Thursday, September 30, 2010


The Cocktail Party is Tolerant

A misguided Salt Lake Tribune reporter recently suggested to a local representative of the liberal Coffee Party that the organization might do better in the Beehive State if it changed its name to “The Postum Party” or something similar. The Coffee Partier acknowledged his small group had caved in to local pressure when it provided mostly fruit punch and water at its first meeting.

Although coffee is served almost everywhere in Utah, sipping the stimulating beverage is contrary to the “Word of Wisdom,” and therefore strongly discouraged by the Mormon Church. The usual Cocktail Party refreshments fall into the same category. We cannot expect a surge in Cocktail Party membership in Utah.

On this issue, the Cocktail Party stance is clear and firm. We will not consider name changes that detract from the essence of our mission statement: “To serve the people of the United States by creating an excellent blend of good government and personal freedom.” We assert that “Cocktail Party” strongly reinforces the “blend” concept, and therefore is entirely appropriate for us. We refuse to pander to other viewpoints merely to recruit a few members.

The Cocktail Party, however, is tolerant of all. When attending meetings, you may bring your own bottle, or bottles, of anything you choose. We provide hot water as well as hot air, so you can whip up a nice cup of hot chocolate or an exotic tea if you like. Or, you can mix a hot toddy. It’s your choice entirely.

Cocktail Partiers value individual freedom. We think what people drink is irrelevant to what is in their heads and hearts, unless, of course, they fuzzy up their mental and physical processes with too much of the good stuff.

2 comments:

joared said...

Enjoyed your humorous take on the latest significant political concerns.

The erstwhile Coffee Party and the Cocktail Party must surely be subject to rejection, based solely on their names, before anyone would even consider attending their meetings. Only the brave would go to discover that, as often is the political case, there is little connection between words and their literal meaning. Is it not likely the same would be true for the Tea Party, or is that beverage now tolerated? I wonder what beverage that Party serves? Seems to me there never used to be a Pepsi Crowd there either, but believe that changed when financial investment was made in the company.

Dick Klade said...

Interesting, joared. Somehow the fact that tea also is a no-no zipped right past me. However, with the affinity of Utahans for Tea Party rhetoric, I sense the prophet may feel a revelation coming on.

Your Pepsi recollection was close. It was Coke. The revelation that it was OK to guzzle the previously banned soft drink came shortly after the Mormon Church bought a large block of stock in the Cola Cola Company. Pepsi apparently automatically went on the approved list also, so it was an equal opportunity revelation.

Such is the nature of revelations. We mere mortals never know when, or why, they will appear.