If you are going to Utah, you may be seeing the return of the restaurant equivalent of a beer burka. Legislators in the heavily Mormon state have reinstated the required use of Zion curtains to separate diners from bartenders. In beer-only restaurants, bartenders will now have to be shielded from public eye.
The new requirements are contained in two bills that were so badly crafted that they have left confusion as to their application.
Since 2009, there has already been a requirement of Zion Curtains for bartenders preparing mixed drinks. In 2009, Zion Curtains were taken down in 2009, but businesses were required to have separate rooms to hide the preparation of mixed drinks. The result is quite confusing.
For many, the Zion Curtains are clearly the result of sectarian, religious values being imposed on the population — in this case to harass those who do not comply with the alcohol-free principles of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There is no rational basis for this limitation as a matter of public health. These reports indicate that some businesses are considering leaving the state or at least not expanding in the state, which appears the objective of some who support the arbitrary limitations. This law is ripe for a constitutional challenge.
I love Utah, which is one of the most beautiful places on Earth and always enjoy going to Salt Lake City. I have met many liberal or libertarian Mormons who would not support such legislation, but the state remains divided on such issues. Indeed, the most notable thing in the articles on these curtains is that everyone appears to agree that the law is confusing and no one is quite sure who first demanded the changes.
Source: Salt Lake City
The gameplay is equally pathetic. There are not enough options on the filed. You are severely limited in what you can do, leaving you frustrated and disappointed that you were caught yet again. If you played FIFA world cup you no doubt were dazzled by the fabulous gameplay that left soccer fans gaping in awe and admiration. Now why can’t rugby fans be treated similarly and get something worthwhile?
Next they’ll make it law that people drinking must wear over sized burkas and drink underneath them so good mormons aren’t offended by the act of drinking.
Obviously, we need to elect one of these Mormon fellows president right away. Their grasp on reality and modernity is second to none. They are the ones to show us right from wrong, we’ve had it so wrong for so long.
now that is just retarded….
there are only a couple of counties in alabama where draft beer is legal.
can’t do this with draft beer
RickL. just as long as you are not crying in your beer ;-p.
Utah is so beautiful, but so strange. They LOVE sugar, tons of it. I think it takes the place of alcohol and caffeine for them.
We ate at a restaurant out in the country that had a sign “NO Sharing Of Plates”, which of course, made us want to share an appetizer to see if we could get away with it. This little woman in a hair net kept peekiing around the corner at us, frowning.
Which was bizarre enough, but they were also playing old Yodeling music, which made it even more weird.
tomdarch1, August 31, 2011 at 4:19 pm
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bingo!
psychopathic control freaks!
Hurray for Big Government Conservatives! Don’t like that I’m drinking a beer? Put a curtain between me and the bartender! Don’t like the medical treatment I’m getting? Put a script and a baloney waiting period between me and my Doctor!
Good thing the Republican party is so dedicated to getting government out of our lives!
For cryin out loud…..time we all spanked our inner prudes and princes and woke up from this collective friggin nightmare…….
2008 Drunk Driving Statistics:
Utah comes in lowest at 20%. Idaho, also having a strong Mormon influence, but without the same restrictive laws, has twice the percentage of alcohol involved traffic fatalities.
The site won’t link. Search for “2008 Drunk Driving Statistics”
Here’s a look at one of those “Zion curtains”.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-05-12-utah-bars_N.htm
Yup, I agree that this is way bizarre, and I even live in Utah. FWIW, there are a lot of Utahans who think this law is embarrassing and unnecessary whether we drink or not.
We have a number of legislators (notably the Senate President, Michael Waddoups) who don’t like drinking and would exercise whatever muscle they can flex to make sure we don’t have it – or as little as possible. If that doesn’t work, they make it as difficult as possible to get a drink.
Sadly this is just one of many crazy laws passed by the Republican dominated Utah Legislature every year. Most of us don’t know whether to laugh or cry during the legislative session. Afterwords we cry, mostly, since they end up becoming law.
According to the Wiki, the Zion Curtains are usually made out of glass. I’d guess the idea being to keep the bartenders from interacting with the customers.
The good and moral citizens of Utah shouldn’t be consorting with THAT sort.