I acknowledge the damage that drugs and alcohol can do, but as a former POW of the drug war who has suffered in this country's gulags, I adamantly believe that one's own body belongs to that person and it is violation of one's basic rights to deny them control of one's own body. This nation's drug laws are a fundamental violation of the constitution- the first, fourth and ninth amendments- which prohibit restriction of religion, protect the right of privacy over one's own body, and reserve all rights to the individual, not explicitly given to the state, respectively.

I agree that one should be allowed the opportunity to meet and greet in a sober environment if one needs that. I may be a libertarian on social issues, but I respect someone's interest in being in a "sober environment" and will join in this person's request that there may be a "coffee hour" or some such for those folks.

However, I will also state, just as there has been "a long history of abstinence and temperance for personally and politically liberatory reasons within radical and progressive activist communities," that these very movements within these organizations have been the very seed of authoritarianism that has poisoned these movements.

I have lost enough of my life behind prison walls to the fascism of our government's drug laws to see this intolerance infecting the left. I respect- and will defend- the right of those seeking to stay sober to avoid alcohol and other drugs. However, I will not stand by and be silent when some folks attack others for doing with their bodies as they choose.

If this means that I disagree with Zapatistas on some points, so be it. I came to anarchism through my struggle against drug-war fascism and I will not tolerate such fascism, even it comes garbed in the black and red of "anarchism." I did not become an anarchist to give up- my freedom!

Oh, and in the interest of that same freedom, I would personally support an "alcohol-free" event. I did attend the happy-hour (although late, since the starting time was erroneously given as 8 PM!), but I would also be glad to attend a sober "happy hour," as long as my busy schedule would allow it.

After all, you should feel free not to drink, also!

Man, that's really a shame that you showed up right at the end -- but if you look above, it correctly listed the time as 5pm to 8pm in each place it mentions the time.

Sorry, I didn't read the story until after the event. I just read the headline.