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Having to say no, again

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Another Sunday alcohol sales bill is up and running

There’re back and they are not going to take it anymore. Who are they? The chain grocery stores, convenience stores, beer and wine distributors, alcohol promoters, the tourism crowd, and all others who insist on having alcohol available 24/7 in every venue possible. With ready and welcoming government leaders in Georgia, soon it will be possible to buy packaged liquor on Sunday in our state when this bill passes and Governor Deal signs it. The proponents of this alcohol bill are trumpeting the surveys that have revealed many people want liquor available on Sunday. This bill will further the expansion of alcohol sales on Sunday and is a continuance of intrusion into the day of worship for the majority of the citizens of Georgia. In looking at this bill in the Georgia General Assembly, it is almost, in my opinion, a mockery of Sunday and Christians when the bill will set the hours of distribution of liquor to between 12:30 PM and 11:30 PM. Why those hours? If liquor is wanted so badly by the citizens of our state, why not open it to 24/7? Why just throw a little bone over the fence for the Christians to say, “Well, we have a small window in the morning on Sunday when we can feel safe.” For those who notice the outrage in my tone, you have picked up on a reality. We have dealt with this issue time and again, only to have the “liquored crowd” to keep coming back insisting they have their rights. We have seen the strategy of inch by inch, little by little; there is a continual encroachment upon a day kept by some of the citizens as a day of worship and not of revelry and party. To no avail, now we have elected leaders making statements indicating they are going to give the people what they want. As one lone citizen, I do not buy into what is being stated by some of the leaders under the Gold Dome. Law makers say they are personally against such a thing as more outlets and availability of alcohol, but it is a decision that needs to be left up to the local people. The well meaning sound of that statement rings hollow. With the fat pockets and big check books of the alcohol distributors partnered with the willing media to further secularize our culture, those of us who feel strongly about keeping at least part of one day safe with some limited access to alcohol, stand to lose another portion of what we have cherished in our society.

This action should come as no surprise because we started down this slope many years ago when people with family values and strong convictions concerning certain moral behavior were given the order to stand aside and let the world determine how we are to act. With the party life and celebrities setting the tone for our public actions, we are winding up exactly where we have been headed all these years. In a conversation with a reporter this last week concerning this issue, he agreed that this is just another step in the process of ultimately having alcohol available 24/7 in any venue the world determines where they want it to be available. His statement was; “It is all about the money, and what can be made on the liquor.” He admitted law enforcement, tax payers, and helping agencies like the church folks will have to foot the bill to assist families who are the victims of drunk drivers with no help from the distributors of alcohol. Management of the chain grocery stores are saying that their customers are asking for the ability to buy the liquor from their stores on Sunday and they are only passing on this request to the law makers. In jest, one friend said, “I guess the lemonade stands will be next to petition for a liquor license in order to answer the demands of the customers.”  That would be funny except for the fact that it is already available. We often see commercials for hard lemonade, with alcohol added, that is already being sold at liquor outlets.

From where I stand I realize many people will dismiss this column as just another rant from a social conservative that wants to keep people from having fun. With fifty years experience helping families who are victims of alcohol, I can assure you it is not fun for them or me.

Ray Newman: All Rights Reserved

Comments

  1. Planet ScottFebruary 3, 2011 at 8:21 AM

    You just don't understand the Constitution do you?

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownFebruary 3, 2011 at 8:23 AM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownFebruary 3, 2011 at 8:24 AM

    Ha! Mr. Newman seems to fear he and his flock will be forced to purchase the "demon rum" on their sabbath.

    To couch my argument in religious terms, temptation will always be present. If Christians outlawed everything that constitutes a sin according to their religion (which alcohol definitely does not, although divorce and working on the sabbath most certainly do!) then where is the temptation? What is moral behavior worth if it is enforced with the threat of incarceration? Is it not better to be tempted and to resist because of faith, rather than to resist out of fear of legal penalty? Furthermore, what of those of other faiths, or those who have none? They should no more be legally subject to a Baptist minister's idea of moral behavior than we should to a Jewish Rabbi's or a Muslim Imam's. I would certainly like to hear Minister Newman's opinion if a local Rabbi or Imam proposed banning the sale of pork during a holy day!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jason LeBlancFebruary 3, 2011 at 8:33 AM

    ^^^ Great comments.

    Mr Newman,

    There is more than Christianity in the world of religion, those so devout may not believe so, but the world has proven it over and over. Do not enforce your religion on me.

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownFebruary 3, 2011 at 8:40 AM

    Your argument fails in the following ways:

    1. You state that the law interferes with your Christian day of worship. Not everyone in the state is a Christian and, as such, needs not suffer due to your puritanical belief system, and it is their Constitutional right to be free from religion-based restrictions.

    2. While your statement that the majority of Georgians are Christians may be true, it is irrelevant for the reason stated above. Furthermore, not all Christian groups are opposed to alcohol. The Episcopalians, Lutherans, and Catholics are just a few very large groups who have no problem with consumption.

    3. You stated that you only have a few hours of the day to feel "safe" if alcohol sales begin in the afternoon. This implies that any time alcohol is available for sale you are in fear. Do you expect us to believe that you are in fear of alcohol-fueled heathens during the other six days of the week?

    4. No one is forcing you to purchase alcohol. You and your family and friends are perfectly free from abstaining from alcohol purchases and consumption on Sunday if that is your desire. It is just as much your Constitutional right not to purchase alcohol as it is my right to do so.

    5. You equate alcohol consumption with partying. This implies a belief that there is no middle ground between abstinence and over-consumption. Unfortunately for your argument, the majority of people practice moderation and may only want to relax with friends, not have a raucous party. You discount the middle ground for the extremes.

    6. You try to gain sympathy through your 50 years of experience in dealing with families victimized by alcohol. Were alcohol capable of victimizing people you would realize that it could just as easily do so on the other six days of the week, and an additional day of sales would have no material effect. Second, place responsibility in the hands of the consumer, not in the beverage. Alcohol doesn't victimize people, people victimize people.

    ReplyDelete
  6. thatduncanFebruary 3, 2011 at 9:01 AM

    And on the subject of morality and the dangers of addiction...

    Don't we still sell lottery tickets everywhere? Gambling, and specifically addiction to gambling, is a problem. If you want to outlaw Sunday sales of booze, you may as well go on and push to ban Sunday sales of Georgia Lottery tickets.

    And obesity is a national problem -- can we make fast food outlets close, too?

    ReplyDelete
  7. kaffeemitschlagFebruary 3, 2011 at 9:51 AM

    Since alcohol is readily sold in restaurants on Sundays, wouldn't allowing it in homes curb drunk driving? After all, one doesn't need to drive home from... home.

    Logic. God's gift to humans.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Planet ScottFebruary 3, 2011 at 10:07 AM

    Further, the overwhelming majority of the founding fathers were not religious. And those who were felt like the rest of the founding fathers in that government and religions should not co-mingle. Here we are...Nearly 250 years later and we are so far from that concept. If you are a true conservative, you should understand that making and enforcing laws regulating personal conduct violates the conservative mandate.

    You can't have it both ways. I promise you, I have no intentions or desires it interfere with your church life. Don't interfere with my non church life.

    ReplyDelete
  9. UnknownFebruary 3, 2011 at 10:53 AM

    With all due respect, Mr. Newman, your religious practices should have absolutely zero impact on my daily life. I am not a Christian, and I do not hold Sunday as a holy day. Therefor, there is absolutely no good reason why I cannot go out and buy a case of beer on Sunday.

    You and your like-minded fellows have absolutely every right to abstain from buying alcohol on Sunday, but your rights end where mine begin. You are advocating using religious doctrine as a basis for law, and I cannot support that.

    Your experience with helping families cope with alcohol abuse is definitely commendable, but I would like to remind you that prohibition is a failed policy that will never work.

    The current sunday sale ban encourages people who wish to drink to go out to a bar, where it is legal to buy alcohol on sundays, drink up, and then drive home.

    Those on the Georgia border with other states simply just cross over into Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, and South Carolina to buy. This law is only inconveniencing people who wish to buy packaged alcohol on one day of the week. It is serving no other purpose.

    Sunday sales are only prohibited in three states. The rest of the nation seems to be coping perfectly fine with selling packaged alcohol on Sunday. Nobody is forcing you to buy alcohol on Sundays, and you still have the freedom to keep Sunday holy for you and your family by abstaining. Why do you feel the need to push your morality onto others?

    ReplyDelete
  10. LauraFebruary 3, 2011 at 1:25 PM

    If you don't want to buy alcohol on Sunday, then don't. Not everyone who drinks has a problem. As someone who is not a Christian, I don't enjoy having your holy day thrust upon me in random ways.

    ReplyDelete
  11. AnonymousFebruary 3, 2011 at 2:53 PM

    Mr. Newman,
    So, public safety is your main concern? Why not ban alcohol sales 24/7 for the safety of the public? I can answer that for you. Because we already know that prohibition doesn't work. Prohibition would actually make us less safe. Much like the war on drugs makes us less safe than if drugs were decriminalized. You realize that people can go to bars and restaurants and purchase alcohol, now? Wouldn't it be safer to allow them to go to a store and buy it and drink it at home?

    ReplyDelete
  12. UnknownFebruary 7, 2011 at 9:18 AM

    Ray,
    Keep up the good work. The world doesn't get it and never will. You and I know that alcohol is a killer. We are the ones who have to bury the dead and help the innocent living victims cope. One day giving all of those who must clean up the mess of the alcohol industry a break is a good thing. It really is not so much a matter of religion as it is a matter of common sense. More alcohol sales means more alcohol death and destruction. It would not hurt anyone to take a day off and it might very well save a few lives. This is not customer driven, it is driven by the greed of the alcohol industry and the politicians they have bought.
    Tom

    ReplyDelete
  13. AnonymousFebruary 8, 2011 at 1:56 PM

    If you prefer to live in a Theocracy, there are several in the Middle East.

    Morality cannot be legislated, nor should it.

    Either we believe in liberty and free enterprise or we do not. If we do, we want smaller government and more personal responsibility. If we do not, we pass laws that restrict the freedoms of others.

    Your rights end where my begin, as my rights end where your begin.

    NOBODY has the right to drink and drive, because to do so infringes on others' safety and security. Please tell me how allowing people solely to purchase an otherwise legal product in any way infringes on your life, liberty, or property.

    ReplyDelete
  14. AnonymousFebruary 8, 2011 at 1:56 PM

    Either we believe in liberty and free enterprise or we do not. If we do, we want smaller government and more personal responsibility. If we do not, we pass laws that restrict the freedoms of others.

    Your rights end where my begin, as my rights end where your begin.

    NOBODY has the right to drink and drive, because to do so infringes on others' safety and security. Please tell me how allowing people solely to purchase an otherwise legal product in any way infringes on your life, liberty, or property.

    ReplyDelete

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