Drinking Liberally - A Year in Review at Our Temporary Home

The people have spoken, and as of 10:00 p.m. last night it looks like this week's very special episode of Asheville Drinking Liberally will take place at the Asheville Pizza & Brewing Company on beautiful Merrimon Avenue (otherwise known to many long-time Ashevillians as the "Brew & View" - or is that "Brew N' View"? I haven't been able to get a straight answer to this...).

Apart from the different location, and the fact that this is going to be the last DL meeting of 2006, what makes this one special?

Well, I'm sure you've all heard by now about the passing of President Gerald R. Ford. A lot of people really don't remember him too well, other than the fact that he was the "guy who pardoned Nixon" and the butt of many jokes. Well, he certainly was all of that... but believe it or not, he had a pretty rich legacy. Ford was a man of many contradictions. On one hand, he was one of the men responsible for whitewashing the JFK assassination (as a member of the Warren Commission), and he did play a minor but significant role in the rise of the Neo-Conservative movement. On the other hand, a lot of people forget that he was the one who nominated Justice John Paul Stevens to the Supreme Court, and in 2001 he became a member of the Republican Unity Coalition (an organization dedicated to making homosexuality a "non-issue" within the GOP). He was also a vocal supporter of gay rights issues. On top of all this, in a 2004 interview with Bob Woodward that was subject to a press embargo until after Ford's passing (excerpts of which have been published in this morning's Washington Post), he disagreed with Bush over the invasion of Iraq, and criticized Vice President Cheney (who happened to be Ford's Chief of Staff) and Defense Secretary Rumsfeld (who also served in that same position at the pleasure of Ford) for pushing WMDs as justification for the invasion. Pretty progressive for a man who many feel was nothing but a GOP hack for his entire political career, huh?

Me? Whenever I think of Gerald Ford, I think of a scene from a documentary about political cartoonists I saw quite a few years ago, where Mike Peters demonstrated how easy it was to draw him. He just drew a caricature of Karloff's Frankenstein monster without the bolts on his neck.

Whether you love him, hate him, or feel kind of "ehhh?" about him, let's raise a glass and either toast his small contributions to progressivism or curse his role in the mess we're in now...

Also, because this is the last meeting of the year, what better time to review the events of the past year? The big news and the stories that got away. Our victories, our failures, and everything in between. What should be done differently next time? What are we going to do in 2007? This is wide open, folks. Plenty of stuff to talk about here.

The Asheville Pizza & Brewing Company is located @ 675 Merrimon Ave., across the street from that big ugly office building that used to be a Burger King. They have the same beer selection, as well as a full menu with item names derived from movie puns. I'm a big fan of their "Fingers of Fire" myself. Look for us in the back room.

We'll be back to our regular place and time next week (1/4), and we hope to see you tonight! If we don't see you, we here @ ADL want to wish you all a happy, safe and prosperous 2007.

From Ashvegas to you: Peace, y'all

Happy Christmas hanukkah kwanzaa holidays Monday, BlogAsheville!

I'm regifting this image from Brainshrub. I hope all of you are having the times of your lives.

AC-T Shout Out

Dave Russell gave Blogasheville a shout out on the editorial page of today's AC-T. Thanks, Dave!

Happy hols to all you bloggas, lurkers, and commenters.


And for those who think Santa's working his heinie off preparing for Sunday night, this photo proves he's down in Puerto Rico drinking pina coladas on the beach. Bet he left the elves back at the North Pole to pack the sleigh!

And a Good Time Was Had By ALL

Photos from last night's Drinking Liberally/BlogAsheville Pub Crawl, or anyway photos from as long as I was able to maintain coherency & the ability to hold a camera! Big thanks to everyone who organized this and then herded the cats progressives from pub to pub. More pictures here.

Drinking Liberally Downtown Pub Crawl 1.0.1 - TONIGHT!!!

Just a quick reminder that tonight is the First Annual Drinking Liberally Downtown Pub Crawl v. 1.01! Note the version change, as the itinerary (see below) has been modified somewhat.

As with any pub crawl, flexibility is the key. No one should be married to a particular schedule here, and there are several factors that will determine whether or not some stops will actually happen (such as cover charges, guest admission, etc.), but this should give you a general idea as to where we'll be and when:

• Wild Wing Cafe: 5:00
• Barley's Taproom OR Ed Boudreaux's: 6:00
• Ebony Grill OR Smokey Tavern: 7:00
• Smokey Tavern OR Fred's Speakeasy 8:00
• Jolie Rouge: 9:00
• Scully's: 10:00
• BoBo: 11:00
• Bier Garden: 12:00
• College Street Grill & Pub*: 12:45
• Hookah Joe's**: 1:30 (???)

* It should be noted here that the Charlotte Street Pub is the one that is closing its doors and not the College Street Pub. Apologies for any confusion.
** The Asheville Brewing Company will most likely be closed by the time we get over to that end of downtown. Which is sad, because we like that place. Hookah Joe's is an optional stop, if anyone is still up for it. It's a nice place to chill, unwind and reflect... maybe even down one last beverage before your taxi arrives. Also, there is a cover charge for non-members, but it's very low, and the nice comfy overstuffed couches are worth the price of admission alone.

If you're planning on joining us somewhere along the way, e-mail Mark Stoffard @ hiker33@hotmail.com for cell phone info.

We hope to see you tonight!

It's about time

The Media Bloggers Association is about to unveil new membership policies designed to help bloggers who see themselves more as journalists than free-form diarists. Members would also have to adopt formal editorial and corrections policies and take an online course offered by the Poynter Institute that covers legal issues related to blogging (AP).

The Meanings of Peace

Jeff Davis, born in the year of the Monkey, plans to swing from the Rafters at a celebration and exploration of peace. From Natures:

On December 15th, some of Asheville’s finest poets will gather at the Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center to explore the meanings they find in this rich word “peace” and speak from their own understandings of what this season holds. Thomas Rain Crowe, John Crutchfield, Laura Hope-Gill, Gary Lilley, Rose McLarney, Sebastian Matthews, and I will be rocking the Center’s rafters and, with any luck, warming spirits till they’re proof against winter.

Drinking Liberally Downtown Pub Crawl 1.0

It's time again for the Drinking Liberally Pubcrawlers to go out on the town. Back in the days when the weather was warmer, we trekked the First Annual Drinking Liberally Haywood Road Pub Crawl. And now, as colder winds blow, we aim to move from pint to pint in the thumping heart of downtown Asheville for Drinking Liberally's Downtown Pub Crawl 1.0. Mark Stoffan, DL regular and blogger behind Asheville Beer Blog, is leading the evening. The route, artfully constructed by Mark and Kathryn, goes something like this:

Saturday, December 16th, 5pm until we end it

5pm - Wild Wing Cafe: You've heard the stories, now experience the magic of the meatiest market south of Whiskey Tavern. Grab some pub grub or a Jager bomb to get your crawl started.

Barley's: The greatest beer selection in town and big, fat pizza pies.

Smokey Tavern: Don't ask, don't tell.

Scully's: Hip spot in a space that's hosted some of Asheville's most famous hip spots.

Bier Garden: Prime for an invasion of pubcrawling liberals.

College Street: It's closing soon, so let's say sayonara to a place too cheesy to survive.

Asheville Brewing Company: Drinking Liberally's homebase and the only place that would embrace and celebrate the liberal endurance we'll embody at the end of the crawl.

The Drinking Liberally Downtown Pub Crawl 1.0, which may include a couple of surprise stops, has it all: Great food, great beer, unique atmospheres to challenge and delight you, and a great place to call a cab or wait for a ride at the end of the night. The company is sure to be convivial, and the drinking will likely be heroic.

There's also talk of Ebony Grill, Bobo's, and more - we'll have to wait and see what the night brings. We'll post a phone number on the day of the crawl, so you can call to find out where we are at any point during the night. Kyle, who earned the yellow jersey at the end of the Haywood Road crawl, is putting his title on the line. It's going to be a night of great conversation as we crawl into our holiday cups.

Please send an e-mail to baileyms2006-pubcrawl (at) yahoo (dot) com to
let us know you’re coming. Everyone's welcome. See you there!

Farewell poetry reading at the New French Bar

This week's WordPlay podcast announced that Jaye Bartell is leaving Asheville and saying farewell with a New French Bar poetry performance this Friday, 9:30 PM--no cover. A selection of Jaye's poems are published in this month's Rapid River. Bring your copy and have him sign it--or bring a beer coaster--he might write a poem on it.

[cross-posted from 1000 Black Lines]

A Year of Drinking Liberally

Felicity, Jay, and I had a beer together at Jack of the Wood on the second Thursday of last December. We talked about politics, about drinking, and about talking about politics and drinking. It was a good night. An interview that day contained an excellent illustration of the political environment at the time:

"QUESTION: "Mr. Murtha, what do you say to Senator Lieberman whom yesterday said Democrats need to acknowledge that this president is commander in chief for three more years, that undermining his credibility..."

MURTHA: "Undermining his credibility? What has he said that would give him credibility?"

Some Congressmen were still tacking to the Bush right. Some were standing up and saying what the rest of us had been saying for years. The vast middle of them had their fingers in the wind, hoping they'd get a chance to make a difference or a buck. A local football hero was mounting a campaign to unseat The Lump (R-NC), covered that day at Scrutiny Hooligans:

"Maybe he ought to consider a run for the Politburo? Scrutiny Hooligans were unable to get a photo of the Russian medal Taylor received, so we've decided to give him a medal of our own. Here's to you, Chainsaw Charlie, Heath Shuler is going to kick your ass in '06."

A year has passed, and Drinking Liberally, that weekly gathering of political wool-gatherers and beery yarn-spinners, is gathering this Thursday to toast a year of friends well met.

Drinking Liberally has ranged from city planning to Quail Hunting to those godawful Republican hair-dos. We've dissected the immigration debate, seen the launch of a web legend, and celebrated Primary Madness. I even learned what liberalism means:

"Liberalism is an ideology, philosophy, and political tradition which holds liberty as the primary political value. Broadly speaking, liberalism seeks a society characterized by freedom of thought for individuals, limitations on the power of government, wealth, and religion, the rule of law, the free exchange of ideas, a market economy that supports private enterprise, and a transparent system of government in which the rights of minorities are guaranteed."

The whole crew migrated first to McCormick Field then to the excellent Asheville Brewing Company. We had months of conversation and debate about the candidacy of Heath Shuler, and, yes, Paul voted for him. We crawled from Patton to Clingman in a superhuman display of political drinksmanship. We've hosted authors and screenings and an election blowout I'll never forget.

Felicity bowed out as co-host, and Aric stepped in to fill the gap. We've grown from a festive gathering of informed, passionate people to a slightly larger festive gathering of informed, passionate people. It's been an amazing year of a unique, dynamic, political community. Please come out and raise your glasses to celebrate the scene you've created, to a year of Drinking Liberally.

Another non-profit shopping Opp

Support local preschool while holiday shopping!

The annual North Asheville Preschool Craft Fair will be held Tuesday, December 5, and Wednesday, December 6, from 8:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Asbury Methodist Church at the intersection of Kimberly Avenue and Beaverdam Road. Ten percent of proceeds will benefit the preschool. Most sale items are locally made and include belts, aprons, scarves, jewelry, fiber arts, baked goods, children’s books and CDs, skin care supplies, scrapbooking supplies, baby pillows, rustic signs, children’s clothing, and totes.

I'll be there Tuesday selling Seth's Playground CDs--amazing local kids' music, all donated songs (Billy Jonas, David LaMotte, the Buckerettes, Mad Tea Party, etc., etc.) and production! The sale of the CD goes to both Isaac Dickson's new playground and to North Asheville Preschool.

So come by and say hi!

P.S. If you can't come by, but still want to buy a CD, go to the playground's website.

Holiday Fest Fabulous Crafts at Pack Place

The Colburn Earth Science Museum is hosting a really great arts & crafts fair on the lower level of Pack Place this weekend, so come downtown and get some holiday shopping done! Think about it: you're shopping downtown, which is helping out Asheville's independent merchants; you're buying from local artists and crafters, which helps them out and also does not contribute to our bloated and terrible gas dependent economy AND, as if you needed an and, a percentage of all sales goes to help out the Colburn, one of Asheville's treasures and a worthy non profit organization in its own right.

The sale goes on from 10 - 5 today, Saturday, December 2 and from 1 - 5 tomorrow, Sunday, December 3 and then it's gone forever. There is nifty stuff here ranging from jewelry to weaving to ceramics to wooden toys, Christmas decorations and more. To top it all off, BlogAsheville get together regulars and Drinking Liberally people will recognize several familiar faces among the artists, so not only are you buying locally, which is good, but you are buying from your friends, which is EVEN BETTER. And, get this, admission to the Colburn Earth Science Museum is free all weekend, so you can check out the museum AND shop AND reap much karmic goodness ALL AT ONCE. Hurry up! Go downtown!