tangent4ronpaul
11-24-2010, 04:28 PM
http://newsok.com/oklahoma-native-battles-to-merge-beer-god-country/article/3517189
The guy was on Fox news earlier. The gvmt gave in when they heard he was going to be on. They wanted him to change "allegiance to the flag" to "allegiance to the country" and I believe also remove the pic of the flag and "under god" if I heard it right.
-t
Oklahoma native battles to merge beer, God, country
A businessman with Oklahoma ties has been told he cannot put an image of the U.S. flag on beer he plans to sell. He says the restriction infringes on his rights.
An Oklahoma native is pledging to sue the federal government for the right to print the Pledge of Allegiance on beer cans.
Don Sessions founded Ol’Glory energy drinks and now wants to use his patriotic theme to sell beer under the Ol’Glory name.
But the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau won’t sanction the label design, citing a federal statute prohibiting labels with images and statements relating to the American flag.
“The Pledge of Allegiance is the official pledge to the flag by an act of Congress,” states the agency’s Sept. 24 denial. “Delete this text.”
Sessions says he won’t change the label and if appeals to the agency fail, he’ll file a lawsuit demanding his First Amendment rights.
“I’m losing money, that’s why I’m suing,” he said. “I’m going to spend every nickel I got on this deal.”
Sessions, 75, is a native of Ripley who now lives in Los Angeles. He has a warehouse near downtown Oklahoma City for his energy drinks, which are sold in 42 states.
Sessions said he got the idea for a beer when a National Guard member told him, “We drink one energy drink but we’d drink a six-pack of beer.”
The pledge is important to the beer can label because it honors the nation and military, but also stresses the words “Under God,” he said.
“I’m a Christian,” Sessions said. “I want to put God in every bar in the country. God is already in the churches. Why not the bars?”
The red, white and blue design also includes the words “United We Stand” and the iconic image of U.S. Marines at Iwo Jima. It also includes the words “Not Endorsed by the United States Government.”
A spokesman for the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau said he couldn’t comment on Ol’Glory but cited the statute regarding use of the flag.
While some may find using patriotism to sell beer distasteful, Sessions has the right to do so under the First Amendment, said Robert Lehrman, an attorney representing Sessions and the Cold Spring Brewing Co., which will make the beer. He filed an appeal to the federal bureau on Friday.
“It’s almost like if we started with a burning flag on the label, that would somehow make it OK,” Lehrman said. “There shouldn’t be a patriotic test.”
He said the marketplace will decide if the beer is successful.
“The Supreme Court wrote clearly on these things,” Lehrman said. “It’s not OK to suppress speech. Don should have a chance to go out there and make a fool of himself in the marketplace.”
http://photos.newsok.com/2/showimage/1265103/gallery_photo
The guy was on Fox news earlier. The gvmt gave in when they heard he was going to be on. They wanted him to change "allegiance to the flag" to "allegiance to the country" and I believe also remove the pic of the flag and "under god" if I heard it right.
-t
Oklahoma native battles to merge beer, God, country
A businessman with Oklahoma ties has been told he cannot put an image of the U.S. flag on beer he plans to sell. He says the restriction infringes on his rights.
An Oklahoma native is pledging to sue the federal government for the right to print the Pledge of Allegiance on beer cans.
Don Sessions founded Ol’Glory energy drinks and now wants to use his patriotic theme to sell beer under the Ol’Glory name.
But the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau won’t sanction the label design, citing a federal statute prohibiting labels with images and statements relating to the American flag.
“The Pledge of Allegiance is the official pledge to the flag by an act of Congress,” states the agency’s Sept. 24 denial. “Delete this text.”
Sessions says he won’t change the label and if appeals to the agency fail, he’ll file a lawsuit demanding his First Amendment rights.
“I’m losing money, that’s why I’m suing,” he said. “I’m going to spend every nickel I got on this deal.”
Sessions, 75, is a native of Ripley who now lives in Los Angeles. He has a warehouse near downtown Oklahoma City for his energy drinks, which are sold in 42 states.
Sessions said he got the idea for a beer when a National Guard member told him, “We drink one energy drink but we’d drink a six-pack of beer.”
The pledge is important to the beer can label because it honors the nation and military, but also stresses the words “Under God,” he said.
“I’m a Christian,” Sessions said. “I want to put God in every bar in the country. God is already in the churches. Why not the bars?”
The red, white and blue design also includes the words “United We Stand” and the iconic image of U.S. Marines at Iwo Jima. It also includes the words “Not Endorsed by the United States Government.”
A spokesman for the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau said he couldn’t comment on Ol’Glory but cited the statute regarding use of the flag.
While some may find using patriotism to sell beer distasteful, Sessions has the right to do so under the First Amendment, said Robert Lehrman, an attorney representing Sessions and the Cold Spring Brewing Co., which will make the beer. He filed an appeal to the federal bureau on Friday.
“It’s almost like if we started with a burning flag on the label, that would somehow make it OK,” Lehrman said. “There shouldn’t be a patriotic test.”
He said the marketplace will decide if the beer is successful.
“The Supreme Court wrote clearly on these things,” Lehrman said. “It’s not OK to suppress speech. Don should have a chance to go out there and make a fool of himself in the marketplace.”
http://photos.newsok.com/2/showimage/1265103/gallery_photo