Subdeacon Joe Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 The Whiskey Speech Delivered by the late Noah S. “Soggy” Sweat, Jr., former Mississippi legislator, lawyer and judge, in 1952 when the Mississippi Legislature was considering legalizing liquor. “My friends, I had not intended to discuss this controversial subject at this particular time. However, I want you to know that I do not shun controversy. On the contrary, I will take a stand on any issue at any time, regardless of how fraught with controversy it might be. You have asked me how I feel about whiskey. All right, here is how I feel about whiskey. If when you say whiskey, you mean the devil’s brew, the poison scourge, the bloody monster that defiles innocence, dethrones reason, destroys the home, creates misery and poverty, yea, literally takes the bread from the mouths of little children; if you mean the evil drink that topples the Christian man and woman from the pinnacle of righteous, gracious living into the bottomless pit of degradation and despair and shame and helplessness and hopelessness – then certainly I am against it. But if, when you say whiskey, you mean the oil of conversation, the philosophic wine, the ale that is consumed when good fellows get together, that puts a song in their hearts and laughter on their lips and the warm glow of contentment in their eyes; if you mean Christmas cheer; if you mean the stimulating drink that puts the spring in the old gentleman’s step on a frosty, crispy morning; if you mean the drink which enables a man to magnify his joy and his happiness and to forget, if only for a little while, life’s great tragedies and heartaches and sorrows; if you mean the drink the sale of which pours into our treasuries untold millions of dollars which are used to provide tender care for our little crippled children, our blind, our deaf, our pitiful aged and infirm, to build highways and hospitals and schools, then certainly I am for it. This is my stand, and I will not compromise.” http://www.bettertransportation.org/2004_retreat/whiskey_speech.pdf And a recreation of that speech: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocWard Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 Well said! I raise my whiskey glass and give him a toast. The whiskey that is the oil of conversation and all that, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 sounds like a politician alright GG ~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted June 28, 2011 Author Share Posted June 28, 2011 Supposedly that took him two months to write. I can believe it. To get the polemic rhetoric just right takes time and thought. A true masterpiece this is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 Supposedly that took him two months to write. I can believe it. To get the polemic rhetoric just right takes time and thought. A true masterpiece this is. Masterpeice of speaking from both sides of the mouth GG ~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el Gato Gordo - SASS #15162 Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 THANKS! I have been looking for this since 1984, when I first heard it! Salud! eGG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted June 29, 2011 Author Share Posted June 29, 2011 THANKS! I have been looking for this since 1984, when I first heard it! Salud! eGG You mean I did something useful???? Oh, the shame! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Woodrow Cahill, SASS # 54363 Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 ... if you mean the drink the sale of which pours into our treasuries untold millions of dollars which are used to provide tender care for our little crippled children, our blind, our deaf, our pitiful aged and infirm, to build highways and hospitals and schools, then certainly I am for it. Even then he understood that the hypocrisy of the government knows no bounds. On the one hand they pass laws against drinking (and smoking) in public, embark on all kinds of programs and campaigns to get people to stop using, and at the same time have their hand in the till to collect tax revenues to spend on themselves and pet projects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 Aye aye Cap't! GG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mean Matt McCord, SASS #24683 Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 Even then he understood that the hypocrisy of the government knows no bounds. On the one hand they pass laws against drinking (and smoking) in public, embark on all kinds of programs and campaigns to get people to stop using, and at the same time have their hand in the till to collect tax revenues to spend on themselves and pet projects. Can I get an AMEN, brothers and sisters? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 Can I get an AMEN, brothers and sisters? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMEN! GG ~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forty Rod SASS 3935 Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 AMAZING! All politics reduced to a comprehensive, all-encompassing, and completely understandable 300+ words. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paladin Gun For Hire Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Once again thank you Joe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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