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Wildflower
USA
4528 Posts
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 Posted - 08/08/2006 : 12:32:34 PM
This morning I had an interesting conversation with someone from Hayesville, NC. They own a restaurant there that allows brown-bagging.She has found there is a vast difference in the drinking habits of natives and newcomers. The newcomers will bring in a bottle of wine or a few cans of beer and limit themselves to that. Natives show up with cases and cases of beer, and have to be stopped from getting drunk. In her experience, she said natives are either teetotalers or alcoholics. There is nothing between the two extremes. She knew nothing about Blairsville.com, but it floored me how much her comments paralleled the differences in our views here. I guess it explains why our views are so far apart. I mentioned before that if you grew up with the idea that drinking was only for "getting drunk" then it colors your view of the issue. She also said that before they allowed brownbagging, their parking lot was constantly littered with beer cans and natives (the alcoholic ones) would show up raging drunk because they couldn't get a drink inside. Now that brownbagging is allowed, she puts a stop to overconsumption and life is better all around. The litter is gone too. Interesting. We asked her if she knew about the vote in Blairsville. She said she did, and pointed out that there are a lot of beer cans along the sides of the road there. Wildflower |
coosa creek
USA
39313 Posts
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Posted - 08/20/2006 : 4:50:10 PM
That is interesting Wildflower. I had dinner with a newcomer couple at cobb's mill thursday night. She brought her wine and he had his gin and tonic with him., they said they both voted no, because they did not want to have to pay the price for an expensive drink. They, like us, wish we had a liquor store in the county so we did not have to drive to North Carolina!
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spam4einstein
839 Posts
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Posted - 08/20/2006 : 10:15:00 PM
Wow,
Thats the dumbest thing Ive read all day. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face! No vote was equals a no vote to a liquor store and decent eateries. All to save a few $$ on liquor. Im dumbfounded.
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daughterofconfederate
USA
29728 Posts
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Posted - 08/21/2006 : 10:02:47 PM
Now this may be a stupid question.. and may not be... but what do yall take your drinks in? The original containers it comes in? Now I dont know this cause I aint never took nothing to a restr. I figure if I want a toddy that bad, it can wait on me at the house.. but anyways.. do yall drink the whole containers while youre at the restr. and aint that a bit to drink? And they both brought their alcohol? And drove home right after they ate or did they get a room at the Milton Inn? If not and they didnt drink it all, is that not considered an open container if they left with their seals broken? Are these just myths Ive been told growing up to scare me? It wouldnt be the first myth that scared me.. or second.. and putting it out that all these folks drink like this at Monets and - if this isnt myths.. I never see blue light specials at Monets.. or know of anyone even stopped for that but the food isnt the major talk of the Bville.com world when Monets or Cobbs Mill now is mentioned and I just dont know the point of it cause it looks like if those myths are true, are yuns asking for trouble by admitting that yuns do this and then drive home..? I can see the city thing.. the speed limit isnt high enough and an already paranoid driver and all.. but? I dont know.. and it aint that I wanna open up worms, I just wanna know what is truth on the container being open and stuff.. cause if I am sitting here believing false stuff in that department.. then Id really like to know what is the true to believe.
We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.
Sir Winston Churchill
Edited by - daughterofconfederate on 08/21/2006 10:13:03 PM
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ShadowMan
USA
4158 Posts
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Posted - 08/21/2006 : 11:07:37 PM
DoC, I think most people take it in the original container. Too much danger of spillage, I think, if they tried to use something else. There is indeed an open container law, saying you can't transport opened alcohol containers in a vehicle within reach of the occupants.If it's a bottle of wine, it holds about 5, maybe 6, glasses worth (wine glasses don't get filled all the way to the top except in the Blue Brothers movies). 3 or 4 people at the table drinking wine? No problem - empty container left at the table and no one intoxicated. 2 people at the table? Driver will have to limit themselves, but the other party will end up drinking a couple of glasses more. Or leaving wine in the bottle. Both ways work. Driver's not impaired and everything is perfectly legal. Bringing something, have some leftover, and don't want to leave it? Still OK, if the open container of alcohol is placed where the occupants cannot reach it, like a trunk. Back seat isn't good enough. Shadow This is my kirttimukha |
daughterofconfederate
USA
29728 Posts
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Posted - 08/21/2006 : 11:27:58 PM
AH HA! See I didnt know that. Honest to Goodness.. so thanks again buddy.. and youre a soul man.lol ;)Ive sat at a large table.. and all.. O I know how fast one goes.lol But two people having their own bottles.lol Shader, I aint fell off no turnip truck either.. not braggin.. but Ive drank a sip of Gin before.lol.. it didnt take as much.lol ;). Sharing is cool. You offered up the best Ive heard yet as far as advice goes on this. Thank ya much!
We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.
Sir Winston Churchill
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Wildflower
USA
4528 Posts
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Posted - 08/22/2006 : 12:02:51 AM
Shadow,You forgot something. If you're really cool, you carry your wine in something like this: http://www.rhinowinegear.com/wine-totes.html?gclid=CPvSsaO08oYCFRlsSgodjRHxXw
Wildflower
Sometimes I get the feeling the whole world is against me.
But deep down, I know that's not true.
Some of the smaller countries are neutral.
~Robert Orben
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daughterofconfederate
USA
29728 Posts
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Posted - 08/22/2006 : 12:05:29 AM
Maddy has one of those I belive :). A green maybe? I dont really remember the color.lol All I recall was the looks we got and the looks that they got back. Was funny..
We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.
Sir Winston Churchill
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Wildflower
USA
4528 Posts
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Posted - 08/22/2006 : 12:15:44 AM
Maddy must be really cool then.Well, it is classier than a brown paper bag. I didn't even know they had carriers until I moved here. They were never needed before. I've been with people who had a black carrier, but no one looked at us at all. We only used it in Young Harris once. Guess it depends on the restaurant and location. In Towns, no one would notice I don't think.
Wildflower
Sometimes I get the feeling the whole world is against me.
But deep down, I know that's not true.
Some of the smaller countries are neutral.
~Robert Orben
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daughterofconfederate
USA
29728 Posts
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Posted - 08/22/2006 : 12:20:22 AM
In YH.LOL! Yep.. it depends on where you are.
We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.
Sir Winston Churchill
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MiddleAgeCrazy
USA
1435 Posts
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Posted - 08/22/2006 : 07:16:58 AM
I have one of the little circular basket totes that we use on the bike, and one with a shoulder strap.
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topaz
USA
3621 Posts
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Posted - 08/22/2006 : 09:19:38 AM
You know, this really irks me. The city cops know that people brownbag...how many are stopped and checked to see if they've had a bit too much to drink or if there's an open container within arm's reach??
The reason I'm even bringing this up, is because a few weeks back, my Hubby had stopped at Circle K after work. There were 3 crushed beer cans in the bed of the truck (from the previous weekend when he was working here at home and had thrown them in the back of the truck), and one of the city cops happened to walk by the truck and see them. When he left the store, the city cop followed him out of the store parking lot and pulled him over. He was not and had not been drinking...(breathalizer was given), but yet he was written up for having an open container within the City Limits. He was told that he could be charged with 3 counts, one for each can, but that he (the cop) would let him off with just one.
Now tell me...if the law states that the bottle or can is suppose to be out of arm's reach, how can someone be charged with having an open container in the bed of a truck? It doesn't take a brain surgeon to know that an open container is much easier accessible in the back seat of a car or on the back of a motorcycle.
~*Topaz*~
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ShadowMan
USA
4158 Posts
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Posted - 08/22/2006 : 09:45:40 AM
quote:
but yet he was written up for having an open container within the City Limits. He was told that he could be charged with 3 counts, one for each can, but that he (the cop) would let him off with just one.
The law says defines an "open alcoholic beverage container" as any bottle, can, or other receptacle that contains any amount of alcoholic beverage and: (1) is open or has a broken seal; or (2) the contents of which are partially removed. But the law is targeted toward the passenger compartment. Crushed, empty beer cans in the truck bed, outside the passenger compartment, does not conform to how that law is written. I would contest it in traffic court if it happened to me. A $200 fine and 2 points on the driver's license is a high cost to pay for what I believe could better be considered harrassment by the officer. Shadow This is my kirttimukha |
topaz
USA
3621 Posts
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Posted - 08/22/2006 : 11:28:44 AM
quote:
I would contest it in traffic court if it happened to me. A $200 fine and 2 points on the driver's license is a high cost to pay for what I believe could better be considered [bold]harrassment by the officer[/bold].
My thoughts exactly Shadow!!
Something else...it wasn't marked on the ticket about the breathalizer. Hmmmm...I wonder if this is the norm when stopping a 'suspected DUI', but then find that the driver isn't drinking??
Prior to today, Hubby and I have discussed what he can/should do. Those that know him, know that he's laid back and not as vocal as me, so he said he would just pay it and be done with it. I don't agree with that...to me, that's just allowing them to get away with stuff like this and paying them to do so!
Anyways, after reading here this morning, and getting even more Grrr'd about our situation...I made a phone call, seeking advice on what can be done. Needless to say, we're not the only ones who think this is a case of harrassment...and Hubby and I have got some more discussing to do!
~*Topaz*~
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coosa creek
USA
39313 Posts
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Posted - 08/22/2006 : 1:15:45 PM
We have a blue bag that we can carry two small bottles in. My husband is the driver and he is very careful to only have one or two weak drinks over the course of 2 hours. With all of the kids speeding around town at 80 mph, the cops have enough other people to stop. We do arrive and leave with open containers because you certainly don't want to finish it at the restaurant. We don't have a back seat or trunk, so that is a problem.
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Wildflower
USA
4528 Posts
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Posted - 08/22/2006 : 2:41:38 PM
"A $200 fine and 2 points on the driver's license is a high cost to pay for what I believe could better be considered harrassment by the officer."
Not to mention having something he didn't even do being on his driving record. Wonder how that affects your insurance rates?
Paying the fine would be admitting you did something wrong. It's harrassment, plain and simple.
Wildflower
Sometimes I get the feeling the whole world is against me.
But deep down, I know that's not true.
Some of the smaller countries are neutral.
~Robert Orben
Edited by - Wildflower on 08/22/2006 2:42:23 PM
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mad4martinis
USA
13730 Posts
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Posted - 08/22/2006 : 10:25:08 PM
I have one of those neoprene bags & a picnic wine bag with the glasses, corkscrew & insulated comp. for the wine. very nice to have.
Topaz, that guy in the truck could have been picking up cans for recycling. (could have been)
**There is no truth except the truth that exists within you. Everything else is what someone is telling you**
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topaz
USA
3621 Posts
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Posted - 08/23/2006 : 07:29:51 AM
quote:
Topaz, that guy in the truck could have been picking up cans for recycling. (could have been)
Maddy, the guy in the truck was my Hubby.
~*Topaz*~
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MiddleAgeCrazy
USA
1435 Posts
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Posted - 08/23/2006 : 08:36:48 AM
I would certainly contest a cite that involved the circumstances with cans in the bed of a truck too. But I would be sure those were the facts and there was no other reasons for a traffic stop in the first place.
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ShadowMan
USA
4158 Posts
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Posted - 08/23/2006 : 08:37:24 AM
The point is interesting though. Let's say I'm recycling and I have two garbage bags full of crushed cans, as well as a number of loose ones that I didn't have a bag for or had picked up in a particularly trashy place on the side of the road.So on my way to the dump, I do a bunch of errands that take me through town. From this officer's distorted viewpoint, he believes he should be be able to write me up for each and every beer can in those two bags and in the bed of the truck? It just shows how misguided an interpretation like that is when carried forward to its logical extensions. Shadow This is my kirttimukha |
Wildflower
USA
4528 Posts
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Posted - 08/23/2006 : 11:05:33 AM
The man is being penalized for driving a truck instead of a car. Pretty ironic for someone who lives in the mountains.The truck bed is all the "trunk" he has. So, what is he supposed to do? Wildflower Sometimes I get the feeling the whole world is against me.
But deep down, I know that's not true.
Some of the smaller countries are neutral.
~Robert Orben
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coosa creek
USA
39313 Posts
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Posted - 08/23/2006 : 5:52:24 PM
I don't have a trunk either. Topaz, I hope he does not pay the fine. I never thought about it going on his driving record. some people collect cans to recycle.
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mad4martinis
USA
13730 Posts
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Posted - 08/23/2006 : 7:55:20 PM
FIGHT it Topaz! We have friends who recycle & they'll put cans or bottles of anything in their car, or trunk just to take it to their recycle bin. (if someone doesn't do that at their home) I'd raise a stink about it.**There is no truth except the truth that exists within you. Everything else is what someone is telling you** |
coosa creek
USA
39313 Posts
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Posted - 08/24/2006 : 4:44:26 PM
Let us know how it turned out, Topaz! He really should not pay this fine!
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topaz
USA
3621 Posts
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Posted - 08/25/2006 : 07:37:59 AM
quote:
But I would be sure those were the facts and there was no other reasons for a traffic stop in the first place.
As for the reasons for the stop, I'm going on what I was told and what the officer wrote on the ticket. quote:
The point is interesting though. Let's say I'm recycling and I have two garbage bags full of crushed cans, as well as a number of loose ones that I didn't have a bag for or had picked up in a particularly trashy place on the side of the road.
From what I've been told...(and I've asked several), as long as the cans or bottles are inside a trash bag, it's ok. But, if they are in view (unbagged in the bed of a truck), then yes, you can be written up for open container(s).
~*Topaz*~
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THE VOTING RESULTS/YES or NO
