Letters to the editor

Author: [no author name found]

To the Editor:

On behalf of our family and employees here at Two Brothers Tavern, I would like to address an article written by H.Kay Merriman in the Jan. 10 edition of The Middlebury Campus. The article, entitled "Risky Business … Is it Worth It? Students using fake IDs to score alcohol face unexpected consequences," has presented all of us with an opportunity to learn about some important issues concerning the use of false identification that were not touched upon in Merriman's article.

First and foremost, the use of false identification for the purpose of purchasing alcohol is a criminal offense. The penalty for doing so (first offense), as outlined by the Vermont Department of Liquor Control, is a $300 fine, a mandatory 90-day suspension of one's driver's license and completion of an alcohol awareness program (not a $50 fine as stated in Merriman's article).

However, the penalty incurred by the minor is minor compared to what the establishment suffers if you are caught on their premises consuming alcohol with a fake ID. The first strike is generally a lofty fine ($500-$2000) imposed on the bartender and/or a day-long suspension of the establishment's liquor license - which can mean the loss of thousands of dollars. Ultimately, the liquor license can be revoked - which, in the case of our business, would mean certain bankruptcy for my family, up to two years in prison for myself as an owner and the loss of employment for our 40 employees.

So, while falsifying one's age and/or identity may be a calculated risk for some under the age of 21, please remember that in doing so you are putting our livelihood in jeopardy. Minors, it seems, rarely consider the dangers they are putting establishments in when they attempt to purchase alcohol with a fake ID - which is reflected by the single-sidedness of Merriman's article. This risk, it would appear, is the true unexpected consequence of underage drinking.

Two Brothers Tavern enjoys a wonderful relationship with Middlebury College, its students and their families. We appreciate your business and hope that you will respect our establishment and the laws that we have been entrusted to uphold. Next time, please consider the magnitude of your actions before deciding to try to 'score' a drink with a fake ID. While it's fun for you, it is not a game for us.

Sincerely,

Holmes Jacobs, Proprietor
Two Brothers Tavern



To the Editor:

After attending the opening night of the new Angela's Bar, which apparently has changed its name to the Two Brothers Lounge, one cannot help but make comparisons. As I strolled in with a crew of eight, we were immediately faced with a 400-pound bouncer sporting a leather trench coat, a full goatee with connecting sideburns and a shaved head. If this wasn't intimidating enough, the girthy man felt compelled to pace back and forth for the duration of the night. Talk about a buzz kill. Though initially taken aback, I was then moderately impressed by both the ambiance and the décor. With an 88-person capacity and a doorman with a keen eye, I felt as if I were in a roomy senior lounge that could have been annexed to the library. There were brown leather couches, mahogany trim on four walls and lighting fit for a classy piano bar. I am now more likely to use this space as a study lounge rather than a raunchy Thursday night dance venue where you could get funky to 2 Live Crew.

The functionality of the space was greatly improved after rearranging the order of key areas of congregation: the bar, the island and the pool table. The bar has intelligently been moved to the opposite side of the entrance, maximizing flow of traffic. This has left plenty of room between the watering hole and the drink island whereas they were previously pressed up against one another leaving enough distance for a two-person line. The pool table was cleverly placed in the corner, allowing for less abrasive interaction between the locals and the heavily intoxicated students. All of us faithful patrons witnessed our fair share of near brawls. After all of these well thought out improvements in floor planning, however, their common sense failed them after deciding to put the dartboards over the coat racks. Sheer stupidity or a simple oversight? I'll leave that one up to you. I'm curious to see the confusion of the regular Thursday night crowd once they discover the absence of a true dance floor, the cornerstone of past debauchery. Rather than further watering down the already questionable Middlebury social scene, I have hopes that this detail will be overlooked.

Sincerely,

Nate Shreve '08


To the Editor:

The CEO takeover of our nation flourished during the Clinton and Bush administrations. It wasn't just the well-worn ruts through the White House and through Congress. Please remember, those very fertile issuances of stock options that propelled big political donations that propelled more issuances and more donations, etc. It spread like wildfire from a few corporations, as compensation-substitutes, to thousands of other corporation executives. Shareowners not receiving the issuances, the general population, pensioners, investors, consumers, and others are still footing their bill. The market is left with a Jell-O-like foundation.

Only voters, transcending political party affiliation this year, can elect a president and members of Congress who can get us out of the ruts.

Sincerely,

John Bauer
Martinez, Cal.


To the Editor:

It is reassuring to note the item about classical music performance by your own music community. As an alum, I hope that at some point Middlebury's classical music performances will become archived with those from around all of New England at www.cvNewEng.org, Classical Voice of New England (CVNewEng), Inc. It is a new non-profit cast in the style of San Francisco Classical Voice that inspired Classical Voice of North Carolina, my former employer, www.cvnc.org. At some point, I hope someone will be assigned to review classical music at Middlebury for Classical Voice of New England, Inc. Apparently, I have been knocking at the wrong doors in order to get the concerts posted at www.cvNewEng.org, for which I am a music critic. This online classical music journal is, in its halting infancy, being manned by five volunteers to show its potential.

Readers of this letter may want to volunteer to send writing samples when funded and appropriate for CVNewEng to begin to hire independent contractors who are free-lance writers. Other readers may move on to the Support Us page and see how to, via the fiscal agent Granite State Opera, Inc. David Perkins of "The Boston Globe" is allowing CVNewEng to repost his Greater Boston reviews at no charge, so count him as one of the volunteers when you check out the website. Student interns in journalism may be interested in working with this organization.

Sincerely,

Mary Elizabeth Nordstrom
Kennebunk, ME