This post won’t have much rhyme or reason to it until the end, when we share a poem with a LOT OF rhyme and reason from a retired English professor living WAY UP NORTH in Ashland, WI.
On Monday, we had our official launch party at Tatas Tacos Chicago, and it was a wonderful time. (Note to Chicagoans, go to our website to find where you can buy our suds.)
The clouds parted, we drank a lot of #progressivebeer and #choicehardseltzer, raised some money for the great reproductive rights group Personal PAC, and were inspired by some wonderful speakers.
Starting off the program was our great friend Patti Vasquez (The Patti Vasquez Show) who served as the Master of Ceremonies while broadcasting the event live on WCPT 820 - Chicago's Progressive Talk.
Kirk followed by thanking Chicago for being a sanctuary city where Wisconsin women can go if Roe is overturned and abortion becomes illegal in our highly dysfunctional Badger State.
Terry Cosgrove, President of Personal PAC, reminded us that we need to do more than be Facebook warriors to protect reproductive freedom—we have to organize!
Rep Eva Dina Delgado reminded us all that even progressive Chicago needs to be ever-vigilant for Choice.
Dr. Isa Ryan, a family planning fellow at Northwestern Hospital, talked to us about the real-life consequences to women’s health from banning abortions, and finally….
Chicago celebrity Melissa DuPrey, currently playing the role of “Dr. Sarah Ortiz” in Grey’s Anatomy, rounded out the list of speakers and discussed how repealing Roe is one of many spokes in the larger systemic wheel of oppression for black and brown people.
Thanks to everyone that showed up, especially Congressman Quigley, who had a few #berniebrews and told stories about what he actually experienced on January 6th. Yes, it was real, it was an insurrection, and it was life-threatening for members of Congress at the Capitol.
From the Sublime to the Mundane…
After sleeping off a few too many #choicehardseltzers, we woke up on Tuesday and drove 5 hours north to plead our case to the Minocqua Town Board to let us build a park for them instead of being forced to create an ugly and unnecessary parking lot for our tap room.
If you’ve been following the story in the last few days, one ugly wrinkle was that John Thompson, a board member, actually encouraged members of a Facebook hate group to come intimidate us at the meeting—a direct violation of due process. He must have talked to the town attorney before the meeting because he appropriately recused himself from the proceedings, knowing along with everyone else that he no longer could present himself as impartial.
Unfortunately, but expected, a small-minded lack of vision prevailed last night. The town chose an ugly parking lot over a beautiful park. A missed opportunity for the town with unfortunate long-term negative consequences.
However, some wiser board members did agree that keeping us closed until we completely finished the parking lot was egregious and vindictive, so we were granted the ability to open our new space after we were able to put in a drainage system and some compressed gravel over the top of it, which will allow us to open approximately 3 weeks faster.
Now we refuse to let this post end in a ho-hum mundane fashion, because that would be as ugly as the parking lot we have to build. So instead, we’re going to share an inspiring poem we received late last night from one of our friends, retired English Professor John Snider from Ashland, who was wishing us success with the Town Board.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for sticking with us.
(for Sarah, John’s Daughter)
If you abhor kids in cagesIf you fight for higher wages
If you know that science is realOur earth deserves a greener deal
If you hold that love todayIs simply love straight or gay
If you stare storm-troopers downRefuse to kneel to silence sound
Who steal from labor its just due
and show with love it's now her world
To southern comrades' frozen grief
But with a smile speak truth to power
Then, my daughter, the world will see