The People Have Spoken: Michigan River Alcohol Ban

First came the proposed ban on alcohol use on sections of three Michigan rivers.

Then came the Change.org petition, signed by thousands, to repeal the ban.

Now, we (and ClickOnDetroit) can report that Leslie Auriemmo, Huron-Manistee National Forests supervisor has decided to delay implementation of the ban. BUT, "cold beer on the river" fans, what this does is give the Forest Service a chance to hold meetings with businesses, government officials and private citizens (beer lovers) from the affected areas.

This is probably a good thing. Maybe the damage to the rivers or behavior of the drinkers wasn't as bad as feared. Conversely, maybe there are places on the river that have been affected negatively by people who have "had one too many". Here's everybody's chance to make their point. This doesn't mean the ban won't go into effect next summer, but let's see the reasons - from both sides.

This might be the best civics lesson I've seen since the 8th grade.

Here's the story.