A message from the President…

Well, I had hoped to be able to provide you with more names before our meeting with legislators Wednesday, but it looks like we will only be getting last minute commitments. We fully expect to have 2 or 3 legislators in attendance in addition to Steve French, but we may not have the final lineup until Tuesday or maybe even Wednesday.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out his official page on the state legislature’s website:www.legislature.state.al.us/senate/senators/senatebios/sd015.html.

For additional info, his campaign website is still online: 3presidents.com/French/Default.asp.

Also be sure to check out FTH’s “Talking Points” which dispute the myths opponents might attempt to use to counter us: www.freethehops.org/images/FTH_Talking_Points.pdf.

Be well read and well prepared to discuss the substance of the issues. You can get an excellent recap of many of the challenges faced by our sister campaign in North Carolina by going towww.popthecap.org/blog.html and reading through the archives. If you can possibly spare the time, I highly recommend it.

And I would like to reiterate something I said in a past newsletter. FTH is not a partisan campaign. Beer is not registered with a political party. Senator French, a religiously conservative Republican, is well-positioned to be a great ally for FTH, and we are thrilled that he has agreed to meet with us and has expressed a willingness to support our cause.

Lest you doubt how valuable the support of someone like Senator French may end up being for us, I urge you to take a look at christianactionleague.net/main-body.html, the website of North Carolina’s “Christian Action League,” headed up by a man named Mark Creech. Fortunately, both the citizens and the legislators in North Carolina had enough sense to look past Creech’s baseless fearmongering about how the Pop The Cap bill would destroy the moral fabric of the state. Thus, Monday morning at 12:01 AM the 6% ABV cap on beer in NC will be lifted.

It is certainly not beyond the realm of possibility that we might face similar opposition here, perhaps even more vocal and better organized. Nothing has surfaced yet, but we don’t have a bill in front of the legislature yet, either. Senator French’s strong ties with religious conservatives make him the perfect ally should we encounter such opposition here in Alabama.

Another important point as we prepare for this meeting: I would like to urge everyone who is planning on attending to invite your local grocers, restauranteurs, and beer retailers. It would be great for the legislators to see interested businessmen there. So please, go down to your local Western or Piggly Wiggly and invite the manager and/or the guy who works in the wine/beer section. Or perhaps while you’re out eating dinner tonight or tomorrow night, ask to speak with the manager and invite them to the meeting Wednesday. Or perhaps you know someone who owns or manages a grocery store or restaurant. Invite them. Mark Green, owner of Vulcan Beverage, is planning on being there.

In all, I think we can realistically expect there to be about 100 people there. Our hosts at Birmingham Beverage will have as many chairs out as possible, but it will likely end up being standing room only.

I hope to see you there.

Free Beer!