OK, I lied. So sue me. But I got you to read this.
No strippers. And the beer won't be free. But there will be beer. And good company with people who are witty and funny and thoughtful and intelligent and charming and good looking . . . well, that last one only if you like bald guys with beards. If so, I'm your man.
Unfortunately, there's one more caveat -- this amazing offer only applies if you're in the DC area on Thursday, December 2, 2004 and are willing to drag your ass to Ireland's Four Provinces, 3412 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., in Washington. It's about a block from the Cleveland Park metro station on the Red Line, for the carless or those who aren't brave enough to risk a DC pothole or parking ticket.
We're gonna go from 6:00 until either (a) the management throws us out, or (b) the Secret Service, tipped off by the high concentration of liberal chatter in one place, comes and arrests us. Personally, I'd consider the whole thing a success if we can accomplish (b).
This invitation is from me, your friendly optimistic Maryland lawyer, and DCDemocrat, who will also be there. A special invitation is extended to Carnacki, who I am now convinced is my twin brother, separated at birth. And anyone else who wants to come, even if you just happen to be in Washington then.
In fact, just to entice you, I changed my mind: some of the beer is going to be free. The first 20 people who respond to this, say they're coming, and in fact show up, will get a beer on me. I didn't clear this with DCDemocrat, so it's on me unless I can guilt him into either kicking in or extending the offer. But even if you aren't one of the first 20, post a comment if you think you're coming, so I can tell the 4P's how many people we think we're gonna have.
This is a chance to meet our fellow travelers, put some names and faces with the cool handles and signature lines, and drown our sorrows in some fine Irish beer and solid pub fare. Hopefully, we all get along in person as well as most of us do in the ether.
It's also a chance to start thinking about the future: Virginia '05, lessons learned from '04 (ouch!), how to get our views across in venues besides the strictly political, and the like. The idea is, if this goes well, to have a monthly meeting to keep up the lines of communications and strengthen this community on a local level, as has been done elsewhere.
So come on down to the 4Ps on 12/2. You have nothing to lose but your sobriety. And your spotless criminal record. And your job, after you get arrested. And your family, when your spouse divorces you for getting arrested and getting fired. But do it anyway.
Just to show how important I think this is, I'm gonna break one of my cardinal rules: even if you're not in the DC area or you can't come, please recommend this diary so as many people as possible see it. Think of it as a public service announcement.