Saturday, February 26, 2005

Freedom?

It is Friday night. Went out for Mexican food. Had a few drinks and then we headed home. On the way home we stopped by the Best Western cocktail lounge to have a few drinks. It is Friday night and although there is no such thing as a weekend in my life it would still be nice to have a symbolic drink with the people that are winding down from their work weeks and preparing for the weekend. We get into the lounge. It is filled with middle age people that are laughing about their kids or their SUV's or what ever it is that middle age people laugh about. The guy stops us.
"Can I see your ID's", the kid asks us. I take out my ID and hand it over. He studies it way to long, like he is trying to penetrate my inner being. Turns out my drivers license is expired. It expired not two weeks ago and I have not had any time to walk the 12 blocks across town to renew it. I don't even have a fucking car, renewing my drivers license is the last thing on my mind. "I'm sorry but I can't serve you", the guy tells me.

Uh last time I checked I was a free American citizen. If my friends and I are coming to your place of business willing to fork out money for over priced drinks, the last thing you should do is turn away money. Am I missing something. I am 25 years old. I am required to prove my age to drink not prove that I have a valid drivers license. Who gives a shit if it expired. Here is a picture of me with an official proclamation of my date of birth underneath it. That is proof enough. Now I have to go down and renew my license. When will I even have a free afternoon to do that?

The thing that is scary to me is when our ID's become computer chips under the skin. Then they will control us completely. Freedom? Yeah right. I am going to go listen to some rage against the machine now.

No comments: