☀️Slam Dunk Sun
Friday, October 14, 2022 - Vol. 01 No. 21
When you think the Sun will be a slam dunk before you’ve even read it.
☀️Family Business
One of the most strategic ways to keep the State from becoming a Tyrannanny is for families to stop needing a nanny. This isn't an article against outsourcing child care, though that might be an application for some. It’s an argument for teaching our dependents who to depend on. It’s an argument for dads to be dependable.
We're tempted to forget what a bulwark the family can be against poverty, against stupidity, against autocracy. Nations are made up of families. Nations need families. The need is not reciprocal. Families should act like it and play a little more hard to get.
The State—by which I mean the government at all her levels, so not just our nation or Washington State—has been sawing off the branch where she builds her fat nest. Households have reasons to make money—as many reasons as there are mouths to feed, and the money-makers are the tax-payers. Stimulus-check-slugs may vote, and they may vote for other slugs who write checks with other people's money, but someone has to make money.
Politicians put themselves in a tough spot. They have to depend on other people’s fruitfulness, but they don’t want the fruitful to get the idea that they could keep their own harvest. It’s similar to abortion. Abortion benefits the State, though if applied consistently, only for one generation. Likewise the legacy of LGBTQ+ is a virus on a future donor base.
As I'm trying to point out, throwing families under the (government school) bus is not even good for the State's longterm existence. Illegal drugs and murder and a clogged up legal system are all worse without present fathers and productive families. Mental health needs go up and up and medical resources are spent down until out.
It's a relatively new type of Leviathan. Even the Roman Empire, which from a distance may seem like the purest form of political machine, ran on the engine of family concerns. G. K. Chesterton summarized it as follows:
the Republic was founded on a tyrannicide that avenged an insult to a wife; that the Tribunes of the people were re-established after another which avenged an insult to a daughter. The truth is that only men to whom the family is sacred will ever have a standard or a status by which to criticise the state. (The Everlasting Man)
The family is both indispensable to the State and an inherent threat to it. It's why Giorgia Meloni, soon to be Prime Minister of Italy, caused so many Progressives to freak out. She says identity is not something for the State to bestow, or to abolish. The following video really is a verbal slam dunk worth two minutes of your time:
I've been reading a series of newspaper articles about the family written by Abraham Kuyper, who served a term as Prime Minister of Holland at the turn of the 20th century. He points out that family relationships are where we cultivate the virtues of being faithful and making sacrifices. It’s where we learn the lines of authority, submission, and shared purpose. The home ought to be the first place for justice and mercy, toughness and tenderness. These lessons aren’t provided by the rich to the poor, and certainly not by governors to freemen. These are family business, for family blessings, and that’s what makes the family a defense against State trying to be our Daddy.
☀️5 Rights Brewing Company
by Maggie Rothenberger
The Carr’s Hardware Building has been centered in 3rd Street since 1924, making it a part of Marysville’s history for almost a century. While no longer a hardware store, a new business resides there, working to carry on the tradition and reach further and further into the local community: 5 Rights Brewing Company.
5 Rights opened in 2015, moved to 3rd Street in 2019, and is a local, family-friendly brewery and taproom. They recently opened a kitchen as well, serving food every Tuesday through Sunday.
R.J. and Kristi Whitlow, the owners, work to cultivate a culture of care through their work. In her previous work as a nurse, Kristi was struck by the Five Rights of Administration of Medication, which are:
Right Medication
Right Dose
Right Time
Right Route
Right Patient
A nurse who makes sure to follow these guidelines is working to protect and care for her patient in a safe and effective manner. The Whitlows apply this sort of attention to the products and services they provide to the community. In opening the kitchen, they are applying this by working to provide wellness through delicious food. R.J. said the goal is that, “People don’t have to leave town to find something that's a little more exceptional and handmade.”
5 Rights is a true public house, meant to encourage the community to fellowship there together, and perhaps even engage in an honest dialogue. In an age of great disagreement and internet tribalism, it is often unheard of to look for real discussion with your actual neighbors, but the Whitlows encourage it. In fact, R.J. says, “...Marysville is different than most places near urban centers…here people look for the best in people, to create a place where people can live in harmony, and even live with people who don’t agree politically.”
Of course Marysville isn’t perfect in this department; there are a lot of areas to improve. Without engaging with the community, this will be very hard to accomplish. 5 Rights works to provide a place where the whole community can feel welcomed, to enjoy a beer, food, and hopefully fellowship with other Marysvillians. The Whitlow’s advice is to, “Take the time to volunteer somewhere, go to civic meetings, dialogue with neighbors. It’s not a passive life, we need to be careful to not fall in the pattern of the e-life, where we feel very comfortable saying things but not changing them, because we are not having real dialogues. Find opportunities to plug in somewhere. Engage.”
Ultimately, the Whitlows see their business and its effects in Marysville as God doing something bigger than the sum of their efforts, and they are excited to continue the work. They sum up the business in three simple word; Grace, Love, and Beer. If you can, drop by sometime with your family, grab a beer (or their delicious root beer), some food, and have a real discussion with someone!
R.J. told his story on The Contraratics podcast a few years ago. 5 Rights also hosted the Strawberry Festival Trike Race highlighted in Issue 06 of the Sun.
☀️Local Highlights
Registration for Marysville Parks and Rec Youth Basketball for Kindergarten to 8th graders is open through October 16. More info and registration here.
An invite from Mayor Nehring:
Though it’s not an event, the City of Marysville has launched a newsletter called “Best in Business.” Mayor Nehring introduced the purpose: “The goal for this newsletter is to celebrate Marysville businesses, provide updates about city projects, and share business resources that may be helpful.” The first issue is posted here.
☀️Friday Fun
Things were most definitely harmed in the making of this video.
