Donate to Reason! Because We Let You Drink Free (and Delicious!) Beer With Kurt Loder
It's the Monday noontime thread for Reason's annual Webathon, in which we spend a full week reminding you of the value you receive at this here web & print & e-readery journalatastic juggernaut, and asking you to make whatever tax-deductible donation to our 501(c)(3) that you can muster, in exchange for a bunch of different types of swag. For the money you give us, we represent your views in far-flung corners of the mediasphere, make you snicker with pointlessly juvenile alt-text (I got in that "Newkular" bit, people, in case you haven't lived up to your promises), and give you the best damned journalism in the opinion-mag business.
Here's a pitch aimed squarely at our beloved D.C.-area readers, commenters, and frenemies (though we'll get to you non-Belttards soon, too): Give us money, because we gave you all that alcohol, for free.
For instance, just last Thursday! Here's a Politico story tied to Reason.com movie reviewer Kurt Loder, and his beer-soaked book party at Chez Reason:
He's moved on from MTV but not the news, steadily — but quietly — becoming an advocate for libertarianism. The 66-year-old Loder appeared Thursday at the Washington headquarters of Reason magazine to promote his new book of film reviews, "The Good, the Bad and the Godawful: 21st-Century Movie Reviews." […]
"Back in the 1970s, I was working for some paper in New Jersey, and this flier came across my desk and it said: 'Free Love and Free Markets.' And I just thought that was a great thing. It made sense to me. I'm drawn to the idea that people are allowed to do what they want without hurting other people. It's your body to do stuff with, and government should be fairly minimal."
Of the libertarian in the 2012 race, Ron Paul, Loder observes that the Texas congressman "says a lot of things that I agree with — the war on drugs, for instance." But Loder remains unsold on the GOP field.
"The people that the Republicans are putting forth are of questionable value," Loder said. "If the GOP is going to go with Newt Gingrich, that's a train wreck waiting to happen. I can't believe they'd be going in that direction. … This is a very difficult time which calls for someone with unusual abilities."
Whole thing here.
Of course, the Loder party was hardly the only memorable event, AND HARDLY THE ONLY FREE BOOZE, served up at Reason editorial HQ since we opened up shop here nearly five years ago. Who could forget our Christopher Hitchens Bah-Humbug Christmas of 2007?
Or this contentious exchange between Jonah Goldberg, Matt Kibbe, and Brink Lindsey based on their equally contentious cover-story forum "Where Do Libertarians Belong?"
We had Libertarian Party Nominee Bob Barr give a live shadow-debate with Barack Obama and John McCain, a presentation by the producers of the great documentary about Estonia The Singing Revolution, Reason Senior Editor Damon W. Root and a cast of legal eagles discussing Root's great cover story Conservatives v. Libertarians, a viewing party-slash panel discussion for John Stossel's "Bailouts & Bull" special on 20/20, and so, so much more.
Not only was all this live content free, SO WERE THE DRINKS.
You know who you are, D.C.-area bon vivants. You show up to our offices 20 minutes before the party starts, and you try to stay as many hours after closing time as we'll allow. You heckle us with awkward questions, you scarf our cheese plates, you "borrow" our books. WE LOVE YOU, TO DEATH, BUT THESE THINGS COST MONEY. So please consider donating, right the hell now.
Since I can hear the grumbling already from those parts of the country that aren't undergoing an economic boom, two reminders: 1) We turned those events into enjoyable content, didn't we? And 2) we took the show on the road this year, with Declaration of Independents-themed events (say, did you hear that Nick Gillespie and I wrote a book?), in Philadelphia, Charleston, Las Vegas, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, Oxford, Portland, and beyond.
So again, please donate, people. If "Free Minds and Free Markets" aren't free, just think about the free booze. We enjoy these interactions even more than you do, and we want to continue them deep into this very disappointing 21st century. Cheers!
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How much do I need to donate for you to have an event in Pittsburgh?
Based on that pic of Loder, I’m thinking a kidney.
So that’s why they keep pushing organ sales.
The conspiracy has been uncovered!
Reason party at my parents’ house!
(Eh, I don’t want to go to Pittsburgh, either.)
I’m not sure we’re the kind of people you want to bring home to your parents, Lucy.
Too late, she offered! TOGA! TOGA! TOGA!
I don’t know about you bastards, but I am an absolute delight a a dinner party.
Until you get drunk. Then the feces starts flying. Personally, I find that amusing, but most people don’t.
Ahem. Who was voted by the members of a certain web community to be the commenter they would most like to meet in real life?
Hint: It wasn’t you.
I have a had time believing it was anybody male.
I assume that Banjos carries it by a mile.
I have no idea what vote you’re talking about, but you do realize that this forum has the highest ratio of scatological fetishes on the internet outside of feces.com, right? I mean, fuck, dude; there are a substantial number of people here (**cough** sloopy **cough**) who just want to examine your soft, dribbly diabetic shits. You think you’re popular, but it’s your waste products, not you. Sorry.
WTF? Oh yeah, the Tebow pic.
Is this way you keep email me, begging me to put a web-cam in my toilet bowl. You’re sick, dude.
Wow, I can’t type today. No one wants to meet me in real life. NO ONE!
Just put the fucking webcam in your toilet!
“I’m giving you a choice: either put the webcam in that toilet or start eatin’ that trash can.”
“Not this year!”
In less than three weeks we can try next year.
Texas party?
I’m down for a hootenanny, shindig, or box social.
Reason party at my parents’ house!
Oh my.
This won’t end well.
Wish I had seen this before I posted below. A Pittsburgh event would be much appreciated.
Yeah, given that The Jacket lives in Ohio, and the inordinate number of posters and fans who reside in Ohio, you would think it would not be that difficult to have an event somewhere in…say…Ohio.
I thought they had a party at the Jacket and Nick’s house in August.
Feh – DCists get free beer and we get a “hey, come to the community center only a hundred miles away or so from your house”?
NOT GOOD ENOUGH! OCCUPY REASON!
If I donate, do I get a say in what beer you buy? I’m sure as shit not turning over my hard-earned cash for you to pick up twelve-packs of Amstel Light and Stella.
This or nothing.
I was afraid you were going to link to this one.
I’ve seen that before. Part of me says “awesome”, part of me says “that’s fucking stupid”. I don’t know who to listen to.
Goddamn. Now I must drink my beer from a squirrel.
No, you fool: the stoat. Stout from a stoat; you can’t go wrong.
When I open my microbrewery, we are totally having a Stoat Stout.
Sorry, I’m a squirrel man.
Badgers. Badgers. Badgers.
Perhaps the baddest assed of all woodland creatures.
And think of how much beer a badger could hold!
Badgers? We don’t need no stinking badgers!
could we fit a ked in a mouse? I think so. pull down the antlers for taps and it can come out the notrils.
A ked in a mouse? I think someone started early today.
Work does that to me.
http://www.badgerbadgerbadger.com/
badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger
Perhaps the baddest assed of all woodland creatures.
When I lived in Wisconsin, I actually had a real live badger take offense at my pickup stopping on the road.
So he charged it. With intent.
That, my friends, is indeed a badass.
badass or suicidal?
Aren’t all badasses somewhat suicidal?
I wouldn’t know. I’m neither.
Dixie White Moose or I dont donate.
Just kidding, wouldnt wish that on DU or Red State.
Oh my god. That’s…disgusting.
Reminds me of vomit sprinkled with sugar and cake mix.
How is a 55% beer even remotely possible? No way anything ferments to that level (practical limit is somewhat below 20% if I am not mistaken). From the description, it seems like maybe they concentrated it by freezing. But then it isn’t really beer is it? You don’t call apple jack cider and you don’t call whiskey beer, even though they start out as the same thing.
eisbeer.
OK, that’s what I figured. Still seems funny to call it beer. I’ve always thought of beer as the natural, unmodified result of the fermentation of grain and various flavoring ingredients. I guess as long as you aren’t adding anything.
Its controversial in the US. There are limits to what you can do without crossing the line into “distilling” which requires a different license than “brewing”.
While technically making an ice beer “distills” down the alcohol, its different than true distilling where you boil off the water.
Freezing and pulling out ice cubes to get rid of the water is a different process IMO.
Alcohol distillation is not boiling off of water, rob; it’s boiling off of the alcohol itself and then condensing it back to liquid form. Alcohol boils at a lower temperature than water.
Yeah, uh, thats what I meant.
I knew somehow there were tubes and cooling and dripping and shit.
Reason #47 you wont see me on the moonshiners show.
My point being, freezing and pulling out the water in ice form (this I wont screw up, water freezes at a higher temp than alcohol) is not the same thing as distillation, but to the TTB it is.
Au contraire…the current record holder is upwards of 40% and Power 23 will get you half way there.
Just from fermentation? If so, I am impressed. I assume Power 23 is a yeast variety.
I keep meaning to get back into brewing, but haven’t for years.
No, This.
You’re the guy who gave it a B+, aren’t you.
I did the Jacksonville Anheiser-Busch tour on Friday. That was definitely not one of the brews available for sampling, thank Tebow.
Why would you do such a thing? That’s like touring the Ernest and Julio Gallo vineyard.
They make wines before their times.
I was on the clock, Epi. I give my people what they want. (Most of them are still mourning the death of Bil Keane).
True this^^. I went to the Ingelnook winery and bought a couple of bottles that scored 92+. Same for the Mondavi label, which has some outstanding wines interspersed within a sea of bottled red piss.
I’m sipping some Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale right now. Delicious, although a little too sweet.
Isn’t it a little early for that? Then again, you are in the land of the Irish, where “too early” means “too early to stop”.
Exactly.
120 minute IPA or go home.
Yes, yes, I’ve had plenty of it already.
HEY WARTY ITS COOTER WHATCHA DOIN?
HI COOTER ITS COOTER I WUZ WALKIN IN THE SWAMP AND I FOUND U THIS HERE SKUNK TAIL HERE
THATS FUNNY COOTER CUZ COOTER WAS WALKIN ALONG THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AN I FOUND U THIS SKUNK WITHOUT A TAIL HERE
COOTER: YOU GOT SKUNK TAIL ON MY TAILLESS SKUNK!
COOTER: YOU GOT TAILLESS SKUNK ON MY SKUNK TAIL!
*dawning*
COOTER’S PEANUT SKUNKER CUPS
HI REVERND I FOUND U THIS HERE P-NUT BEHIND THE GAS PUMP BUT I THINK ITS JUST THE SHELL BUT ANYWAY U CAN MAYBE PUT IT IN A CUP IF U LIKE OK TAKE CARE REVERND
I kind of like the chelada. But it is much better if you make it yourself with actual tomato juice.
Corona with a little electric fence around it.
Why stop at just one?
We had D.C. Brau and Lagunitas on Thursday.
Lagunitas
Good choice, Matt. Good choice. But the question is: which Lagunitas? Hairy Eyeball? Little Sumpin’? Maximus? Or merely the IPA?
They didn’t make Brown Shugga this year so it can’t have been that.
I loves me some Lagunitas as well (and the fact that they’re libertarian is icing on the cake!). What’s the word on D.C. Brau? As a Chicagoan I haven’t had a chance to try it yet, but based on my experience it seems like D.C. could certainly use another microbrewery or two.
D.C. Brau was RIDICULOUSLY delicious. We had it on tap!
Good to know. I’ll definitely have to try it the next time I’m in D.C.
You know who you are, D.C.-area bon vivants. You show up to our offices 20 minutes before the party starts, and you try to stay as many hours after closing time as we’ll allow.
Uh-oh. Someone mentioned D.C. cocktail parties.
Holy shit he’s aged since MTV!
I have a bigger problem with their not sizing down photos for thumbnails. They don’t need to use a 1500 x 2000 pixel version of the Kahlo photo.
Good point!
Ooh, I hope Matt chimes in on my suggestion. (Or sends me an e-mail explaining that since SF and Warty are millionaires, it is a horrible idea)
I am a skrillionaire, I’ll have you know.
Shit, yeah. I totally like The Jacket, Frida Kahlo and Peter Bagge. What a photo!
Oh, and whomever did the J Sub D memorial donation…good stuff.
Oh, that’s nice. I join The Art in noting with favor.
Ditto.
also ditto.
+ infinity to them (and beyond?)
Same.
It’s “Newcular”, and I paid my 30 pieces of silver.
I’m tapped out in donating to various presidential campaigns, so I’m not in for any more, but I suggest that you offer a headline to the highest donor (who indicates in the donation comments field that he is so bidding). You should, of course, reserve the right to reject any submission for legal or taste reasons, but, knowing you guys, I think that leaves a lot of leeway.
You should, of course, reserve the right to reject any submission for legal or taste reasons
So, no references to sheep?
Yes, I think that would be unwise.
I have another fun thing to bid for: A topic for a Hit & Run posting. Again, Hit & Run can reserve rights for self-preservation.
Really, there could be a whole list. Instead of bidding, they could just set a dollar amount to each item (esp. ones they could easily do more than once) and, boom!–off you go!
Really, they should set up an auction. They could sell off a headline, a topic, an actual post (written by the winner!), etc.
Or, what the poet laureate said 20 minutes ago.
Why not offer a headline to the commenter who cost you the most money?
**cough** Warty **cough**
I still have to give you guys props for not banning our hirsute friend.
Hey, I only started that thing about that one guy. All the harm done was strictly due to my stupid followers.
You know who else’s followers did all the harm?
The Pied Piper?
Xenu?
Tyler Durden?
Tim Tebow?
Think about this: a live bidding auction. It lasts the final 12 hours of the Webathon. The winning bidder gets to write one editorial for H&R a week for an entire year. $25 increments, and proxy bids can be placed to speed the process up.
I believe I could help here.
Tim Tebow: God or Demi-God?
Loved by god (more than anyone else?)
Apparently. I expect the pope to make an official pronouncement shortly.
I’m thinking Demi-god. Jesus wouldn’t have lost that one game so badly.
As the Bears learned, Nobody fucks with the Jesus.
I bet they thought they’d won. Sinners.
What’s the over/under on Tulpa’s killing spree if the beat the Patriots?
I don’t think he could take it.
He’s already butthurt because he talked shit all fantasy season (and went 12-1) and got beat in the first week of the playoffs. A Broncos win next week might just push him into Loughner territory.
Post that picture of his ex-girlfriend and we’ll see.
Definitely more evidence in his favor.
This one? Now we know why he’s so tough to bring down.
You just got fifty millennia in Purgatory for that alone.
Just tack them on at the bottom of the list.
It is now my sole mission to utterly destroy you, or to at least get pics of you riding a fat chick. Which will destroy you.
Define “riding.”
Like a moped.
his guy is doing it wrong?So t
See? Tebow has unleashed the Destroyer. Chiun and Episiarch will be paying you a visit.
Seriously, link to your Urkobold post on the girlfriend. I think people need to understand how much Jeebus loves Tebow.
Okay, here you go.
I’ll save him the time…and add the bonus inserts as well.
When your tit is larger than your head, it’s safe to say FAKE!
Heller, I’m not sure your priorities are in order.
That’s funny. Her head looks real to me.
CN, you are amazing.
heller, I’m not so sure. Still, great face too.
If they’re fake, her surgeon did an incredible job. Inspect the bottom-right picture closely. They seem to lay just like the real thing.
For the sake of science, I will post this picture. Those don’t look fake to me.
Such things do exist.
Oh come on, they are way too perfect. Physics alone dictates that they would sag without artificial support.
Incorrect, heller. There are such breasts out there that seem to defy gravity, and I have experienced them. They’re rare, but they are real.
And they don’t stay there for long.
Physics alone dictates that they would sag without artificial support.
What, like a bathing suit top?
Her arms are up in the air so she is pulling her body up, she is wearing a swim top, and those babies ARE sagging a little. I say real.
I vote real. To imagine a universe without such wonders is to despair.
speaking of Tebow and beer:
Hey Baked, Im thirsty!
Wait, what? We pay them to let us produce editorial copy?
That’s a complete perversion of my world view.
What if we pay them to let us write code, or clean their toilets?
Perhaps my line of work is doomed.
Think of it more as a right to real estate.
Exacto! And to have the ability to write an editorial with a pretty good circulation every week for a year? On any subject you want?
Shit, I’ll start the bidding at $100 right now.
The temptation to join in and get a Censor article is almost overwhelming.
And to have the ability to write an editorial with a pretty good circulation every week for a year? On any subject you want?
Writing libertarian-tinged editorials at a non-libertarian periodical is how I became a travel writer.
So now Reason is the arbiter of taste? If they can tell you which beer tastes good, aren’t they picking winners and losers? How stereotypically hypocritical.
C- spoof
yeah, I’m at work. My bad, yo.
Auction off The Jacket.
That’ll generate some dough.
or, give one away with a 2500 donation.
Oh, wait, what? You’ve already done that?
Who would want the real Jacket? I’ve heard it rejected and/or consumed 8 host bodies before Nick. Do you want to take that chance?
This idea that the jacket can be removed is naive. Once he took the sandcows as his skin, the metamorphosis became irreversible.
God Editor of Reason tv!
Exactly. He is the Kwittheshitz Hadenough–the one who can be offended in many ways at once. There are others, but no one else has dared take the sandcows as his skin until now.
That never ceases to be funny.
I’m wondering how many thousands of pages I had to read to get that joke. Five?
It amuses me, which is all that matters.
Ten thousand pages, if you count secondary sources and Herbert’s notes.
As long as we don’t count the prequel novels that never happened.
It’s a Star Trek thing, right?
[ducks rotten vegetables]
Even acknowledging the possibility of their existence would be most absurd.
Our Lad of Perpetual Amusement.
I call “Archbishop,” or “Vice-President For Life in Charge of Liquid Sacraments,” depending on which organizational route you choose to follow.
I’d sticking with the old ways. Arch-Bi-Shop it is.
I’m.
Can I be in charge of distributing the hosts?
See comment to the southwest.
This comment?
Sure, why not?
He didn’t say how far to the southwest, Banjos.
Correct. You now get the wine, too.
Sweet! As long as the hosts have a thin crust, I’m gonna love this.
Host composition is all up to you as the Host Host.
We should ask him what it’s like to touch the hand of God.
Obama should’ve asked Tebow for forgiveness.
Say, I wonder what Tim’s politics are? If he’s a libertarian somehow, we’ve just got four more elections before he can save us all.
Obvious science is obvious
“RESULTS: The more alcohol participants consumed, the more willing they were to engage in unsafe sex.”
Next up, standards for sexual partners more relaxed when drinking.
I think Kurt needs to eat more cheezeburgers.