America’s embrace of alcohol prohibition from 1920-1933 generally ranks among the biggest mistakes in public policy in the 20th century. It was a period that resulted in a profound loss of personal liberty that gave rise to criminal syndicates that often used violence to control the black market of liquor sales. But if you ask the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), alcohol prohibition was fantastic, and something we should reconsider as a society.
The social scientists are at it again. Over the past twenty years they have successfully attacked smoking, eating bacon, drinking milk and forced us to endure years of being forced to travel this nation’s highways at a top speed of 55 miles-per-hour. They created an obesity scare that allowed some cities to ban some cooking oils and lard to fry food and 32 oz drinks. They browbeat schools into stopping bake sales of cookies and brownies and advocated replacing French Fries with carrot sticks in school lunchrooms. They went after SUV’s and tried to close our national parks to snowmobiles, ATV’s, and even horseback riding. They’ve been hinting at it for a long time and now they’re coming after alcohol.
If another Carrie Nation* doesn’t appear to champion a new 18th Amendment to our Constitution, Barack Obama and the Democrats will, possibly by presidential fiat, re-introduce prohibition – not marijuana prohibition, just alcohol. There is nothing sacred or untouchable to the Left because THEY know what’s best for us and if we refuse to accept their wisdom, they’ll force us.
*Carrie Amelia Moore Nation (November 25, 1846 – June 9, 1911) was a radical member of the temperance movement, which opposed alcohol in pre-Prohibition America. She is particularly noteworthy for promoting her viewpoint through vandalism. On many occasions, Nation would enter an alcohol-serving establishment and attack the bar with a hatchet.
The DEA released a report backed by police union support in 2010 detailing the many reasons why we should celebrate America’s experience with alcohol prohibition. A section devoted to “Popular Myths About Drug Legalization” claims that alcohol prohibition was wildly popular and that the ban on alcohol consumption had nothing to do with the spread of the mob.
So there you have it. If you enjoy a nice cold beer on a hot summer day or a glass of wine with your meal or even a cocktail afterwards, you may not be able to much longer. Not if the social scientists have their way.
Not if Barack Obama and the Democrats persevere this November.
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