Before you edited in you public drunkenness save, I was going to bring that up. People pissing and vomiting in the street are just demonstrations of the freedom we love.I'd rather have no tickets for smoking OR drinking on the street. land of the free my ass.
although I can actually understand it more for smoking, at least smoking has secondhand smoke as a negative factor - what's drinking? oldschool puritan morality? drinking is a sin and nobody should see you do it in public? public drunkenness is fine, that can stay ticketed/illegal but open container for a legal adult is loads of bull. change my mind? I don't even drink except at home so no dog in this fight it just doesn't make sense to me.
So let me ask: what are the benefits, or value or other good things about drinking in public beyond "freedom"? Like you I am not a drinker, so it is not an important issue in my life.