Get that Hser Nay Moo Story

[Media Clusterf**k] And so it begins.

In the 36 hours since South Salt Lake police arrested 21-year-old Esar Met on suspicion of murdering little Hser Nay Moo (right), the mainstream media have gone ape shit for even the tiniest shred of drama to tell this story.

It's no surprise, especially given the cultural complexities involved in covering the story. There's a language barrier, and the families involved are recent refugees from a distant and tumultuous country (Burma, now known as Myanmar). It's clear the members of both the victim's and the suspect's families know nothing about the U.S. legal system, so it's suddenly open season on these people beset by tragedy. Nobody is about to "lawyer up," that's for sure.

To wit, this latest piece of crap: Today's Deseret Morning News, KSL radio and Salt Lake Tribune all have sketchy comments from the murder suspect's mother, Ra He Mar. Having fled from Myanmar, then having finally gotten out of a Thai refugee camp where she lived for 18 years, the woman has been in the United States for two weeks. (Though the Trib is reporting one month.) Whatever. She's scarcely had time to get over jet lag. Ra He Mar can barely utter a word in English, was interviewed through a interpretor and has no grasp of the American legal system. And surprise: she says her son is a good boy. [Esar Met] "had never run afoul of the law before or displayed any behavior indicating he was capable of killing," according to the Tribune's account from his mother.

Well, it's all done because by damn, some editor at a desk decided you need to know. Does this kind of media scramble strike anyone else as fairly cannibalistic? (Holly Mullen)

Take South Salt Lake Taverns Off the Endangered Species List

[Bars] This Wednesday night the South Salt Lake City council will apparently be looking into dropping the cap for tavern licenses even further from the existing 15.

What I don't understand is, why they are not proud of the distinctive mecca of dive bars that their neck of the woods is famous for?

It seems to me discriminatory, not for drinkers in general, but for dive bar aficionados. Why are city councils playing favorites to skankzoo party clubs. Believe me, these establishments are the ones you're gonna want to worry about, not taverns.

I remember the first time I stopped by Henry's Inn on 2645 S. State, it was after a class and they advertised free pool on Tuesday nights. I stopped in and was a bit hungry as well and the barkeep had a sign advertising $1 bratwurst sandwiches.

Daring as I am, I took him up on the offer and he reached into a little vat of dogs in the back, shook the juice off of it and dropped it on a plate on top of a single piece of white bread. "Want any mustard?" He asked.

I did, and to be honest it was the best $1 bratwurst sandwich I've ever had. As surely the flavor was enhanced not just by the bargain price but also by the great character exuding from the cozily dank neon-lit cave of a drinking establishment.

You can't buy that kind of character when it comes to a watering hole, and you sure as shit shouldn't be trying to legislate em' out of existence either. But seriously, taverns are not what you should be worrying about if you are gonna discriminate, please really watch the mess that comes spilling out of some of these dance clubs at 1 in the morning. After bartending at one such establishment for over a year let me assure you these are the kinds of places you need to worry about. (Eric S. Peterson)