Beer and Conversation Podcast

P&C drink and review “Bed of Nails” brown ale by Hi-Wire Brewing, then discuss recent decisions on the free exercise of religion.

Two important cases came down this term: Kennedy v. Bremerton involved the coach who prayed on the 50-yard line, while Carson v. Makin had to do with a restriction on public money being used to support a religious school.

Kennedy was a football coach at a government school in Washington. As a government employee, did his prayers constitute “the government” endorsing religion? Or, as a private citizen, did he have the right to free speech and free exercise?

In Maine, the government decided to give parents money to send their children to secondary schools but forbade them from using that money in a religious school. The court held that was straightforward discrimination on the basis of religion.

The boys discuss these cases and the broader question of government entanglement in religion.

The boys drink and review Pigweed’s latest version of a sour beer, then discuss Bronies. That is, adult men who are obsessed with My Little Pony.

My Little Pony is a show for little girls. It’s about “the magic of friendship.” And, as a show for little girls, it’s perfectly fine, as far as we can tell.

But how do you react to a grown man who becomes a fanboy for such a show? A man who buys MLP merchandise, goes to MLP conventions, sings MLP songs, dresses up in MLP costumes, and creates MLP art?

The boys are not pleased. Our culture should push men towards adulthood, responsibility, and “putting away childish things.” This is not a good look.

P&C drink and review a Tangerine Wheat Beer from Flying Dog, then discuss recent gun-related news.

Justice Thomas recently wrote a majority SCOTUS decision overthrowing very restrictive gun laws in New York. “The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed” means what it says.

The boys review the decision’s logic and implications. What does “keep and bear” mean? Who has this right? Is it for individual self-defense, or only in the service of a state militia? How will it affect laws in other states?

Does this mean citizens can own anti-aircraft artillery and battleships? Is there a limit to the arms citizens can keep and bear?

Right around the same time SCOTUS issued this decision affirming gun rights, the Senate passed legislation approving so-called “red flag laws.” The boys aren’t fans.

The boys drink and review 1623 Brewing’s Everything But the Seeds, then discuss the strange phenomenon of WeWork.

The founders wanted to create an exciting new work environment where people would collaborate and help one another with their business. They had a particular focus on start-ups, and it seems to have majored in young people.

Adam Neumann was the charismatic leader who wrapped the whole enterprise in a sense of meaning and purpose.

WeWork took off like a rocket with its dramatic investments and enthusiastic, cult-like community.

WeWork expanded into WeLive and WeGrow. The company wanted to change the way people live, work and educate their children.

After amazing growth, investors eventually found out it was mostly hype.

There was way too much to cover on the Dobbs decision than the boys could cover in part 1. In this episode, they skip the beer review and fill in some of the important points they missed in part one.

They discuss the history of Roe v. Wade, stare decisis, and respect for precedent. They review the attempts at gaslighting by the government and the media about the threat of right-wing violence.

Also, will the Dobbs decision affect other decisions that rely on a similar reading of “substantive due process”? Dobbs explicitly says no, but Justice Thomas says they should review those cases, and the dissent says it’s the logical conclusion. P&C agree.

After Dobbs, is there a “right to privacy” in the constitution? Should there be? And is a general “right to privacy” distinguishable from a right to an abortion?

We keep hearing about “domestic terrorists,” and whether one or the other side of our political debates is more dangerous. It seems rather clear on this one. The threats and violence have come from the left.

The history of abortion in America and how SCOTUS has intervened

The boys drink and review 1623’s Nuestro Playa, then discuss abortion and the recent SCOTUS decision.

In Roe v. Wade, the court found a right to privacy in the constitution, although it wasn’t exactly clear where it was. The court tried to split the difference between the interests of states in protecting life and the idea of a right to privacy. Justice Blackmun, who wrote the Roe decision, invented a trimester system.

Many people thought Roe would be overturned in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, and while the trimester system was replaced with “viability,” the underlying right to privacy was upheld, and finally located. In the 14th amendment.

The current Supreme Court, with a bevy of new conservative justices, took up the issue in Dobbs v. Jackson. Someone at the court leaked a draft of Samuel Alito’s majority decision, and the left went insane. Now we have the final decision, which sticks pretty close to the leaked draft.

P&C review the main arguments in Dobbs and in the dissent.

What is causing the political divisions in our country today?

The boys review Otto’s Orchard Raspberry from Antietam Brewing, then discuss political polarization.

Polarization can be divided into ideological (differences on issues) and affective (where you don’t like or trust the other side). We seem to be plagued with both.

Is the political center defined as halfway between the extremes of both sides? And which side has moved further recently, the radical left or the radical right?

We seem to be losing the middle. People are moving to the left or the right, but the middle is emptying out. Why is this? The boys discuss several possible causes.

Finally, political polarization might be the result of a changed view of man. Is man a malleable creature that can be molded into the ideal citizen, or is there a human nature that we have to learn to deal with?

Where did we get the idea of Hell, and how has it developed over time?

Pigweed and Crowhill drink and review a Hefeweizen from 1623 Brewing, then discuss Hell and Satan.

We often read later understandings of Hell and Satan back into old texts, so we see the serpent in the garden of Eden as Satan, and Sheol in the Hebrew Bible as Hell. But it wasn’t always that way. The notion of Hell and the role of Satan wasn’t as clear in older texts as they became later.

Hell is much more clearly described in the New Testament, as is Satan, but the concepts continued to develop past that through art. Our modern notions of Hell might have more to do with Dante and Hieronymus Bosch than they do with the Bible.

Also, P&C were surprised to learn that Hell is not an exclusively western idea. There are notions of Hell in Buddhism, Hinduism, etc.

The boys review changes from Covid, from technology, and things they don’t like about restaurants

P&C drink and review Key Brewing Company’s Bail Money IPA, then discuss changes in restaurants.

We’ve lost more than 100,000 restaurants because of Covid. What will happen next? Will they come back, or will they be replaced?

What about food trucks, and Door Dash? How are they affecting the industry?

How will restaurants respond to customer expectations of “right now” efficiency? How has social media affected food service, and what’s the future of waiters in an era when you can order on a touch-screen device and have a robot deliver your food?

Walsh is standing against the looney left saying “stop.” P&C love it.

The boys drink and review Oliver Brewing’s Box Turtle Kolsch, then discuss that best-selling LGBT author, Matt Walsh.

P&C discuss their general impressions of Matt Walsh, then review some of his recent works, starting with Johnny the Walrus.

In this wonderful children’s book, little Johnny likes to pretend he’s a walrus. His woke mother felt she had to affirm Johnny as a walrus but eventually learns to be a responsible parent.

P&C both bought the book because they want to affirm sensible people who say no to the insane elements of the woke left. This is a great book to read to your kids. They’ll get it. All your woke friends won’t.

If this was all Matt Walsh did to save the culture, that would be enough. But he also produced a fantastic documentary called “What is a woman?” in which he interviews some truly frightening people saying incredibly scary things. It’s the kind of nonsense that’s so insane you’re not sure whether to laugh or cry.

His technique was simple. He asked simple questions and let these idiots speak for themselves. There’s no need to refute them. They’re self-evidently crazy.

Some history of climate control and how it changed America

Pigweed and Crowhill drink and review a homebrewed no-alcohol porter, then discuss the history and significance of air conditioning.

Special guest Longinus joins P&C to contribute his knowledge of history and the development of cities.

Refrigeration started with ice houses, ice boxes and ice-cooled freight cars, but eventually moved on to refrigeration, which relies on the laws of physics to create a cool environment. These amazing devices allowed modern refrigerators and air conditioning.

Longinus gives some history on how air conditioning slowly worked its way into industry and homes.

Air conditioning also had a big effect on the development of the South. Before air conditioning, businesses had to close down for the summer.

The boys review F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famous classic work

Pigweed and Crowhill drink and review Vulpulin Tropical Pale Ale from Sly Fox Brewing, then review The Great Gatsby.

With special guest Longinus, P&C continue their “shortcut to the classics” series, picking a short work by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Following a quick biography of the man, the boys review the plot and discuss the meaning of the text.

The book is often considered a classic treatment of the roaring 20s. The writing is top-notch, and the story is interesting, but the characters are less than admirable.

Themes in the book include issues of class, old money vs. new money, the east vs. the midwest, family, faithfulness, and the American Dream.

P&C review the failures of the system and discuss alternatives

The boys drink and review Flying Dog’s Hop Electric hazy IPA, then discuss public education.

The extreme dysfunction of America’s public schools came to the attention of parents during Covid lockdowns. They were able to peer into the classroom and see and hear the nonsense their children have been taught.

The sensible among them were outraged, and the responsible among them are making other arrangements.

But it’s worse than that. Interest groups prevent schools from kicking out disruptive kids, and many parents don’t prepare their kids to be ready to learn.

P&C discuss local vs. top-down “public” education and ask whether the government be in charge of it.

And how does education fit in with having a shared, common culture?

What does cultural literacy mean in a multi-cultural society?

P&C drink and review Thirst Monster Kolsch from Union Brewing, then discuss cultural literacy. 

Is it just about “dead white males”? Is there some benefit to reading the Bible and the western canon? 

We say yes, for three reasons. It helps everyone understand the world they live in; it helps bind the culture together with common stories; and it allows people to enjoy our shared culture more. 

The boys discuss woke efforts to get rid of “man” as the description of the species, and the narcissism of pronouns.

The boys drink and review Sweetwater’s Glacial India Pale Cold Ale, then discuss the man of the week, pronouns, and other gender confusions.

A regular listener objected to “man” of the week. The boys discuss.

Do we have to change “fireman” to “fireperson”? What is the point here?

And how does this relate to pronouns and other “gender” issues of the day?

Some people think it’s “inclusive” to say “he or she,” or other silliness. The boys discuss that at length.