The State of Texas (embodied by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission), the City of Irving, and the Irving Police Department are an embarassment to the rest of this Great Republic:

Bar Sweep Sparks Controversy

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission sent a message to bar patrons last week.

TABC agents and Irving police swept through 36 Irving bars and arrested about 30 people on charges of public intoxication. Agency representatives say the move came as a proactive measure to curtail drunken driving.

North Texans interviewed by NBC 5, however, worried that the sweep went too far.

At one location, for example, agents and police arrested patrons of a hotel bar. Some of the suspects said they were registered at the hotel and had no intention of driving. Arresting authorities said the patrons were a danger to themselves and others.

“Going to a bar is not an opportunity to go get drunk,” TABC Capt. David Alexander said. “It’s to have a good time but not to get drunk.”

[...]

TABC officials said the sweep concerned saving lives, not individual rights. Harvey and others interviewed by NBC 5 said they believe drunken driving to be unacceptable, although Harvey wanted to confirm that the United States remains a free country.

“Freedom of drinking should always be allowed, and it is only American to let a guy get drunk where he wants to get drunk,” Harvey said.

Arresting drinkers, staying at the hotel, in hotel bars. Arresting drinkers who were taking cabs. Arresting drinkers who had possibly gone to the trouble of arranging of designated drivers. In the name of “protecting them from themselves.” One news story even reported this ludicrous statement, from one Carolyn Beck of TABC to Reuters UK (thus giving Brits the impression that Texans are complete boneheads):

“There are a lot of dangerous and stupid things people do when they’re intoxicated, other than get behind the wheel of a car,” Beck said. “People walk out into traffic and get run over, people jump off of balconies trying to reach a swimming pool and miss.”

They make drunken bootie calls, too. They write drunken blog posts, too. They fall asleep with the lights and teevee on and run up the light bill, too. They put frozen pizza in the oven and wake up to a stinky kitchen and a carbonized disc, too. They stumble and bark their shins on the coffee table that someone mysteriously moved while they were out, too. Somehow, as a society, we have managed to hold it all together in the face of all the mayhem stemming from freedom of choice.

Let’s hope that the judge throws these cases out. Let’s hope that the mayor of Irving punishes the IPD for their participation. And let’s hope that the State Lege jerks a knot in the tail of TABC Capt. Alexander and this total moron Carolyn Beck. Until they do, I strongly recommend that anyone wanting to have a beer stay out of Irving, period. That includes Texas Stadium – home of the Dallas Cowboys, that includes Las Colinas – a popular destination for conventions and meetings, that includes the restaurant row on the south road to DFW.

ObPokerNote: the TABC has been a big roadblock to bar poker, threatening the licenses of joints that put on tournaments and hand out coupons or t-shirts as prizes. They’re clearly feeling that their legitimacy as an agency is threatened, if they have to spend time & tax money on ridiculous activities such as these.