Weekend Parting Shot: Playing the Hits

Happy Friday, Gentle Readers,

I pray this missive finds you well. 

This weekend, I will plant elderberry bushes and try to convince Mrs. Brown that life will not be complete unless we see the latest "Mission: Impossible" movie. It shouldn't be too difficult. For our second date, she wanted to see "The Bourne Ultimatum." 

Traditionally, Memorial Day Weekend is the first official weekend for campsites, lakes, and reservoirs to fill up with RVs, ATVs, boats, and jet skis. It also used to be one of the summer weekends in which radio stations rolled out days-long countdowns of the "Greatest Hits of All Time." With that in mind, I thought I would take a couple of "hits" from the recent past that are still getting some airplay, so to speak.

This is why we can't have nice things.

In a few columns in the past, I have griped about the McMansions and condos eating up Utah's mountainsides and the fact that the national forests are now regularly befouled by trash, bikini tops, and even graffiti. But this takes the cake, and I mean the whole platter of Angel Food. 

NEW: Transgender activists have unveiled a massive trans flag at Yosemite National Park to teach President Trump a lesson.

The queers and transgenders want the world to know that being transgender is “natural.”

The flag was hung a whopping 1500 feet up the rock and spanned… pic.twitter.com/wpv3lOvfsu

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 21, 2025

I'm not sure what I am looking at here. Is this the world's first non-binary action figure? A GIJoe/Jane? Maybe. In that second picture, this person almost looks like they are made of plastic. Yes, there are some species in the animal kingdom that can switch their sex. Humans are not among them. And consider the irony of promoting chopping up one's body, filling it with hormones and chemicals that God never intended, and declaring it natural. If you have that much work done, "natural" left the building a while back. The Ministry of Truth has entered the chat. 

But hey, you do you.

While I'm thinking about it, do we have to ask Smokey Bear about his pronouns, now?

Speaking of moldy oldies:

Are they STILL on about this?

As #NationalPoliceWeek ends, I joined my Democratic colleagues to recognize the brave officers who defended our democracy on January 6.

It's been 792 days—it's past time for Republicans to follow the law and finally install the Capitol plaque honoring our law enforcement heroes. pic.twitter.com/r5oLzChn9L

— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) May 15, 2025

Granted, Nancy probably has quite a bit of time on her congressional schedule these days, but isn't there something she could do other than wheezing about JANUARY 6 for the 120,750,382nd time? Obviously, she would like to make it another federal holiday that no one wants or needs. Somebody give her her own statue and a bottle of Beefeater as parting gifts. They could put the statue right next to the new one on Times Square and rename it "Progressive Plaza." 

Nancy, honey, baby, sweetheart, it's time to go home to Napa and join Pinterest or host a True Crime podcast or something. The longer you stick around, the more you make David Hogg look like William F. Buckley, Jr. Nobody wants that.

Wine Recommendation

Because you aren't getting your own action figure or statue, you may as well drink.

I've got a nice Sauvignon Blanc in the on-deck circle, but a few weeks back, a reader called for more South Australian wines. So, without further ado, here is the 2021 Penfolds Koonuga Hill Shiraz Cabernet:

This is a wine steeped in history. The winery has been in business since 1844, and as you can see by the label, the original vintage of this wine dates back to 1976, so Penfolds has had some time to get it right. It should run you right around $18 to $20, depending on your locale, although when I checked the winery's website, I couldn't find it. 

It gets consistently good-to-decent reviews and has a strong start. It may sound a little strange to say so, but "hefty" might be a good word for this wine, since every reviewer in the world uses "robust."  It has medium tannins and acidity and is dry without being excessively so. It also finishes very well. You'll notice a good dose of red and dark fruits, a hint of oak, and a little chocolate. You may also pick up pepper, mint, and even some eucalyptus. One reviewer detected a note of char-grilled beets. Since I have never had char-grilled beets (I didn't even know that was a thing), I'll take their word for it. 

Now, if you will excuse me, I have to find my pickaxe and shovel. Sadly, those bushes aren't going to plant themselves.

That's it for me. Have a great weekend, and I'll see you next time. 

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