June 12, 2012

The Woman's Christian Temperance Union doesn't "think it's cool at all" for Scott Walker to serve beer...

... at his "beer and brat summit" — a post-recall-election, bipartisan outreach effort.
The cookout menu features brats, a local sausage whose name is pronounced "brahts"...
(Somebody tell John Kerry before it's too late!)
[Rita Wert, president of the WCTU] said the problems facing Wisconsin are serious, and policy makers shouldn't cloud their judgment by drinking alcohol.

"That portrays kind of a party atmosphere, and I don't think that's what people want," she said. "It's just really a shame that it has to be that way."

The group raised similar objections in 2009 when President Barack Obama invited a black scholar and the white police sergeant who arrested him to the White House to share a beer and talk about race relations.

Walker spokesman Cullen Werwie said the governor respectfully disagreed with the WCTU's objections. "In keeping with the bipartisan theme of the event, in this case we agree with President Obama" ...
He's bipartisan, and they are consistent. A toast!

66 comments:

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Oh geeze Louise...lighten up.

These women can suck the fun out of Christmas.

Wince said...

A good chunk of my second semester tuition in college was paid for by the Joseph and Harriette Kingsbury Temperance Award Scholarship I won in high school.

Woohoooo!

KCFleming said...

The WCTU should bring a hatchet to the event, and start swinging.

But "Rita Wert"??
Not anywheres near as cool as "Carrie Nation".

Original Mike said...

"[Rita Wert, president of the WCTU] said the problems facing Wisconsin are serious, and policy makers shouldn't cloud their judgment by drinking alcohol."

If she's not going to finish her beer, can I have it?

Anonymous said...

Ein proset, ein proset! Ein proset der Gemütlichkeit !

chickelit said...

These women can suck the fun out of Christmas.

...suck the event dry.

Quaestor said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Quaestor said...

I wonder what the median age is among WCTU members, and just how numerous they are. I'm truly surprised that they even exist, let alone that someone from such a fossilized organization would gain any media attention by denouncing the beer half of a beer 'n brat summit. Maybe next we can hear from PETA's Ingrid Newkirk decrying the holocaust of pigs represented by the bratwurst half.

So Walker hosts a summit and server tofu and glacier melt water to win the approval of a couple of nervous parchment-skinned hags

sakredkow said...

Roll a couple of bombers, Scott.

~~Well, I've already had two beers
I'm ready for the broom
Please, Missus Henry,
Won't you take me to my room?~~

BarrySanders20 said...

Rita really does not understand Wisconsin.

Quaestor said...

Rita Wert

Oh, delich...

Isn't just peachy that such a luscious hunk of womanhood has time enough for such an important mission.

KCFleming said...

If you combine the WCTU and PETA and demand the event be gluten-free, you got yourself an air guitar beer-n-brat event.

Plus you're pretty sure to remain celibate.

Sorun said...

"I wonder what the median age is among WCTU members"

A visit to their website shows their style of dress to be a bit old-fashioned.

edutcher said...

Well, good for them; they stand on their principles and good for Walker; he can say, "Thanks, but no thanks", but remain a gentleman about it.

X said...

fucking unions

Anonymous said...

Check out Sorun's link, sexy women in corsets!

bgates said...

Obviously there's no sexism here because it's an all-woman organization, not all men. Is it Christianist, though? I know it would be Christianist if they were opposed to pot or sodomy, but not if they were opposed to trans fats or sodas. Is beer more like soda or pot?

Quaestor said...

Here's the Korean WCTU site, which features portraits of many of their officers from around the world. Yup. An inspiring looking bunch, I must say.

I suppose they're part of that school which holds that where the Bible mentions wine the correct translation is grape juice. Which makes the miracle of the wedding feast at Canna pale before the miracle of the ancient Jews acquiring grape juice at Passover.

Jason (the commenter) said...

A toast for the people who brought us the mob?

BarrySanders20 said...

They have that same stern look as Meade's angry woman from that Falk presser.

bagoh20 said...

The Woman's Christian Temperance Union doesn't "think it's cool at all" for Scott Walker to serve beer..."

I think that is almost the definition of something cool.

I would love to throw a party and have them be officially against it. They should sell that designation, like a Good Houskeeping Seal or Underwriters Laboratory.

traditionalguy said...

You can't fool me twice. Temperance has something to do with battered deep fried foods.

OK, then why do unions in Wisconsin want their christian Women deep fried?

Brats are a healthier choice.

At the Publix today the Johnsonvilles were on sale, but the were precooked. But that was in the hotdog section. Maybe there was a fresh sausage section over by the Eggos and pizzas.

I needed a sober Christian woman to lead me, but she wasn't there.

Michael K said...

They were a big part of the Progressive movement at one time (100 years ago). Thank God for repeal. My father has told me stories of the day "beer came back." That was enough to re-elect Roosevelt right there. Of course, it was the Democrats and La Follette types who started it in the first place.

Quaestor said...

Is beer more like soda or pot?

Beer is better than pot or soda, or pot and soda if you insist.

It's better because beer is inspirational -- literally, that's why "spirit" is a synonym for alcohol. Pot just inspires laziness -- just sit back and eat Cheetos while watching anything on TV. Beer, on the other hand, has inspired literally thousands of lively and consequential après-sport debates in Green Bay. Also beer makes a man substantial, especially in the horizontal aspect.

Anonymous said...

LOL, Tradguy, Tempuraence.

traditionalguy said...

Now you have me worried. I know what a Beer Belly is. But is their also a Brat Belly that overlaps a Beer Belly?

I am turning Wisconsin in to the Mayor Bloomberg. Once His Honor outlaws beer and brats and begins arresting Wisconsin tourist fatties for load limit violations, then Walker and his Midwest Gov pals will have to push through a Federal DOBBB Act ( Defense of Beer and Brat Bellies.)

caplight45 said...

I was told that Wisconsin has the highest number of bars per capita of any state. My frequent visits to Cheese Land lead me to believe that alcohol is one of the four basic food groups there.

James Pawlak said...

I drink to forget---The WCTU

Ern said...

But "Rita Wert"??

About forty years ago, the WCTU had a president named Mrs. Fred J. Tooze, which I think is just as good.

Chas S. Clifton said...

I love hearing about the WCTU. They are sort of the Amish of politics.

Anonymous said...

There still is a WCTU? Who knew?

Quaestor said...

bagoh20 wrote:
I would love to throw a party and have them be officially against it. They should sell that designation, like a Good Houskeeping Seal or Underwriters Laboratory.

You asked for it. I made it just for you, ain't I sweet?

Doc Holliday's Hat said...

If I were Walker I would just ask the WCTU WWJD to keep spirits high and times relaxed. And then I'd point to the first miracle.

augustus said...

Jason gets it.

Quaestor said...

caplight45 wrote:
[Alcohol] is one of the four basic food groups [in Wisconsin.]

Correction. Alcohol is two of the four basic food groups. The other two are bratwurst and anything (including warm gravel) covered with cheese.

Quaestor said...

RE: warm gravel with cheese.

This is why the number of Yooper speakers is not an even multiple of 32.

ddh said...

At the WTCU, "Roll Out the Barrel" must be a barrel of nails.

augustus said...

These ladies should read their history. One Roman historian (Tacitus I believe) noted that German tribesman would almost always conduct important negotiations while drinking copiously. If the negotiations were successful and agreement was reached, rather than someone's skull being cleaved with an axe, the agreement would be finalized when all parties had sobered up.

Scott said...

One of those news websites like CNBC should do a slide show titled: "Ten Organizations You Never Knew Still Existed".

The Women's Christian Temperance Union

The Flat Earth Society

The Independent Order of Odd Fellows

The Shaolin Monastery

ummm...

Bayoneteer said...

After everything Walker went through these last year he wants to sit down and eat with them? Schmuck. Republicans really are the stupid party. He should draft a memo ordering some state agency to investigate the taxes of any and all people and organizations that funded the war against him for the past year. That's what they'd do. Shit with them in control of the state senate they might too. Forgiveness and comity are highly over rated.

Kirk Parker said...

Where's the 'lameness' tag?

JAL said...

@ Quaestor I'm truly surprised that they even exist

Me too. My grandmother died 30 years ago at the age of 91.

Unknown said...

My dad who is 88 years old, claims that he signed the WCTU pledge under duress as a child. His mother had a rare glass of sherry when I was growing up. What a ast.

Todd G. said...

Being from Pennsylvania - a truly regressive booze entity - I was amazed to see the amount of hard stuff available at the gas station we visited on a cross country vacation. I asked my wife what she wanted, and I think we got a bottle of tequila for the hotel later. Truly civilized.

Todd G. said...

I meant in Wisconsin, on our way to Verona to visit friends. Gas and booze together seems like America really.

Constantine said...

Regarding 'braht', as opposed to 'brat', - the former, the local version, is closer to German pronunciation, like in 'Bratwurst', sausage, where 'Brat' means 'roast'.
The English word came, most likely, from the "Sausage-land," Germany.

bagoh20 said...

Thanks for the seal, Quaestor. Very nice. I hope I can earn it with a hatchet buried right in the top of my bar.

MadisonMan said...

Well, they're entitled to their opinion. It sounds laughably out of step with Wisconsin however.

I really really like how the article explains how to pronounce 'brats'.

David said...

In the future everyone will have 15 minutes of outrage, and then 15 more, and more, and more . . . .

David said...

KenK said...
After everything Walker went through these last year he wants to sit down and eat with them?


I doubt "wants to" is crucial in the equation. He thinks it's a good idea to propose it. And to do it if the proposal is accepted. If the proposal is rejected it still was a good idea.

Paco Wové said...

"But "Rita Wert"??"

Not quite as ironic as Rita Wort.

ampersand said...

They'd get more respect if they rebadged to 'The Womyns Islamic Temperance Union'

gerry said...

The WCTU gave us Prohibition, midwifed organized crime, and just generally made life miserable for more than a decade.

Another group of progressives with bad ideas.

I have gout, so don't give me a beer: pass the Jack Daniels!

Astro said...

Well at least the WCTU is consistent.

You know - How they had similar complaints about Obama's famous 'Beer Summit'. You remember that, right? You don't?

Choey said...

My great aunt was one of the original saloon choppers who went around with Carry Nation. I still have her hatchet. After my great uncle died we discovered his whiskey bottle hidden in the rafters of the garage. If my great aunt had ever known.....

setnaffa said...

Funny how all the nutroots immediately jump on the beer wagon...

Now, I don't know much about this WCTU; but alcohol does cause a lot of harm when mixed with cars, guns, teens, or boats...

The Governor was just trying to have a "can't we all be friends" moment and these folks have an aversion to such events requiring booze.

Why give them publicity unless you agree with them and their message?

TMink said...

Some people are allergic to joy.

Trey

RonF said...

As a Scouter in Illinois I'm sometimes asked what the difference between Illinois and Wisconsin is. I tell them "Wisconsin has 1/4 the number of people that Illinois does - and just as many bars."

pst314 said...

We do not eat cookies, 'cause cookies have yeast.
And one bit of yeast turns a man to a beast.
Oh can you imagine a sadder disgrace.
Than a man in the gutter with crumbs on his face?

chorus:
Away, away with rum, by gum!
Rum by gum, rum by gum.
Away, away with rum, by gum.
That's the song of the Temperance Union.

SGT Ted said...

Based on the "success" of the last time we tried things their way, the WCTU should just STFU.

Mitch H. said...

They were a big part of the Progressive movement at one time (100 years ago).

So was the Klan.

organizations you didn't know still existed [...] The Independent Order of Odd Fellows

Why would that surprise you? There's an Odd Fellows lodge down in the Logan holler; I always thought of 'em like every other men's club in this club-ridden county.

Christopher in MA said...

Reminds me of the old Chad Mitchell Trio song:

Oh, we're the John Birch Society,
The John Birch Society -
Socialism is the ism dismalest of all!
Join the John Birch Society,
There's so much to do -
Have you heard they're serving Vodka at the WCTU?

Anonymous said...

I come from a long line of "wowser" Methodists. My great-grandfather was a minister and devoutly for Prohibition. Fifty years after he died, and ten years after his daughter (my great-aunt) died, we found documents at the old family place on Lake Champlain showing that she and her boyfriend were running boat loads of booze down the lake from Canada at night. He paid his medical school tuition by bootlegging, it appears.

Bart said...

The worst thing the WCTU did was usser in the income tax. They knew that to ban alcohol they would need to replace the income the govt. got from taxing it so they pushed the income tax as a replacement for the lost alcohol revenue. So not only did they take our beer they gave us the income tax. They are evil.
BCN

Nate Whilk said...

I agree with a commenter on the article over on Yahoo!, that apparently the AP now has nothing better to do but "to suckle fools and chronicle small beer". (Google says it's from "Othello", act 2, scene 1.)

GT said...

So a group that was central to the imposition of Prohibition now takes a position on an issue. Here is my position: The exact opposite of whatever they say.