It has been referenced so often that it has become a cliché.
In the movie "Casablanca," Claude Rains' Capt. Renault character is closing down Rick Blaine's (Humphrey Bogart) cafe.
Rick: "How can you close me up? On what grounds?"
Renault: "I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here."
A croupier who hands Renault some money: "Your winnings, sir."
Renault: "Oh, thank you, very much. Everybody out at once!"
After a raid on three bars by state and local authorities Saturday night, everyone in charge of Oneonta's city government, its two universities and many of its tavern owners must have been "shocked, shocked" to learn that underage drinking is going on here.
In truth, much of Oneonta's economy depends upon students under the legal drinking age of 21 spending their money in downtown bars.
Certainly, Oneonta could not afford its current bus service without the ridership of thousands of students who make their way to downtown bars during the school year.
And, as we have been saying in this space for years, neither the city nor the State University College at Oneonta nor Hartwick College nor many bar owners have done anything other than to tacitly condone the underage drinking.
On Wednesday, the state Liquor Authority suspended the liquor licenses of the three Oneonta bars targeted in a multi-agency sting last weekend.
Pending an appeal, The Alley, Today's Lounge and The Upper Deck are no longer allowed to serve alcohol.
All three bars had been cited numerous times by the Liquor Authority in recent years for keeping disorderly premises and serving underage drinkers, among several other violations.
The argument can be made that the legal drinking age should be lowered to 18, but perhaps that might lead to 15- and 16-year-olds with phony identification being served in bars.
Also, it is beyond dispute that if students younger than 21 were denied access to the bars, they would be in a more-dangerous environment because more of them would party and drink in private apartments.
That said, to believe that The Alley, Today's Lounge and The Upper Deck are the only local establishments catering to underage drinkers stretches credulity.
The technology is available for bars to determine if an I.D. is valid. SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick can install draconian penalties for students arrested for underage drinking, and Oneonta police can do more-regular checks of who's in the bars.
Meanwhile, students who can't handle their liquor will continue to get rowdy as they make their way home, urinate where they please and commit minor acts of vandalism.
And, everyone is shocked, shocked, to learn that many of them are under the legal drinking age.
Opinion
Area 'shocked' at underage drinking? That's shocking
- Opinion
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In Memoriam
This message appears each Memorial Day weekend in The Daily Star.
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Letters to the Editor: May 26, 2012
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Letters to the Editor: May 25, 2012
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Facebook’s fizzle was no surprise
Facebook’s IPO last week was supposed to be a moment of triumph for the social network, but the event quickly devolved into an ugly tale of duplicity, hubris and greed, as the stock lost 18 percent of its value in the first two days of trading.
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Letters to the Editor: May 24, 2012
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Heegan must show vision for Chamber
In selecting Barbara Ann Heegan as its executive director last week, the Otsego County Chamber would seem to have chosen a safe rather than a bold path for its immediate future.
- Wednesday, May 23, 2012
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Letters to the Editor: May 23, 2012
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Can't have a third party without a candidate
What if they gave a party ... and nobody came?
- Tuesday, May 22, 2012
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Cheers
To Bike to Work Day, Cooperstown Quiz Team, Arts Field Day, the SUNY Delhi Centennial.
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Letters to the Editor: May 22, 2012
- Monday, May 21, 2012
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Letters to the Editor: May 21, 2012
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The world does move
To look at a newspaper from 1912, 1937, 1962 or 1987, it can seem as though positively everything has changed.
- Saturday, May 19, 2012
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Letters to the Editor: May 19, 2012
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Graduates, take acquired skills, set sail on job voyage
This weekend, many colleges and universities -- including SUNY Delhi and SUNY Oneonta -- will bestow degrees of various levels and types upon their students.
- Friday, May 18, 2012
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Letters to the Editor: May 18, 2012
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'Whale' failure shows how little has changed
One positive development resulting from JPMorgan's recent $2 billion trading blunder is increased scrutiny of the regulations put in place since 2008 to prevent a repeat of that year's financial collapse.
- Thursday, May 17, 2012
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Taxes spoke louder than sentiment in voting
It has become a virtually immutable fact of modern-day industry and politics. Given the choice between financial interest and sentiment, money always wins.
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Letters to the Editor: May 17, 2012
- Wednesday, May 16, 2012
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Letters to the Editor: May 16, 2012
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Gas companies need to play nice with residents
"You need to assure me that you are going to talk to the towns." This was Rep. Chris Gibson's plea to the gas companies that are seeking to lay natural gas pipelines through the local area.
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In Memoriam
