Beer and Conversation with Pigweed and Crowhill

P&C drink and review Pigweed's Robust Porter, then discuss Ted Cruz's nightmare political scenario. On his amazing "Verdict" podcast, Ted Cruz and Michael Knowles discuss what might happen if Bernie gets the presidency and the Democrats have the House and Senate. Will Democrats end the filibuster? Pack the Supreme Court? Will they make Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. states? Will they eliminate the electoral college? Have open borders? Raise taxes? Will AOC be head of the EPA?

Sometimes it seems American conservatives are the only friends Israel has in the world. So why are so many Jews Democrats? P&C discuss the history and politics of the state of Israel, starting way back with Moses, then doing a whirlwind tour of the history of the land up to the beginnings of the modern state. After that we get into the modern mess of the 1948 and 1967 wars, the changing borders, and -- what seems to modern people -- the perpetual Israel - Palestine dispute.

Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Oliver Stone, Adam Schiff and other delusional luminaries love to claim that Donald Trump is the most dangerous president in history. Their reasons? Withdrawing from the Paris accord and the Iran deal. Increasing the power of the presidency. Cheating on elections. And, of course, Russia, Russia, Russia, etc. The real reason they're mad at Trump is that he's attacking the media and exposing them -- and the left in general -- for who they are.

Sir Roger Scruton thought "the role of a conservative thinker is to assure people that their prejudices are true," which sounds awful to modern ears, but it's certainly true. Conservatives believe in the wisdom of long-standing organizations that emerged organically. Laws and rules are discovered over time as we work our way through things. Life would be unlivable if we treated every situation from first principles rather than being guided by the wisdom of our ancestors.

The boys drink and review Family Drama, an imperial pilsner from Flying Dog, then review some examples where the media completely fell off the rails and got it horribly wrong. The media follows an agenda first, story second methodology, and it has come out rather famously in several cases. If they can twist a story to fit their agenda, they're as happy as clams. * Richard Jewel * The Covington Catholic kids * Juissie Smollett * Russia, Russia, Russia * The Duke Lacrosse team

The boys drink and review Troeg's Nugget Nectar, a hopped up, 7.5% amber-ish beer, then discuss the pros and cons of electric vehicles. The big push for electric cars is the drive toward zero emissions. But are they? Simply making the car produces emissions. Especially the battery. And the energy you use to charge the thing is often from a coal-fired plant. The boys love electric cars, but we have to be honest about it.

P&C drink and review Bygone Snowfall from DuClaw brewing company to prepare for a serious conversation about impeachment. This program was recorded when impeachment was supposed to be over. The Senate had just voted to acquit Trump, so we thought it was all over. But ... is it over? The boys review the meaning and purpose of impeachment in general, and comment on this process and how it was managed.

The boys take a break from their regular show and discuss the passing madness in the political sphere. They analyze the disastrous Iowa Caucuses and Trump's remarkable State of the Union speech. 

The boys turn their attention to recent proposals to make college free. Is free college a good idea? No, it's not! First, not everyone should go to college. Second, colleges are mostly left-wing indoctrination centers, not centers of learning. Free college is stupid enough, but what about proposals to forgive student debt? And if we forgive the debt of people who made wrong decisions and got into a lot of debt, what do we do with the frugal people who paid their way? Do they get paid back?

P&C review Crowhill's Emergency Pale Ale, then discuss how technology has changed life. There were a couple inflection points. The industrial revolution. The invention of the internal combustion engine. But the internet and the smart phone have changed things dramatically and quickly. The boys reflect on how life has changed in their own lives. Dating. Parenting. Getting around. Learning about new things. Investigating new hobbies -- like homebrewing.

People propose odd ideas from time to time, and P&C think they haven't thought them all the way through. E.g., proposals to ... - end red flag laws - have a nation without borders - create a non-binary, genderless world - legalize drugs - have less policing - take away guns from law-abiding citizens - eliminate drive-thrus to stop global warming - stop the use of fossil fuels ... and wonder if these people spent any time thinking through their ideas.

The boys drink and review Hoffrau's Winter Spezial Dobblebock, then discuss the troubling trend towards equalitarianism. Egalitarianism tries to flatten out hierarchies and break down social barriers. Equalitarianism takes it a step further and tries to make everyone equal. To some extent this is the difference between equality of opportunity and equality or outcome.

P&C drink and review D9's Mocha Brown Ale, a slightly sweet, milky, coffee flavored ale. Then they discuss: Do fathers have a better relationship with their children when they try to be cool? Is "having a good relationship" the right metric? Are parents supposed to be friends? When a dad is trying to be hip, he compromises his real function, which is to be a steady, reliable standard for the family. The boys also review lingo from past decades, and how quickly trends and fashions change.

P&C review Bocktimus Prime, from Crooked Crab Brewing, then discuss the design of churches. Should they be ornate and fancy, or plain and simple? Do simple churches make religion more real? What about 7-11s that are converted into Pentecostal churches? Does the incarnation change the relationship to art? Should the church building itself project a sense of the sacred? Or, on the other hand, should it all be stripped down to the pure word?

P&C drink and review Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome Ale, then discuss the deep state. Is it real? Is it a problem? Is it a shadow government, operating in place of the government we think actually runs things? Trump complained of the deep state, and at first, the left denied its existence, but then they embraced it. Now it's hurrah for the resistance! They're going to "rescue the Republic" from Trump. Does the administrative state take a jaundiced view of these "temporary men in the White house"?