Stupid Government
There is a story in the Scene about abuse of power at the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission. If you are interested in members of our Government being too big for their britches, go read it and come back.We have gone through stupid state alcohol law discussions on this and other local Tennessee blogs before. Things like not being able to buy wine in a grocery store or on Sunday. Not being able to buy certain hard-to-find and boutique wines in the store, or by direct shipment. Not being able to buy beer at one of Tennessee's biggest boondoggles ever, the Bear Trace Golf Trail. Not being able to buy a wine opener or wine glasses at a liquor store.
But this story just goes too far. I know the people involved here. I know Ed Fryer, and I've met Melanie Armstrong, although she may or may not remember me. I met her at one of her tastings, and I found her to veery educated and good at what she does. I also know about many of the ridiculous bureaucratic hoops that have to be jumped through to host a wine tasting. The reason everyone has to jump through the hoops is not because they make sense, but because the ABC tells them to. So you do what they say, because they have the power to arrest you. And guns.
But the fact that they would use that power in this situation is frightening. To be arrested and have your car title seized because of botched paperwork for a singles' wine tasting at an established restaurant? That's out of control.
Every few years, there is an uproar about gutting our stupid alcohol laws. Every time, that uproar comes and goes. Sometimes a bill is introduced, and it just fizzles away. Because the people who have the power and money in the booze business,have all the power and money, and they ain't about to give it up. Even if it means a woman who tries to host an educational wine class at Cabana ends up going to jail.
That kind of shit really pisses me off. Concerning the next election that rolls around: I don't care if you're an atheistic communist sodomite, if you run on a gut-the-TABC platform, you've got my vote.
Throw the bums out, and let's throw a gin-soaked party on a Sunday.
posted by Nashville Knucklehead @ 2:08 PM
6 Comments:
Okay.
All for gin-soaked parties.
Amen.
You can buy wine in the grocery store in Ala-fucking-bama, for chrissake. When Alabama is the more progressive state you know you're living in a world of hurt.
Besides, I don't want to live in a world where I can't buy some Boone's Farm to accompany Sunday dinner. If loving Snow Creek Berry is wrong, I don't want to be right.
Knuck,
Ed is a friend of mine as well. His crew at the Wine Shoppe of Green Hills is second to none. Even though he knows that wine sales in a grocery story adds competition to him, he is still a strong believer in competition. I second everything you've said here. The liquor lobby in Tennessee needs to be broken.
"The liquor lobby in Tennessee needs to be broken."
Bob,
Run again. I'll be your first campaign volunteer.
I don't want to live in a state where hot babe/wine experts are hauled off to jail by jack-booted government stooges.
Unless, that jail is full of a lot of other hot babes. And Sybil Danning is the warden. Then I'm fine with it.
Also, it is acceptable in any Charlie's Angels episode.
I'm with you on the voting. My state senator is one of the biggest Bible-thumping boobs around. The last time a bill came up Just to allow counties to make their own decision on whether to allow beer sales on Sunday, he sent the bill to die in committee, so they could "study the market fairness of it".
He can fondle alter boys for all I care. I'm voting for whomever runs against him.
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