Beer and Conversation with Pigweed and Crowhill

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250: The West Virginia v EPA SCOTUS ruling Jul 29, 2022

Show notes

P&C drink and review a homebrewed India Pale Ale, then discuss the recent SCOTUS decision on EPA over-reach.

The boys do a quick review of the role of administrative agencies and their authority to regulate, and how that relates to Congressional authority to control things through legislation.

Then they look at the specific issues relating to EPA's Clean Power Plan, where they forced coal-burning plants to reduce their emissions to levels based on a switch to natural gas.

This case illustrates a big difference between the political left and the right.

The left doesn't care as much about legal authority if they agree with the goal. They also love to push the idea of a crisis, because when you're in a crisis, legal authority and procedures don't matter as much.

The right puts more of an emphasis on restraints on power and respect for legitimate authority. They don't want government by crisis.

249: Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his weird cult Jul 26, 2022

Show notes

Along with special guest Longinus, P&C drink and review an IPA from the Guinness Open Gate Brewery, then discuss spiritual guru and cult leader Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh.

Rajneesh started off life as a troublemaker -- as both a student and a teacher -- but eventually found his groove with his own system of meditation, blending eastern mystic ideas with western psychology. He settled into a life of teaching and became fairly popular. He set up an Ashram in India and gathered a pretty decent following, but (fleeing tax problems) decided to move to Oregon to create a new community.

They bought a huge ranch and created an incredible compound, but neglected to consult the zoning laws and ran into trouble with the county and the local town.

Coming shortly after the Jim Jones disaster, people were worried about these glassy-eyed intruders and their strange ways.

Bhagwan and his followers essentially went to war with the local town, and the vision of the utopian community fell apart.

248: Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll Jul 26, 2022

Show notes

Pigweed and Crowhill, with special guest Longinus, drink and review a coffee stout from Guinness, then continue their "shortcut to the classics" series with a review of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland.

They start off with a whirlwind tour of the story, then discuss various potential meanings and interpretations.

Generally speaking, the boys are not impressed, and they wonder why in the world this has become such a classic. It is the third most quoted book in the English language!

It's silly and playful, but is that all? Are there any hidden meanings? Is there an underlying theme? What's the appeal of this strange book?

247: Will robots steal our jobs? Jul 19, 2022

Show notes

The boys drink and review Hi-Pitch Mosaic IPA from Hi-Wire Brewing, then discuss tools, machines, and robots, and how they affect labor and employment.

The Luddites were people who objected to modern equipment that robbed them of their livelihood. But that process of increasing efficiency and reducing labor costs has been a major driver of wealth and opportunity. The industrial revolution destroyed some jobs, but created many more.

But does that always happen? Does automation always result in more opportunity? Or is there an inflection point at which it's a net negative?

This is a very serious issue for our culture as artificial intelligence and robotics continue to replace more and more jobs. And it's only going to get worse.

What's the solution? And who's thinking about it?

Some people recommend Universal Basic Income, but does that really work?

246: SCOTUS and the free exercise of religion Jul 15, 2022

Show notes

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

245: Bronies: Innocent, disturbing, crazy ...? Jul 08, 2022

Show notes

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.

244: Gun control, the second amendment and SCOTUS Jul 08, 2022

Show notes

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.

243: WeWork -- The rise and fall of the cult-like office sharing business Jul 07, 2022

Show notes

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.

242: Abortion, Dobbs, Roe, etc., Part 2 Jul 05, 2022

Show notes

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.

241: Abortion, Roe, Casey, and Dobbs. The history of abortion in America and how SCOTUS has intervened Jul 01, 2022

Show notes

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.

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