I was in the middle of a Chicago hot zone surrounded by blocks of National Guard troops forming a half-wheel around my neighborhood last month. While the Guard was ensconced at Sox Park (their epicenter) I was ensconced at home, apprehensive, tired, aghast, sad, confused and unable to deep sleep.  My neighborhood was suddenly nothing but broken glass, empty, burned and ransacked stores, stolen merchandise and equipment.

And board ups all around–many still here a month later.

It was like a new Chicago fire.

Or like Yucca Flat after the blast, which Alice Kramden once said to Ralph Kramden on “The Honeymooners” about their deteriorating apartment.

Or Englewood, after Obama gave the banks all their money back, and then let them throw everyone out of the homes they thought they owned and could pay for; not realizing they were the victims of greedy banker swindles.

Maybe outside my door was like Kosovo, Rwanda, Iraq and Somalia?  Who knows?

My neighborhood still writhes in discomfort, if not trauma, as life as we knew it re-emerges.

I’ve been watching interviews with Hawk Newsome the last few days, the “head” of the New York chapter of  BLM, the voice of a Marxist hierarchy.

Perhaps a more savvy Donald Trump–if he were more consistent, sensible and clear-headed could have teamed up with Hawk way back when. Trump’s 2018 crime bill, praised by Van Jones and welcomed for fairness and smarts, was proof, perhaps, that they could have shared some common ground as comrades.

Unless it’s true that all BLM wants to do is turn America into Venezuela.

Hawk and Trump could have outsmarted the Washington elites, proving who the establishment really is and what they stand for.  And how they never solve anything.  And that’s by design.

“No one has  ever seen anything like it,” Trump would have said pridefully about he and Hawk banding together and improving things.  Unlikely disruptors together.

But Trump’s war on face masks has him distracted now; he’s showing those invisible little suckers who’s boss. He’ll fake out the Covid-19 and drive it into submission by declaring war on the face mask.  Cloth and paper.

Then again, BLM didn’t care much about masks during the protests, either.  Nor did the democrats.

Trump-science makes a certain kind of sense because there’s been an awful lot of waxing and waning on just about everything Novel Coronavirus from the get go, from the doctors and the scientists and Fauci and Birx and the numbers and the charts, ever since the scourge started.  And no one has proved that masks make a difference one way or the other.

But no one has staked their reputation on masks.  Except Trump.

Trump should have just said, “Masks, Not much to lose.  Other than inhaling a bit of CO2 back-flow.  And a little laundry fuzz from the cloth.” Everyone would have been satisfied.  And mask-wearing wouldn’t have become what could seal Trump’s fate.

Newsome and Trump both emerged in the US  with a goal:  to drain the swamp.  (Or, as Newsome says, to burn the system down.)

But either way, a draining or a burning, the swamp still runs rampant. While both vow to drain and burn, Trump has let the swamp drown him in a sea of hypocrisy, phonies, lies, double crosses, half truths  and two-faced rats. Newsome, on the other hand, has gotten rich from it.

In fact, the swamp has endowed BLM with $1.6 + Billion (no typo).  The establishment is scared.  Do they want to stop the destruction of their quiet richness and  enormous wealth by sharing some of it?  Or do they want BLM to use their money to burn everything down?  I think they put their money on the former.

The nonprofit do-gooders and the elites from the art world to the world museums, historic libraries (ironically) and house museums have taken up solidarity with BLM, too–with a ton of  boilerplate praise for them on the internet, and standing ready to take down any statue they want them to. They, too, need the money of the establishment.  They’re all in this together.

BLM’s got the white elites from Hollywood to Martha’s Vineyard apologizing for living, breathing and existing.

They hate themselves, they say, for their white privilege and then throw a few more dollars toward someone’s bail.  And then they apologize again, offering to commit lily-white suicide.  As if that would stop a handful of psychotic cops from arresting people and killing them.

Trump inartfully asked the African American community in 2016, like the goofy wise-guy he is, “What have you got to lose?”

Good question, many thought.  And then he went on to provide opportunity zones, a good economy and record high employment.  He doubled his African American support.  And while Van Jones was praising Trump’s crime bill, everyone else said Biden’s old one was terrible, made things worse, was racist, unfair, insulting and fatal in many ways.

But now, while Trump fights the war on masks, BLM  steals the limelight.

They both want to overcome the phony elite hacks whose idea of statesmanship is showing off a freezer full of gourmet ice cream on a late night talk show.  While also getting everything very wrong.

They push for an insidious, insincere gadfly with a career as a California prosecutor, who can bring democracy back to the masses by helping shore up a weak, sickly corrupt has-been liar called “If you don’t vote for me, you ain’t black” Biden:  Harris for VP.

The idea is she’ll be his vice; and then she’ll be his prez.  And ours, too.  In very short order.

Insincere opportunists like Senator Kamala Harris are not medicine for our time.  They are not a bromide for the deep sickness that ails us.

Wiping her crocodile tears a mile a minute, Harris says she cannot digest African American Republican Senator Tim Scott’s legislation.  Or compromise.  Tinkering with any of his provisions–and hers and Senator Cory Booker’s–is out of the question.

She’s contending these issues will be better-served and hotter in November, but not so much in July.  So much for an emergency.  So much trying to stop sadistic cops from killing people.

Defunding/refunding isn’t a bad idea.  Now.  If the cities and states made a commitment to take the money and restructure the lives of overworked and misused cops–who unnecessarily pass out traffic tickets and preside  over overdoses, domestic spats and psychotic breaks–all could be better done by “meter maids” social workers and psychiatrists.

But Harris will not behave like a concerned adult and well-paid US senator. She won’t work with an African American man from South Carolina because he’s a Republican.  She prefers practicing obscene politics.  Rife with twisted motives and rampant insincerity.

How about  demanding an end to for-profit prisons which are geared to please their politically connected pals who own them and make suckers out of everyone, particularly the inmates and the taxpayers, because we have to step aside and allow the politically connected prison owners to make the same fortune the politically connected casino owners do (wink!).

While “You ain’t black” Biden hunkers down in a basement, we have a chance to study his probable choice for vice president’s embarrassingly lost chance to get the nomination herself.  We can enjoy her greatest talent–the use of giggling to avoid answering any incisive question asked of her, her blatant use of the photo-op, her merch mavenship, the empty-insults hurled while questioning people on the senate floor, and now her quest to sneak into the presidency–even though she was dismissed just a few months ago by her polling, which was humiliatingly low.

The elites really wanted her, before she flamed out due to utter incompetence.  Wall Street I’m sure loves her lack of empathy which appeals to hedge fund types who don’t want their gravy train to stop.  And they’ll shower her with money.

Appointment makes more sense to her and to them–as Biden prepares to choose her in order to let her become number one as soon as it’s obvious he can’t put a sentence together or stand up.  Talk about an end run around the voters.

In a sea of leveled statues, the threat of losing stained glass in historic churches (this one I do not believe; a false flag threat, perhaps?), the blowing up of Mt. Rushmore (ditto), defaced monuments, the take downs of abolitionists, Ulysses S. Grant who won the civil war and Abraham Lincoln himself, an the incessant slinging and shooting of guns, we are left with being Red China in 1966, in a cultural revolution led by automatons.

Even though corporate idiots will stand there and take it to pacify, letting the insurance companies fix everything, they think nothing of laying off hard working moms, family-supporting dads and young people just starting out. Because business has dropped off.

Are we ready for a Lenin, a Stalin or a Castro?

Is that what burning down the system means?

Will a silent (and moral) majority emerge again?

While some watch from the wings a guy and his dwindling polls, who has decided to bet his presidency on a war with face masks, the guy running against him barely has the strength to put one on.

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For obvious reasons, 2020 has been the suckiest, weirdest, most unpredictable and stress-filled year of recent memory. At times, it has seemed as though society is legitimately teetering on the brink of collapse.

I mean, I’ve spent the past several days captivated by a disheveled Jay Cutler as he narrates the unfolding saga of a chicken serial killer terrorizing his Nashville property via Instagram story — if that’s not a sign of the forthcoming apocalypse, I don’t know what is.

Thankfully, we still have beer. And not only are Chicagoland’s breweries hanging in there, many are finding creative ways to continue serving customers despite myriad challenges.

An Industry Regaining its Footing

As mentioned in a previous post, District Brew Yards was way ahead of the beer delivery game, launching an intuitive online ordering platform seemingly within minutes of the lockdown going into effect. An absolute lifesaver during the first few weeks of quarantine.

Delivery and curbside pickup are now par for the course, but reopening plans for some local taprooms are still a bit murky. To help with that, Choose Chicago has compiled a useful list (which appears to be updated frequently) of city breweries with outdoor seating.

The only one of these we’ve visited thus far is Midwest Coast, and the experience was fantastic. As always, it’s dog friendly, and the tables are positioned at least ten feet from each other, which allows you to breathe a bit easier. I highly recommend Song of the Summer, their new pale wheat ale, as a crushable (I hate that term, but it’s apropos here) easy-drinker for the 4th of July.

It’s also worth noting that the list leaves off Begyle Brewing, which opened a new physically distanced outdoor area this past weekend to great success. Paired with their convenient pickup window, Begyle offers a prime example of how taprooms are continuing to adapt to the evolving situation.

Father’s Day Flights

In a normal year, our family Father’s Day celebration would have involved brewery visits, numerous flights, and a sloppy Uber ride home (remember ride share?). None of that seemed appropriate this year.

Instead, we attempted to replicate the taproom taster experience, and overall it went surprisingly well.

Here’s a little run-through of what was sampled:

For the Hop Heads: From the expert New England makers at Illuminated Brew Works, Spoonful of Sugar is like a hoppy, sweet, creamy liquid candy. While indeed tasty, one pint is enough.

For the Dark Beer Folks: When I say for the dark beer folks, I really mean it on this one: Hubbard Cave Say Nut Again imperial/double stout. While most of us were intimidated by the aggressive booziness (12-percent ABV), my cousin gave it an enthusiastic seal of approval, so at least someone loved it.

For the Serious Snobs: Strawberry Lemon Yakool — a funky wild ale from Marz — caused some faces around the socially distant table to pucker up and others to smile in delight.

For the People Who Are Going to Ask “What Tastes the Most like Bud Light?”: We didn’t dabble much in the lighter styles, but Trust by Illuminated (at a robust 6 percent) really hit the spot on a hot day. A crisp, refreshing lager.

Consensus Favorite: Marz does everything well, but The Yuice is next level stuff. Super hazy/juicy, with tropical flavors and a nice murky body. Goes down scary smooth.

Beers for a Cause

Very soon, you can plan to start seeing releases from Black is Beautiful, one of the largest new brewers’ collaborations in the country.

The initiative is a collaborative effort between participating breweries and customers to bring awareness to the injustices that many people of color face daily, creating a platform to show that the brewing community is an inclusive place for everyone.

Participating breweries will donate 100% of the beer’s proceeds to local foundations that support police brutality reform and legal defenses for those who have been wronged, as well as local organizations that support equality and inclusion.

Weathered Souls Brewing of San Antonio, TX is the brewery behind the project. Click here to learn more about the initiative and look up breweries that have signed on to the cause.

In addition, Brooklyn’s Other Half Brewing in April spearheaded the creation of All Together, a global IPA collaboration to support the hospitality industry during the pandemic and beyond. Pilot Project and other Chicagoland breweries have hopped on board to offer this in their taprooms, with proceeds going to help organizations that support hospitality professionals.

Visit this website for more information and to look up which breweries are involved in the All Together project.

Featured image courtesy of facebook.com/midwestcoastbrewingco.

Author’s note: My fellow blogger D.B. commented here and suggested a list of the most annoying language. My “watch this space” comes true today, with thanks to him.

Challenges — Too often used to mean handicaps or disabilities, not puzzles.

Civil disobedience — Disobeying unjust laws can be done peacefully, without looting. I doubt that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his role model, Mohandas K. Gandhi, would agree to use this peaceful term for the riots and looting of today. If you see a riot. call it one.

Expeditiously — a very slow way to say “quickly.”

Expedite — speed up. It’s a syllable shorter.

Hopefully — I may be backing a lost cause here, but I still say it’s a stage direction. I hope that readers will remember that. Written as diaologue in a play, that could be MARGARET (hopefully): Please, defend this word!

Literal — getting overused. How about “exact” or “precise” at times?

Metaphorically — fine if it IS a metaphor, but if it could be a simile, “figuratively” will do.

That’s an elementary list of my favorite culprits among the annoying words. Feel free to add to it in the comments section.

Margaret Serious has a page on Facebook.