Posted 7/07/2008 05:55:00 PM by Douglas

It's idiotic to think that 75 years after the 21st amendment, some people think that prohibition of alcohol is going to keep it out of their communities. Gotta hand it to them for sticking to their guns and letting adjacent communities collect that tax revenue, but at some point, it just gets silly. Case in point:

Canyon is considered a dry precinct. The only legal way for alcohol to be sold within the city limits is at a private club that has a license through the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.

"Canyon is proud to be dry," said Lt. Dale Davis, a member of Canyon's 20-officer police force since 1980.

Two trends have emerged over the years: Canyon's drinkers are getting younger, and fewer of them are waiting until they get home to drink.

Well, no. Canyon's college, such that it is, has always been dry. Does this mean college kids at WTAMU don't drink?? Yeah, that's the ticket. So what's the worst that could happen if Canyon denizens can buy a beer when they want to:

"If we started to (put) bars in the community ... more and more people would be victims of crime, just because alcohol is here," Lt. Davis said. "It would definitely cause some changes to how we'd operate."

Well, bullshit. Anyone that wants a drink in Canyon, already has one. You're just missing out on the revenue, Randall County.

Canyon police nabbed 27 motorists under age 21 for drunken driving from January to May 30, a 108-percent increase from the same period last year. In 2007, 13 such violations were reported.

"Canyon is dry, but unfortunately we can't be completely void of it," Davis said. "If someone wants to get alcohol, they don't have a long way to go to get it. So we'll get our share of alcohol-related crime."

What?!? You mean the demon alcohol makes it into your quiet little community anyway? The horror! Too bad Randall County didn't make that million dollar in taxes off that Bud Light.

But for the most moronic perspective of this, you have to go to, as usual, MADD:

"The main reason people continue to drive drunk today is because they can and because we let them," said Vanessa Alina Luna, manager of victim services for MADD's West Texas affiliate in El Paso.

You'd think since they have, oh, Ida know, driving in their acronym that they'd want to limit at least one of the "D"s in it. Nope. They're content with you driving as far as possible to get your 12 pack. Doesn't eliminating the sheer mileage between you and the beer store decrease the chances you're going to run over someone on your way? They don't see it that way. Then again, they're full blow prohibitionists in mother's clothing.