It's Time GA Came Out of the 18th Century Blue Laws

Those morons under the GA Gold Dome are at it again. They have buried the bill that would allow the local community to decide to offer Sunday package sales by sending it on at the last possible minute, effectively giving it little time for consideration. As the OnlineAthens article said: That failure should prompt a majority of Georgia voters to carefully consider whether those lawmakers deserve re-election later this year.

Let's go back 400 years. It's Sunday. And you're in trouble. Lots of trouble. You see, back, then there were all sorts of religious rules that were passed as laws designed to make people be moral & upright. These "Blue Laws" prescribed all sorts of penalties for Sunday Crimes & Misdemeanors. Everything from whippings, to public stocks in the courthouse square, to burnt tongues, to severed ears. All of those were punishments for such High Crimes as missing church, playing cards or shuffleboard, sweeping the floor, cutting hair, or even having any alcohol --- on Sunday.

Yes sirrrreeeee. They may live like a heathen Monday through Saturday, but you better believe we'll have 'em sitting on the church pews Sunday AM singing [i]Amazing Grace[/i] with the rest of the God-fearing crowd. Amen & amen & amen!

Horse feathers.

Since then most of these legal bans have gone the way of the Scarlet Letter, but not all. That's right. You still can't buy package alcohol on Sundays GA.

Lord, do we need Cotton Mather to run for governor now?

Critics of mine will say that I am calling for the Sunday to be like any other day. Well, for once, the critics are right.

So let's go into the arguments:

1) People need a day where they don't drink. Answer: it ain't any of your business if someone drinks or not.

2) We don't want people coming to church drunk. Answer: you're kidding, right? Like they will come anyway? You had rather they come in with a humongous hangover from the night before? Sure. Pass the plate on that one, Rev. Robert Tilman.

3) Sunday is the Lord's Day. Answer: right! That means it ain't yours so let others chose for themselves.

4) Hmmmm. I can't think of any more.

Now look. Jesus is Lord everyday of the week, not just on Sunday. So that "Holy Day of the Week" stuff went out when the temple curtain was split. Read The Letter to the Hebrews. There is now a perfect rest for the people of God & it is not on a day of the week but in the Person of Christ everyday of the week, not just on the Sabbath. Wait . . . Sunday ain't the Sabbath anyway. But I know some of you won't let simple facts get in the way of a Good Righteous Cause.

So if there are no alcohol sales on Sunday, but a church uses real wine in the Communion Cup (like =every= church did until Dr Welch packaged non-fermenting grape juice in 1893) . . .? Sounds hypocritical to me. And you refuse to work on Sunday but you'll go out to eat & pay someone to work for you? We have a word for paying someone to do your sinning --- it's called prostitution.

For those believers out there who don't worship on Sunday, I apologize for this insane law. For you non-Christians out there, I apologize for this gross infringement on your rights. For those who, as a matter of conscience, see nothing wrong with drinking in moderation but are prohibited from buying a bottle of wine on Sunday, I apologize for the zeal of others that constrains you.

Yes, Jesus drank wine but if He comes to GA, on a Sunday, we have outlawed Him from buying a bottle of wine for His meal. This is not Guinness vs. God, but a time to stop the religious zeal that infringes on the rights of others.

It is time to repeal the Sunday prohibition against alcohol sales.

Send the legislators an email & at tell 'em to let the local communities decide.

Glenn Richardson -- grichardson@vtrc-law.com
Bill Heath -- billheath@billheath.net
Howard Maxwell -- hmaxwell@legis.state.ga.us
Bill Hamrick -- bill.hamrick@senate.ga.gov

Some Days are Better Spent in Front of the TV

And this has been a whole week of 'em.

Really, I'm just tired.

Last weekend we buried my wife's grandmother, one of the sweetest ladies I've ever had the chance to know. Then I got the court summons to testify in a child abuse case (I hope those kids get out of that Hades they've had to put up with.) Left for NY on Wednesday, only to miss my flight due to a full parking lot at the Atlanta airport & a 30 minute security wait.

I should have gotten some things finished while in NY but I just didn't. Sleep was sooo good --- & I normally don't sleep well the first night on the road. This time, I slept like a dead car in the middle of the interstate both nights.

Getting back was a Methodist, though. Flight was delayed 4 times in Newark. If there is such a thing as Purgatory, Newark, NJ, is as close as we'll ever see on this side of eternity. Just yuck.

Finally get back to Atlanta only to find snow flurries & two soccer games canceled (my 10 year old Pele is twice the player of my oldest, who was twice the player I was at that age.) That means no soccer games. It also means I got all kinds of work done around the house & no relaxation.

To top it all off, I lost an hour sleep.

I have to get up & get going in 7 hours. Does this rat race =ever= slow down?