Aug 30, 2022 2 min read

Shades of Prohibition

One of the most ridiculous stories I have read in a long time appeared in the Aug. 25 Observer-Reporter{/em}, “South Strabane denies liquor license transfer to Cracker Barrel,” which notes that Cracker Barrel on Washington Road sought to respond to customer requests by securing a liquor license. The bid to have a license transferred to Cracker Barrel was denied in a 2-3 vote.

The reasoning for the denial is ludicrous: the no vote members concluding that serving alcohol would destroy the company’s image as a family-friendly place. Should that not be for the company to decide? It was also asserted that there are not many places to dine after church and that churchgoers would not enjoy seeing someone consuming alcohol while they are dining: unbelievable.

I can think of many, many restaurants in the area that are open from early Sunday morning where the members would not have to be horrified by seeing someone consuming a beer with their meal.

Perhaps the board should seek to close every business on the Lord’s day, as we did until well into the 20th century. Maybe the board would also like to lobby to bring back Prohibition. We saw how well that worked in the 1920s and early ’30s.

For those who believe that government is attempting to control us and serve as our moral arbiter, there is ammunition provided by the dictators of the South Strabane Township Board of Supervisors. Perhaps the community does not deserve a restaurant like Cracker Barrel, which provides many jobs and tax revenue. I am sure there are other business-friendly communities which would welcome it.

Oren Spiegler

Peters Township{&end}