellow citizens enjoying an occasional drink they should shut up and move to Saudi Arabia. Thank you.