Should the Salt Lake Organizing Committee have accepted Anheuser-Busch's sponsorship of the Winter Olympic Games? Let's reconsider their decision:
Anheuser-Busch says it will encourage "responsible" drinking. How will alcohol promote responsibility and good judgment? How will alcohol make athletes and fans "Swifter, Higher, Stronger," thereby contributing to the spirit of the Olympic Games? Or will alcohol instead make athletes and fans "Slower, Lower, Weaker?"Should we "provide things to the citizens of the world that they're used to" if those things bring poor judgment and law breaking? In the interest of greater tolerance, should we loosen alcohol laws that protect us from danger?
Anheuser-Busch says it will be "extremely sensitive" to our community's needs. Who needs more drunk drivers on our roads, crippling others for life? How much alcohol does it take to lead to a fatal car accident?
Why should we accept $50 million from a company whose product ruins the immune system, increases the risk of cancer and is the leading cause of liver cirrhosis? Who wants to accept $50 million from a company whose product also increases blood pressure, promotes atherosclerosis and leads to heart disease, the No. 1 killer?
Is there so little financial support for the Olympic Winter Games that we have to resort to accepting a sponsorship from a beer company to pay for it? What a miserable means to such an uplifting end!
David Tomer
Kearns