Building Back Better in the Spirit of Bethlehem

McCarthy’s Red Stag Pub in Bethlehem, PA

Dear Lord, let me live a life constantly in search of the truth, but spare me the company of people who have already found it. –– An “old Texas prayer”

The closest I’ve come to finding enlightenment in some sacred setting during this past Christmas season is pictured above–no wise men on camels or a shepherd boy tending his flock, just two LED laden reindeer outside an Irish pub in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. I had resolved to once more make sense of 2021 by way of my keyboard before greeting the New Year. But like my resolution to drink less in 2022, an idea which has already been toasted too many times, my own ambitious program of building back better is being held up not by some Senator from West Virginia, but by the man who looks back at me in the mirror each morning.

While writing this, my focus is interrupted by the sound of the cable news channel in the other room. The day’s panel of pundits is debating why Republicans have opted, except for the two honorable souls from Wyoming, not to partake in the remembrance of what occurred in our nation’s capital last January 6th. Their collective absence seems to contradict that adage about criminals always returning to the scene of the crime.

The uprising and pandemic aside, the talk around Washington for the last twelve months has mainly been about what amount of taxpayer dollars will go toward the Build Back Better Bill. And while I agree with most of the President’s agenda on that matter, we should probably first shore up the foundation of our democracy before it seems that the best use for our crumbling interstates is to find the quickest way out of Dodge.

In many ways, America’s brand of democracy shares several similarities with the Divinely inspired ethic manifested in that birth in Bethlehem some 2000 years ago. Both extol the virtues of respect, tolerance, and inclusion–and both hold sacrosanct the absolute equality of all! And while the vast majority of people and politicians have always proclaimed these principles a proper roadmap for human behavior, history suggests that there are a significant number of non-believers amongst the American congregation. Our reliance on loopholes, cheating, and that nasty habit of excluding whatever segment of society threatens the status-quo certainly proves the point.

So by the grace of God and in that true spirit of Bethlehem–I pray that we all find a common path for both ourselves and our country to build back better in the coming year!

Click on Sit Downs and Sessions or the PodBean logo to hear an in-depth conversation about the events of January 6th.

Posted by: Chris Poh

What Comes First–the Cover-up or the Conspiracy?

Uncork the Saurian brandy and break out the Romulan Ale–we may be on the verge of once and for all finding out whether or not we are the sole inhabitants of the universe. According to a recently published New York Times op-ed written by the former United States Senator Harry Reid, our government is perhaps ready to come clean on what it knows about U.F.O.s. A report on the matter requested by the Senate Intelligence Committee may be made public as early as this June.

As to what came first the cover-up or the conspiracy, I once believed that our government was fully aware of what was happening in the skies above and that the lack of public disclosure by the military and our elected officials stoked the fires of countless conspiracies. But after listening to the conspiratorial crap being slung about by the QAnon crowd and that twenty percent of the U.S. population buy into these very dangerous lies–I now believe that what may appear to be ill-conceived cover-ups by the government is simply just good public policy. Because based upon our inability to deal with our terrestrial truth–it might remain wise to elude those extraterrestrial possibilities a bit longer!

Join us as we continue the discussion about those extraterrestrial possibilities on our podcast @ Sit Downs and Sessions.

Posted by: Chris Poh

Everyone Here Claims to Be Irish

McSorley’s Old Ale House in New York City

What I truly love about St. Patrick’s Day is the simplicity of the whole thing. Rise early, comb the closet for the suitable green couture, dust off last year’s plastic hat, and find your way to an Irish Pub. The demands are few, and the rewards are many. Unfortunately, on this fine March morning, we find ourselves where we were last year at this time–still unable to procure that coveted seat at the bar. The ongoing threat of COVID continues to hinder our revelries and our need to claim in mass on this particular day that we are all Irish!

While there may be a good reason to call into question some of the exuberant behavior of the felt shamrock crowd, I still support the idea of human beings coming together to celebrate the possibility that we are all the same–because whether we like it or not, we are all the same–Irish, French, German, Catholic, Hindu, Muslim, true-believers, non-believers, black, white, brown, red, yellow, and yes even Republicans and Democrats. And after this brutal year of enduring a global pandemic along with the normal maladies that plague our kind, and for the sake of the children in Syria, Yemen, Myanmar, and for those gathering at our southern border–I pray for more days where we come together to celebrate our common humanity!

Happy ST. Patrick’s Day!

To help you enjoy your in-home High Holy Day we invite you to listen to some great Celtic music by Dave McBride and the superb Irish band Runa at our free downloadable podcast site by clicking on Sit Downs and Sessions.

Posted by: Chris Poh for American Public House Review

An Insurrection at the Irish Pub

“Few know it, but the Devil rewards insurrection. After all, rebellion is the original sin, and he did conceive it.” Tanya Thompson (Author of Assuming Names)

On the morning of January 6th, after the careful application of my standard risk calculus of contracting COVID, I decided to chance a bit of public space-time with friends at Cryan’s Irish Tavern in Annandale, New Jersey. I was looking forward to this early afternoon communion because it would be bringing together myself, David McBride, and Henry Bonnell–three like-minded souls that shared a common interest in colonial history and the American Revolution. Of particular interest to both David and I were Hank’s stories about his family’s nearby property, which had operated as a coach stop and tavern during the War of Independence.

In regards to the Patriots’ cause, the Bonnell Tavern, established in 1767 by Lt. Colonel Abraham Bonnell, was a hotbed of political and military activity. The area’s first contingent of “minutemen” was organized there, and the tavern also served as headquarters for the 2nd Hunterdon County Militia Regiment. But as we spent our luncheon engaged in romanticizing rebellion and revolution over pizza and pints, 200 miles south of us, thousands of so-called patriotic citizens were carrying out their perverse homespun version of Lexington and Concord on the steps of the Capitol.

It wasn’t until several patrons requested a channel change from sports to news that we all became aware of the horrific national tragedy unfolding in Washington D.C. And in keeping with our “house divided” model of getting along, there was a spirited call to turn off CNN in favor of Fox–proving once more that it’s not the feed but the filter that determines our view of reality. Or, as the late Marshall McLuhan often stated, “The medium is the message.” But unfortunately, if we continue to rely on the partisan echo chambers as our sole source for news and information, we will unwittingly accept lies as truth. And sadly, more politicians have risen to power on lies than on the truth!

So what we are to make of the chaos and violence visited upon our nation’s capital on that terrible afternoon? Nearly two weeks later, and I am still struggling to construct a proper postmortem. But first, we should consider what we know to be true. There are 74 million Americans that voted for Donald Trump. The majority of them probably voted for all the regular reasons–party loyalty, single issues, economic self-interests, dislike of the Democrats and their policies, and finally, that chemistry that attracts them to a particular candidate. But it now appears that over 70% of Trump voters believe that the election was invalid and that somehow it is not possible that 81 million people voted for Joe Biden–but the mathematical data suggests otherwise.

A recent breakdown of the electorate’s political leanings by the Gallup organization gives credence to the election results. In October of 2020, polling showed that 31% of American’s identified themselves as Democrats, 31% identified themselves as Republicans, and 36% identified themselves as independents. But further polling found a 4-5% advantage toward Democrats over Republicans once independents cast their vote. And when you factor in those Trump-leery Republicans that threw their support to Biden–the math becomes indisputable.

But what can be said about people that scream their intent to take back the country while parading Gadsden and Confederate flags through the halls of Congress? First off, the anti government right-wing extremists have been spoiling for armed conflict long before Donald Trump came into power. But with an administration that provided office space for white nationalists in the West Wing actually on the verge of vacating the premises, the time to act may have seemed to be now before those discount rates for insurrectionists at Trump’s D.C. hotel expire. By the way, those rates will not be honored after January 20th. But before I let my sarcastic tendencies overtake this post entirely, I’d like to seriously deal with the behaviors of some of my white brothers and sisters.

Historically, whenever white America seemed threatened by a period of black success or an influx of immigrants, some of whose religious beliefs conflicted with those of your average Anglo-Saxon Protestant, there have been those ready to employ violence and terrorism under the pretense of patriotism. Whether it was in response to Reconstruction or just a matter of Jackie Robinson rounding the bases, these racist malcontents have sought to prosecute a lost cause–a cause that wants to restore their misguided 1776 vision of an America that is solely the domain of white Christian privilege. While they have been very successful at maintaining white privilege–they’ve failed miserably at the Christian ethic part of the vision! Or, as that profound philosopher and rocker Alice Cooper once said, “Drinking beer is easy, trashing your hotel room is easy. But being a Christian, that’s a tough call. That’s rebellion!”

There’s more discussion about the attack on the Capitol on our podcast at Sit Downs and Sessions.

Click here to learn more about the restoration of the Bonnell Tavern in Clinton, New Jersey.

Posted by: Chris Poh for American Public House Review

What I Believe

“Man of the mortal world–do you believe in me or not?”—Marley’s ghost

“Once we decide that anything goes, anything can come home to haunt us.”—Bill Moyers

The Christmas tradition, whether it be secular or spiritual in practice, asks that we suspend our skeptical ways in favor of believing fantastic possibilities, and I have concluded that there resides within the human brain a place that allows children to believe in Santa Claus and adults to believe in the Saviour–a wonderful place that operates on simple faith and is more often than not a source of peace and comfort. But unfortunately, those same neurons and neural pathways that can foster strong beliefs without the benefit of any tangible evidence can also give rise to dangerous distortions of the facts when driven solely by fear and prejudice. So the question is, what dubious beliefs are currently under consideration?

There is, of course, that one about the hijacking of the 2020 presidential election being perpetuated by citizen-elect Trump. And with 55% of Republicans believing that the election was rigged in favor of President-elect Biden, and with 126 congressional representatives backing that belief by way of an amicus brief filed with the Supreme Court, one might believe that there is some truth to this one. But as to those members of Congress that sought a judicial Hail Mary from the Court, I suspect that many of them arrived in Washington on the Tea Party Express. And while they know that Joe Biden’s ascent to the presidency is legitimate, their innate distrust of government coupled with their hopes of dismantling the Federal Bureaucracy might be reason enough for this particular group of presidential patsies to favor despotism over democracy!

Now, as to what the Republican voters that are yelling foul truly believe, admitting defeat doesn’t come easy to anyone. And when a country’s politics become as personal as an English soccer match, the hooligan contingent seldom exits the game gracefully. While that crowd is usually content just making noise, on occasion, their grievances are aired in a somewhat more aggressive fashion. But this is not Liverpool vs. Manchester United. It’s the Proud Boys and the other 1,000 hate groups now operating in America challenging the Constitution, the rule of law, and the peaceful transition of power. And when we consider the cult-like behavior exhibited by some Trump supporters, the potential for an armed response is all too real. To downplay that threat would be to deny the bloodshed and loss of innocent life caused by people believing the lies and distortions disseminated by past Svengalis, false prophets, and ruthless leaders. America can ill afford another Charlottesville–nor the world another Nuremberg!

Now, as to the matter of what I believe–I believe in love, kindness, compassion, tolerance, and that divine spark which offers to all the Scrooges of the world a shot at redemption. In short–I believe in Christmas and everything it represents–but after a year of pandemic and presidential politics–I believe I’ll have another drink! Pour me whatever the ghost of Christmas Present is having.

To all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

To help you celebrate the holiday season we’ve created some timely programming, including our free downloadable director’s cut version of A Christmas Carol. This Dicken’s classic features past performances originally recorded and broadcast over WDVR-FM. Click on Sit Downs and Sessions or the Podbean logo above to listen.

Posted by: Chris Poh for American Public House Review

A Cause for Celebration

On this past Monday evening, as a prelude to our post-election podcast, I popped open the last bottle from my 2018 stash of Sierra Nevada’s Celebration IPA. There was certainly cause for celebration–but it was not in celebration of one man’s victory or another man’s loss–nor was it about partisan party politics. My jubilation ran much deeper!

To me, the outcome of this year’s election is not just about the resilience of American democracy–but it also about the restoration of those cherished American values that have been, as of late, lacking in the Office of the Presidency:

• Honesty
• Integrity
• Dignity
• Decorum
• Diplomacy
• Dedication to public service
• Kindness
• Class
• Empathy

And on this Veteran’s Day, the respect and gratitude that all those who have served in our nation’s armed forces truly, deserve!

Even though the Trump presidency has not quite given up the ghost, we decided to perform a political autopsy anyway. You can listen to the results of our post mortem at Sit Downs and Sessions.

Posted by: Chris Poh

The Unmasking of America

I find it incredibly ironic that so many of those who balk at the idea of wearing a mask because of some perceived threat to personal freedom have no problem blindly doing someone else’s bidding from under the brim of a red baseball cap or from behind the muzzle of an AR-15. Personally, I can think of no greater threat to individual liberty than following those who mask their insatiable need for power and profits behind some bogus brand of patriotism wrapped in the American flag!

If nothing else, the last four years have brought about the unmasking of the remnants of those old demons that still threaten our democracy. Thankfully that threat has been met with the unleashed energies of our better angels. But whether our country chooses a blue tsunami, another red tide, or just a bit of mixed surf during the course of this year’s election, it will be for naught unless we dedicate ourselves to national healing and bringing about social and economic justice to every citizen and immigrant that still believes in America’s promise.

In June of 1863, Robert E. Lee once again pushed his army northward in his second attempt to bring the fight to Union soil. The journey that would eventually end on the hills and fields surrounding Gettysburg would pass over some of the same ground lost during the previous year’s carnage at Antietam. The war-weary marchers would temper their rebellious tendencies as they gazed upon the unburied bleached bones without knowing if the fallen were friend or foe–no blue, no gray, no North, no South–just the unmasked remains of a house divided.

Hopefully, this time around we will choose civil discourse over civil war!

Listen to our political prognostications and conspiracy theories about the 2020 election at Sit Downs and Sessions

Posted by: Chris Poh for American Public House Review

The View from Where I Sit is Actually Much Better than Expected

The Café Compadres, Don and Ed, from WDVR-FM

For someone who has spent more than his fair share of time over the past 48 years comfortably perched on a barstool, I thought the lack of accessible tavern seating during the pandemic might drastically impact my wellbeing. But much to my surprise, the same eyes that so often basked in the sublimity of a field of vision filled with gleaming taps, dusty bottles, and neon signs are now quite content to gaze upon open fields, village greens, and backyard gardens as this newly ordained outdoorsman raises a pint or two. While I may not express that same appreciation for Mother Nature’s pub when those cold winds of December freeze the foam in my IPA, I still won’t be as quick to move the festivities indoors. COVID has caused me to look at people and places in a very different light.

Recently, I heard an NPR interview with Ron Finley, known globally as the (Gangsta Gardener). This Los Angelas based artist and fashion designer has, for the last ten years, made it his mission to bring beauty and sustainable agriculture to the inner city. He has successfully transformed narrow swaths of urban environments into food gardens for those populations that often would not have access to or the resources to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables. The model is simple yet effective–better nutrition fosters better outcomes in both the health and education of our children–and those outcomes foster better communities in our future. But there is also another aspect to this idea of the greening-up of urban America.

Our ability to cope with and overcome life’s challenges can be as much about geography as it is about genetics. When I walk out my backdoor, I step into a world of flowers, trees, hills, and an abundance of wildlife. I could not imagine having to have faced this pandemic and the current political and economic upheaval in an environment wherein even in the best of times, there is little to soothe the troubled soul.

Please don’t take this as a knock on city life. As a former Manhattanite, I find nothing more invigorating than immersing myself in a day of urban culture and architecture. But the beauty and benefits of gentrification seldom reach the steps and streets of those poorer neighborhoods that unfortunately make up a disproportionate part of the American cityscape.

So on this warm autumn afternoon, I will a raise glass to the Gangsta Gardener as I tend to my own flowers–and I will raise another to all those among us who bring beauty and hope to those who cannot find it on their own!

Go to Sit Downs and Sessions to listen to our latest take on what’s happening both in and outside the White House.

Listen to Chris and the Café Compadres on the airwaves or via the internet every Friday noon until 3:00 pm over WDVR-FM.

Posted by: Chris Poh for American Public House Review

Pirating During a Pandemic

Today we will fly our Jolly Rogers at half-mast, as we lift that first ration of rum in memory of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. To the family, friends, and all who are feeling the pain and loss of this intrepid soul, we pray for fair winds and following seas. But like that ever-dauntless and somewhat notorious great lady, we will sail through the storm and make for safe harbor so we can properly celebrate her life on this the 18th anniversary of Talk Like a Pirate Day!

In keeping with the current health concerns, we have listed below the standard protocols of the day along with further recommendations by the CDC (Center for Deck Control) in order to keep all captains and crews safe while pirating during a pandemic.

• Always put your best peg-leg forward.
• Remember to press your pantaloons.
• Compliment the fit and finish of your shipmate’s puffy shirt.
• Never fly your Jolly Roger above the Stars and Stripes.
• Buy your crew the next round of Grog.
• Extend your hook to one in need.
• Never wear more than one eye patch while steering the ship.
• Share your booty with the less fortunate.
• And always let your parrot have the last word!

(Additional 2020 Recommendations)

• Swab and sanitize often.
• Wash your hooks for at least 20 seconds.
• Maintain a distance of six feet between those walking the plank.
• Boarding parties should be limited to no more than 10.
• Mutiny against any captain that suggests injecting grog as a cure for COVID.

Wishing All Me Hearties Another Safe and Superb Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Before setting sail, check out our pirate primer podcast at Sit Downs and Sessions.

A Proper Pint for Every Purse

My point of view as to what makes for a great pub is predicated on three things: ambiance, a good selection of beer, and most importantly, an atmosphere that makes every person that walks through the door feel welcome. Much like the former Bull and Finch in Boston, which the popular television series Cheers was based on, those praiseworthy establishments hold the postman and the patrician in equal regard–and of course, they always provide a proper pint for every purse.

One of the more disturbing themes being voiced throughout last month’s Republican National Convention was the call to save our suburbs from the violent unrest plaguing many of our nation’s urban communities. In their bid to spread fear among suburban voters, the President and his supporters are making the case that a vote for a Democrat is a vote for tear gas on the tennis court and carnage in the cabana. Republicans are counting on the fact that since most of the cities experiencing the violence are governed by Democrats, they will be able to win over those center-right voters that might be leaning toward Joe Biden’s vision for America. While the GOP may have the stats on their side, the main reason why so many of our cities favor Democrats is simply because these large urban areas are home to the majority of people that comprise this country’s racial, religious, cultural, and ethnic diversity–a diversity that the Republican party has mostly failed to embrace.

Earlier this summer, the President and his HUD Secretary, Ben Carson, co-authored an op-ed piece pledging to protect American suburbs from government-mandated low-income housing. While I believe that communities have to right to their autonomy when it comes to zoning, what we have here is just another thinly-veiled dog-whistle by the administration pitting black against white and rich against poor. This may not qualify as a blatant example of systemic racism, but it certainly reflects blatant classism–neither one moving us any closer to that ever-elusive more perfect union!

I grew up in an older sub-urbanized town on the Jersy side of the Hudson River during the 1960s–a period sadly similar in terms of the politics, race relations, and economic inequities. The white flight of that period certainly played a part in defining who we were as a community, and unfortunately, that definition included a substantial measure of intolerance and racism. But while the town of Teaneck had its shortcomings, it did provide equal access to affordable shelter, quality healthcare, public transportation, and good schools to all of its citizens. Whether you were considered underpaid or overpaid for your 40 hours away from the wife and kids, you could at least take care of the basic needs and maintain some level of human dignity. What is shocking and unforgivable is that in the year 2020, many of our nation’s poor and minorities can not make a similar claim!

So what does any of this have to do with my penchant for filtering my point of view through the bottom of a pint glass or some pub-centric metaphorical reference to a 70s sitcom? Well, while I don’t particularly want to exist in a world where everybody knows my name, I would like to at least live in a country where everybody’s glad you came!

Click on the PodBean logo or go to Sit Downs and Sessions to hear our take on this summer’s political conventions.

Posted by: Chris Poh for American Public House Review