The Mississippi Legislature is considering a bill (SB 2804) that would allow for home delivery of alcoholic beverages to persons 21 or older "...and in parts of the state where alcohol sales are legal." Wait! What? Oh, you thought Prohibition ended a long time ago, didn't you? Well, not in Mississippi. There are parts of the state where it is legal to buy alcohol, and there are other parts where it is illegal even to possess alcohol bought elsewhere. I know because I live in one of the parts of the state where alcohol is illegal. And why is alcohol legally prohibited? You guessed it...Jesus.
I don't have much of a horse in this race because I don't drink. Then again, I do support the legalization of alcohol just like I support the legalization of marijuana. Why? Secularism. I am not fond of the religious majority restricting anyone's rights on the basis of their absurd religious beliefs. It doesn't matter that I wouldn't exercise that particular right; someone else might, and they should be allowed to do so.
There are many other far more important examples one can point to in order to understand why secularism must prevail over what often feels like Christian theocracy to those of us who have to live with this nonsense. I pick this example because I suspect most people will be able to relate to it. It doesn't matter if you choose to drink or not; the notion that conservative Christians eagerly restrict others' freedom on the basis of their religious beliefs is a problem. We do not share these beliefs, and we should not be bound by them. This is something those who value freedom should not allow.
The county-by-county variability on alcohol is thoroughly bizarre. I can drive 10 minutes from my home and legally buy alcohol; however, bringing the legally purchased alcohol home with me would be a criminal offense. I have lived here long enough that I should be able to wrap my head around this by now, but I cannot. All this accomplishes is make our roads less safe with drunk drivers because people have to travel longer distances to do their drinking. But since so few of the local Christians value lives other their own, I probably shouldn't be surprised.
