A2 Puritans Out in Force
A letter in today’s News defends councilmember Joan Lowenstein’s anti-drinking campaign from its “scurrilous” detractors, on the grounds that disallowing the Arena’s event will allow people not to watch drinking take place.
In this case, Lowenstein and her fellow council members are standing between bar owners and their unjust profits. Not a comfortable place to be, but a righteous one. Joan is demonstrating a sincere concern for students and the public, in attempting to spare the public from viewing this drinking ritual known as “St. Patrick’s Day/ March Madness.'’
“Unjust profits”??? What the hell is that suppose to mean? I don’t think the owners of the Arena are earning Exxon-sized profits year after year, and they certainly haven’t been just kicking back and letting the money roll in as Mr. Tom P. Woods seems to think.
posted by James on February 15th, 2007 at 4:26 pmOh God! People consuming alcohol! I must avert my eyes!
posted by The Squid on February 15th, 2007 at 5:01 pmIs swearing allowed in posts? Because my only response to these ding-a-lings is a steady stream of filth. That and going home and making a double of everything in the liquor cabinet. Mr. Woods (the letter writer and a co-religionist) has been imbibing the Catholic social justice teachings a little too deeply if he thinks booze mark-up at a bar is unjust. Steep? Maybe compared to making your own at home. Unjust? No. Try a swill beer at Joe Louis for $6 - that’s unjust.
posted by Thomas Cook on February 15th, 2007 at 5:12 pmWow.
posted by Daniel Adams on February 15th, 2007 at 5:51 pm“Irish Catholic” is kinda interesting. Like, is that so very different from some other kind of Catholic. . . Is there a different profession of faith? Maybe you have to have once seen somebody puke green beer to qualify.
posted by LittleB on February 15th, 2007 at 6:39 pmIf we’re talking “unjust profits”, let’s not talk about the Arena. It’s the last bar in town I thought I’d become a regular at… then suddenly I was broke, my coworkers introduced me to their $2.50 mid-shelf well drink specials, and it became a nice midway point between work and home when it got freezing cold.
Unjust profits… hell, they’re angels.
“Joan is demonstrating a sincere concern for students and the public”
First off, I appreciate the distinction between “students” and “public”. I sometimes forget, after 5 years in this city, that I’m just a temporary resident. A temporary resident who needs to be babysat, apparently.
St. Patrick’s Day is going to happen no matter what, as is March Madness. Drinking is going to happen. It’s probably safer for students to drink at a place where the bartender can cut them off. The problem, again?
posted by Jen on February 15th, 2007 at 7:29 pmFor the record and for what it’s worth, that post was the first one from me in a good amount of time. I saw another “jen” post in the sidewalk thread - not me, (hopefully) obviously.
I’ll assume for now that my optimistic attitude and hopeful sincerity will be enough to distinguish myself from the other poster.
posted by Jen on February 15th, 2007 at 7:41 pmAl Smith was campaigning in Charleston, SC, for President in 1928, and met a woman who said she liked him but wasn’t going to vote for him because he was Catholic. He asked her if she’d voted for the mayor of Charleston, and she replied “yes, but he’s Irish Catholic, where you’re Roman Catholic.” Silly stuff, but it’s all in the eye of the beholder.
I’m going to make a point of attending this Arena thing because of the ridiculous attitude espoused by my councilwoman. The Arena isn’t my favorite place and I haven’t been there in a while, but they do have good happy hour specials, as Jen observes (and good comfort-food appetizers), and I’m sure it’ll be a good time.
posted by Lazaro on February 16th, 2007 at 9:29 amThis whole thing reminds me of Footloose. But then again, alot of things have been reminding me of Footloose lately.
posted by Bastard outta Carolina (lol) on February 16th, 2007 at 10:08 amYeah, I know what you mean. I’ve got this Kenny Loggins soundtrack running in my head 24/7. I keep hoping I’m going to wake up in Caddyshack, but I think you’re right. It’s Footloose.
posted by Parking Structure Dude! on February 16th, 2007 at 10:13 amDrinking in general is a big target, but the St. Patrick’s day celebration in Ann Arbor has become completely excessive.
As a German-Dutch-French-Irish Evangelical non-alcoholic taxpaying Protestant and parent, I find it troubling to see hordes of drunk teenagers on the streets well before noon on St. Patrick’s Day. I would like to see St. Patrick’s Day scaled back to an earlier, less institutionalized era.
posted by Fred Zimmerman on February 16th, 2007 at 10:16 amIf someone could plant a few people in the audience during the next city council meeting, one could devise a signal beforehand for all of the planted audience members to start whistling “Footloose” quietly. Then someone with a boombox could bring it out from under their chair, and start gradually increasing the volume on the soundtrack. Then everyone could start jumping on their chairs and dancing while waving lease agreements and noise violation citations in the air. And Kevin Bacon would show up… somehow.
It would be beautiful.
posted by Jen on February 16th, 2007 at 1:00 pmI understand that dancing is a gateway to premarital sex, which leads to drinking beer.
posted by Alan on February 16th, 2007 at 3:33 pm… and music is a gateway to tapping your feet, which leads to dancing.
posted by abc on February 16th, 2007 at 4:57 pma $5 bottle of water at the football shrine is a-ok.
posted by OFWinsurgent on February 17th, 2007 at 1:51 am“I find it troubling to see hordes of drunk teenagers on the streets well before noon on St. Patrick’s Day.”
Cats and dogs living together…mass hysteria!
posted by Daniel Adams on February 17th, 2007 at 9:11 amthe godless terrorist horde is unrelentless in pressing their WAR ON ST. PATRICK. it is time to say ENUF! bottoms up!
posted by peter honeyman on February 17th, 2007 at 11:10 amStudents drinking?!! On St. Patrick’s Day?!! Oh noes! Loud music and fornication will certainly ensue.
I didn’t think undergrads even hung out at the Arena.
posted by haterade on February 17th, 2007 at 7:27 pmJoan Lowenstein needs to get a life.
posted by Flintcitylimit on February 18th, 2007 at 11:41 pmGiven how excited my (admittedly college-student-like) colleagues were last year about the booze-fest, I don’t know why it must be students who are drinking.
That said, a shout out to John McCardell, former president of Middlebury college, who is starting an org to lower the drinking age to 18. Bet Joan won’t like that, either.
Finally, thank you, Daniel Adams, for making sure that Ghostbusters was not omitted from this discussion!
posted by David on February 19th, 2007 at 7:54 am“Drinking in general is a big target, but the St. Patrick’s day celebration in Ann Arbor has become completely excessive.”
According to whom and by what standard?
My non-student, Catholic (but not Irish) butt will be up and drinking by 9 or 10. I’ll be sure to wave cheerily at the various evangelical Protestants who are incapable of enjoying themselves or even tolerating the sight of others doing so.
posted by Dave on February 19th, 2007 at 11:36 amI have a bunch of cheese to go with your whine
posted by yer momma! on February 21st, 2007 at 12:04 amno, for the most part, undergrads do not hang out at the arena.
and as for teenagers drunk in the streets before noon?
i’m pretty sure that’s not our bad, because–while we are the angels of cheap alcohol (and proud of it!) as jen points out above–we tend to be a bit hornery, and we love nothing better than busting a fake i.d.
i’m just saying.
anyway, the good (depending on where you stand) news is that our permit was (overwhelmingly) approved tonight, and we hope to see you all on st. patrick’s day. or any other day, for that matter.
posted by tiffany on February 21st, 2007 at 5:17 ameven if you weren’t in support of our outdoor permit, come in sometime and visit!
we don’t have horns, and we don’t bite.
unless you’re a teenager trying to get a drink at our bar.
in that case, you’re definitely in trouble.
Vive l’Arena!
posted by Dave on February 21st, 2007 at 11:02 amLong live the Arena, my 2nd home during my last year in Ann Arbor. The drink specials are great, and it seemed to be the only bar in town with fun regulars and staff.
posted by Nick on February 21st, 2007 at 3:45 pmLowenstein lost big on her neo-prohibitionist crusade yesterday evening. Council approved the permit for the St. Patrick’s Day event. The only other “no” vote was from Wendy Woods.
posted by David Cahill on February 21st, 2007 at 4:02 pm“Wendy Woods” sounds like the name of a neo-hippie porn movie.
posted by Anna on February 21st, 2007 at 8:58 pmThis kind of regulatory activity is what hypes the idea that ‘liberals’ want to take people’s rights away. We can thank Lowenstein for giving Rush Limbaugh a voice. Or whatver drug addict has taken his place …
posted by toasty on February 22nd, 2007 at 2:36 amOnce again most of the people in this row seem to have completely missed the point. Which is; it initially was a recommendation from the A2 Police dept. to not allow the Area to stage this event which fueled the debate. And why would the A2 Police department make such a recommendation? Think about it. Maybe it was because they had something to gain from not allowing it to happen. Like, they might have to actually show up and do something!!! (as opposed to figuring out how to bail their own officers out of the drunk tank!) Must be nice to control your own work flow huh? If it was up to the A2PD there would be no city streets events ever.
posted by bouldest on February 22nd, 2007 at 9:52 amI don’t agree with you bouldest, if you say the police shot the idea down just so they don’t have to work…you’re basically saying the people of A2 can’t drink responsibly.
posted by Dirty on February 25th, 2007 at 3:05 pmI wish A2PD could rule the streets, DOWN WITH ART FAIR!!!
“This kind of regulatory activity is what hypes the idea that ‘liberals’ want to take people’s rights away. We can thank Lowenstein for giving Rush Limbaugh a voice. Or whatver drug addict has taken his place …”
It’s not liberals who want to take people’s rights away, it’s the “fascist left”, who aren’t liberals at all. Of course A2 is now teeming with “fascist left”, who aren’t interested in freedom at all. See: Safety Moms
posted by Dr Cherry on March 13th, 2007 at 2:19 pm