Repeal Day!
75 years ago today one of the most moronic and unsuccessful attempts by the “Holier than thou” crowd was repealed. Celebrate today with a beer, a glass of wine, a whiskey or any adult beverage of your preference.
The 21st Amendment
Ratified December 5, 1933
Section 1. The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.
Section 2. The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or possession of the United States for delivery or use there in of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited.
Section 3. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by conventions in the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress.
Cheers!! In your face Women’s Christian Temperance Union.
December 7, 2007 at 8:01 pm
Off topic - but I just took delivery of the grinder and sausage stuffer attachment for my Kitchenaid. I may have to make the blue cheese burgers this weekend.
December 7, 2007 at 8:07 pm
On topic:
Found an Old Forester “Birthday Bourbon” - distilled 1993. Bottled 2006 @ 48% ETOH. Dark brown - close in color to Noah’s Mill. Sweet with vanilla/ apple aroma. Finish drops off quickly. Quite a nose and, IMHO a bit better that Rowan’s Creek but still nowhere near Noah’s Mill.
December 7, 2007 at 10:41 pm
Yes, definitely something worth celebrating.
December 7, 2007 at 10:57 pm
Yeah, whoop it up. Prohibition wasn’t repealed here in Oklahoma until April 7, 1959. I am having to make up for lost time. Just ignore the fact that I was born in upstate NY in 1965 and didn’t move to Oklahoma until 1996. Saying that I am playing catch-up sounds better than saying I am just getting drunk.
December 10, 2007 at 1:40 pm
Thank’s George I’ll see if I can track it down.
Time to get back to blogging here soon. Chaos is still rampant but somewhat coming under control.
December 21, 2007 at 10:19 am
Hell how did I miss such an important anniversary?
I’ve now got it as a recurring event in my Outlook so it don’t happen again. It still don’t get rid of some of them dry county ordinances that ruin the lives of so many good drinkin folks.
December 31, 2007 at 2:14 am
From the Algonquin Hotel at 44th between 5th and 6th - Miguel is stocking Noah’s Mill for New Years. I had Johnny Walker Blue (OK, I’m a latecomer at 51 - very nice stuff) and) attending the 50 couple NY celebration we WILL have Noah’s Mill for us at the “open bar” at 8:00 pm - Rev - you have converted my favorite little NYC hotel.
Happy New Year, all.
February 16, 2008 at 2:50 am
Alcohol serves no purpose and brings so much misery.
February 16, 2008 at 12:31 pm
My vote for the moronic comment of the day.
February 16, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Ok then, what purpose does alcohol have? What good does it do? Can you honestly say the good outweighs the bad?
February 16, 2008 at 4:36 pm
“What purpose does it have?”
Does everything have to have a purpose? It is an enjoyable product that has been a apart of most cultures since the begining of civilization. It provides pleasure for many, it can be a craft product that can be the expression of artisans and it can be just a simple thing that people consume when gathering with friends. Purpose? Another product for peopel to enjoy.
Do you have a problem with gourmet food? Why not everyone just plain oats and fruits? What is the purpose of different kinds of food?
Please.
Yes it can and is abused, but so can many other things, food, drugs, fast cars, tv, religion, etc.. Would you like to ban all things that have the posibility of being abused?
“Does the good outweighs the bad?”
Do you view everything in this world through such black and white glasses?
Seems like a pretty myopic and self centered view of the world to me.
You seem to have an agenda? What is it? Is your hate of alcohol driven by your religion, by past experiences, by what?
If you have such a problem with alcohol, by all means don’t drink. Personally I think I’ll have a beer and finish watching this basketball game.
February 18, 2008 at 8:56 pm
That’s fine. Of course you’re free to do whatever you want.
And yes, some things HAVE to be seen in black and white. If alcohol serves no purpose, is meant only for enjoyment, and has the potential to do so much harm, I wouldn’t go near it. Given the power, I’d ban it too.
If you consider Marijuana for instance. It arguably gives more pleasure than Alcohol. It’s less harmful. And it is illegal. Why? Because Marijuana, unlike beer and other alcohols, is much harder to tax. It’s all about the mighty dollar in the end.
Hard drugs such as Heroine and cocaine are also expensive and difficult to make but their effects are so strong that they would cost governments more in health-care than it would make in taxes.
In the end, you’re free to have a beer. I have a lot of friends that drink and they know my view about alcohol. The statement that “Alcohol serves no purpose and brings so much misery” still stands. Personal enjoyment isn’t enough of a reason to justify something harmful. And you can call me moronic as much as you want “Rev”, personally I don’t result to name calling.
February 19, 2008 at 9:47 am
Great. Don’t drink then. However, you saying you think no one should (”Given the power, I’d ban it too.”) is a telling statement on your view on personal freedom. I’m all for legalizing marijuana. I think it is ridiculous that it is illegal.
I’d have to have some facts for me to accept your unsupported statement that “Hard drugs such as Heroine and cocaine are also expensive and difficult to make but their effects are so strong that they would cost governments more in health-care than it would make in taxes.”
So do you think Video games should be banned? Should fatty foods be banned? Should pornography be banned? Should books that don’t say what you like be banned?
I didn’t call you moronic, I called that comment moronic. And I stand by that.
February 19, 2008 at 9:48 am
Why do you put Rev. in quotes? Is that some weak attempt at some sort of attack?
February 19, 2008 at 10:15 am
Osama,
I notice you never addressed the Rev’s point about so many things serving no purpose except enjoyment. Please address that. Take sex for instance. It can be done for procreation, but unless you’re about to say that even married couples should only have sex in order to get pregnant, you are being hypocritical.
Also, alcohol has been shown to have many positive health benefits. The scientific literature is full of studies showing that moderate alcohol consumption is actually very good for you.
Be honest. You wish to ban all alcohol because you have a religious objection to it, not because you have an objective position it is harmful.
February 19, 2008 at 9:14 pm
Rev: The quotations weren’t meant as an attack. I just wasn’t sure if you are in fact a Reverend or if it was a nickname meant sarcastically.
Butch: The only time sex is harmful to someone other than willful participants is during rape. Even if the rapist enjoys it, you can agree that sex is not ok in this situation (if rape can even be considered a form of sex at all). STD’s are harmful but generally only to participants (with rare exceptions) so unless you know you have an STD and you keep it from your partner, you’re not doing wrong.
As for banning other things, Video Games shouldn’t be banned, no. In their present form, they are rated and it’s the responsibility of the parents to control their children’s gaming habits.
For Fatty Foods, it’s the responsibility of the person eating/shopping for the foods to take a pro-active stance.
Pornography is a tame form of prostitution (paying to see sex instead of having it) so if you believe prostitution is ok, then pornography is as well. If not, then you decide where to draw the line. Some places allow it and others don’t. Personally I’d ban it. There’s more bad than good in it and the lure of it is too strong with the rise of the internet. But I see how that would be an unpopular decision.
Books should never be banned unless the information in them is hateful and hurtful (which is the basis of banning books in most of the world as I understand it). I personally wouldn’t even ban those either. Books are books, if you don’t like it, don’t read it.
Alcohol consumption caused the death of a dear friend of mine in a tragic car accident. He wasn’t even the one drinking. If Alcohol was prohibited, he’d still be alive today. My wife’s Grandfather was an alcoholic who took his own life. I know countless others who drink and drive on the regular and laugh about it later at work. Alcohol is different, you can harm someone else by your actions far too easily, and in that, the bad far outways the good. The little good that does come out of alcohol can be had from substitutes. Red wine is good for your heart but it’s actually the red pigmentation in the wine that’s beneficial and this can be had from non-alcoholised red wine just as easily for example.
I never made my faith a secret, but there are other things about my faith that I believe are private and that I wouldn’t enforce on others given the chance/power. Alcohol isn’t one of them.
Still, I think you for at least keeping the conversation civil. Whenever this topic comes up with people I don’t know personally, it almost always comes to flaming and name-calling, at which point I simply stop reading/replying.
I didn’t expect to change your minds anyway, just voicing my view. Isn’t that what Web 2.0 is for anyway?