I honestly can’t decide if I’m more mad, or more disappointed at what I just read in another publication. I’m just furious inside to think after the people of Fairfield spoke so loudly against this alcohol issue the last time it came up that now we are going to fight it again, and this time the threat is from within our very own city leaders. To think that the very people we elected to lead this community are the ones who are now plotting to plunge us into the alcohol abyss once again. Shame! Shame! Shame! How dare they! I am personally embarassed that the one who brought it up has the same last name as me.

As far as I am personally concerned, the council has violated my trust and it will be a long time before they regain it, if ever. The voters of Fairfield put them in a position of leadership and trust, but instead of finding ways to make Fairfield a better place to live they are choosing to sacrifice us to the “god of growth.” I really don’t care if Fairfield grows, if it means having to see beer and wine and whiskey neon signs hanging from every grocery store, every convenience store and every restaurant in town. I see that in far too many cities now as I travel in the ministry, and it just makes me want to throw up that they are considering, once again, bringing that to Fairfield. Are they really willing to throw away what so many of us have come to know as our hometown, the place where we grew up, went to school, raised our families and were excited to come back to, just to attract more businesses that proclaim they won’t come unless they can sell booze? Is that what our city fathers are about? If that’s what it takes for those businesses to come here, Fairfield does not need them. Do they really want Fairfield to look like that? Why not keep Fairfield different from the rest. Why not make it a step above the rest? Whatever happened to the motto: “Fairfield, more than just a town?”

If they go back down this road, Fairfield will regret it forever, because once that road is taken there will be no turning back. Like “Hotel California,” a drug song of the 60s says, “You can check out, but you can never leave.” If you need interpretation, that means you can die from it, but you can never be free of it. Once alcohol is allowed in, we’ll never be able to get rid of it, even after you see the destruction it brings on this city. I said it the last time I fought this fight, and I’ll say it again: “The sale of alcoholic beverages, in any form, has no redeeming qualities!”

In part, I fault the city dwellers who move to “the country” to get away from the city. But, instead of leaving the city behind, they try to drag the city down here with them. You want the small town, where people actually smile at you and wave, even if they don’t know your name. You love the quiet, small town life, but you still want the convenience and the excitement and the activities of the city. If you came from the city, either leave the city behind or go back to the city. (I’m sure I’ll hear from some about that.) Don’t come down here and try to make Fairfield into the city you left. There are, without question, disadvantages to living in a rural community. It’s inconvenient, sometimes. It’s pure pain, sometimes. You might have to actually leave the city limits to find what you need, sometimes. We’ve all lived that way all our lives. Get used to it, but don’t trash my hometown for the sake of the convenience of your alcohol consumption. Your alcohol consumption is a problem for me and the city of Fairfield, and I take it very personally.

I also fault myself for not personally being at this city council meeting, to speak my mind right then. I should be more diligent to know what is going on. You can bet your last breath that I’ll be seen at more meetings from now on. Someone has to be there to speak up for the good of the city since our city council no longer seems to have that in mind. You see, good and alcohol sales are an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms, and should never be used in the same sentence.

One more bone to pick, yeah, two.

One, how dare Mayor Roy Hill use the Baptists as a whipping post to try to indicate how many “closet drinkers” there are in town. If a person was of the mind to, that could be considered religious prejudice. He should be very careful. The people put him in that position, and the people can take him out. I’m personally proud of the two who had strong enough convictions to say they didn’t drink. I would have made three, had I been there. If the Baptist denomination is the only one known for being spritually strong enough to stand against drinking, then I’m proud to be named among them. I must add that I’m really disappointed in a couple of others who were present and took no stand against it. You missed a great opportunity to demonstrate your character.

Two, I don’t understand how our mayor can call a “415 against” to only “284 for” a narrow margin. In my ears the people of Fairfield spoke resoundingly against alcohol. I fail to understand what makes the council or Ms. Thornton think we feel any different now. Granted, the vote margin against the sale of alcohol in restaurants was not that much, so widening that margin is something we, as those who actually care about the community, will have to work on.

If you just can’t live without drinking, there are several private clubs in town, to my disdain, where you can go. There is no logical reason for alcohol to be sold in public establishments where those of us who are against the activity would be forced to be exposed to it everywhere we go. That, in itself, is discrimination against those of us who don’t drink.

Let there be no question, this battle has been fought before and it looks like it will be fought again. Just know that I will draw a line in the sand and invite those who are against the sale of alcohol in Fairfield to join me.

Fairfield, what are you willing to invest to keep alcohol sales out of Fairfield, once again, so we won’t have to witness the demise of our community as we know it? I’m in the phone book. I’ll be waiting for your call. Let’s not let this slip under the radar like it did before. Let’s get on top of it before it gets started. The best defense if a strong offense.

Don D. Thornton Fairfield