| OCR Text |
Show * cs The Salt Lake Tribune UTAH Sunday, May 30,1999 No Bottling Up of Liquor-Law Debate TOM BARBER! readings mightinclude: @ ‘Native Frenchman. Cleared by his editor for unlimited con- top rope and wastagged by Elouise Bell. She entersthering to grapple with mein these weeklywordfests. We might as well get it over with and jump into one of myfavorite subjects. Whenever theissue of Utah's li- quor laws comesup,thereis teeth gnashing, hand wringing, head shaking and opposition to change. Thelatest liquor flap surfaced on the heels of a visit to Utah by 10C members who suggested our laws may make the thousands of visitors from around the world — feel less welcome. The example used by the IOC was that French journalists could get grumpyif they have to navigate current laws to get a glass of wine whensitting downto file their stories. It has been suggested the state simply amend the lawsat least for the time that the 9,000-odd press people are here covering the Winter Games in 2002. Arguing that because of the global time differences, journalists will be working at all hours of the dayandnight to meettheir respective deadlines. As logical as this may sound, I find the prospect of changing the rules for this Olympic windowto give a false impression to foreign journalists about our quirkyliquor lawsthat is not onlydishonest but a slap in the face of ali Utahns. Therehas been an ongoing effort on the partofthe state's hospitality industry to get the Legislature to make adjustments in the current lawsto better serve the visitor and business community alike. Present liquor lawsarestarting to resemble a tax code. With layer upon layer of rules, riddled with exceptions and exemptions,it's little wonder that people think Utah’s liquor laws are weird. When a visitor stay- ingat a local hotel tries to order a sparring, d by your immediate launch into a topic with whichI havelittle familiarity and even less interest. I have always thought one of the benefits of working at BYUis never having to worry about liquor laws, either for personal consumption or business entertaining. thing available is a full bottle. Remember, liquor lawsoriginally were designed to make liquor only available to those who wished it, to prevent the promotien of drinking and to discourage over- RESPONSE quorlawswill soon be as unneces- a consumeror hospitality business Editor’s Note: This is Elouise Bell’s final response ofher fouryear tenure as Barberi’s column Well, Tom, I am glad I can bid you farewell on a positive note. The short version is: There soon will be say three things. First, it's been a have to deal with them? Under the currentrules, for ex- have eight different licenses or drink howmuch, when, and where. Second, I express thanks to the readers who havegraciously sa ster their courage artificially — kind things about myhalf of the all hours and print journalists to consumption. Considering that the laws were written by those who have no knowledgeof liquor from I wouldlike to welcomeLaurieJ. Wilson, whohas reached over the the Games in Zion? It's simply a matter of programming. Relevant drink from room service, the only | especially the press co ELOUISE BELL problem of the poor foreign press suffering the DTs while covering standpoint, is it any wonder the laws don’t makesense to those who ample, Snowbird Resort has to permits to accommodate the kinds of events and guests who stay there. These must be renewed and sumption. Serve.” @ “Salt Lake City columnist. Literacy deteriorates after second beer. Test periodically by asking subjectto spell ‘biathlon’ and name sports involved.” You see? Understanding theli- partner. no need to fret about whogets to Here's the longer version: The technocrats have developeda reti- trip, Tom, andI thank you for hav- regulations. Certainly in my posi- ing been a challenging opponent week after week. The suggestion from those in the business is to have a one-year renewable banquet permit to cover ample, a retinal scannerinstalled in your personal computer would column, in written or spoken word as theoccasion presenteditself. Andfinally, it's been mypleasureand privilegeto knowLaurie tor. The embedded scanner reads Wilson for morethan 20 years, as both colleague andfriend. I look forward to reading her columnsas every base. This makes sense for die the Olympicpress needs with a eliminate the needfor a password You simplyglance at the PC moni- youreyes “rid says, “Yup, Barberi, all right. There is not another retina in the world like that one. Let sheattempts to keep you anchored So, in the future, when youbelly ElouiseBell is a formerprofes sor emeritus at Brigham Young University, 72-hour permit. The only problem is that the Olympics press center will be operating for at least a month. Ken Wynn, director of the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, says “It would be kind of clumsy,” but it could be done by soliciting other organizations to sign for additional permits. This is no different from the current charade that takes place in private clubs every day: asking the strang- him sign on.” “sponsor” the new arrival in order for the newcomber to avoid having sions will be madeelectronically erat the end ofthebarif he would to buy 4 membership. I can see it now: This 72-hour permitis being brought to you by the Shriners with the next 72-hour permit compliments of the Lehi Elks Lodge, ete. If the state takes the let's-pretend-we-are-normal approach and winksat the current laws for the up to your favorite bar and order whatever chemicals you crave, the barpersonwill flash a small object the size of a hand mirrorat you. You eyeball it, and at once the server g structions: “Yes, over 21. Cleared for liquor consumption.” “Voluntarily registered recov- benefit of visiting press, I will be ~ M@*Takingprescription drugsin- Tom Barberi is a talk show host on KALL-AM. especially, may have a need to bol- broadcasters to face the cameraat face meager paychecks. But let's talk about who else might need a bit of support from conditioner is a sure way to turn down the heat. The XL 1200 is one of the best air conditioners you can buy. And it provides energy efficiency up to 14.0 SEER. the nectar of the grape. (See how fast I pick up the jargon?) With all those people around,security forces need to knock down a few (drinks, I mean) to help them deal with the stress of it ail. And trafficis going to be no picnic. Perhaps if drivers had one for the road, we would all be safer, especially at school crossings. the economically and jally dis- TRANE It’s Hard To Stop A Trane™ ote EEE 17g a Saya Pat, Tt difficult to get. Bythe way, I wonderifthat bottle of wine has aneffect on the ac- Plumbing & Heating L.C. curacy of the newsfiled by French 385 E, 3900 S. 262-4671 of shotsof the vino, who the %*$@ Our Tradition of Quality Carries On! Laurie J. Wilson headsthe Department of Communications at mmm. Cherry Chocolate Cake (Seepage 220) Cooking With Donna Morgan $12.95at theTribStore 143 South Main Salt tab City Ula84111 Ph 237-2018 journalists. But, hey, after a couple cares about accuracy? Editor's Note: Laurie Wilson takes over fromElouise Bell with this response. Tom, | so appreciate your hospi- table and warm welcome to our BYU. ering alcoholic. Donot serve.” slipping notes under the doors of all who come telling them the truth. I will consider myself a hostage trying to get a messageto the they seem. “ao! tion I understand that newspeople, advantaged. I just can’t imagine why anyone would wantto make it And,of course, technology never stands still. So by the time your granddaughteris of drinking age. will probably be inconvenienced (and mystified) by the unfamiliar And I'vealso heard that alcohol really reduces domestic violence and improvesthe qualityoflife for LAURIE WILSON opinions about liquor will be plugged into the database. Deci- @“Card-carrying Mormon. Do not serve.” (Evil, like beauty. is in outside world that things aren’t as to reason and rationality. Go to it, Laurie! All relevant Byzantinelaws,statutes, ordinances and majority-held theretinal scanners will be able to make pronouncements such a ‘Three times convicted of DUL. Do not serve available legally? See howlit- tle I know aboutthe subject?) Nevertheless, 1 do recognize a world of imbibers out there who at a glance — theirglance. Forex the industry andthestate regardless of the Olympics. It was suggested that current laws could han- maze. - (Ori it maize? Is corn liquor even sary as being able to read Morse Code. Now beforeexiting left, I want to updated to remain in business. nal scanner whichidentifies people But I had noidea just how lucky I was until I tried to navigate the maze of your description of the IF YOU CAN'T STAND THE HEAT YOU DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN. the eye of the beholder. right?) @“On-duty hairdresser. Do not compatible with liquor. Do. not irst-time drinker. Showeducational video from Surgeon General's office prior to serving. So howwill the scanner solve the FLOOR SAMPLE LIQUIDATION SALT LAKE 2970 Highland Dr. M-F 10-7 Sat. 10-6 467-2701 PARK CITY 1890 BonanzaDr. M-Sat. 10-6 645-7072 DRAPER Visit us on-line www.citysearch.com/ sic/sanfrandesign SAVE 50% - 80% ON CLEARANCE ITEMS OR hour talk time * 100 name/number ory * 5 line (CD display speed dial keys * Alarm clock © 3 electronic games "iO Every Call Is 5@ Srares One Rate - No LongDistance, No Roaming 12 MONTHS INTEREST FREE* Minutes for $89.99 Minutes for $119.99 LS & Minutesfor $149.99 a 6 Convenient Store Locations To Serve You! sy cust . oun mvenay 90,saLim Timo) “Ta” 8800S tavtonsvaul yw vay Opaeee arm. a 74800 mrvemeali(cogmn = 622-7400 SSS Aees |
