Hi Everyone,
A lot happened last week so I’m going to jump right in.
First off, the stars aligned for a really great Inoculation Emancipation Party yesterday in Fitchburg. Sure we’re a brewing company and throwing beer parties isn’t necessarily groundbreaking, but this event really re-charged our batteries to keep fighting for a better Wisconsin, which in turn, will help protect Democracy in America.
People from all over the state that had friends, family, or second homes #upnorth came up to us and thanked the Minocqua Brewing Company for being a voice in the wilderness. We couldn’t count how many people said “we love going Up North, but hate the right-wing politics and how politically isolated we feel up there.”
Even more remarkable were the cheers that came from the crowd when I thanked everyone for getting vaccinated, reminded them that America succeeds when we have empathy and protect the weakest in our communities, and that the words patriotism and freedom belong to us and not to those that perpetuate hate and divisiveness.
Apart from the party, the Super PAC created some graphs this week that we’ve shared widely after hearing that our Republican Legislature is trying to cheat again. Using spin laughable to anyone paying attention, they are saying that since Covid delayed the census and thus the process to draw new electoral maps, we should just keep the old ones until after the 2022 elections. It just so happens that those old maps guaranteed a 3 to 1 majority for Republicans in the legislature and congress even though Democrats continuously get more votes in statewide elections.
While on the subject of abusing power, here’s an update on the defamation suit filed against us by our local newspaper, the alt-right fish wrapper otherwise known as the Lakeland Times. The suit was discussed in the Wisconsin State Journal and the Wausau Daily Herald last week. Using the term “Man Bites Dog,” the WSJ article furthers the notion that frivolous SLAPP suits like this one meant to financially drain defendants through legal expenses represent an “upside-down world” of how the judicial system should work.
Apparently after you read our email last week, you thought so too. You collectively donated over $15K to our legal defense fund, and no less than 4 lawyers and one legal professor wrote to us and offered help pro bono. Thank you, thank you, thank you. We will do the best we can get this rotten case thrown out of court and make an example out of Lakeland Times publisher Gregg Walker for his pettiness.
Lastly, we wanted to share the latest episode of the Up North News Podcast, where we talked with Hans Breitenmoser, a Lincoln County dairy farmer and activist for Fair Maps. We discussed the economics of dairy farming, the Fair Maps Movement, and some terrible corporate tax breaks that survive even as GOP legislators try to take away pandemic relief from families.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for your support. I sincerely believe we’re on the right path to making Wisconsin great again, one beer at a time.
Kirk Bangstad, Owner of the Minocqua Brewing Company and Super PAC.
P.S. Evers Ale comes out this week! Check for retail locations here