Does anyone know of any "organizing" that is being made for the "Personal Freedom of choice"?

Received this today:

How does one respond this type of rhetoric? The blind hypocrisy of lives that these people lead is fueled by this type of teaching. Based on what is being espoused here, these people should never be seen at Ingles, or Wal-Mart, or any restaurant in Ellijay lest they be woed upon. Geez.... You notice how few scripture references are given and most of these from the Old Testament... The person who wrote Proverbs, who they quote very frequently, had 100's of wives and concubines... So are we to do the same?

The following was found on the internet while looking up references and i couldnt have stated it better myself...

What does the Bible say about drinking wine or alcohol? Is drinking a sin?

To understand the drinking of alcohol, wine and strong drink, we must first understand how God looks upon drinking.


In Matthew 11:18-19 Jesus said that John the Baptist came neither eating or drinking because he was under a Nazerite vow to God. Jesus' statement concerning criticism of John because he DIDN'T drink and criticism of him FOR drinking (and eating) is below.

"But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children." (Matthew 11:16-19)

John's Nazerite vow precluded him from drinking not only wine (fermented juice) but also he couldn't drink grape juice or even eat any grapes. Please read Numbers 6.

Unlike John, Jesus came eating and drinking, and they called Him a winebibber (Matthew 11:19). So Jesus drank wine, but Jesus did not sin; therefore, to drink wine or alcohol is not a sin.


In fact, Jesus' own mother, Mary, asked her son to make more wine at the marriage feast in Cana. He obeyed His mother even though He wasn't supposed to start doing miracles then, but He obeyed his mother and made more wine than they could drink.


One of the greatest Biblical proofs that drinking alcohol is not a sin in God's eyes is the fact that Christians drink wine showing Christ died for our sins. Some believe that "oinos" (Greek: oinoV , Strong's Concordance #3631) was grape juice, but it couldn't be because it represented His blood which pictures life. God said that what gives us life is our blood. Wine is fermented grape juice which is active or "living" just as our blood.


The Apostle Paul did not think drinking wine was a sin. He tells Timothy, who was having stomach trouble, that he should drink a little wine for his stomach's sake.

"Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities. " (I Timothy 5:23)

Based on the Bible, drinking alcohol is of itself not a sin or harmful. As stated previously, Paul told Timothy to drink a little wine to benefit his health. The latest scientific findings show drinking moderately is helpful for our heart and lowers cholesterol and high blood pressure.


Of course, the Bible does condemn drunkenness. Titus 1:7 states that a minister of God should not be given to wine or an alcoholic. Drunkenness is clearly a sin (I Timothy 3:8).
The Apostle Paul warns us that we should not be drunk with wine, wherein is excess ( Ephesians 5:18).
As long as we drink moderately, the Bible states it is good for us, but drunkenness or alcoholism is definitely a sin and not to be a part of a Christian's life.

After a good nights rest I decided to take a look at their "Statistics" in this literature. You know they say that 95% of statistics are made up right on the spot....

I started with the first one and after researching and finding a flat out lie, it should and does in my mind discredit the rest.

"Every drink shortens a persons life by 20 minutes and kills 25,000 brain cells"

What a crock! This is a flat out lie!!! I would be embarrassed to have espoused such, especially in print!! shorten my life by 20 minutes!!! GEEZ are we talking one swallow, an 8 oz glass, a "tallboy", a whole bottle.... THERE is NO validation to this!!! In fact, quiet the opposite, research has shown!!! And 25,000 brain cells...I killed that many banging my head against a wall after reading this. Give me a break. Where did they get this???

They are right though Wine does kill cells!!
A pigmentation chemical that makes grape skins and wines red has been found to kill human leukemia and lymphoma cells cultured in a lab, according to research to be published May 4 in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. However, the compound, a type of anthocyanidin common in plants, left healthy blood cells alone.

The health benefits of wine have been professed for centuries, and often in the form of wives tales. However it seems that the medical world continues to conduct studies that illustrate some very promising health benefits. About 44,000 new leukemia cases will be diagnosed in the United States in 2007, and there will be about 22,000 leukemia-related deaths according to the National Cancer Institute.

Here are some more facts I quickly found.
Wine : by Ray Sahelian, M.D. wine health benefits

Lets be honest with the facts!!! These people do more damage to their bodies by eating at McDonalds and stuffing fried chicken into their guts every Sunday!! and that is a FACT and true!!! Look at the obesity of most of these people. But then thats ok...

Maybe someone else can tackle the rest of the list. This is to frustrating!!!!!!

Sad. I really hate to say "I told you so", but I told you so in a post some time ago.

This is just a repeat of what happened in Union County a year ago.

It is alarming what lengths these people will go to push their beliefs on others. It is frightening how the flock will blindly follow.

Those that want an enlightened community need to organize and work three or four times harder than the religious folk just to have a small chance at winning.

Religion, in the wrong hands, can be a very dangerous thing.

This whole issue comes down to taxes and jobs, not religion.
Please note that the "Keep Our Tax Dollars Home" committee is already organized and ads have started to run in the local papers to educate the public regarding this referendum! We are encouraging all residents to GET OUT AND VOTE! on November 6th, and those who are not registered, to register in Fannin County before October 6th. Our group is looking for volunteers and help!
This vote will pass if enough of you participate and take action. Complacency is our worst enemy. If you want it, VOTE YES!!!!
Please go to Fannin's Future is Up To Us for more information on ways to help and contribute!

Well, I personally see a great future in a motivated and voting public in Fannin County. One that has a vision of change for the better. And for me that is always about getting the real facts on an issue. Really look at the small mountain counties that now serve in restaurants and see if what the Vote No people say will happen is really happening. If you have an open mind you can research the facts about serving in small towns. And the fact is that it is a very, very good thing in many, many ways. For one, it solves, not exacerbates, social problems. The people of Fannin County need to address poverty, child abuse, drug abuse prevention, literacy, an astounding high school dropout rate, a real library, a fully staffed fire department, lack of health services, animal rights. And that takes tax revenue and a healthy economy. What this referendum is about is not pro/con alcohol, it's about new sources of tax revenue and jobs to be able to solve some of our problems. It's about whether alcoholic beverages will be allowed to be served, then controlled and taxed, in restaurants in Fannin County. It's about how restaurants can be a catalyst for other economic development and the sustaining of our only industries. In a realistic way. Manufacturing is done in China now, it ain't comin' here. That's not going to change. Fannin County is a tourism and real estate economy, and the customers of these industries want more restaurants or they are going to spend their money in other counties. We can get more restaurants by allowing them to serve wine & beer (talk to the owners of the Fannin County restaurants and you'll find that they say they are going to apply only for beer & wine licenses... they don't care about serving liquor and won't apply for that second license). And it is this business revenue and sales tax staying in our county that will raise the funds to solve our problems. It's a deeper vision. one of economic and social development.

This is a Fannin County referendum. I've heard from some people on the streets that voting Yes in the November 6 election would bring Ruby Tuesdays and Longhorn out to the intersection of 515/5 and contribute to the ugly clearcutting on 515. But that's not under Fannin County jurisdiction, folks. That's in the city limits of Blue Ridge. It has already happened and it is not a part of this referendum. 515/5 already has more Home Depot, Waffle House, Wendy's, Burger King, Dairy Queen, Pizza Buffet etc. red & orange signs that we should rename it Arteriorsclerosis Alley. And between the Fannin County line northbound on 515 to the entrance of Blue Ridge there are 50 billboards. If this referendum passes in Fannin County, what we hope for in the Ordinance is for locally owned small cafes and restaurants to blossom. Think Toccoa Riverside, Goodfellas, Enricos, kind of restaurants. Bars? Please. Has anyone of you emailed or called Commissioner Ledford to ask him what the ordinance will look like? You'll like what he has to say. It isn't like you have to apply through the secret service to talk to our commissioners. Or go to a Commission meeting. Or the upcoming Precinct meetings.

I think that this referendum is the start of a movement here to nudge government inaction into action. We want a plan, a vision, a team of elected representatives who actually lead. Let that start with your vote.