Happy Friday, Gentle Readers,
I don't know about you, but I'm taking the weekend off to hide from the news. Thursday night's revelation that Joe Biden is perfectly competent to remain in his position as the President of Narnia, particularly after he met with Winston Churchill during his first year in office, was enough to make me want to get right back to work on that shelter I'm building in the backyard.
On the other hand, he did recount the time his dad told him, "Joey, Darth Vader just wants to get married, just like Aragorn did at Hogwarts." But it's Joe's staff's fault for making things appear in his garage. "Accio classified files!" Just make sure there is no "red stuff around the corners."
It has been said before, and it will be said again. Joe Biden is not an honorable man. His mental decline simply makes that fact impossible to mask.
So we're all doomed.
The Shire is racist.
Believe it or not, I took two years of Latin in high school. I only remember two sentences. They are the first things I learned when I opened my Latin textbook. "Britannia insula est. Sunt multi agricolae in Britannia." Translation: "Britain is an island. There are many farmers in Britain."
And that's all I've got.
Britain is indeed an island. And at one point, there were many farmers in Britain. Having spent a small amount of time there in my youth, I fell in love with the British countryside. It is beautiful, and one can see how it inspired Tolkien's work. Gazing at the landscape, one can easily picture Frodo and company wending their way to Rivendell or the Knights of the Roundtable embarking on the quest for the Holy Grail. Britain is steeped in history and legend. Aside from being the home of many farmers once upon a time, it is also the home to many white people. It is what it is.
That being said, the fact that white people have occupied Britain for thousands of years is the cause for great offense among the ranks of the woke in Britain. In recent years, we have learned "Multae progressus in Britannia sunt." ("There are many progressives in Britain.")
And it seems that those progressives are possessed of an insatiable desire to declare everything in Britain racist, much like in the States. That includes the land. The British countryside is racist. That is, at least, according to the Wildlife and Countryside Link. The Telegraph noted that the group, which has ties to the Royal Society for the Protection of Animals, the World Wildlife Fund, and the National Trust, recently presented the evidence to Parliament.
MPs in an all-party parliamentary group (APPG) were informed that the British countryside has been influenced by “racist colonial legacies” which have created an environment some fear is “dominated by white people”.
The country’s green spaces are governed by “white British cultural values”, the report argues, and the perception that the countryside is a “white space” prevents people from other ethnic backgrounds from enjoying the outdoors.
The report states, "Cultural barriers reflect that in the UK, it is White British cultural values that have been embedded into the design and management of green spaces, and into society’s expectations of how people should be engaging with them.” It also adds:
Colonialism has driven the exploitation and erasure of the rights and knowledge of indigenous people, and the assertion of white, Western values and knowledge at the expense of other values and knowledges. [sic]
What does that have to do with the British countryside? The last time I checked, native Britons were the indigenous people of Britain.
Did Britain engage in colonialism? Yes. Were their injustices done? Of course. Are there racists in Britain? Sure there are. Is racism bad? Yes, it is. But there are two salient points here. First, Britain was among the first countries in Europe to abolish slavery and took a proactive role in doing so abroad. Second, no culture has clean hands when it comes to oppression and atrocities, no matter the attempts to romanticize one above the other.
Britain, having been a "white" country since time immemorial, hardly precludes people of color from taking nature hikes. But that is apparently not the case. The group Muslim Hikers claims that rural areas have been perceived as "unwelcoming and off-limits to minorities." If a Muslim in Britain wants to go on a hike, he can go on a hike.
Of course, it is not about racism. It isn't even about meeting someone halfway. It is about activism and power. And the Left knows there is quite a bit of power to be mined. One might notice that none of these groups ever consider their own impacts, behaviors, or attitudes. There is no room for "live and let live." Something is always somebody else's fault.
Does anyone remember the end of "A Christmas Story?" The family is opening presents on Christmas morning, and the youngest child, Randy, is grabbing present after present and saying, "That's mine!" Here, we have a cadre of people across international borders grabbing at everything and saying, "That's racist!"
That mentality robs the word of its meaning and ensures that there cannot be a meeting of the minds. And it goes a long way to explaining why so many people in various parts of the UK and EU are growing weary of the current status quo and prevailing mindsets. The message seems to be, "Your very existence, even in your home country, is racist." It's a message that in and of itself is inherently racist.
Wine recommendation
Because we should all toast Peter Doocy today. Joe Biden might not remember, but Pepperidge Farm remembers.
So how about a nice bottle of Cab to take your mind off your troubles? Okay, how about a few barrels of Cab to take your mind off your troubles? Since I can't buy wine by the barrel, you will have to settle for a bottle of 2021 J. Lohr Paso Robles Seven Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon.
I will be the first to admit that I can be as pretentious as Frasier Crane, and I have been mistaken for Kelsey Grammer twice. But I also keep the price point in mind when I choose a wine to review.
Despite what KJP may tell you, money's tight in America, and wine is not exactly a necessity. This wine runs about $17, depending on your locale. And it was an unexpected treat. It is 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Petite Sirah, 4% Petit Verdot, 3% Merlot, and 2% Malbec. This vintage came from grapes that were grown under drought conditions, which made for small fruit that was also very concentrated in flavor. Combined with a 12-month aging process in oak barrels, the result is a very pleasant-tasting wine.
Our bottle had a nice color and a subtle bouquet. You can taste a little smokiness and a decent dose of tannins. Look for a little chocolate and tobacco in addition to the dark berries and just a hint of spice. It will go well with any beef or lamb dish but also works as a stand-alone, not to mention that it is perfect for blunting the effects of the downfall of civilization.
That's it for me. Have a great weekend and I'll see you next time. If we're all still here next week.
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