Free Republic

MUNICH, Germany - With the traditional cry of "O'zapft is!" — "It's tapped!" — Munich's mayor cracked a barrel of Bavarian beer at noon Saturday, opening the southern city's 171st Oktoberfest festival for a crowd of some 500,000. Dressed in Bavarian knee-length leather pants, or lederhosen, Christian Ude wished the crowd a "peaceful Oktoberfest" before a thundering 12-gun salute signaled the 16-day festival's opening. Bavarian Gov. Edmund Stoiber was given the first mug and took an obligatory swig before switching to an alcohol-free version. The world's biggest beer-drinking festival is always a huge tourist draw, and some 6 million visitors...