Wake Up Libertarians, a Government Sometimes Gets It Right!

Within the conservative movement there is an ongoing war between the Conservatives, closet monarchists all of us, who secretly believe that the King — meaning the Government — can do no wrong, with the Libertarians, who noisily believe that the King can do no right.

The Government gets it wrong so often that it is daunting to keep up Conservative morale. Still, as the Mad Monarchist says:

“Sanity is for the weak.”
It therefore it was noted with pleasure that the legislature of the great state of Alabama, in 2004, officially adopted Whiskey as the state's official drink. Now, as it happens, according to Netstate.com only 29 states even have official drinks. And, likely due to the Nearly Omnipotent Secret Dairy Lobby most have chosen milk. (Yes, it is the Dairy Lobby, not the Freemasons, nor the Vatican, nor Stephen Colbert, nor even George Soros, and certainly not the US government, that calls the shots. Now you know.)

One almost weeps with joy at the pure aptness of Indiana's judgment in choosing… water. (Anything else potentially would have been dangerously controversial to the excruciatingly polite Hoosier.) And one can but stand in quiet wonder as to how tomato juice prevailed in Ohio, Kool-aid in Nebraska (which hedged this risky bet by also picking … milk), and Moxie® in Maine.

No State, however, can compare with Alabama. Alabama proved the only state with sufficient integrity to choose… Whiskey….

Conecuh Ridge Alabama Fine Whiskey, to be specific. Clyde May, lore has it, was a moonshiner working near Almeria, Alabama. And his were known to be a better sort of corn squeezings. In addition to white lightning, though, he aged some of his output in charred barrels with a bit of dried apple, bottled this and used it for Christmas gifts. (Here was a man who gave a whole new meaning to the spirit of Christmas!)

When he died in 1990 his son Kenny wanted to keep the Christmas Whiskey tradition alive in homage to his father. Illegal to do so in Alabama, undeterred he took the recipe, and trucked in some Conecuh Ridge spring water to Kentucky Bourbon Distillers which, reportedly, produced 4,000 bottles in 2002.

Then, in 2004, the Alabama House of Representatives approved a Resolution adopting Conecuh Ridge Alabama Fine Whiskey as the state's official distilled spirit. The Senate promptly approved it 14 Yeah, 6 Opposed, and presented it to Governor Riley — who vetoed it on the grounds that the government “should not set a precedent of endorsing a commercially sold product.” The Legislature decisively overrode Governor Riley's veto.

The U.S. Senate, no foe of distilled spirits, passed a resolution in 2007 officially declaring September to be National Bourbon Heritage Month. (No small feat for the World's Greatest Deliberative Body™. Consensus, in a sufficiently noble cause, is possible!)

Let's raise a toast to the memory of Clyde May, his loyal son Kenny, and to Rep. Alan Boothe who showed the vision, and statesmanship, to sponsor the resolution declaring Conecuh Ridge Alabama Fine Whiskey to be the official drink of the great state of Alabama. Barkeep? Make it a double. Neat. And one on us for Netstate.com for keeping the flame lit.

For you see, Libertarians? Sometimes even a government gets it right.