Wednesday, November 21, 2018

Alcohol Sales in Pineville??? Part 2

On December 8 the citizens of Pineville will decide the future of alcohol sales in the corporate limits of Pineville, courtesy of two out-of-town corporations (Walmart and Super 1) and a Texas consulting group (Texas Petition Strategies) that does this for a living.

Back on July 22 I shared right here in this blog about an effort by the "big box" stores to promote a petition to put alcohol sales on the ballot. In my opinion their tactics were very deceptive, and I explained that in that post. However, ultimately they were successful because they got just enough signatures to force a vote.

In a nutshell, they made it sound like if you signed the petition the only thing on the ballot would be alcohol sales in grocery stores. The reality is that the December 8 election will actually have 5 different options on the ballot, including options that would allow for bars, strip clubs, drive-through daiquiri shops, and alcohol sales in convenience stores, gas stations, and even drive-through "beer barns." Most who signed the petition had no idea how many options would be on the ballot - they simply thought they'd be voting on grocery store sales.

Having said that, my goal here is not to tell you how to vote. I simply want to help demystify the 5 options, and tell you in plan language what each option would allow.

Let's start with the actual language that will be on the ballot regarding the 5 options, or "Propositions" as they are officially called, and I will bold the key phrases. Remember, Pineville citizens, you will vote Yes or No on each one.)
  • Proposition 1: Shall the sale of beverages of alcoholic content containing not more than six percent alcohol by volume be permitted by package only and not for consumption on the premises in the City of Pineville, State of Louisiana?
  • Proposition 2: Shall the sale of beverages of alcoholic content containing not more than six percent alcohol by volume for consumption on the premises be permitted in the City of Pineville, State of Louisiana?
  • Proposition 3: Shall the sale of beverage alcohol containing one-half of one percent alcohol by volume and above for consumption on the premises be permitted in the City of Pineville, State of Louisiana?
  • Proposition 4: Shall the sale of beverages of alcoholic content containing one-half of one percent alcohol by volume and above by the package only and not for consumption on the premises be permitted in the City of Pineville, State of Louisiana?
  • Proposition 5: Shall the sale of beverages of high and low alcoholic content be permitted only on the premises of restaurant establishments which have been issued an "R" permit as defined by law in the City of Pineville, State of Louisiana?
    (This language comes from LA Revised Statute 26:588.)
There are several important terms being used in the legal language, and here's my attempt at a simpler explanation:
  • "no more than six percent alcohol" - this language is found in Props 1 and 2 and reflects the sales of "low alcohol" beverages, i.e., beer, wine coolers, etc. This is currently what is available in Ward 9 outside the city limits of Pineville - for example, along Highways 28E and 107.
  • "containing one-half of one percent alcohol by volume and above" - this language is found in Props 3 and 4 and reflects the sales of ANY alcoholic beverage, no matter the percentage of alcohol contained.
  • "by package only and not for consumption on the premises" - this language is found in Props 1 and 4 and allows the sale of packaged alcohol at retail locations in sealed containers not to be consumed on the premises. Examples would be liquor stores, grocery stores, drug stores, gas stations/convenience stores, beer barns, drive-through daiquiri stores, etc..
  • "for consumption on the premises" - this language is found in Props 2 and 3 and allows the sale of prepared alcohol beverages in restaurants, bars, strip clubs, lounges, theaters, etc. because all of these sales are for the purposes of consuming them ON the premises where the sale occurs.
  • "only on the premises of restaurants" - this language is found in Prop 5 and is the current status in Pineville where alcohol is only available for sale in restaurants.
You can see the perplexity because there are 2 descriptions of the type of alcohol that can be sold (low alcohol content and any alcohol content), and 2 types of locations where alcohol could be sold (off premises and on premises). And they're all mixed up! Then you have Prop 5 which allows all alcohol in restaurants only! Now you see the confusion.

In an effort to simplify how all the various options terms and definitions, here is a small table that hopefully explains it better:

PACKAGE SALES
Grocery & Convenience Stores, Liquor Stores, Drug Stores, Beer Barns, Daiquiri Shops, Etc.
CONSUMPTION ON SITE
Restaurants, Lounges, Hotels, Bars, Private Clubs, Strip Clubs, Theaters, Etc.
LOW Alcohol Content Prop 1 Prop 2
ANY Alcohol Content Prop 4 Prop 3
(Prop 5 would only allow for alcohol to be sold in restaurants only without any of the expansions listed above.)

There you have it! It all boils down to what Pineville wants. So here's what you do:
  • If you want alcohol to be sold in grocery stores, drug stores, convenience stores, gas stations, stand-alone liquor stores, beer barns and drive-through daiquiri stores, etc, then vote YES on Props 1 and/or 4.
  • If you want alcohol to be sold in restaurants, bars, strip clubs, lounges, hotels, theaters, etc, then vote YES on Props 2 and/or 3.
  • If you want alcohol to be available in restaurants only, as it currently is, without any expansion of alcohol sales, then vote YES on Prop 5.
  • If you want alcohol freely available in every form, then vote YES on all 5 options.
  • If you don't want want alcohol to be sold in any form in Pineville, then vote NO on all 5 options.
On December 8 THE CHOICE IS YOURS! And don't forget the early voting is Nov 24-Dec 1 (excluding Sunday, Nov 25) which you can do at the Courthouse or at Kees Park Community Center! It's your decision. Choose well.


Sunday, November 11, 2018

Honor to Whom Honor is Due


(This column originally appeared in the Town Talk on Sunday, November 11, 2018.)

Honor to Whom Honor is Due

One hundred years ago today, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918,  the “war to end all wars” finally came to an end. “The Great War” mobilized over 70 million military personnel making it one of the largest wars in history. The following year President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation declaring the nation’s feelings about what the day meant to Americans. That was just the beginning of recognizing today, November 11, as a special day to honor our military veterans.

We honor our veterans for their service. Whether they were drafted or volunteered, they served us and our country, fulfilling their obligation with honorable service. For that we are grateful.

We also honor our veterans for their sacrifice. Many of us will never know the cost of their service. Boot camp alone is an incredible sacrifice! But long tours away from family, emotional hardship, physical danger, some were even wounded or injured – all of these are sacrifices that we honor.

We also honor our veterans for their love. Soldiers learn to love in a very unique way, a way that can best be summarized by what Jesus said in John 15:13. “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” We honor our veterans because they exhibit the greatest love of all – the willingness to lay down their life for their friend.

The word veteran is generally understood to describe a former member of the armed forces. However, it comes from the Latin word “veteranus” which simply means mature, experienced or old. I believe that by extension all Christians are called to be veterans in our service of Christ. We’re not to be “flash-in-the-pan” Christians or “one-hit-wonders” but rather to develop a life of consistency as we serve Jesus.

Jesus talked about this in Luke 9:62 when He said, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Jesus called us to keep looking forward, not looking back over our shoulder at what we’ve left behind. He tells us to fix our eyes ahead. You don’t become a veteran over-night. And you don’t become a veteran by fixating on your past. Once you’ve committed your life to Jesus it’s time to follow through.

And there are no guarantees that things will be easy. Sometimes people have mistakenly communicated the idea that when you accept Jesus life becomes a bed of roses. But the reality is that Christians enlist in a spiritual battle with unseen forces that war for our soul. Paul described this warfare in Ephesians 6:12-17 when he urged us to “take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day.” 

We can’t give up just because it gets tough. In 2 Tim 2:3 Paul urged young Timothy (and us) to “suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” And in Gal 6:9 he calls on us to “not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” So press through and don’t give up, Christian, because you, too, are called to be a veteran – a veteran follower of Jesus!

Today on this Veteran’s Day we pause to honor the veterans among us because it is proper to give honor to whom honor is due (Rom 13:7). Thank you for your service, your sacrifice, and your love. We are grateful for your example of setting others before self and pray that you will feel our appreciation and honor. And we never get tired of saying, “Thank you for your service!”