Would You Like to Sample That Beer (Or Wine) Before Buying It?

The Washington State legislature passed a bill--it has yet to be signed by Governor Gregoire--that allows grocery stores that sell beer and wine to add a "tasting" endorsement to their liquor license. From the final bill report (.pdf):

A store seeking to obtain the endorsement must meet the following criteria:

1. At least half of the gross sales of the store must be from retail sales of grocery products for off-premise consumption or the store must be a membership organization;
2. The store must be at least 9,000 square feet; and
3. The store cannot have more than one public safety violation within the past two years.
   

The LCB may issue endorsements to stores smaller than 9,000 square feet if the store meets operational requirements and the LCB finds there are no stores in the community that meet the minimum size requirements.

The licensee must be able to observe and control individuals in the tasting service area, make food available for participants, limit sample size to 2 ounces, and provide no more than 4 ounces per customer per visit. Store employees serving beer and/or wine at tasting events must hold an alcohol servers permit, and sampling costs must be borne by the store.

I think this is a great idea. Of course, this merely means that stores can do this. It does not require them to do it. Although, something tells me I won't have much luck trying to taste my $3.00 "cab sauv".

Photo from bbp's Flickr.

Referendum 71 Has Made It Onto The Ballot

Washington State's Referendum 71, the attempt to block the expansion of domestic partnership rights, has reportedly made the ballot for the November 3rd general election. However, nothing is official at this point, which means we must continue to agonize over whether or not our--being the gay community--rights are up for a vote in two months time. The Stranger has more information here.

Choosing The Lesser Of Two Evils

People complain that they don't vote because they have to choose between the lesser of two evils (or something to that effect). They wouldn't be necessarily in that difficult position if they focused more on the primary elections. We have eight candidates running for King County executive, eight for Seattle City Mayor, five for Seattle City Council Position No. 4, six for Seattle City Council Position No. 8, and several other races where there are at least three candidates. You have choices, but when you don't act on them, it's your own fault for what the general election offers. The majority of voters from the August 2008 primary were ages 65 & older (72%). Compare that to the 18 to 24 year olds (18%) and the 25 - 34 year olds (19%).

The one saving grace is that a significant increase in voter turnout occurred for the November 4th general election. This is no doubt due to the presidential election (Obama/Biden vs. McCain/Palin). For Washington State registered voters, the general election produced:

• 18 - 24: 68% voter turnout
• 25 - 34: 74% voter turnout
• 35 - 44: 82% voter turnout
• 45 - 54: 87% voter turnout
• 55 - 64: 91% voter turnout
• 65+: 91% voter turnout

If we could only generate these levels of voter turnout in every election, we might come off as more of a democratic society.

Re: Same-Sex Marriage Coming To Washington State

During my walk today, I was thinking about something Washington state senator Ed Murray (D-43) said yesterday at the Prop 8 Decision Day rally in Westlake Park. That is, same-sex marriage will eventually come to be in Washington state, but we need to do our advocacy work outside of the Seattle area. We already have the majority vote in Seattle; but this is not only affecting the Seattle population and law. It affects the entirety of Washington state. What we need to do, as gay rights activists, as citizens, is to reach out to those who are as of yet undecided and uninformed about the positive aspects of legalizing same-sex marriages in our state.

If you have family or friends that live elsewhere in the state besides the greater Seattle region, please call them and tell them that you support the legalization of same-sex marriage. Tell them the reasons why they should too. We need all the support that we can get, and we need to garner that support before the anti-same-sex marriage advocacy groups can pollute their minds with extremely false and bigoted information on the matter. I'm sad to say that I unfortunately do not know anyone outside of the Seattle area. My family is a small one at that. But this is me calling on you, my hopefully loyal reader, to spread this information to as many people as you can, and soon.

Although there is no planned legislation for legalizing same-sex marriages any time soon, the sooner we get the support we need, the sooner it will become something more than a mere hopeful feeling. Let's get to work everyone!

Furthermore, if you are out and about, and someone asks you to sign a petition for a Referendum 71 to get on the ballot for this November's election, DO NOT SIGN IT. This referendum seeks to repeal the hardwork and dedication of Washington state lawmakers, as well as the further enhanced domestic partnership law that gives same-sex couples nearly every right and responsibility as those of heterosexual married couples. We CANNOT let this referendum of hate and bigotry get on the ballot. If there is any doubt, ask the person to explain to you what the referendum is for; read the actual text before you sign anything.

There is a Decline to Sign Referendum 71 Pledge form right here. I encourage you to sign it.