JACOBS: Political discourse still a good thing

By Paul Jacobs - For The Californian | Sunday, July 6, 2008 12:16 AM PDT ∞

I trust it has been a fabulous Fourth of July weekend for families and friends who have gathered for barbecue, beer and soda in celebration of Independence Day. Some revelers might even argue that drinking liberally is the patriotic thing to do, and facts exist to support the argument.

Samuel Adams beer was named after the Boston patriot who fought for American independence.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain isn't quite old enough to have known Sam Adams, but he did marry into a beer and liquor distribution fortune.

On the political left, there is a national organization called "Drinking Liberally" (www.drinkingliberally.org), promoting informal, inclusive, progressive discussion at local watering holes across the country.

Any mention of adult beverages requires a serious reminder for those who choose to drink: Please do so responsibly. Always ensure you have a designated driver, or call a taxi if you imbibe away from home. Cab fare is a lot safer and cheaper than getting caught driving under the influence. It doesn't matter that you don't feel tipsy; a blood-alcohol content of 0.08 percent can be registered after drinking a surprisingly small amount of alcohol.

Drinking Liberally has good intentions to foster an environment perhaps not unlike when our nation's founders might have gathered in a local tavern to discuss issues of the day, talk of politics or plot the way to the birth of a nation. With the radio airwaves saturated with the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and numerous other preachers for the GOP, liberals living in conservative enclaves can feel a little isolated.

Temecula has survived the arrival of a Hooters restaurant and a Valentine's Day presentation of "The Vagina Monologues" despite the protestations of local conservatives who believe their personal religious doctrine should apply to the whole community. Now, with the debauchery, liberals are starting to settle in the area.

Samuel Adams didn't have TV or radio, but he did have beer. Drinking Liberally gathers at 6 p.m. the second and fourth Wednesday of each month at The Barley House on Temecula Parkway at Jedediah Smith Road. At the previous gathering, I hung out with progressive people from young adults to an octogenarian.

The conversations ranged from Hillary to Obama and from wiretapping to winemaking.

While it's good to know that Democrats can still freely mingle here in the Ronald Reagan region of Riverside County, it's disturbing that any question of political freedom even crosses the mind.

On some conservative radio programs, being a Democrat is tantamount to being an un-American heathen. I actually heard one host describe the political chasm in this country as a civil war that the GOP must win.

Using the public airwaves to divide Americans as a people is an insult to patriotism. When "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America," I do so to "one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all," while recognizing that the Republican Party has co-opted those words and perverted the meaning of each for political expediency.

The Pledge of Allegiance is to America ---- not to a political party. Samuel Adams was a brewer and a patriot before becoming a politician. Adams must have been a wise man to know that bending an ear sometimes begins by bending an elbow.

 Paul Jacobs is a regular columnist for The Californian. E-mail him at TemeculaPaul@aol.com.