Friday, July 09, 2010

Blue about Laws.

Overheard in the office:
Me: Why can't I buy a car on Sunday in Indiana?

RX: Because Jesus never bought a car on Sunday.

Radley Balko compares the Blue Laws in Virginia, from whence he moved, to those in Tennessee, where he fetched up.

Thanks to our system of Government By Sedimentation, most states are layered with quaint, charming relics of an earlier era. Especially when it comes to alcohol.


(H/T to Unc.)

41 comments:

Caleb said...

I thought that it was because John Dillinger bought a car on Sunday that he later used in a robbery.

Home on the Range said...

Tam - everyone knows that if you bought a car on Sunday you'd use it to knock off a liquor store and take all their Pringles and Certs without showing your I.D.

JRebel said...

Hummm, that reminds me. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, really is a convenience store here in my town, just not by that name.

George said...

Arizona used to stop alcohol sales @ 0100, then changed it to 0200. They also prohibited sales on Sunday until 12 noon, later revised to 10 AM. Most recently, the changed Sunday buy time to 0600just as the rest of the week. This last change goes into effect, soon. The reason given was the poor economy, giving stores more business on Sunday mornings...

Anonymous said...

He lost me at "Taco Mamacita's".

I had been drinking a grocery-store bought beer - which I had obtained as a 'onesee' as I do not live in a Communist state, but rather one which chooses to sell booze right on the interstate itself. Now, I will have to open another free-man beer to parch my laughter-strained throat.

Heh-heh. "Taco Mamacita's" indeed.

Ancient Woodsman said...

I hate being 'anonymous'...the above was from me.

Rabbit said...

I was compelled to live in Arkansas for a period of time in the late 70's-early 80's; one of the larger grocery stores would take a string and 'rope off' gondolas that contained merchandise you couldn't buy after midnight Sunday to Monday. Sometimes, if they were ambitious, they'd have hand-made signs saying you couldn't but X item between the hours of Nx to Ny.

Other states, they'd just close the store.

Tam said...

Ancient Woodsman,

Fear not, you can buy cold onesies right off the interstate in Tennessee, too. On Sunday, if you want. (Just not 'til after 10AM, so as to give the Baptists time to get out of church.)

Anonymous said...

JRebel: Only aversion to liability and shark lawyer scum kept me from doing the full ATF thing, name and all. Nothing could more clearly symbolize freedom than a full-line gun store also featuring fine wine and package goods and a good cigar and tobacco selection.

A. Woodsman: We are all anonymous to one degree or another, aren't we?

Tam: Pretty sneaky way to get in an installment of DumbShitMyShootinBuddySays.

Al Terego

og said...

Many car salesmen are so hardcore, and their livlihoods so results driven, that the dealerships want to stay closed on sundays just to give them a rest. Otherwise they'd be out there hammering away 25/8. I know a half dozen of them, and each one would LOVE to be out there on sundays going to it. Their wives, on the other hand...

As for the booze, not being a drinker, it's no skin off my neck either way. And even I think it's bag-of-hammers-dumb.

Zendo Deb said...

"Why can't I buy a car on Sunday in Indiana?"

Fess up, it is because they god-fearing fundamental Christians wanted to keep the evil JEWS out of the car-sales business...

If you can't sell cars on Saturday, because of your religion and you can't sell cars on Sunday because of my religion then I guess you aren't going to be in the car-selling bidness.

Chalkie said...

However, you ARE allowed to buy wine on a Sunday in Indiana, provided you buy it from a winery. Many laws in Indiana are quite favorable to wineries, and the rumor is that it is because Oliver Winery is owned by a law professor at the IU school of law, and he is often consulted by members of our state house for advice on such things.

For those that do not know, there are more than 30 wineries in Indiana.

rickn8or said...

And Rabbit:

Let's not forget Arkysaw's ("Surprise!") Wet/Dry Counties.

And I still say Tennessee is what happens when you let Baptists run things...

Ritchie said...

Once upon a time in Massachusetts, we had to suspend a car repair on Sunday morning, until after Noon, so it would be moral to buy a 17/32 deep socket. Nothing else would do. In Oklahoma, you could buy hammers, but not nails. Or the other way around.

Justthisguy said...

Preach it, Sister! Right now, there seems to be too much blood in my alcohol stream, and I can't lawfully buy more for several hours. What's funny, is that when I lived in Atlanta, one could buy the stuff not 24/7, but 24/6. That is, Never on Sunday.

This means, of course, that drunkards who were not prudent enough to lay in a good supply on Saturday, so as to drink quietly at home on Sunday, have to drive to a bar on Sunday to get their dose, and then drive home.

Justthisguy said...

Oh, and further: My Mom was from Mississippi. As she used to say, in Mississippi they stagger to the polls and vote dry. I think MS finally went wet around 1970 or so.

GA still has some dry counties. I recall the time an acquaintance took me along on a trip to a county in north Georgia. It was an all-white county, mostly, except for one guy, known as Nigger Bob. He was the (un)official bootlegger, and good buddies with the Sheriff. N.B. had perfect job security.

Tam said...

Og,

"Many car salesmen are so hardcore, and their livlihoods so results driven, that the dealerships want to stay closed on sundays just to give them a rest. Otherwise they'd be out there hammering away 25/8. I know a half dozen of them, and each one would LOVE to be out there on sundays going to it."

Yes, I sold cars in Georgia on Sunday. And Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Luckily on Sunday we didn't open 'til 1:00PM, so Sunday morning was my "Day Off": I'd spend a couple hour riding my motorcycle in the mountains before going in to work.

It's not that car salespeople are gung-ho workaholics, it's just that when you work on straight commission, you'd hate to miss the chance at a sale.

0g said...

it's just that when you work on straight commission, you'd hate to miss the chance at a sale.

My point prezackly. Though there is a razor thin line between being gung ho and hating to miss a chance at a sale. One might even envision some causality there.

Tam said...

And dealerships "wanting to stay closed to give salesmen a rest"? You must know some atypical car dealers.

The ones I knew just wanted to make money. If they could have turned a profit staying open 'round the clock, they would have, and screw the salesfolk; you'll always find more.

Anonymous said...

Let's see, what other "charming relics of an earlier era can I think of? Surviving the great depression and unequivocally winning two world wars, nearly nil divorce rate, pedophilia unheard of, unwed pregnancies very rare, low crime rate, neighbors truly being neighborly, respect for teachers and education, teachers having respect for real education, honest congressmen (just kidding - some things NEVER change), strong moral values that made this country great before all the relativism and other -isms started us on the downwar slide. Folks, it's one day a week. Get over it. Kentucky Jones.

Tam said...

"Surviving the great depression and unequivocally winning two world wars, nearly nil divorce rate, pedophilia unheard of, unwed pregnancies very rare, low crime rate,"

Causing the Great Depression, getting entangled in one World War too many, better not get divorced because women couldn't open a bank account or buy a house in many locales, pedophilia not talked about and besides you could marry someone young enough to get your thrown in jail today, 7- and 8-month pregnancies common, and a crime rate that was a lot higher than most people think it was.

The past was generally a nice place and largely freer, especially if you were a middle-class white male, but let's take off the prescription-strength rose-colored glasses, h'mkay?

Crustyrusty said...

Don't get me started about Kentucky.

There are "moist" counties here, fercryinoutloud.

staghounds said...

But He DID steal a colt/ride a young a$s on a Sunday.

He actually had people to do the stealing and bring him the a$s, but since it was at his command he is a principal in the theft.

He did the riding himself.

Anonymous said...

Tam:

My foster mother used to say "The good old days were the result of bad memories and good imaginations".

'Nuff said.

cap'n chumbucket

Matt G said...

When I was a child, one windy March sunday afternoon after church, Mom decided to take me to the Five & Dime to pick up a kite. No could do-- that section of the store was roped off, because it was verboten to buy kites on the Sabbath. Mom decided that, since she was there, she'd buy some new hosiery for work the next day. Nope-- that was considered a "Luxury item." But good news! She was able to pick up a pair of dress socks for Dad!

Caleb said...

For those that do not know, there are more than 30 wineries in Indiana.

And not a one of them produces a product worth consuming! Ah, the wines of Indiana - one step on the wine ladder above Boone's Farm and Arbor Mist.

DJ said...

Not to change the subject completely, but it's Saturday morning and a software update is in progress, so, ...

"From whence" is from the Department of Redundancy Department. "Whence" means "from where".

Sigh ... I couldn't help myself.

Carry on ...

Tam said...

DJ,

And what makes it worse is that, somewhere in the cobwebbier corners of my mind, I knew better. :o

Les Jones said...

You can't buy a car on Sunday because then you'd have sex in the backseat. Duh.

Moriarty said...

Here in Nevada, we have 24-hour liquor stores where you can buy all manner of alcohol. (We call them "supermarkets." The slot machines, if you care, are up front next to the dog food and charcoal.) The State is silent on which counties have legalized prostitution. We're "shall issue" and working on Vermont carry. You can own whatever NFA geegaw you like, as long as it's in the registry. State income tax is unconstitutional. (They make up for it elsewhere.) The "cow counties" don't require smog checks and there's at least one small town nestled up in the mountains that neither has nor wants grid power because of the riff-raff that would bring in. (Sitting in a bar, watching the stars come out at 7000 feet while enjoying a cold beer by kerosene lamp light is something everyone should do at least once.)

We're getting our share of Nannystate intrusions, though. A while back state law was changed to forbid smoking in restaurants (unless they are also a "licensed gaming area.") Most of the smaller restaurants already had slots in the bar, so no one really notices, but the principle chafes.

(The trouble all started back in 1864, when they drafted the state constitution. It states that the legislature is to meet for sixty days every two years.

They made a transposition error.)

Anonymous said...

Guilty as charged, a middle-class white male, I am. So? That makes me automatically guilty of all the ills of history, huh? Not only am I a middle class old white guy, I also admit to being a Christian. My goal was to point out how wrongheaded it is to curse the past because it was not perfect. I don't think my father had anything to do with starting WWII, but he contributed to bringing it to a successful conclusion (from our point of view). Would you rather be bloging in German or Japanese now? An example from my past: During the years when I was 10-12years old (1959-1961) two or three friends and I used to hop on our bikes and ride 12 miles out on country roads for an all day adventure a couple of times each Summer. How many families would consider it safe to let their kids do that today? Another: My high school graduating class had 143 students and I can not recall knowing a single person whose parents were divorced. Dysfunctional families? Certainly, but they weren't quitters. Over 50% divorce rate is an improvement, you think? How so? How many school shootings were there 40-50 years ago?
I especially liked this one: "but lets take off the prescription-strength rose-colored glasses h'mkay" which convinces me you are not just snarky, but certifiably ESPish-SNARKY. How'd you know you were addressing an Optometrist? We charge extra for Rx-strength, rose-colored glasses, you know. P.S. I am a fan of View From The Porch, and I an not offended easily. I still like you. Truly, Kentucky Jones

Tam said...

"That makes me automatically guilty of all the ills of history, huh?"

I neither stated nor implied that. One can be a beneficiary of something without having caused it, and one is certainly never "guilty" of something that happened before one was born. (Although I think that everyone who ever owned slaves should pay everyone who ever was a slave $1M, and that should settle that "reparations" nonsense once and for all. ;) )


"P.S. I am a fan of View From The Porch, and I an not offended easily. I still like you. Truly, Kentucky Jones"

Thank you for that. :)

Anonymous said...

To Crustyrusty: "Don't get me started about Kentucky"
In Kentucky, Bourbon county is "dry" and Christian county is "wet." Also, as Bayou Renaissance Man pointed out in a recent blog, in northern Ky there is a community called "Beaver Lick" (which he probably did not know, is just down the road from "Big Bone Lick"). My dad's favorite was a community in Ballard county called "Monkey's Eyebrow." Look it up, they are all real places. KJ

Ed Foster said...

Moriarty, you have my envy. John Steinbeck once said that if Montana had a seacoast he would never leave it. Perhaps he meant Nevada.

Tam, if everyone who ever owned slaves had to pay everyone who ever was a slave, the highway from heaven to hell would have to be enlarged considerably. With an extension leading to the special dantean hell for the London factors who kept the south's gentry "Land Rich and Money Poor".

Everything they bought was purchased through the factors at exorbitant rates, keeping them in debt and trapped in the system.

Sharecropping was far more productive, but usually impossible in a world where the slave's value as security for a loan was far greater than his value as a watched and coerced worker.

Those plantation owners who had enough money salted away (usually in England, humorously enough) to pay their taxes to the carpet baggers ended up far richer than they were antebellum, with a far greater collection of wealth in the hands of far fewer people.

Nothing like Sherman's bummer boys wandering through to render an instant bankruptcy.

Anonymous said...

"ear not, you can buy cold onesies right off the interstate in Tennessee, too. On Sunday, if you want. (Just not 'til after 10AM, so as to give the Baptists time to get out of church.)"

On Sunday many folks saddle up hell bent for leather for Portland, TN for a beer run before the football game on the tube.

My Baptist (fallen) neighbor was kind enought to ask if I needed anything the first Sunday I moved in to KY.

Right friendly folk here in Warren County.

Gerry

Tam said...

Ed,

"Tam, if everyone who ever owned slaves had to pay everyone who ever was a slave..."

Nobody would pay anybody anything, because they're all long dead. ;)

Ed Foster said...

Which is why I specified the road from heaven to hell ;-)

Here in Connecticut they have some wierd old laws on the books too, though not generally inforced anymore.

In Bridgeport it's illegal to let your elephants crap on the street. It seems that back in the 1890's ol' P.T. Barnum found out that it was cheaper to let the city clean up after his pachyderms than doing it himself, so he kept them moving most of the day.

My favorite law is the one requiring all men headed to church on Sunday to carry a lantern and a loaded shotgun in case they were caught out after dark by Indian attack. It might almost be enough to get me back in church.

og said...

" You must know some atypical car dealers."

Not in this area, they're quite typical. The dealerships found that sales suffered if they opened on sunday, Must be too many jeeso-nazis in the area. Anyway, in a lot of areas of the country the dealers themselves want the store closed on the first day of the week.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122592581001202837.html

Anonymous said...

Tam, love the blog. "From whence" is a redundancy. Whence means "from where". And here in Alabamastan I can buy beer and wine on Sunday and I guess I could buy a car.

NotClauswitz said...

You guys really have laws like that??? Car dealers are open nearly 24/7 here and till 10:00PM at night, while you can buy beer and liquor at any Supermarket, one that stays open 24-hours also. I never even heard of 3.2 beer until I got over the Mountains to Colorado when I was 17.

Which is all good because the Tesla is flat-lined and you have to bicycle over to Safeawy past all the floppy-hat hippies at the Farmer's Market buying organic (shit-grown) greenery and whole tooth-breaker breads.

staghounds said...

I think most car dealers would bring the car top your house at two in the morning if it meant a sale, and worry about the fine afterwards.