A new advertisement campaign by Samuel Adams Brewing from Boston, Massachusetts has an "Independent" take on our founding fathers declaration: The namesake of this brewery would certainly have qualms about this God-forsaken omission. Samuel Adams opined:
This advertising omission is just another instance of secular humanists trying to re-write history and claim that our Founding Fathers were atheists and to deny the importance of a God centered revolution to bestow liberty upon America. The $621 million Capitol Visitors Center initially tried to pass off "E Pluribus Unum" as the national motto instead of "In God We Trust". This was corrected only after 108 lawmakers backed Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA 4th) protested to the Architect of the Capitol for this historical inaccuracy.
Washington Monument Capstone Replica, Washington, DC
There was considerable controversy in 2007 when the "Laus Deo" inscription on the replica capstone of the Washington Monument was obscured. The National Park Service promised to correct what it characterized as a stupid mistake. Praise God that that they felt the heat and then saw the light. Perhaps the Samuel Adams Brewing ad was just another isolated incident of forsaking the faith of our founding fathers. But as Independence Day approaches, we ought to toast the unalienable rights granted by our Creator for Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
At the Democrat National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, there was a lot of pandering to identity groups. One of the more interesting special interest groups which received attention were craft brewers. Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper (D-CO), was one of the founders of Wynkoop Brewing in Denver. During Hickenlooper's time as the Mayor of Denver, the microbrewing wave continued to thrive in the Mile High city. But also on the DNC dais was Bill Butcher, the founder of Port City Brewing in Alexandria, Virginia. Butcher was there to tout the Obama Administration's record helping small business start ups.
Mother Earth Brewing, a craft brewery from Kinston, North Carolina, prepared Endless River for the DNC Convention. It helps that Mother Earth Brewing prides itself on being environmentally conscious, using solar power, blue jean insulation, and soy spray based ceiling insulation.
Some beer enthusiasts have suggested that since there has been home brewing at the White House since Obama has been President that bottles be released for charitable auction. But considering the recent Freedom of Information Act revelation of the White House Brew recipes as being extracts as opposed to all grain, this could be novel but disappointing. Besides it would be acting stupidly (and against Federal law) to release beer for sale (even if for a charitable auction) without jumping through the appropriate regulator hurdles. So don't expect to see Ground Force One swigged among the hoi polloi. Thus we may just have to settle for more beer summits in a prospective Obama second term.
White House Beer Summit 2009
Why are so many craft brew aficionados hoppy with President Obama? It may be coincidental, but hops are a close cousin to cannabis sativa. And Democrats were stoked to win stoner support in 2012.
NASCAR race car driver Blake Koch wanted to promote a campaign to educate fans on the importance of participating in U.S. elections. Koch teamed up with the “Rise Up and Register” campaign, but it seems that ESPN did rejected the ad supposedly due to the religious and partisan overtones.
See the cancelled ad for yourself:
Their mission statement notes “ Rise Up and Register firmly believes that increased electoral participation will yield tremendous benefit to our great nation at a time when our problems seem to mount daily.”
It is curious that ABC/Disney was so concerned about controversial overtones of the ad, as there were neither allusions to religion or Republicans. The worst one could say about it is that it depicted an American flag. Perhaps it would have been permitted if it showed the Obama Stars and Stripes.
Some believe that ESPN expunged the advertisement because of Blake Koch’s strongly expressed personal religious views. Koch opined: “I didn’t think that my faith in Christ would have an impact on whether or not a sponsor could air a commercial or not.” Maybe uber partisan progressives in programming thought that he might be related to the Koch Brothers.
The Lamestream Media has never had a problem pimping the “Rock the Vote” campaign, which was more than registering young people but RtV had the stated mission:
We use music, popular culture, new technologies and grassroots organizing to motivate and mobilize young people in our country to participate in every election, with the goal of seizing the power of the youth vote to create political and social change.
Viacom (the owner of MTV and CBS) has maintained a close relationship with Rock the Vote in its 22 year history, even though critics surmise that the RtV efforts are more than useless. It is surprising that ABC/Disney would not want to burnish their civic image by encouraging American citizens to exercise their franchise, which many have died to defend.
One wonders what was the real rationale for not allowing Rise Up and Register’s advertisement of Koch’s car 41 campaign to be aired. Are networks purporting to be prissy about allowing advertisements of controversial commercials? Well, cigarette advertising is back on NASCAR on a limited basis. And alcohol ads are allowed, albeit that Coors is an official NASCAR sponsor. So does ESPN’s rejection of Rise Up and Register reflect the self-censorship for the values of Mad Men? Could it be that the Mouse House spiked “Rise Up and Register” campaign ads as a back handed in kind contribution to the Oval Office incumbent, who would not benefit from motivated “bitter clingers to their God and their guns” which reflect NASCAR fans?
Diplomacy is about uttering le mot juste in public and communicating frankly in private.
President Obama’s speech writing, protocol and foreign relations teams have not been “punching above their weight” in the awkward, empty words that are repeated to friendly small nations. But sometimes the unscripted exchanges between international leaders can be much more meaningful. After a 90 minute meeting between President Obama and the current Russian President Dmitri Medvedev (the puppet of incoming President Vladimir Putin), the leaders exchanged some small talk that was caught on a hot mike before the press availability.
During this sotto voce tête-à-tête, President Obama asked the Russians for space to deal with missile defense. Medvedev indicated that he got the message about space. Obama noted “This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility.” Intermediary Medvedev indicated that he would transmit this information to Vladimir [Putin]. Some small talk!
When pressed about the hot mike comments, the deputy national security advisor for strategic communications Ben Rhodes opted to obfuscate. Rhodes stated on the record: “there is a lot of rhetoric around this issue — there always is — in both countries.” . In unattributed comments, Obama Administration officials:
This is a political year in which the Russians just had an election, we’re about to have a presidential and congressional elections — this is not the kind of year in which we’re going to resolve incredibly complicated issue like this. So there’s an advantage to pulling back and letting the technical experts work on this as the president has been saying.
That being said, it does reveal a hubris from our elected Chief Executive and acknowledgment that he can do as his wants during a second term.
It seems unusual for the President of the United States to ask the powers that be of an international adversary for “space” until his re-election. But then again, Barack Obama campaigned throughout the world for his election in 2008. Who can forget the crowd of 200,000 Germans gathered in the Tiergarten in Berlin to hear the candidate of hope and change (and get free beer). Then there was the photo op of Obama campaigning at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.
Mr. Obama asked for this space from the Russian Federation. From the beginning of his term, the Obama Administration has been intent to push the “reset” button with the Kremlin. Unfortunately, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton got the translation wrong and the gag gift actually said “Overcharge”.
Alas, these overtures have not yielded results in markedly improved foreign relations with Moscow, particularly evidenced in the Russian intransigence over tough sanctions over the Iranian atomic bomb efforts.
It might be worth remembering promises that candidate Barack Obama made about the military during the 2008 campaign. Obama vowed to cut unproven missile defense systems, slowing the development of future combat systems , not weaponizing space, and striving to create a world without nuclear weapons. Might Mr. Obama been speaking of something more concrete when he was sending a message through Medvedev.
When President Obama approved the 2012 Defense Authorization Act in January, he issued a signing statement (a device which he previously opposed under President George W. Bush) which objected to a provision aimed at protecting the US Standard Missile 3. Section 1227 of the Defense Authorization prohibits spending any funds that would be used to give Russian officials access to sensitive missile-defense technology as part of a cooperation agreement without first sending Congress a report identifying the specific secrets, how they'd be used and steps to protect the data from compromise. In the signing statement, President Obama indicated that he would treat this provision as being “non-binding”.
Many expected the November elections to be a referendum on domestic issues. But Mr. Obama’s Hot Mike moment with Medvedev is a stirring reminder that constitutional considerations and clear eyed appraisals of Obama’s international affair must be part of the picture.
The HDNet‘s Series “Drinking Made Easy” had an episode based in D.C.which they dubbed “The District of Cocktails.”
The hosts highlighted a couple of celebrity cocktails. First there was a libation dedicated to President B.J. Clinton which uses Vodka, Coffee Liqueur, Cream and Blue Caraçao. How apt. To make it, Mix vodka, coffee liqueur, and cream in a shaker. Pour into glass and then add blue caraçao.
Another DC drink dedicated to a decadent DC city father is the Marion Berry (D-DC) which uses Blueberry Vodka, Ice and Coke. I guess that the flavored vodka embodied his (dis)Honor and the ice and soda was a nod to thebust by the FBI of the DC mayor for smoking crack at the Vista Hotel on January 18, 1990.
While the concoction might be less symbolic, a tastier but déclassé drink was the “Yack and Coke” (cognac and coke) which the supposed mayor for life was quaffing when the undercover bust went down. Reportedly, Berry blurted out “The damn bitch set me up. Now how’s about another drink before you cuff me.”
I fondly remember the tap room of the defunct funky brewpub Bardo Rodeo in Arlington, Virginia. On the wall, there was a special mural depicting Marion Berry.
Taproom of Bardo Rodeo Brewpub circa mid 1990s
The show also depicted a Beertail which sounded delightful. The Neopolitan uses framboise (a Belgian raspberry Lambic ale), a witbier (a Belgian white wheat beer) and a Chocolate Stout. If you elect to make this beertail, mix the Framboise and the Belgian White into 2/3 of glass then float the Chocolate Stout on top.
And I thought that it was just the District of Calamity.
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