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Put a Cork in It
Wining children?
Under a new Maine law, wine tastings must be conducted in a manner that “precludes the possibility of observation by children,” a provision so broad that most shops are now afraid to offer their customers so much as a sip.
Beth Hudson, owner of Bachus House of Wine in Belgrade Lakes, is considering drawing blinds and installing draperies in her glass-fronted store, but she worries she might still violate the law. “If a door opened in such a way that a child walking by—and a child is defined as someone under 15—would be walking by and happened to glance in,” Hudson complained to the Maine Public Broadcasting Network, “they might be able to look into the store at that moment and see an adult with a glass of wine in their hand.” It’s perfectly legal, meanwhile, for that same child to witness unabashed wine consumption through the windows of restaurants, bars, hotels, and private homes in the Pine Tree State.
Even the law’s sponsor, state Rep. David Webster (D-Freeport), worries that it could have a chilling effect on local businesses. He blames overzealous public safety officials, however, rather than his own sloppy handiwork. Webster plans to introduce an amendment next year exempting small wine shops from his law.
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My only point is that if you take the Bible straight, as I'm sure many of Reasons readers do, you will see a lot of the Old Testament stuff as absolutely insane. Even some cursory knowledge of Hebrew and doing some mathematics and logic will tell you that you really won't get the full deal by just doing regular skill english reading for those books. In other words, there's more to the books of the Bible than most will ever grasp. I'm not concerned that Mr. Crumb will go to hell or anything crazy like that!
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