Sometimes the wonder that is the bureaucracy around licensing is a beauty to behold. Consider this sad tale from the latest session of the Chattanooga Beer Board:

Tonya Hacker appeared before the Chattanooga Beer Board on Thursday for approval of a beer permit for Rhapsody Café which she and her husband plan to open next month. Everything was moving along smoothly until she mentioned that the restaurant was in the same space as the former Bushwood Restaurant. A board member asked if Bushwood had surrendered the beer permit that they have for that location. Board Secretary Bertha Lawrence had no record of the permit being surrendered. Board Attorney Ken Fritz told Ms. Hacker there cannot be two permits issued for one location. The former tenant must be contacted and the permit must be forfeited before she can receive a permit for her restaurant...The board told Ms. Hacker she would be able to complete her transaction for a beer permit with the City Treasurer’s Office whenever Mr. Dill surrenders the permit for Bushwood and would not have to come before the board again.

Fantastic! Splendid even!!! The building is empty, the former tenant business long gone, the prospective business owner is asking to be allowed to operate and everyone gets to sit on their hands until someone can find the frikkin' piece of paper rather than revoking it on the spot. You see, if a court wants to revoke your driver's license, the judge is not hand tied if the criminal still has it in his wallet. And if your pooch bites someone, waving around the paper won't stop the dog catcher from taking it to the pound. That is the way it works. But not in Tennessee.

I do so love the beer boards of Tennessee. The bestest tribunals there are.