‘Sorry, I’m Late,’ Evil Queen Speaks

Recently while appearing as a guest on a talk show, Lana Parrilla, who plays the evil queen on ABC’s “Once Upon a Time,” uttered a line she said won her the part. “Sorry, I’m late.” Expounding on the role, Parrilla added, “I’m here to kill you, I’m here to take away your happy ending,” said the actress.

Speaking in character, she might as well have been speaking to the residents of Farmington, where an effort is underway to legalize the sale of alcoholic beverages within the city limits. Information on postcards mailed by a group calling itself Growth for Farmington argues that lifting a ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages will do three things: pay for fire and police services, improve streets and create jobs in the city.

The reality is there is a flip- side to each of these purported benefits, not mentioned in literature circulated by the group. Common sense should tell us, that, by elevating alcoholic beverages to an available-on-demand status, calls for emergency services, including calls responded to by the Farmington Fire Department, Farmington Police Department and ambulance crews will increase. The likelihood of people driving the streets of Farmington under the influence of alcoholic beverages will increase. We should ask ourselves, “is that an improvement?”

The cost of doing business for retailers, which sell alcoholic beverages overthe-counter, will also go up. Their insurance policies will now have to account for potential liabilities should alcoholic beverages be sold to minors or those already intoxicated, and, as a result of those sales, crimes or injuries occur.

The caseload for crimes prosecuted by the city should also be projected to rise. A former deputy sheriff, who served 30 years on the force, once told me during his career he could count on one hand the number of people arrested, who were not under the influence of alcohol. Everybody else, who was arrested in his three decades of law enforcement, made poor decisions under the influence of alcoholic beverages.

Besides the obvious driving-under-the-influence and minor-in-possession violations, consumption of alcoholic beverages plays a role in violent crimes, including murder, assault, domestic violence and rape. Impulse crimes, such as shoplifting, will be prone to increase with more people under the influence of alcohol.

This past spring, supporters of legalizing the sale of alcoholic beverages within the city limits of Farmington were trying to gather signatures at a local business. When challenged by the fact a teacher in the neighboring city of Prairie Grove got into trouble for supplying teenagers with alcoholic beverages, they tried to downplay the issue.

“Oh, that will never happen in Farmington,” they said.

Let’s not kid ourselves. Adding alcoholic beverages to the equation will forever change the peaceful way of life enjoyed by so many in the community of Farmington. If only one life were to be lost or scarred, is that worth the convenience of having alcoholic beverages available on demand?

To paraphrase the words of the evil queen, the seducing spirit of alcohol speaks in mock apology, regretting that she wasn’t for sale yesterday on the streets of Farmington. “Sorry, I’m late.” Like the evil queen, alcohol will arrive on the scene cloaked in grand splendor, promising teenagers they will look cool with a drink in their hand, but never revealing its addictive, destructive capability.

If only, alcohol did contain a warning label.

“I’m here to kill you, I’m here to take away your happy ending.”

Because that doesn’t happen to everybody, people tend to think they won’t become a victim, yet, the actress has portrayed the fatal seduction accurately. Once upon a time, when alcoholic beverages were not for sale on the streets of Farmington….