The Crowhill Journal

… I’ve created a new daily podcast in which I reflect (very briefly) on issues affecting the publishing industry.

I hope Budweiser gets enough of a bloody nose from their recent PR blunder that it sets wokeness back a little (and I fully support the boycott), but there’s one aspect of this anti-Budweiser campaign that bothers me as a homebrewer and somewhat of an arm-chair beer expert.

People keep saying Budweiser is bad beer. That’s nonsense. Budweiser is expertly crafted to convert a European style for American tastes. That’s a big part of why it sells so well.

It’s not my style of beer. I prefer beers that have more to them. But not liking a style does not make it “bad beer.”

That would be like saying that a Camry is a bad car because you prefer SUVs. Your personal preference does not change the quality of the product.

Americans tend to prefer lighter beers. That’s been true for a very long time, and that’s why most American beers are brewed the way they’re brewed — to give people what they prefer. And judging by the sales, lots of people like Budweiser products.

There are situations where it’s fair to criticize a product that a lot of people like. For example, someone might say that those weird slices of “cheese food” are not real cheese.

Fair enough. They’re often only 50 percent cheese, mixed with other stuff.

But Budweiser is not “beer mixed with non-beer.” It doesn’t use strange ingredients. (Unless you think beer can’t include rice.) It’s just a light version of a Bohemian lager. And if it weren’t for this Mulvaney nonsense, I might go have one. My throat’s a little dry right now.

Pigweed and I were talking about nuclear war, so I asked ChatGPT some questions. At one point I asked, “You seem sure that a nuclear war would result in the death of all humans. Is that correct? If so, why?”

It replied, “As an AI language model, I do not hold beliefs or opinions, but rather rely on scientific facts and expert opinions on the subject.”

Sure, sure, ChatGPT. You’re like the nerdy kid in high school who says, “Everything I believe is based on science.” 🙂

We’re already supplying Ukraine with weaponry. We’re deploying drones to get intel on Russian forces, and I’m pretty sure we’re sharing that intel with Ukraine. The leaked documents say (so I’m told) that some (not many) U.S. military forces are already on the ground in Ukraine. The moron in the White House has declared unending support for Ukraine’s efforts.

This is sounding like Vietnam.

How many days without shaving make a beard? And how many incremental steps towards full-on conflict make a war?

Is Ukraine worth it? Is Taiwan worth it? Do we have the ability to fight two conflicts? And should we?

Maybe yes, maybe no, but it sure would be nice if our so-called leaders were debating this. It seems that we’re getting dragged into two wars by a corrupt, bumbling hair sniffer who doesn’t know where he is, while Congress snipes about stupid partisan issues.

Here’s a definition of fascism: “a political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition”

Let’s take this piece by piece.

“a political philosophy, movement, or regime” — qualifies.

“that exalts nation” — no, not really. Biden is not America first.

“and often race above the individual” — qualifies. Biden is straight-forwardly racist.

“that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader” — mostly qualifies. The power of the presidency acting through executive order has been growing for decades, and it’s worse now than it’s ever been.

“severe economic and social regimentation” — qualifies. An example would be the Biden administration issuing regulations to force us to switch to electric cars.

“forcible suppression of opposition” — qualifies. The Biden administration was (despite their denials) behind the raid on Trump’s residence. Biden has weaponized the DOJ against conservatives.