District 8 Reps Join Majority, Respect Property over Religion

The House Local Government Committee today killed HB 1227, which would have banned alcoholic beverage licenses within four miles of Bear Butte State Park. Our local reps, Republican Russ Olson and Democrat Dave Gassman (say, how'd we end up with both of our reps on the same committee, anyway?) both voted with the majority to defer the bill to the 41st (i.e. non-existent) day of the legislative session.

Opponents of the bill say the no-booze-sales zone would infringe unjustly on private property rights. Others seem to be hiding behind the local control issue (which is an increasingly popular albeit wimpy and inconsistent way for our legislators to avoid expressing their outright opposition to an issue).

While I appreciate property rights arguments, this issue seems to revolve more around the right to make big money on the rally than around the sanctity of property. Frankly, this teetotalling atheist would have been more than happy to see this ban imposed out of respect for religious rights. Bear Butte is sacred to a major portion of the population of this state, sacred in a much deeper, more fundamental way than any church is to the typical South Dakotan. The alcohol our ancestors brought over has caused all sorts of problems for the Lakota et al; why insult them doubly by permitting more establishments selling this destructive substance near one of their holy places? The good people of Sturgis have plenty of places to buy alcohol throughout the year, and the fatality reports from the Sturgis rally each year have yet to list lack of access to alcohol as a cause of death.

Of course, the insult to worshippers at Bear Butte goes beyond mere alcohol. The booze licenses only facilitate the plans of entrepreneurs like Arizona businessman Jay Allen, who started building his "Sturgis County Line" establishment at the base of Bear Butte last March with the intent of providing 30,000 guests at a time with "hundreds of acres to party… in a safe haven, free from a policed environment, that’s what I’m talking about! … over 150,000 s.f. of asphalt for semi-tractor trailors… 22,500 s.f. of… ice cold beer… kick-butt music & oh yea, hot hot women!" (quoted at Bear Butte Int'l Alliance; Allen's own website seems to have adopted tamer language). How many towns on this side of the state would tolerate a biker bar, promoting not just intoxication but violent behavior and exploitation of women, operating within sight/earshot of the local Lutheran or Catholic church?

I'm willing to stay out of the way of people engaged in their holy rites; I wish the whiskey-profiteers (and our legislature) held religious rights in similar regard.