Indiana's State Fair starts today, with a fairly-typical balloon race; they'll send a dozen or more colorful bags of hot air in pursuit of one "hare" balloon, aiming to land as close to wherever it comes down as they can manage. It ain't NASCAR or Indy cars, but if you're anywhere near the Fairgrounds, you can watch them for free.
New at the Fair this year:
Bear* Beer and wine sales. --Umm, make that "beer and wine sold by the glass with a strict quantity limit, in one building only," and no, you can't leave with your mug'o'suds, neither; so if you were looking forward to washing down a fine ribeye sandwich with one of our many fine local brews, keep lookin'. It's not happening this year. --This is another reminder that Prohibition never really ended and for all the wondrous growth and variety in craft beer and wine, you must still get the blessing of The Gummint or face their wrath -- and if you were after makin' distilled spirits, better bring your lawyer. (And here we are right back at NASCAR, aren't we?)
Side note, looking up "Prohibition" led to looking up "Anarchy," which led to
a poster that explains a lot about the lack of long-term military success by anarchists of the Spanish Civil War. Psst, buddy?
You're holding it by the wrong end. (With just a little rework, it's a baseball poster anyway.)
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* Yes, should have been beer, not bear, dammit. I rode my bike all the way down there to pick out a nice baby one as a friend for Huck, too.
I know it's a typo, but even the momentary notion that they might have started selling bears at the fair...well, it's scary, but in a way made of pure awesome. :)
ReplyDeleteI believe that the fellow in that poster is planning to use his gun as a club, rather than a projectile launcher, but, yeah.
ReplyDeleteSpanish Civil War:
ReplyDeleteOffice mate observed "If everyone in Greenwich Village who SAID they were in the Lincoln Brigade had actually BEEN in the Lincoln Brigade Franco wouldn't have stood a chance.
And for the record: General Francisco Franco is STILL dead.
BEAR and wine sales!!11one!! No bear sold without a hogshead of wine to keep it happy!
ReplyDeleteYou mean they don't do that at your State Fair?
Re the poster: They were anarchists, they don't care how others think they should hold the gun!
ReplyDeleteA better explanation of their part in that war is that "anarchist militia" is an oxymoron.
Keep thinkin' that, markm. In fact, some of 'em did right well. Not many; when you run troops by reason rather than threat of force, it's a lot slower to train them. This is why a successful anarchist region would need to have a very strong tradition in the keeping and bearing of arms, and strong social bonds as well. Lack those (or screw 'em up trying to social-engineer what otta just be allowed to happen), and, well, Spain....
ReplyDeleteThere is even terminology for using a rifle like that. A "clubbed" rifle means holding it by the barrel end to whack people with the stock end. Repeating rifles with bayonets kind of ended that as a common practice. It still would happen now and again when people ran out of ammo.
ReplyDeleteThat explains a lot of things about traditional, wooden-stocked military rifles.
ReplyDelete