Author: Pigweed and Crowhill

The boys drink and review Brooklyn Brewery’s Winter IPA, then discuss the rich men (north of Richmond) who want to tell us how to live and control every aspect of our lives.

Seamus Bruner recently wrote a book called Controligarchs about how the super-rich want to tell all the rest of us how to live.

Bruner singles out five on his book cover: Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Klaus Schwab, and George Soros. Noticeably absent is Elon Musk, who seems to be supporting personal freedom rather than top-down dominance. (Which is why the media hates him.)

The controligarchs think they have the right and responsibility to tell us what to eat, what to drive, what to think, what to say, how to educate our children, how to spend our money ….

“You’ll eat bugs and you’ll like it.”

Unfortunately, the population doesn’t have the courage or integrity to tell them where to stuff it. As long as we have our cable TV and cheap food that can be delivered in less than 30 minutes, we’re good.

These controligarchs aren’t taking their lead from traditional, consitutional American ideals. They’re following Xi Jingping.

It’s time to resist these people.

With special guest Longinus, the boys drink and review Witness Tree Nut Brown Ale from Antietam Brewery, then discuss Crowhill’s recent trip to the UAE.

While Saudi Arabia dominates the Arabian peninsula, a couple smaller nations squeeze their way in, including UAE.

After reviewing a bit of history and geography, the boys discuss Crowhill’s experiences in Abu Dhabi.

Crowhill had three goals for his trip. Swim in the Persian Gulf, visit the Grand Mosque, and eat some weird local food.

The boys discuss how the UAE maintains a national identity when only about 11 percent of the population is local. They’ve imported most of their citizens, but they still maintain a national culture and identity.

With special guest Longinus, the boys drink and review Saranac Caramel Porter, then discuss Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s as part of their “shortcut to the classics” series.

They start with a quick bio of Truman Capote, then dig in to the novella.

The story is set in WW2, and it’s important to get the movie out of your head before you read the book.

Holly Golightly is the star of the book. She’s a young woman who uses men for their money. It’s not clear if she’s more call girl or escort or just “woman about town.” But she’s an amoral little sprite who does what she needs to do to enjoy life and live in the style she has come to expect.

The boys disagree about how to evaluate her morals.

It’s a delightful story with a few interesting themes.

The boys drink and review Local 1605, a red ale from Antietam Brewery, then discuss McCarthyism.

Since “The Crucible,” we tend to associate the Salem witch trials with Joseph McCarthy and his work with the committee on anti-American activities. After doing a show on the Salem Witch trials (see episode 367), P&C wondered if it’s appropriate to link witch trials to Joseph McCarthy and his anti-communist crusade.

The analogy works in some respects and not in others.

* There were false accusations in both cases.
* In both cases, to be accused was bad enough.
* In both cases, you could get out by accusing other people.
* “Justice” was corrupted by mob hysteria in both cases.
* However, there were no witches or witchcraft in Salem, but there were communists in the United States.

The “red scare” was legit. There was a fight to the death between communism and the west. But that doesn’t justify McCarthy’s methods to root out that threat.

P&C provide a brief review of McCarthy’s life, then examine his methods and tactics and what we should learn about it today.

P&C drink and review “The Fear” — an imperial pumpkin ale from Flying Dog — then discuss surveillance.

How should we live in an environment where everything we say is being recorded?

Why shouldn’t the government be able to do “routine checks” on citizens? We don’t have anything to hide, do we? And if you’re breaking the law, or a risk to others, don’t we want to find out before you do something horrible?

Why do we have a presumption of innocence? What’s the point?

The boys discuss the basic principles, but also delve into the issues raised by Snowden and others who uncovered secret government surveillance.

The boys drink and review a hazy IPA from Sam Adams, then discuss the opioid crisis and big pharma.

Corporations are not necessarily evil. As a rule, they do important work that provides a service people are happy to pay for. But from time to time you get some bad eggs.

The Sackler family is an example. They took advantage of a new class of drug, and new thinking about how to manage pain, and lied and cheated their way to riches. They convinced the medical community that opioids weren’t addictive. (Based on one questionable study.)

Doctors began prescribing opioids more than they should have, and a lot of people got addicted.

It’s a sad tale with lots of villains and victims. The boys give it a fun and sometimes humorous review.

The boys drink and review Warlock, a pumpkin imperial stout, then discuss the Salem witch trials.

In this gripping podcast, Pigweed and Crowhill delve into the chilling history of the Salem witch trials. Join us as we unravel the mysteries, uncover the accused, and explore the dark trials that shook the heart of colonial America. Discover the truth behind the hysteria that still haunts Salem to this day.

The Salem witch trials were a series of events that occurred in 1692 in colonial Massachusetts. They involved mass hysteria and accusations of witchcraft, resulting in the execution of 20 people, mainly women. The trials were marked by religious fervor, paranoia, and false accusations, ultimately revealing the dangers of unchecked superstition and fear in society.

What role does Calvinism and predestination play in all of this? Did it provide a particularly fertile soil for hysteria about witches?

The Puritans came to America believing they could start a new life, and a better society as the chosen people. But it wasn’t working out. So maybe it was the devil.

P&C review the historical details and provide commentary about how we should view the story today.

The boys drink and review Captain Crowhill Abbey Ale, then discuss the recent spectacle of college students defending Hamas.

The conversation starts with a few assumptions.

* Israel exists
* It has a right to exist
* It has a right to defend itself

Why have there been so many ugly rallies in support of Hamas, and why have the universities been so silent about it. If you misgender someone on a college campus, that’s the end of you. But if you call for genocide against the Jews, that’s free speech.

These protestors divide the world between oppressor and oppressed, and somehow the Jews — possibly the most persecuted people in the history of the planet — are designated “oppressors.”

If you’re oppressed, colonized, marginalized, “of color,” etc., you’re automatically the good guy from the standpoint of the idiot left.

Along with literary contributor Longinus, the boys drink and review Dark Usher, then discuss two short stories from Lovecraft: Shadow Over Innsmouth and the Call of Cthulu.

In “The Shadow over Innsmouth,” a man visits the decaying New England town of Innsmouth and discovers its inhabitants’ disturbing alliance with aquatic beings, the Deep Ones. As he delves deeper into their sinister secrets, he faces terror and the looming threat of a transformation into one of them.

“The Call of Cthulhu” unravels a cosmic horror as the protagonist pieces together accounts of a monstrous entity, Cthulhu, who lies dormant beneath the ocean. Cults worldwide revere this ancient, nightmarish being, awaiting the moment when it will awaken to usher in worldwide chaos. The story unfolds through a series of interconnected narratives, leaving readers with a profound sense of dread about the insignificance of humanity in the face of cosmic forces.

The boys drink and review a no-alcohol porter, then discuss five topics in about 5 minutes each.

#1. Gender-reveal dad. From a YouTube video — This poor fellow was obviously a captive. You could see it in his face. But it wasn’t about a baby, it was about some kid transitioning. It was horrifying. It seemed pretty obvious the man was going along with an ultimatum from his wife. “Support me on this or suffer.”

#2. Means-tested speeding tickets. A Finnish man participating in a strange combination of the Iditerod and a race across the country gets a speeding ticket that was “means tested” based on his salary. His fine was $62,000 for driving 10mph over the speed limit. Because he was wealthy.

#3. Why is nobody covering the Epstein sex scandal? Supposedly there’s a list of elites who took advantage of Epstein’s … hospitality (at the expense of underaged girls). But nobody will touch it — not the media, not the government, not the feminists.

#4. Our broken culture. We have some weird standard these days where someone deliberately provokes a reaction by refusing to conform to society’s standards, and then gets offended when people notice that they’re not conforming to society’s standards.

#5. Joe Biden finally found somebody he wants to deport. Homeschoolers. It’s a horrifying case that makes you wonder if lunatics have taken over every aspect of the government.

The boys drink and review yet another non-alcoholic beer, then discuss Ted Kaczynski, aka The Unabomber, who recently died in prison.

He was a genius. He skipped two grades, went to Harvard, and studied advanced mathematics.

Unfortunately, he was an evil genius.

Ted was a quirky guy who decided that technology and industrial society had to be destroyed. He worked for a few years to raise enough money to live in a shack in Montana. From there he started his terrorist bombing campaign.

His crimes spanned from 1978 to 1995, with a 5-year gap in the middle.

He got caught after his manifesto was published and his brother saw similarities between the manifesto and the ravings and letters of his brother.

P&C drink and review “Gold Rush,” a no-alcohol beer from Sam Adams, then discuss the “I Promise” School.

LeBron James says that he owes a lot of his success to some wonderful people who took him in and helped him out when he was struggling in school. To his credit, LeBron wants to give back, so he created a new school to give disadvantaged kids a chance.

The school started with a lot of hope and promise — and with a lot of LeBron’s money — but it hasn’t lived up to expectations. The results have been pretty awful.

P&C take a hard look and provide some possible reasons why the “I Promise” school didn’t work out that well.

One obvious lesson is that resources are not the problem. Throwing money at the school doesn’t make for better education.

Perhaps LeBron should try this. Find a school that’s doing a good job — like maybe the Catholic school he went to — and help them reach more kids.

P&C drink and review Geralt’s Gold, a no-alcohol Helles brew, then discuss how our views of children have changed.

In the latter half of the 20th century our culture turned away from the previous “seen and not heard” attitude and tried to be more interested in what children say. We also started to be obsessed with childrens’ feelings and their self esteem.

P&C don’t remember anybody caring about their feelings, their self esteem, or whether they were anxious when they were young. It’s as if we’re teaching children to have mental problems.

In the modern environment, the most unruly kid sets the agenda for the classroom because the teachers and principals can’t do anything to them.

This has evolved into the modern “gender” confusion, which seems to have no end of foolishness. Now we have “gender minotaurs” and other ridiculous concepts.

But it’s not just “gender.” The anti-straw hysteria was invented by a nine year old who made up phony statistics that the media swallowed whole. And then he did a TED talk.

Nobody thought to check it. I guess the children were leading.

Along with special guest Longinus, the boys drink and review Sam Adams’ Just the Haze, a no-alcohol IPA, then review some short stories by Kurt Vonnegut.

“The Foster Portfolio” has an investment advisor who finds a client who appears to be poor, but secretly has enormous wealth, which he has no interest in. It examines one man’s struggles with his moral failings.

“All the King’s Horses” is about a horrifying chess game played with real people’s lives, including a Colonel’s wife and two sons. It’s a parable about parents’ choices in sending their children off to war.

“Tom Edison’s Shaggy Dog” is clever and fun story about a dog who is smarter than Thomas Edison.

“Welcome to the Monkey House” is a futuristic story about an over-populated planet where society takes extreme measures to reduce the number of people. But then Billy the Poet comes along and throws a wrench in the works.

“Harrison Bergeron” is a brilliant anticipation of modern nonsense about “equity.” The only way to make everyone equal is to make the smart people stupid, the pretty people ugly, and the talented just as dull as everyone else.

The boys drink and review a light copper near bear from Athletic Brewing, then discuss the GOP debates.

The participants were Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Chris Christie, Doug Burgum, and Asa Hutchinson.

The candidates are all so far behind Donald Trump at this point that it was almost like a debate to see who wanted to be Trump’s VP, except that Chris Christie, Asa Hutchinson, and Mike Pence were clearly competing for the anti/never-Trump lane.

Vivek is widely seen as the winner, but Crowhill wasn’t all that impressed with his performance. He was a little too silly, and he was legitimately criticized for not having any experience.

DeSantis was surprisingly low key, but did well.

Pence tried to defend his actions on Jan. 6 and to push himself out in front by being very aggressive, but it didn’t do much for him.

Haley scored some good zingers on Ramaswamy and helped herself some, but she’s still way behind.

Scott, Christie, Burgum and Hutchinson didn’t distinguish themselves.

P&C also discuss the elephant not in the room — Donald Trump. Is there any hope that we can get somebody other than Trump on the Republican ticket?