You'll take my coffee when ...

I try really hard not to be one of those "the government is out to get me" libertarians, but this is just a little beyond the pale. [Hat tip to The Agitator.]

City of Shaker Heights, OHIO - ( Jan 17, 2006 ) Following a health trend that appears to be brewing [pun intended, I'm sure] up all over the nation, Mayor Judith Rawson has signed a proclamation for the City of Shaker Heights that addresses the issues regarding caffeine intoxication and dependency.

In the proclamation the Mayor is "calling upon all Shaker Heights citizens, public and private institutions, business and schools to increase awareness and understanding of the consequences of caffeine consumption."

The proclamation also spells out many dangers of caffeine abuse such as heart disease, pancreas and bladder cancer, hypoglycemia, and central nervous system disorders. By getting the word out about the serious dangers of caffeine, Mayor Rawson hopes to prevent a substance that can "pose a significant hazard to health and longevity."

True the mayor doesn't seem to be trying to ban caffeine, but doesn't this just seem to be a little too nanny state? For one thing, the evidence on the "dangers" of caffeine seems to be mixed. As The Agitator points out, there is good evidence that caffeine may, in fact, be good for you. Okay, though, maybe this annual event really is just designed to make others aware of some potential adverse effects -- you know, just get the info out there and let people decide on their own. Well, I might have bought that until I saw this line about some of the ways this event has been celebrated in the past:

Prior years have seen ways of celebrating this event ranging from educational events in school to even picketing outside coffee houses.

Picketing coffee houses?!?! By the way, anyone else notice that these folks evidently are given access to schools? That bother anyone?

Of course skeptic that I am, I wonder if founder Marina Kushner's passion for this event is at all influenced by the fact that she has written a book on the dangers of caffeine and sells her own line of caffeine-free soy coffees.

Regardless of the movement's motivation, this just seems to be one of those cases where the government has no business meddling. Given that I choose to blog as St. Caffeine, I'm sure I'm not unbiased in my reaction either. Still, this seems silly and it just gives further ammunition to folks who fight any government regulation. "See," they'll say, "this is just like when the government tried to ban coffee." Final verdict from the Court of St. Caffeine: mayors should stick to local governance and ribbon cutting and not worry about how much coffee folks are drinking.