> A brief history of Prohibition in the United States by someone who didn't pay that much
> attention in history class, but has seen _The Untouchables_ a few times: In the 1920's, the
> government thought alcohol was bad so they amended the US Constitution to say America is a
> no-drinking zone. This didn't work as everyone drank anyway, just in secret bars called
> "speakeasies". The cops would raid a Speakeasy, but most of them (the cops)were on Al Capone's
> payroll. Eventually, Kevin Costner wound up pushing Billy Drago, who also played John Bly in
> "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.", off a roof. Prohibition was repealed and people were
> able to booze it up in the streets. Here ends the history lesion. [sic]


An interesting feature of Prohibition was that supplying alcohol was illegal, but buying the stuff wasn't. This meant that whenever a speakeasy was raided the guy running the joint was arrested, but all the people paying him to break the law got to go on home (or to the other speakeasy down the street, where they paid some other guy to break the law instead).


Talking about Prohibition always reminds me of something, but I can never quite remember what...

Paul