Herbert: Unclear if 'Zion Curtain' law is effective, reviewing policy, talks to LDS church

[Joel]

Herbert: Unclear if 'Zion Curtain' law is effective, reviewing policy, talks to LDS church

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Utah Gov. Gary Herbert says it's unclear that a rule requiring some Utah restaurants to shield patrons from seeing alcoholic drinks being mixed or poured is effective.

The Republican governor is backing a plan to do away with the barriers, sometimes called "Zion Curtain." The name is a reference to the Mormon church, which instructs members to avoid alcohol and is heavily involved in liquor policy.

Supporters say the barriers are important to prevent underage drinking and keep restaurants from looking like bars.

"I think it's hard to find the evidence on what the wall does," Herbert said during a news conference Friday.

Herbert says he's been working on the issue and reviewing other parts of state liquor laws but first gave The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints a "courtesy call" to let them know.

[skmo]

When I lived elsewhere, I could look at Utah's bass-ackward laws and chuckle. Now that I live here, I see things a little differently. I know that President Heber J. Grant almost blew a gasket over Utah being the state that officially ratified the Twenty-First Amendment repealing Prohibition, but the time for us to be isolationists is gone. We're not stopping (or even hampering) underage drinking with our ridiculous liquor laws, because the kids who are going to drink will drink regardless of whether or not Chili's or Applebee's have a bar. All we're accomplishing is that we're making the LDS Church out to be the bad guy to anyone who isn't LDS.

Prohibition failed. Get over it. Brother Joseph said we teach them righteous principles and they govern themselves. Well, we've learned righteous principles, and those of us who agree to live it do so. It's time to stop forcing our religious laws on businesses and people who don't share our faith. Allowing responsible adults to drink of their own choice won't make deacons and teachers turn into winos.

[EmmaLee]

I had no idea there was such a law or rule in Utah. Seems pretty silly to me. As skmo said, having some type of shield up blocking the view of alcoholic drinks being mixed certainly won't stop anyone who wants to drink from drinking. If anything, things like that only inspire inquisitiveness and a desire to see what's behind the 'curtain' - especially for youth - the very people they're trying to shield.

[paulrobots]

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I believe this is the restaurant that got everyone talking about this lately. Their wall was actually a ceiling as customers could be on the walkway above and look down into the prep area.

I have no problem with the church using it's influence to keep Utah from being every other state. If people don't like it California and Nevada are just to the west, and everywhere else is north, south or east. A state that was settled by Mormons and where the majority of residents are still Mormon should be, and look, different.


P.S. - I live in the midwest.

[brianj]

Repealing this policy seems like a good decision to me because it doesn't really do anything. As I look at statistics for underage drinking, I conclude the low rate in Utah has more to do with the religion of so many residents than any laws.

I am just glad that Utah has more sensible alcohol laws now than in the past. I remember the first time I came across Utah alcohol laws, before I came across the missionaries. They would sell a mixed drink without the alcohol and sell bottles separately. My father explained how stupid that idea was because, in his words, "there's no more generous bartender than yourself." A bartender might pour one shot into a bloody Mary, but someone doing it themselves is likely to put in 1.5 or two shots. Alcohol consuming businessmen used to make fun of Utah over those laws.