Book: Last Call by Daniel Okrent
The book is the history of the prohibition amendment to the US constitution enacted in 1919 and repealed in 1933. The prohibition was of intoxicants (beer, wine, distilled spirits) in the United States. A well researched book that details the participants on either side of the issue, their histories, how it progressed, the politics used in the process and how eventually it became law. And once law, how prohibition was unenforceable. Then there was the unintended consequences as gangs formed to control the trade and dispensing of the illegal intoxicants. Sound familiar?
Have we learned nothing from past history. Can't legislate personal morality. How about we legalize marijuana and tax it heavily like alcohol items and cigarettes.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
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Did the author discuss -- and if not, how would he think -- about food Big Brotherism? Why should alcohol or marijuana be the only lifestyle choices that an adult should have the option to?
ReplyDeleteWhen Mayor Bloomberg's micromanaged trans-fat at NY resaurants and San Francisco tried (or did) ban Happy Meals for kiddies, isn't that also a case of trying to "legislate personal morality"?
My neighbor last summer, a more-or-less mainstream California liberal-Buddhist-New Ager, told me that he thinks organic food should be mandatory.
In fact, isn't most of what the FDA does an effort to impose their version of personal morality on the peasant masses?
Okrent's book was the history of prohibition -- nothing more. There were no essay comments about how that failed experiment might pertain to the present day.
ReplyDeleteThe only response I can make to your other comments... Assuming that we can think for ourselves, we should be allowed personal choice and suffer the consequences -- good or bad.