I like to consider myself to be a responsible, sensible drinker in a dry, repressive state like Utah. On the evening of July 1, with a temporary ID in hand, I, along with many others, took part in City Weekly’s bar crawl.

I hopped on the fun bus like everyone else and went to Lumpys, Sandbar, Green Street, Gracie’s, Poplar Street, Bliss, Cheers to You and Keys on Main.

As it turns out, an attractive hostess at the Sandbar had given me a yellow wristband so I didn’t have to keep showing my ID at the door at said clubs. But alas, all was well and good until I got to Bliss and Cheers to You, where I had to show my unscannable temporary ID at the door. They wrote down and stored my personal information in a binder, showing my name along with my driver-license number.

Truth be told, I think it’s such horseshit. The intrusive practice of scanning people’s IDs electronically and storing the information in a database is nothing short of blackmailing the bar patrons in a pathetic attempt at stepping up DUI law enforcement. It goes to show how really weird and backward this state is.

When and where I decide to go have a drink on any given weeknight is nobody’s damned business. So I guess it’s back to the drawing board for members of the Religislature on Capitol Hill to decide and reassess what’s best for constituents and get some real liquor-law reform—and to butt out of people’s personal lives.

Jordan Taggart
Salt Lake City