Letters To Editor
(Continued From Letter Home Page)
Hanson Asks
- What’s it Worth?
Does alcohol do more harm
than good? I have heard of doctors who tell their patients to
drink a beer a day or glass of wine to help clear their kidneys.
Red wine is said to have polyphenols which act as antioxidants
that can fight heart disease. So some alcohol can be used for
good. But answer my question.
Then, answer this
question: How much harm does alcohol cause?
In the end it is the responsibility of the individual to decide
to drink alcohol. That person is taking their life and others
into their hands. Some say it is not alcohol that is killing
people, it is the choice of a person to drink too much and lose
control of their actions. My question is why take the chance?
Does it really taste that good?
Arab is a dry city. It
has been dry for as long as I have lived here. Pick up the paper
and read the headlines. How many times is alcohol a factor in
the crimes committed? How many DUI arrests are there? Do you
realize that these people could kill the people you love? Would
that change your mind when you vote for the referendum?
Being a small city is
what I enjoy most about living here. Many folks I’ve talked with
who moved here from other states tell me Arab is a great place
to raise a family. Why do you think that is? Many residents here
want us to grow as Huntsville grows. And we will grow. But don’t
be in too big of a hurry to bring in more money. Consider what
alcohol sales will do to Arab. You are thinking nothing will
change. In a way you are right. But being a dry city is
something to be known for. Being dry represents small town
values, family values. Do we want our kids to grow up believing
that drinking alcohol is safe?
Many residents I have
come to know believe there is nothing wrong with alcohol
consumption. These people tell me that they drink in moderation
and that is okay. My question is, Why do you have to drink? If
you read the statistics and realize how much harm alcohol
causes, you should be ashamed to drink. I have peers who go to
parties and drink. Some of them get wasted and do not remember
what happened later on. What sort of good times are those? Is
this the lifestyle we want for our kids? I’m here to tell the
parents out there that this is what their kids are doing when
they are not at home. Not all of them of course. But many of
them. And if you are lucky it is only alcohol they are
experimenting with. I am friends with several people who would
not be who they are today if they had not drank in their teen
years. There are friends I grew up with who are on meth and you
know all it would have taken is for their parents to be more
strict to prevent a lifetime of addiction. It is the parents
responsibility for where their children are today. You teach
them morals or you don’t. The problem might be that your morals
are flawed. If alcohol is okay, why not meth? They are both
drugs. What do you think your kids are thinking?
Those who believe they can drink in moderation need to think
about those who cannot. Say you are at a restaurant or social
event and you drink alcohol. Someone is going to see you
drinking and think that it is acceptable and will drink as well.
What if this person is not as controlled as you are? You are
indirectly influencing their mind. What if they had been trying
to stop? What if they go home and create problems because they
cannot control their drinking?
Many folks are under the impression they need alcohol to have a
good time. These people say it opens you up and relaxes you. It
is really a sad situation when friends cannot come together and
fellowship without getting a buzz. This is ridiculous. And this
is the lifestyle we want for our posterity? We want to be like
the wet counties and conform to the secular culture that values
money and the have-fun philosophy of life? Or do we want to
continue voting responsibly for family values and public safety?
Alcohol is dangerous. Do
not get in the mindset of this being a personal decision. The
people who are arrested for DUI; Do you believe they meant to
get drunk? Guess what? The next victim could be your wife.
Girlfriend. Brother. Mom. Do you want to live with the fact that
you voted yes in this referendum? And that the alcohol these
people purchase may have been bought in Arab thanks to your
vote?
Can you imagine how the
Mothers Against Drunk Driving came to be founded? Please visit
their website and read the statistics. Do any amount of research
on the fatalities which alcohol is to blame. Look around and see
your friends who had so many dreams and how addiction has
silenced them. I hate to be harsh about this subject, but the
truth is that people have died from drinking alcohol. And worse,
innocent people have been killed because some folks are too
impaired to realize they are driving drunk. There is a powerful
video that illustrates how drinking affects your family and not
just yourself. If you believe you are the only one who will be
hurt by an accident involving alcohol, please watch this video
“Untitled” at this web address:
http://www.simpleplan.com/videos.php
There are no real nice
franchise restaurants and there are no alcohol sales taxes going
to our schools. But do you think selling alcohol is worth the
extra money? Is that money that will go to our schools just an
excuse to make you feel better about voting yes? You are fooling
yourself.
I have lost a lot of
friends due to my close-mindedness. But these are social values
that I grew up with. Do we want Arab to be like Huntsville or
Birmingham? We have enough drug problems as it is. If people
want alcohol, let them continue to get it from Guntersville or
Huntsville. We need to represent a city who cares about our
families and who wants to rid themselves of things that could
destroy what we care most about.
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