An open letter to whom it may concern,
My Name is Steven Regester. I am a resident of Austin Texas, migrated from Simi Valley, California in 2005. I am writing you this letter in regards to the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Code chapters:
105.01 HOURS OF SALE: LIQUOR
105.02 HOURS OF SALE: WHOLESALERS AND LOCAL DISTRIBUTORS TO RETAILERS
105.03 HOURS OF SALE: MIXED BEVERAGES
105.04 HOURS OF SALE: WINE AND BEER RETAILER.
105.05 HOURS OF SALE: BEER
109.33 SALES NEAR SCHOOL, CHURCH, OR HOSPITAL.
Before I begin let me explain my motivations for sending this letter. Sunday, August 8 2010 I decided I wanted make Kahlua cake, a beloved family cake recipe that’s been passed down within my family for many years. One of the ingredients in Kahlua cake is 1/3 cup Kahlua. Excited, I drove to the grocery store to get baking ingredients. After leaving the grocery store I then drove to my local liquor store to pick up a bottle of Kahlua. I was extremely disappointed to realize that it was Sunday and that all of the liquor stores were closed. Upon further analysis of the situation I grew increasingly upset, frustrated and disappointed. I don’t drink alcohol save an occasional glass of wine with dinner, I’ve never had a DUI or other alcohol related legal problem, and yet here I am, of legal age, unable to purchase ingredients to make a cake due to what appears to be a completely arbitrary restriction on liquor sales.
When I returned home I decided to look into the law so I could discern why the state of Texas has, indirectly, infringed upon my making a cake on a Sunday evening. Upon revision of the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Code in the sections denoted above I noticed that the central theme relating to days in which alcohol sale was prohibited appeared to be in alignment with Christian theological ideals and have no discernible motivation to protect the people, their interests or the the state of Texas. This is demonstrable in Title 4 105.01(a)(1), 105.01(a)(2), 105.01(a)(3), 105.02(a), 105.02(b)(1), 105.02(b)(2), 105.03(b), 105.04, 105.05(b) and is particularly egregious in section 105.02(b)(1) and 105.02(b)(2) showing definitely that prohibition on Sunday is directly related to Christian ideology, and not simply an arbitrary day. This information considered, the language “Sunday” is more accurately interpreted as “On the day of the Christian Sabbath”. Furthermore the document makes no references to any other religious holidays of any other religion, but instead adds national holidays such as New Year’s Day and Thanksgiving Day (105.01(b)) in a poorly concealed effort to obfuscate ideological motivation.
This sentiment is further entrenched in section 109.33 of the document describing buffer zones for institutions such as hospitals, schools and churches. In this section, no mention is given of the various other types of religious institutions or buildings such as Jewish Temples, Buddhist Temples, Muslim Mosques, etc., once again showing an obvious favoritism towards the Christian mode of worship. For these reasons I assert that the language in the Texas Alcohol and Tobacco Code in the sections named above are in conflict with Article 1, Section 6 of the Texas Constitution stating in part: “…no preference shall ever be given by law to any religious society or mode of worship.” and must be amended or revoked to align with the Texas Constitution.
