Thanks Senator Volstead.

In my opinion there should be very little restrictions on its sale, purchase and or distribution.

Now before you color a picture of 12 year olds lining up on the corner for Mickey Mouse

margaritas,please let me explain. I just feel that this country is way to uptight about everything alcohol.

One example would be something a simple as cough syrup. For years I would purchase a bottle of that green miracle drug in the little squat bottle..You know.. Nyquil. This stuff is my go to drug when I have the slightest onset of cough or flu like symptoms. Well as you know it has a large percentage of alcohol that is probably the most effective ingredient. Well recently due to our social scrutiny of anything alcohol the precentages have been significantly lowered in a lot of these products. We have succumbed to a society of safety addicts and overtly controlling everything that has alcohol.

So why? Well sure alcohol is a true drug. It comes in various forms. My favorite form is in the shape of

a bottle of wine. And I do agree that certain limitations should apply toward all its applications.

I certainly agree in age limitations for purchase. But not consumption. I certainly agree that levels of

alcohol should be indicated on product packages and any other common sensical matters, however

I dont think we should control every aspect of purchase and distribution. This brings me to the title of

my blog our wonderful senator from Minnesota. Andrew Volstead. (1860-1947)

Yes you might have heard of him in something called the Volstead Act or better known as prohibition.

for nearly 15 years this country could forbid the sale and consumption of anything alcohol except for a handful of lucky catholic priest who were allowed to serve wine in communion services. This amendment to the constitution was a direct result of large groups of mostly women creating a cultural ideal that alcohol was the root of all evil and it must be banned. Im sure there were many alcohol addicts at the time and I am sure that many bad things happened because of alcohol but in my opinion banning alcohol was simply a band wagon of social redemption aroused by a collective idea to control. Its not that these Temperance movements did not have a true cause rather it was simply an ineffective route to strip our personal freedoms and create alcohol into the culprit of all that was bad. Can alcohol be misused? 100% yes, but so can sugar, so can coffee.To simply not allow it because of the perception that we cant control ourselves is a cop out and a power grab from senators and popular Temperance groups. Why not prohibit all guns? Its those bad guns that are killing everyone. The people just cant have those things..they are bad..

So anyway senator Volstead and his group of Temperance ladies were successful in banning us from the evil alcohol in 1919. It took 15 more years in 1933 to repeal the law,but I believe the damage was already pressed in stone. We created a cultural bias against alcohol that was long lasting and

still effects us today. Try to buy alcohol in a grocery store in Rhode Island..Cant do it. Try to buy alcohol on Sunday in Connecticut..Cant do it. Try to buy a bottle of Vodka from anywhere except a

special ABC store in North Carolina..Cant do it. Virtually every state has a shelf full of post prohibition laws that have been the ire of many of alcohol buyer. But to me its even bigger. The Volstead act created a semi permanent stigma associated with alcohol that simply is unwarranted.

In Europe and most of the world for that matter there has never been a broad control of alcohol.

They dont care much about your personal alcohol consumption as long as you pay the high taxes.

But I dont really want to compare.I just wanted to imply that because of an unfounded heretical movement in this country we still carry the alcohol is bad cross, and you must be controlled. This also includes the states desire to control its revenue.

So the next time you are in a dry county like Madison County in Florida,Barber county in Kansas,orGaines county in Texas. You can thank Senator Volstead. Cheers!