Influential Figures We Lost in April 2022-- Part 5: Harris, Gottfried, Hatch, Mower and Judd

APRIL

ESTELLE HARRIS, 93

**  She hollered her way into TV history as George Costanza's short-fused ,other on "Seinfeld" and voiced Mrs. Potato Head in the "Toy Story" franchise.  Died April 2.

Serenity Now!!

GILBERT GOTTFRIED, 67

**  Actor and legendary standup comic known for his scorched voice and crude jokes.  Died April 12.

ORRIN HATCH, 88

**  The longest-serving Republican senator in history who was a fixture in Utah politics for more than four decades.  Died April 23.

DR. MORTON MOWER, 89

**  A former Maryland-based cardiologist who helped invent and automatic implantable defibrillator that helped countless heart patients live longer and healthier.  Died April 25.

NAOMI JUDD, 76

**   Her family harmonies with daughter Wynonna turned them into the Grammy-winning country stars, the Judds.  Died April 30.

Loved their songs.

Prohibition Hangover-- Part 8: A Mistake?

In March 1933, soon after taking office, Roosevelt signed a law legalizing the sale of wine and 3.2% beer.  Congress also proposed a 21st Amendment that would repeal the 18th Amendment.  Prohibition formally ended that December, when Utah provided the final vote needed to ratify the new amendment.

One of the pitiest summaries of Prohibition came earlier -- a scathing assessment from journalist H.L. Mencken in 1925.

Five years of Prohibition (at the time) "completely disposed of all the favorite arguments of the Prohibitionists," he wrote, "There is not less crime, but more.  There is not less insanity, but more.  The cost of government is not smaller, but vastly greater.  Respect for the law has not increased, but diminshed."

Prohibition's centennial comes as the United States is incrementally ending the criminalization of marijuana.  Recreational use of pot is now legal in 11 states.  More than 30 allow its use for medical purposes.

Marijuana remains illegal under federal laws, but Ethan Nadelmann, founder of the pro-legalization Drug Policy Alliance, believes most Americans now view the anti-marijuana crusades of America's "War on drugs" as misguided in ways that evoke Prohibition.

Even some of the older generation are saying, "We went too far.  That was a mistake," he said.

--CootPro