Beer and Conversation with Pigweed and Crowhill

The boys drink and review Sierra Nevada's Cold IPA, then discuss Scientology.

If you had your choice, would you rather your child be woke or a scientologist? It's a hard choice.

Pigweed starts the discussion with a bio of L. Ron Hubbard, the founder / creator of both Dianetics and its later manifestation, Scientology. He was one of the most prolific authors in history, with as many as 1,000 titles.

The distinguishing factors of Scientology include ...

* The reactive vs. the analytical mind. The reactive mind stores painful traumatic memories called “engrams.” You find these through “auditing.” Once you get rid of the reactive mind you’re “clear.”

* Auditing is done with the E-meter, which is essentially a galvanometer.

* Opposition to Psychiatry and Psychology are flawed because they focus on symptoms rather than addressing the underlying problem of engrams.

* Focus on self-empowerment and personal responsibility

* Bridge to total freedom

* Thetans and spiritual identity.

* Survival as a core drive

But there's another side -- the mythology, including the goofy story about Xenu throwing people into volcanoes 75 million years ago.

Remember to connect with us at https://www.pigweedandcrowhill.com/, or write to the show at [email protected].

The boys drink and review "Raised by Wolves" from Right Proper brewing, then wonder if they're suckers for paying their income taxes when other people seem to get away with not filing!

They start by steelmanning the arguments against the income tax, which include ...

* The "sovereign citizen" idea

* Questions about the ratification of the 16th Amendment

* That it's a violation of the constitution's original intent

* The "voluntary compliance" language

* That the income tax was not intended to apply to everyone

Pigweed and Crowhill examine these arguments and give their analysis.

Remember to visit us at https://www.pigweedandcrowhill.com/, and write to the show at [email protected]

Broadcasting from the Royal Oak pub, the boys drink and review Crowhill's homebrewed porter then discuss the failure of our government-run schools and the American education system.

Over the last 40 years we've had an increased role in education by both governments and unions, we've spent more and more on education, but results are worse and worse. Why?

Private schools that spend far less per student get better educational outcomes, and homeschoolers -- who spend very little -- frequently outperform private schools.

At the same time, we keep hearing that teachers aren't being payed enough.

Okay, so where is all this money going? It's going to administrators.

The boys review some statistics and discuss possible remedies.

Pigweed and Crowhill enjoy a celebratory bottle of champaign as they review the 2024 election.

Which is the more important victory: that Donald Trump won, or that Harris lost?

The first time around, Trump didn't have a "Trump Team." He had to cobble together an administration through recommendations from people who didn't agree with his policies and approach. That will be entirely different this time.

Once again, the pollsters have egg on their faces. Trump overperformed by a wide margin.

Why did this go wrong for the Democrats?

* Kamala was a horrible candidate who ran a horrible campaign

* She was never selected by any democratic vote

* She has been completely incompetent as vice president

* Her policies, such as they were, were completely out of touch with the country

* She did nothing but call names and alienate people

* Walz was super weird

With hope, we can look forward to these things from DJT:

* The end of trans madness

* Get rid of the men in dresses in the military

* Stand up to China

* A better team with good ideas

* The end of DEI, "equity" and racial grievance

* Close the borders, amnesty over

* End of entitlement benefits for illegals

* Money for foreign wars we don't care about

* Clean up the deep state: DOJ, HHS, DOE, DOT, etc.

* No pride flags on any buildings or embassies

* JD Vance tearing up the idiots in the media

The boys drink and review Fireside Chat winter ale by 21st Amendment Brewery, then discuss The Northman, paganism, and Rod Dreher's take on how paganism presents an enchanted view of life.

"The Northman" is basically the story of Hamlet set among the Vikings. Amleth witnesses his uncle murdering his father and carrying off his mother. He vows to avenge his father and rescue his mother.

Years later, Amleth becomes a fierce warrior, but sells himself into slavery so he can be in the town of his uncle and get his revenge.

It's an interesting movie, but the larger question addressed in the podcast is how this relates to modern man's lack of a sense of meaning and purpose, and the longing for enchantment.

Modern secular, technological society is a fantastic thing. It's given us antibiotics and labor-saving technologies that are simply amazing. But there's no dispute that it's come at a cost. Secular society reduces life to the material, emphasizing logic, technology, and efficiency over mystery and meaning. While these advancements offer many benefits, Dreher argues that they leave a void, creating a sense of disconnection from life’s deeper meaning.

In stark contrast, the symbolic, hero-driven narrative of "The Northman" shows characters motivated by a sense of duty and destiny that transcends self-interest. It's an appeal to something timeless and heroic. But beyond that, there's a constant sense of immanent spiritual reality. The gods are as real in The Northman as the sky and the land.

Dreher’s analysis suggests that this type of worldview, which modernity often overlooks, fulfills a deep-rooted human desire to connect with the divine, the sacred, and the transcendent.

The boys drink and review "Beast of Both Worlds," a "Bi-Coastal IPA" from Lagunitas.

George Soros has become a whipping boy for the right. The man was born a Hungarian Jew and lived through both Naziism and communism, but made his respectable pile of money in the United States. P&C start off with a brief biography, but move on to speak about his underlying philosophy and the causes he promotes.

Soros was deeply influenced by the philosophy of Karl Popper and his concept of open and closed societies. In an open society individuals are free to think and act independently with minimal government control. An open society has pluralism and tolerance, democratic governance, change and reform (because no one holds the ultimate truth), and a commitment to our own limitations (fallibilism).

If giving to political causes qualifies a person as a philanthropist, Soros is a big one. His foundation supports ...

* Democracy and human rights

* Education

* Criminal justice reform

* Public health

* LGBTQIDYSDLKSDH rights

* Immigration and refugee support

* Racial and social justice

* Economic equity

* Media freedom

* Climate change and environmental protection

All of these flow logically from his commitment to the "open society" concept, and Soros takes a very liberal stance on all these issues.

You've seen the sign.

Science is real

Black Lives matter

Love is love

No human is illegal

Climate change is real

Women's rights are human rights

Kindness is everything

What does that sign really mean? P&C break it down, line by line.

But there are other versions, like this, from a public school (if you can believe it).

The American dream is a scan

Policing originates from runaway slave patrols

Capitalism exploits

Colonialism is evil

The founding fathers were racist

American imperialism must end

America was built on genocide and slavery

This country is on stolen, indigenous land

With special guest Longinus, the boys drink and review Slightly Mighty IPA by Dogfish Head brewing, then discuss their recent jaunt down to Washington, D.C., to review the architecture on some key buildings.

Their trip took them to the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, St. Matthews cathedral, the Supreme Court, and the U.S. Capitol.

Longinus was able to give Pigweed and Crowhill some insights into the history and architecture of these amazing buildings.

The boys discuss the psychological effect and message of these buildings, but the show isn't only about architecture. They discuss issues related to the freemasons, the Catholics, and the U.S. government.

With special guest Longinus, the boys drink and review Southern Tier's Pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale, then discuss five stories by the master of horror.

After a brief bio on King, they review ...

The Jaunt -- King presents a futuristic story where teleportation, or "jaunting," allows instant travel but comes with a terrifying caveat: while the physical body arrives safely, the mind remains conscious in a timeless, endless void during the journey. When a young boy defies the rules and jaunts while awake, the horrifying consequences reveal the true nightmare of experiencing eternity alone.

The Raft -- Four college students, two men and two women, take a late-year visit to a lake where they hope to swim out to the raft that's used by the summer visitors. They run into an unexpected visitor.

Survivor Type -- a disgraced surgeon stranded on a deserted island resorts to extreme measures to survive, including self-amputation and cannibalism. The story, presented through the character's journal entries, reveals a descent into madness as he makes horrifying sacrifices in a desperate struggle for life.

Gramma -- a young boy named George is left alone to care for his ailing, bedridden grandmother, whose dark and supernatural powers begin to reveal themselves in terrifying ways. As the night progresses, George’s fear escalates as he realizes his grandmother harbors a sinister secret that threatens his safety.

The Reach -- elderly Stella Flanders faces her fear of crossing the frozen stretch of water separating her island home from the mainland, drawn by visions of deceased loved ones calling her to the other side. As she traverses the ice, Stella experiences a haunting journey that blends life and death, ultimately finding peace in accepting her fate.

The boys drink and review a pumpkin beer from Sam Adams, then discuss the origins of Halloween and paganism in general.

Halloween came from something called Samhain, which was a pagan feast for the end of the year. In the years before capitalism and industrial food production, this was a time of year where you desperately hope and your family won't starve over the winter.

At Samhain, ghosts and spirits walk around on earth. The veil between this world and the world of the dead gets thin. To scare away the spirits our ancestors would dress up as scary characters. They'd also carve vegetables with scary faces.

When the Scots and other Europeans came to America they brought some of these customs with them. It wasn't until the middle of the 20th century that we got full-blown Halloween in the United States. So we'd buy candy and costumes and such.

They then review paganism in general. Its history. What the word means? Who are the pagans? What did they believe? And so on.

Unfortunately, we don't know much. Even the Druids and the cult of Mithra -- both very influential in their time -- are not well known.