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timelapses
Life in free form



Registered: 01/26/11
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Drinking and the founding fathers
#14189918 - 03/27/11 12:38 AM (13 years, 1 month ago) |
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From a magazine article.
George Washington is easily the most famous American. The first president of the United States. A military genius. And a full-bore hooch-hound. To begin with, his false teeth: they were so obviously wooden because his daily intake of wine and whiskey stained the grain. No amount of soaking could alter the color, so when they got too brown he sent off for a fresh set.
When he was a young lieutenant in the Continental Army, Washington took leave to run for the Virginia State Legislature. He lost spectacularly, but learned a valuable lesson from the experience. When he ran again two years later, he met voters squarely on their terms by arranging for 144 gallons of rum, punch, cider, wine and beer to be divvied out among as many polling places as possible. If you were voting, George was buying. He won by 68 votes.
Some years and several promotions later, General Washington earned the unshakable respect of his troops by his willingness to level mountains and part waters to make sure they got their daily ration of rum. During the that hellish winter at Valley Forge, Washington insisted that the enlisted men got their rum before the officers did. It’s no surprise the men fought like tigers for their beloved commander.
At the end of the Revolutionary War, Washington reluctantly ascended to the office of President of the United States. His inaugural celebration was a hoocher’s heaven. It was illegal at the time to import rum from anywhere outside the states, but Washington ignored that silly law and ordered a barrel of Barbados’s best to go along with the hundreds of gallons of other potent potables he had arranged to keep his guests lubricated well into the night.
When he left politics and retired to his estate at Mount Vernon, Washington’s first order of business was to construct a brewery on the premises and start production of both molasses-based and ordinary beers. These he served to a never-ending stream of guests and well-wishers. His home brew was known around the state for its excellence, and he savored them himself, enjoying a couple of pints each morning with his breakfast. He also constructed a distillery and for a time was the largest producer of whiskey in the United States, cranking out 11,000 gallons in 1799 alone.
If there is anything left to be said regarding George Washington and his presidency it’s this: while in office he spent over seven percent of his sizable income on alcohol. Seven percent. On hooch.
Hail to the Chief.
Thomas Jefferson It is true that Thomas Jefferson wrote the original draft of the Declaration of Independence over only a few hectic days. What is not generally known is that he did it while seated at his usual table in the Indian Queen Tavern in Philadelphia while downing glass after brimming glass of Madeira.
As America’s first (well, only, actually) scientist-president, Jefferson educated himself on all aspects of viniculture, including the cross-breeding of grapes and experimentation with all sorts of flavorful additives. He corresponded with wine makers in France and Germany, trading information and recipes. When Jefferson left the White House, he was stuck with an enormous $11,000 wine tab (about $200,000 is today’s dollars.)
His estate at Monticello housed both a winery and a brewery, and his wine cellar was second to none. Jefferson was fond of dinner parties and his guests knew that his table would be set with gourmet food and large quantities of delicious wine. He hated to see a guest’s glass run dry, but he also had a soft spot for his household servants, the people who made all those trips downstairs to the wine cellar and back up again. In order to make life easier on everyone, Jefferson had a dumbwaiter installed between the dining room and the wine cellar. It spared his staff’s knees and shortened the time between refills upstairs.
Dinner at Monticello was a tipsy good time.
As much flak as Obama got for his beer meeting months ago, why is there such a bias against alcohol?
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mikehauncho


Registered: 06/17/09
Posts: 567
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Re: Drinking and the founding fathers *DELETED* [Re: timelapses]
#14190067 - 03/27/11 01:12 AM (13 years, 1 month ago) |
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Post deleted by mikehaunchoReason for deletion: LE
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timelapses
Life in free form



Registered: 01/26/11
Posts: 4,600
Loc: in a shroomery prison
Last seen: 7 years, 7 months
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Re: Drinking and the founding fathers [Re: mikehauncho]
#14190098 - 03/27/11 01:19 AM (13 years, 1 month ago) |
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Couldn't it be both?
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zappaisgod
horrid asshole


Registered: 02/11/04
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Re: Drinking and the founding fathers [Re: timelapses]
#14191896 - 03/27/11 12:10 PM (13 years, 1 month ago) |
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Obama got flack for the Beer Summit because it was so fucking lame, not because there was drinking (1 beer apiece ). Face it, the man is an empty pants faggot.
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despisedicon
Stranger

Registered: 06/16/06
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Re: Drinking and the founding fathers [Re: timelapses]
#14192574 - 03/27/11 02:16 PM (13 years, 1 month ago) |
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I don't think the criticism of the Beer Summit had anything to do with the drink of choice, but rather the way the president went about doing it. It protruded nonsense and should have been pretty damn far down his list of things to do.
It was a cute effort, but he is no MLK.
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timelapses
Life in free form



Registered: 01/26/11
Posts: 4,600
Loc: in a shroomery prison
Last seen: 7 years, 7 months
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Re: Drinking and the founding fathers [Re: despisedicon]
#14192717 - 03/27/11 02:50 PM (13 years, 1 month ago) |
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Quote:
despisedicon said: I don't think the criticism of the Beer Summit had anything to do with the drink of choice, but rather the way the president went about doing it. It protruded nonsense and should have been pretty damn far down his list of things to do.
It was a cute effort, but he is no MLK.
Yes, he is no MLK by any means, it was staged publicity like everything is unless someone makes an error in politics these days.
But drinking a beer with other prominant figures being so highly pubisized by the media was shit. Like he was so brave to do so. Bush jr. was an alcholic until he became born again and look how the country was during his last years of office.
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