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Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Deep Bond between Idaho Mormons and the Beer Industry

Headline of the day:
The story delivers on the promise of that delicious headline, too. Behold:
Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo might seem like an unlikely person to be pushing a bill to cut federal taxes on small beer-makers: A member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he abstains from alcohol.

But Crapo's effort, with senators from Oregon, Massachusetts and Maine, illustrates the deep bond between Idaho Mormons and the beer industry.

A few more, each offered without context for maximum comic effect:

  • Church founder Joseph Smith offered this revelation in 1833, "Strong spirits are not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies."
  • "I've often wondered about the correctness of doing it," said Scott Brown, president of the Idaho Grain Producers Association and a Mormon who grows barley on 5,000 acres near Soda Springs. "But somebody is going to grow it, whether members of the LDS church do."
  • "People will look at me and say, 'You're a Mormon, why do you grow barley?' " he said. "I just don't have a problem with it. I don't think people who drink beer are bad."
I should mention that my family moved to Salt Lake City midway into my sophomore year of high school, and that may have singed me just a bit. In fact, its a good piece of journalism and pretty interesting.

2 comments:

  1. I can only imagine the religious workers that go door to door with their book of faith will now show up with 6-packs of beer. But would I be so bold as to switch religions for a 6-pack of fresh Idahoian Mormom brew?

    .... ask me when they come to my door :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Like any other religion...."ism"...or mode....those beliefs are dropped and decisions are moralized in the eyes of monetary gain and profit.

    Here's to ya'....cheers!

    ReplyDelete