Alabama State Representative: "Noah was a wino..."

[jswordy]

“Noah was a wino. How you gonna keep your children from being winos?” -- Alabama State Rep. Alvin Holmes of Montgomery.

The quote came during debate about legalizing home brewing and wine making in Alabama. The bill that passed the House would allow 100 gallons a year - half the amount allowed by U.S. law - and only in counties that permit sale of alcohol. Some Alabama counties are "dry" and alcohol sales are illegal. Currently, home brewing and winemaking in any amount is a felony in Alabama.

Where the bill is as of today: Two days left in the Senate session. The bill has passed out of committee. Under this version, people in wet counties can legally make 15 gallons every 3 months, 60 total for a year. Whether or not it comes up for a vote is iffy this late in the session. If it passes the Senate, it goes to the governor for his signature.

 

[Bartman]

Wow. That's nutty. Is the opposition to changing the existing prohibitions based on moral arguments against alcohol, business-motivated to protect retail sales, or the usual resistance to change of any kind?

 

[olusteebus]

I am pretty sure it is a "morals" issue. I understand that before it passed out of committee, there was a great deal of debate around the evils of alcohol. I am sure that debate came from the same group of coneheads who rushed to pass a much flawed immigration bill last year that put agriculture in a tailspin in Alabama.

 

[JohnT]

For the "Moral" arguement, I always ask "what was Jesus's first miracle?". It was turning water into wine.

Now, I'm no biblical scholar, but my understanding was that he was at a wedding, and they ran out of wine. Jesus then turned water into wine so that the wedding goers could continue having a good time. This is just my understanding, and I could be wrong.

As far as the vote to allow winemaking, just look at Blairsville Ga. They elected to go wet about a year ago by allowing for the sale of wine and beer. They were almost stunned when the world did not end for them.

In fact, crime and problems were greatly diminished. It turns out, by being dry, most poeple had to drive to the next county to get their beer or wine. Now that sales are allowed, there were far fewer accedents on the road.

The town also loves the added revenue they they now can collect (as opposed to it going to the next county).