| Howdy Free Rangers, First, continued thanks to all of you who actually read these things, and for the e-mails you send in response, and for the kind things you say about them here in the shop. I take great pride and joy in these notes, and writing them remains one of the most consistently fulfilling parts of the gig for me; not to mention that it’s the closest thing to therapy in which I currently engage. Now, I’ve been avoiding talking politics in this space for a little while now, after a longer while of avoiding avoiding it, for my own sanity as well as yours. Anyone paying any attention at all knows that we haven’t lived in a representative democracy for a long time, and it’s demonstrable fact that more than 50% of the votes go to one party and yet the other party has the vast majority of the power in the vast majority of the state houses, and a disproportional segment of the US Senate. Not coincidentally, the latter party is also the only one actively trying to do away with western democracy, though the two-party system itself is a larger problem as well. Since before the 2000 stolen election, a small cabal of ultra wealthy Catholics have engaged in a project to force their will onto the Supreme Court, and now we officially live in a fascist theocracy. I first realized we were in serious trouble back in the days of Air America Radio when Al Franken came up with his “Good Ribbin’” segment, which sought to meet people over good barbecue to then talk basic politics, with the goal of finding some kind of reasonable agreement. It didn’t last long, and in one of the most depressing episodes, Al was speaking with an affable southern woman about delicious food and then segued into politics. In attempts to get her to concede some basic truths about our democracy, he asked, “You know that we have the separation of church and state, just as every democracy has written into its charter since the Magna Carta?” To which she replied, “Oh no, I don’t believe that.” And she went on to explain that she wanted her representatives to legislate on behalf of Jesus and that everybody should have to follow the rules of the Bible. If memory serves, and it doesn’t always, she was a Southern Baptist, and that was about 2004. And here we are with a Supreme Court for whom none of us voted, most of whom were appointed during administrations for which less than half the country voted, and there is of course the outright stolen seat from democratically elected president, Barack Obama. Mitch McConnell always claimed to be a Constitutionalist, yet his self-proclaimed proudest moment was subverting the Constitution to steal a Supreme Court seat. As a side note, I’ll never forgive Obama for not insisting that Garland simply assume his seat on the court, or at least sue the Senate for not doing its job in holding hearings and a vote, which they are mandated to do in that instance. And now these non-elected Justices are fundamentally rolling back rights for people (mostly women, and double mostly the vulnerable, disenfranchised, and the poor) while making sure to remove as many restrictions on guns as possible, all while making it harder to vote and easier to alter future elections after the fact, at the legislative level. I’ve always been a live and let live kind of guy, and my world view doesn’t involve telling anyone what to do or how to live. Unfortunately, the Jesus freaks and the fun police don’t feel that way, and they have officially won. I genuinely don’t know where we go from here as a country, or a society. Happy Independence Day. So, who needs a drink? In the name of democracy, choose your own sale! So, for this week’s online only sale, pick whatever you like. Click the link below for 15% off all wine and 10% off all liquor on the site. At 12+ bottles get 20% off wine, 15% off liquor. (!) Click here to add the secret coupon code to your order (!) *** Online exclusive! *** *** This week only! *** Cheers, Jack Proprietor Free Range Wine & Spirits P.S. Free Range E-mail Archive |
