A Capitalist Barkeep's Response

Yesterday I ran a post by the propietor of Finnegan's Wake in Alexandria, LA. It was his "Nazi-Capitalist" Manifesto, which he wrote in response to some apparent tripe being spewed at him from across the bar. If you haven't read it yet, it's a fantastic read, and I'd encourage you to take a look.

Interestingly enough, a commentor calling himself merely "Greg," called bullshit on the story as follows:

I actually know this guy and would find this rant more believable if it were true. This guy's parents gave him the $$ to open the bar and after bleeding them dry to pay for huge amounts of debt he already had, they sold their family home and gave him a portion and then cut him off. This is the house he's taking about when he says "I sold my property, a house (which thanks to my labor, effort, and investment was worth double what I paid for it." I call bullshit.

Shannon's (the proprietor) friends leapt to his defense, assuring us of his integrity and commitment to honesty. And in a blatant effort on my part to stir the pot, because hey, that's what I do, I took the issue back to the man himself. I figured he seemed like my kind of guy, and knowing me, I sure as hell would want to respond. And indeed he did. And rather than burying it in comments for one or two other people, why not keep the pot stirring, and make it a new post? I'm sure some of you Freepers out there will appreciate the caveat on Nazi's and Capitalists that you were so quick to jump on over at FR. Enjoy!

Shannon's Response to Greg

If anybody wants, they can drive by my parent's house, and still find them living there. They never put a penny toward the bar's construction, because they're non-drinking Christians who never liked the idea of their son owning a tavern. Four years after the bar opened, they've now put it up for sale due to my father's deteriorating health. They plan on buying a smaller home which will be easier for them to keep up now that my dad's in his seventies. Ironically Greg, not only did they NOT sell their home, they bought another one a few year ago and restored it as an investment, so now they currently have two. Yet another example of hard work paying off.

I had a nice house in the Garden District, which many people know I worked on for several years. I don't know where you get your facts Greg (in fact I don't even know a Greg), but once again FACTS trump the rumors. I have proof that everything I said in the blog is true-- if you still want to call bullshit, come see me.

And no, I would never kick anyone out of the bar for a political or philosophical disagreement. That's ridiculous. However, I will argue like hell with anyone who drops half-formed baseless opinions in front of me. Calling yourself a liberal doesn't automatically buy you a plot of land on the moral high ground. If your opinion doesn't jive with historical precedent and fact, then expect to be challenged.

Everyone should understand that Nazis and Capitalists could not be further from one another in philosophy, and as a good Capitalist, I had to take issue with the inaccurate comparison. N.S.D.A.P. stands for the National SOCIALIST German Worker's Party, phonetically abbreviated during the war years to "Nazi". Nazis were socialists. They believed, like all Socialists, the state was supreme and should have a hand in most, if not all, business interests. That's a far cry from Capitalism folks, but it seems to be the direction that this rudderless boat of a country is drifting.

Sorry if it's too verbose. I really have no idea who this guy is, and none of it could be further from the truth. Weird. People have gone from calling me names to making stuff up.