Last year for Memorial Day I had a special theme of the worst war movies to date.  I still think this is an appropriate device to complete my weekly contribution but since it was already done, I’ll make a piece more appropriate for Veteran’s Day.  Because either way everyone will be thanking me for my service when I go to Lowe’s to check out the sweet deals on appliances!

This is my review of Meridian Hive Blackberry Mead:

In 1982, a Vietnam Veteran went to visit a battle buddy in Hope, WA and to his dismay learned his friend died of cancer due to exposure  from Agent Orange.  Minding his own business, he encountered a local police officer who offers to give him a ride out of town.  Unfortunately, the man decided to go back towards town.

The police officer, who did not want to have a mullet-wearing vagrant wandering through his small town, unlawfully detains the Veteran on a trumped weapons charge and resisting arrest.  He had a small knife on hand for hunting.

“You’d think for $500 Cold Steel could at least buff out the Made in China stamp”

While in jail, detention officers were unaware the Veteran was suffering from PTSD, and their treatment of the Veteran triggered him to relive his experiences at a Vietnamese POW camp.  The Veteran escaped his detainers, and a county wide manhunt involving the National Guard, ensued in the mountains to find the man unfairly detained by the police.

Somehow, he obtained an M60 and an absurd amount of 7.62 ammunition and began his assault on the town.  Even after his former commanding officer attempted to reason with him, the Veteran killed everyone in the town. Especially the cop that arrested him.  They deserved their fate by violating the wrong man’s God-given rights.

Okay fine this is just the plot to First Blood.  But meanwhile in Belgium…

A well-trained sniper from the Belgian army, Jurgen Conings, who has combat experience in several war zones including Afghanistan, Iraq and Lebanon, disappeared on Monday. Having reportedly left life-threatening notes to several top officials, the 46-year-old man is believed to have taken several anti-tank missiles, a submachine gun and a handgun with an ability to pierce bulletproof vests from his unit’s ammunition depot. He himself is believed to be wearing the vest.

Conings is now a “terrorist suspect,” according to Belgian media. The federal prosecutor’s office has been investigating him for “attempted murder and illegal possession of weapons in a terrorist context,” the VRT broadcaster reported. Authorities also believe the suspect has not been “acting on impulse,” but is rather well-prepared.

Throughout the week, some 400 Belgian troops, from both the army and the police, have been rigorously searching the Hoge Kempen National Park in the Belgian province of Limburg. Helicopters, armored cars and trucks were deployed for the manhunt, while hundreds searched the nature reserve meter by meter equipped with thermal cameras. Forces from Germany and the Netherlands have been mobilized, as the area where Conings is believed to be hiding borders these countries. Dutch special units are also on standby on their side of the border in case the man tries to cross.

They think Americans propagate needless violence against their government?  True.  I’m insulted nobody around here is up to something like this…yet.

 

This is sort of like mead.  I had mead once in college and it reminded me of a ridiculously sweet wine.  I had an unpleasant headache afterwards but that might have more to do with my drinking the entire 750mL bottle…along with several others that I had not accounted for that night. This is something like that, but a bit more tart from the berries, but its also carbonated.  So once again, I have nothing for Ted.

Not beer means it get no rating but it wasn’t bad.