Of beaches, booze, bans and Burke

We seem to be on a kick of late regarding cultural norms.

Here's B-Daddy commenting on the ridiculous booze ban at the beaches in San Diego and the resulting efforts to skirt the law:

Today we are less mindful of our behavior overall and are filled with resentment at all manner of constraint. The result is that each new constraint is met with more resentment and attempts to break out of stultifying straitjackets on behavior. It is as if most adults have entered a never-ending adolescence and the only authority remaining is the policing power of government. It is a recipe for disaster. It makes me a criminal when I drink my one or two beers at the beach. It displaces the responsibility for maintaining societal norms from individuals to the government and that is untenable. Contrary to popular belief, a strong sense of shared morality does not subvert freedom, but makes freedom more possible, because we need fewer laws to maintain order in society. (And don't get me started on what those shared values are; Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and Atheists agree on all manner of morality, including the impropriety of indecent exposure and public drunkenness.)

In a sense, with respect to Nanny State America, we've got no one to blame but ourselves. Our inability to police ourselves by displaying a modicum of restraint and probity results in further encroachment into our daily lives by the authorities.

We've been to the beach plenty of times during the summer and particularly Mission Bay on the 4th of July, so we understand and sympathize with those in favor of the booze ban. However, the blanket ban is excessive and reflects poorly on us as citizens that we cannot seem to enjoy a few adult beverages on the sand without going overboard.

B-Daddy has more Burke-ian wisdom, here.