Store uses military uniforms to sell beer

Should uniforms of the various branches of the U.S. military be used to sell beer?

The 4th of July is just around the corner, and if you are like most people you are already planning a cookout, viewing fireworks and waving the U.S. flag.

Drinking beer and shooting guns is optional, but America loves both.

In Alabama, a lawmaker wants to declare independence from taxes on ammunition.  "Holding a firearms sales tax holiday at the anniversary of our nation's birth is the perfect way to celebrate the rights and independence that we hold close to our hearts as Americans," says lawmaker Becky Nordgren, who may be aiming for higher office.

I couldn't find a current July 4th quote on beer drinking, but Founding Father Ben Franklin is alleged to have said "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."

He didn't really say something that awesome , but it is a great quote you may or may not see at the North Highland Pub.

God must really want Americans to be happy on July 4th because that is the day the most beer is sold.

At least one grocery store in California tried to ramp up sales even further by using military uniforms to sell beer.

Customers there have found it disrespectful, and I have to agree. Besides, most people who join the military aren't even old enough to buy beer.

The store displays, which featured mannequins wearing the uniforms of the U.S. Marines, U.S. Army, and U.S. Navy atop cases of Budweiser, were meant to draw attention to a charity that provides assistance to the spouses and children of killed or seriously injured service members, reports the local newspaper.

That wasn't enough justification for one customer, who said "When you walk in, it just looks like uniforms selling beer. There is nothing on the display to suggest there is any type of fundraiser, and to surround the uniforms in beer without any indication of what is going on is pretty poor planning/marketing. Especially the dog tag hanging outside the uniform."

A spokesperson for the grocery store chain, Safeway, said the display was only at the Turlock City store and has been taken down.

That's a good move.

Now what can we do to stop politicians from using the U.S. flag to market themselves as being more American than their opponent?

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