Last Call Speech 2011

Last Call 2011.

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Our last call speech was written, given by me and ended (well timed if I do say so myself) at midnight.  We recite something at last call every night.  Something shorter than this though.  

Cheers and our best to you in 2012! 

In the year 2011, a lot happened.   Gene Sharp an american intellectual had written a 93 page guide to toppling autocrats.  People read it.  And soon Tunisia started protesting.  Ben Ali went packing.  Walk like an Egyptian became protest like an egyptian and the power of the people caused Hosni Mubarik to hand over the reigns.  The Libyans who had much to do with Marty McFly traveling through time traded in that old van with that beat up shot gun and joined in some good ole fashioned protests of their own and in the end, they said good bye to moammar gadhafi.   Osama bin Laden passed through our sights one final time.  

Japan suffered a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that flattened their buildings, took way too many lives and challenged their economy but it never changed who the japanese are and in the midst of their darkest hour the japanese spirit was shown to the world.  There was no looting, no shootings, no massive display of Authoritarian force to keep order because it was not needed.  

The strongest of tornadoes ripped through Joplin and killed hundreds but thousands of people from around our state and our country banded together to lend a hand and prove that we together can emerge stronger from terrible things.   Protesters occupied cities all across our country and wall street for a very brief moment in time became concerned about us on main street.  

Steve Jobs who’s passion for technology helped move the world into a more interesting place passed away.   

Our US Troops departed from Iraq. And our final flight of space shuttle discovery marked an uncertainty in what we will discover.    

But most importantly on Sept 24th 2011, This bar, this public house had its grand opening.  And on that day hundreds, maybe thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands of people paraded down this street to open this public house.  

And the world became a better place. 

But we are now done looking behind.  We must look ahead.  Let’s hope that our best days await. Let’s hope that our pint is always full and that the door of this public house is always open. Let 2012 be the best year of your life.  Let it be the best year of this brewery’s life.  

Let’s not put our energy into critics and pessimists.  Kill the pessimist in you. Let’s not fill our lives with complaining.  Let’s fill our lives with pints of the Best and Pints of the brown.  Lets sit side by side and drink together.  Let’s revel in stories and laughter. Let’s grab our friends and head down to the pub.   Let’s remember that these days are the best days.  And that when friends are at your side there are not bad days.  Let us seek richness not in the number of our friends but in the quality of our friendships.  

Let us lean on these restorative pints when things are bad.  And let us drink these trusty pints when things are good.  

So we say Last Call 2011 and hello 2012.  

And we end with a toast.  To those that love us and to those that love those that love us.