Convenience verses Conviction

One of the many traditions passed down by the early American settlers was that alcohol is the “good gift of God” to be used and enjoyed by all, including small children. But this tradition quickly faded and Prohibition took its place by claiming alcohol was the cause for all poverty, crime, and violence in existence.

These ideas of the past have made many today still fearful and hostile toward alcohol beverages. Laws which govern who drinks and when is not a result of science, logic, or evidence, but from a continuing tug-of-war between those who wish to use alcohol beverages and those who don’t want them to.

Recently an editorial in the Atlanta Journal, by columnist, Cynthia Tucker, brought this controversial debate to the surface. She stated, “Because of the influence that religious conservatives wield over the Georgia General Assembly, most observers believe there’s little hope this year for a proposal allowing local communities to vote on Sunday sales of beer and wine by the bottle.”

In the editorial a recent poll of Georgians estimated an overall 58 percent in favor of allowing local communities to decide whether to let their stores sell beer and wine on Sundays.

Currently, Georgia is one of three states—others are Connecticut and Indiana—that still upholds the “Blue Laws” which does not allow alcohol to be sold. Many feel this is a violation of their First Amendment rights.

The first blue law in the American colonies was enacted in Virginia in 1617. It required church attendance and authorized the militia to force colonist to attend church services. The blue laws also protected Christian business owners from competition on their Sabbath by restricting the activities or sales of goods.

But in today’s society some say it is hypocritical to allow a restaurant or bar to serve a glass of wine when the liquor store nearby cannot sell it by the bottle. They argue also that someone drinking in a bar is more apt to drive drunk than someone having a private drink at home.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving takes no position on Sunday sales legislation. The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States said that in the past three years alone, 12 states have loosened their laws to permit the Sunday sale of liquor.

Jim Tudor, who heads the Georgia Association of Convenience Store Owners, said the issue is about local control. “People are wringing their hands as if alcohol is going to be flowing in the streets,” Tudor said. “But really its about giving local residents a choice about what they want.”

A Georgia legislator who spoke under the condition of anonymity suggested that the court may be the only option to fight this law:

“We’ve learned from the unpopularity of blue laws that very few people are in favor of the law. However, it’s not enough of an imposition that they take the energy to fight the law. The supporters, however, are rabid, and will withhold their vote, as a group, from any politician who endorses the end of blue laws.”

In the days ahead as the battle over “the bottle” brings heated debate from both sides of the issue, the new legislative session will work to keep all Georgia voters on their side.