If you support George Bush, knowing what is going on Middle East, after learning that Pentagon is projecting occupation for five to ten more years, with Iran next attack on Bush’s drawing board, and more casualties occurring regularly, stop pretending to care. Forget twenty year old boys with ghastly head wounds I was with yesterday at Veteran’s Affairs Hospital. Bush has made it easy to forget them -- he won’t even let anyone grieve over their caskets. Out of sight really is out of mind for people who perceive our boys and girls as a resource -- while Bush is orchestrating yet another cut in V A budget. If you like what Bush is doing to America and its growing number of peasants whose children can only find work by taking King‘s shilling, you are either part of problem or so naïve you cannot find your way through thickets of propaganda used to trick you into abandoning Republic, into sacrificing lives of many Americans and Iraqis alike. You really deserve him as your tyrant.

It inadvertently banned potlucks at churches and other nonprofits. Why, Indiana can’t have those dangerous church ladies making gooseberry pies or corn pudding or potato salad without state approval, even if grieving families openly appreciated having a nice meal after funerals.

Oops.

Back to HB 1057.

Like other alcohol laws, it clearly will have some bizarre inconsistencies. Under current liquor laws, you can’t buy carry-out non-alcoholic beer on Sundays, even though you can’t get even a minor buzz off it, yet you can buy all 50-proof Nyquil you want. Or 28.6-proof Scope. Or 70-proof vanilla extract. (For comparison, domestic beers are 10-14 proof and domestic wines are 24-28 proof.)

I don’t want blue laws to ban such purchases. But this shows how current laws don’t make sense.

Surely harmless non-alcoholic beer will be part of this bill because, jeepers, a police officer looking from a distance can’t tell a green O’Doul’s bottle from a green Becks bottle.

Why don’t they go all way with law? If you have an open Scope bottle, you’re toast. Better keep that vanilla in trunk. And no tolerance for a cup of orange juice, either. If orange juice in your refrigerator was opened three days ago, it has more alcohol than a bottle of O’Doul’s.

This bill would punish recyclers, who reduce load on our landfills, pick up litter and support nonprofits, such as Muncie animal shelter.

Collectors hauling their goods to flea market could face fines for cans and bottles that have been empty so long that drinker has been dead for decades. Caterers (or parents of bride and groom) would not be able to choose where in van to put half-used bottles left from a wedding reception.

The problem isn’t with alcohol containers.

The first problem is unsafe drivers. (Ironically, drunk drivers will drive past police officers ticketing sober drivers.)

The other problem is with legislators who pass laws without thinking about consequences. Their judgment is clearly impaired. They’re ones who deserve a citation.