The Point Is Not Obama's Beer

I come from a town called Stevens Point.  It's smack dab in the heart of Wisconsin, and there are many memorable things about Point, not the least of which is its brewery.  Like few other towns of 35,000 or so, Stevens Point has had its own brewery since 1857.  We're talking a history of 150 years. In fact I went to grade school with Billy Kurtz, whose Dad owned and operated Point brewery during those years. There used to be signage about Stevens Point, the City of Wonderful Water, and Billy Kurtz used to tell us his Dad said the beer was good because of the water.  The brewers apparently believed this deeply since they located the brewery on, yes, Water Street.

And the beer, unsurprisingly called "Point," is fabulous.  Ask anyone there about Point beer and you'll spot a fan.  They sport Tshirts as evidence of their loyalty, some of which say "It's Not Just for Breakfast..."  and others that say "When you're out of Point, you're out of town..."  (At least they used to; I just checked the Point brewery online store and, sadly, see only ordinary whitebread Tshirt styles.) 

My father was a major Point booster, both the city and its beer.  He traveled a great deal on business and delighted in making arrangements with a hotel bartender where he'd be attending a conference, so that when he and his pals arrived in the hotel bar, he'd ask, "So, tell me, what is the best beer you've got?"  The bartender would dutifully reply "Point beer.  It's the best in the world.  How many would you like?"  And my father would host his friends to a bottle or two of Point. 

My father influenced many things in my life.  When he learned that I'd been accepted at Stanford Law School, he told me, "I hope you'll not be a litigator.  Most arguments are best settled through conversation between the parties, without their attorneys."  He called his approach the "over the backyard fence" style of resolution.

 As it happens, I did become a litigator, turning my back on the "over the backyard fence" model of settling conflict.  But over the years, I eventually saw the light, became a business mediator and learned the power of strategically facilitated conversation in resolving disputes of all sizes and types.  It is magical.

So Boston's Officer Crowley was right in snagging a White House visit today with Professor Gates and President Obama.  Better to discuss this unfortunate fracas about Gates' recent arrest over a beer than in the courts. Perhaps that conversation just might turn the tide from the developing story of racism in America and accompanying implications that it will forever be with us.  I believe otherwise.  Yes, we can do this.  One beer at a time.  I just wish they were drinking Point.