Don't You Adore Your Meddling, Witchy Aunt Biddy?

On Oliver Cromwell, the Anabaptists, in an address to King Charles II, said: "That grand impostor, that loathsome hypocrite, that detestable traitor, that prodigy of nature, that opprobrium of mankind, that landscape of iniquity, that sink of sin, that compendium of baseness who now calls himself our Protector."

 

Liz gave us this quote as we began gathering in the great room. Oh, you don't think she was trying to ascribe these horrendous traits to the Meddler-in-Chief, the witchy little snit that nobody in the world likes, do you? Remember Aunt Biddy, who was always in a witchy snit, acting like she owned the world and trying to tell everybody what to do? Well, you probably found out after a couple of days in her company that not only did she not own the world, but that she didn't know anything about it, she just thought she could throw her weight around and get her way by being snotty and obnoxious. Well, the brief holiday is over and she's just about to get her comeuppance because now the world is going to tell her what to do and throw its collective weight around and at her. Snooty old snit, serves her right, and she's going to be cornered like any other female dog.

 

Ah! Schuyler told us his cocktails were ready to be poured, and just in time. Tonight he mixed up a batch of Gin Swizzles. He made them with Bombay Sapphire Gin and Angostura Bitters.

 

New Allies, So Watch Your Back, Bushie
Poor George, he either can't or doesn't read, so he's completely oblivious to his surroundings, and of course, completely disdainful of his few "allies." While he's been engrossed in his nefarious activities, the corruption, the cronyism, the shafting of the poor and middle classes, the elevation to high positions of people who have disserved the nation, alliances have been in the making all across the world. This, Bob told us, is something that a real world leader would have been aware of, but this guy, well, he's clueless. Between those ugly pointy ears there must be a mass like that of a jellyfish: primitive and simple.

 

Seems that while Bush has been busy flipping the bird at Tony Blair through his obscene behavior on the world stage, Blair has been busy mending ties with Germany and France. At the same time, Germany, England, France and Spain have been busy renewing alliances with China and Russia. And Spain and Russia have been busy building close ties with Venezuela. Canada feels much more warmly about Latin America than it does about the United States, so, like sweet Aunt Biddy, Bush and his henchmen (and women/lady dogs) are pretty much all alone in the world. Heck, cripies, just look at the numbers, Aunt Biddy's disliked by 70% of her own people, now that's a new low, even for somebody who knows low better than anybody except Cheney-Rumsfeld-Rice-Gonzales and Goss.

 

Aunt Biddy's Fascist Strategy Failed: She's Now Marginalized
You know that hook in the corner of the lip of the Snarl-in-Vice? Well, it's really a little swastika. Cheney & Co. tried to make Business Número Uno, tried to make the middle and lower classes Zero, and tried to marginalize "Old Europe." Bush-Cheney & Co. tried to sack Hugo Chávez, the democratically elected president of Venezuela. Well, what he accomplished was making Aunt Biddy the snootiest, snottiest, most disliked person on the face of the earth. Now, the United States is being marginalized, as the rest of the world binds together in ever-closer ties that reach completely around the globe, skirting the U.S. totally.

 

Spain is part of Old Europe of course, and a close ally of Hugo Chávez. They have just agreed to sell him ten C-295 military transport planes, two CN-235 naval patrol planes, and eight coastal patrol vessels. Russia, another new close ally of Venezuela, is selling Chávez 100,000 AK-47 assault rifles and 22 helicopters.

 

Venezuela is the world's fifth-largest oil producer, but he is now selling oil, or giving it, to Cuba, and Spain has partnered with Venezuela in myriad petrochemical projects. The Spanish oil giant Repsol has now partnered with the Venezuelan oil giant Pdvsa, and who stands to benefit from this alliance?

 

China. So, the world is circling in partnership, completely circumventing Aunt Biddy, who little by little by stupid and insensitive fascist and uppity behavior, has left herself outside, in the cold. In the very cold.

 

More Ties that Bind and Marginalize Snooty, Snotty Aunt Biddy
Venezuela is now actively beginning a nuclear energy program. They are, as usual, not alone. They have become allies with Brazil and Argentina. With Venezuela's economy having increased by 17% this year, nobody can doubt they can finance whatever it is they want. So, since Aunt Biddy has been über-obnoxious, has put all her energy into torture and unhinged behavior because of the Snake Pit mentality of Cheney, Rove, Goss, Rice, Rumsfeld & Co., Old Europe, most of "New" Europe, China, Korea, Japan and most of Latin America are forging ties that Spain and Venezuela see as a new world order: a more "multipolar" world in which smaller nations unite and deal with the U.S. or more equal terms. So you see, Aunt Biddy, you've really screwed yourself and your unholy vision of yourself as holier-than thou and "born-again."

 

Liz's Quote
Harry S. Truman, on Richard Nixon: "He's a shifty-eyed goddamn liar…He's one of the few in the history of this country to run for high office talking out of both sides of his mouth at the same time and lying out of both sides." Liz, sweetie, you're wicked.

 

Total Agreement With The Teenagers, It's Time for Dinner
Mad dash by teenagers to the dining table in the great room, and another mad dash by the rest of us to the large dining room, which at some time in this old farmhouse's history, was probably made so large in order to be able to seat all the farmhands when this place was a multi-thousand acre farm and ranch. Today, we can comfortably seat 50 at the large dining room table, and 12 to 14 at the table in the great room. Thankfully, the kitchen was "old world super large" from the very beginning, we've just spent years and years adapting it for how we cook today since Mom and Pop sure don't like cooking over coal-fed ranges anymore.

 

We leave the coal-fired cooking to Max and his battery of Viking outdoor grills. What we do have, is a "more burners and ovens than you count" La Cornue range, which, together with the large bank of Viking cooktops and wall ovens, allows our whole gang to either cook together or put the finishing touches on dishes they bring from their farms. They say the kitchen is the heart of the home, and this one is probably the heart of a community that covers thirteen square miles, just a little corner of farm and ranch paradise. But, let's eat.

 

Charlotte, Max, Beatrix and Jeremy Cook and Cook and Cook
Charlotte, the Terrine Empress, told us her succulent Medley of Mushroom Terrines were a breeze to make. Now, you have to remember that this is a lady who can make a replica of the Eiffel Tower out of spun sugar, but this time we believed her. She said these terrines really were easy to make. Her terrines today used mushrooms from Art and Terry's organic produce farm: chanterelles, white oyster mushrooms, orange lobster mushrooms, earthy morels and shiitakes. She drizzled some truffle vinaigrette over them, sending us into one of the kinds of rapture that really matters: the foodie rapture. She decided to pour us an American sparkling wine, a Blanc de Blancs from Domaine Carneros Le Rêve.

 

Beatrix had highly recommended our trying her soup, She-Crab Soup, and we agreed after trying it that it was exquisite, especially when paired with a New World Chardonnay, like the Beringer Private Reserve she chose for tonight.

 

Max had the grills going on the porch, and he helped Jeremy prepare a fantasy medley of grilled shrimp, scallops and lobster, as well as grilled mushrooms, chayote squash and zucchini.

 

One aside: you've probably noticed that we don't eat veal, we eat only humanely raised and slaughtered animals; our poultry and eggs are all free-range, we don't eat or allow goose liver pâté, and we don't cook animals while they are still alive. Take it from one of the world's premier seafood experts, James Peterson: kill a lobster instantly by cutting its head and its brain in half instantly, thus killing it in one second. There is nothing to this humane treatment that will alter your ability to enjoy succulent lobster; the only thing you will be losing is the thrill of killing a living being by boiling it alive. Think about it. If you can't do that merciful instant killing, you might as well be one of those people who can eat chicken while it's still alive and kicking.

 

For this amazing grilled seafood, our chefs for tonight selected an American dry Rosé, a Joseph Phelps Vin de Mistral. Trust us, rosé today is nothing like the slop you drank when you were in college; today it can be, and is, very good.

 

We had small dollops of quince sorbet to prepare for us our meat course. We were looking forward to it because our four chefs tonight always please. Unfailingly.

Tango on the Fare for tonight, in the guise of what the Argentineans call bifé (beefsteak), sausages, and grilled vegetables served with an exquisite Chimichurri sauce, paired with a 2003 Mendoza Críos de Susana Balbo Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine had dark chocolate and plum tones and is a beautifully fruity blend. We could also have had a great Argentine Malbec, but were not disappointed with the Cabernet Sauvignon.

Dessert was simple, and usually, simple is perfect: a mango and peach cobbler that Charlotte and Beatrix made, served with a Muscat Canelli, which has floral aromas and fruity flavors.

 

Winding Down
After-dinner coffee we had back in the great room with the kids. With time to spare, they're taking great care of all their pets, cleaning stalls, mending horse blankets, and helping us out with everything we need. They're also interested in what we talk about, but as adults, and patriots, how do we tell them that the Schmuck-in-Chief is leaving them a legacy even their grandkids will have trouble living down and paying for?

 

Summary:
Our Most Revered Commander-in-Chief, the "born-again Christian" who loves to use torture as proof of his Christianity and values, has lost touch with reality. The war on terror he deludedly thinks he's waging, has made this man who can only hold one thought in his brain at a time, forget that there is a whole world out there, and that that collective world hates his guts. The sufferer: our beloved country, marginalized by the new-found bond between most of the other countries around the globe. Bush has left us out in the cold. Today, the only person who can stand him and his perpetual smirk, is his equally deranged and cold as a witch's tit mother. And sugar, we don't need that.

©Copyright 2005 Grindstaff Chronicles. All Rights Reserved.
================================================
Reprinted from The Grindstaff Chronicles Newsletter which is published in the USA by farmers, ranchers, and neighbors.

It is intended to share the thoughts and lifestyle of people who work hard, like to relax and enjoy life, and are often dismayed by news, politics, and the events of the day that defy common sense.
http://www.GrindstaffChronicles.com
================================================

Glory Glory Hallelujah! Thank the Pesky British Press

Nasty British Press = Bye Bush, Hi Impeachment
Schuyler was, well, full of mirth and devilment, so he hardly had to strain to shake our cocktails tonight. Because he and Elizabeth had bought several bottles of wonderful Tequila Corazón, he made Chimayo Cocktails for us. What had him in stitches was an account by Beatrix and Jeremy of how virulent the British press is, and how unfettered they are by the ethical standards of most of the U.S. press. Also, they told Schuyler, the U.S. Congress is a tame pussy cat in comparison to the no-holds-barred way in which the British Parliament treats its politicians, and especially in how they hold their Prime Minister to account. In any case, Beatrix and Jeremy impressed on Schuyler that the unholy alliance of the vitriolic British press and the unrelentingly unforgiving British Parliament, Tony Blair is, in the coming days, about to have just a bit more of his anatomy than the soles of his feet put to the fire. So, Crawford Kid, guess who's next?

 

Catherine Green: Why Tony Blair must be forced to face a public inquiry into the Iraq War.
This headline appeared in The Independent, a UK newspaper, and contained the story of the sister of a British pilot, Philip, who is a victim of the Iraq war. The article, published on November 24, went on to explain that Ms. Green agreed with the High Court's decision pressing for an independent investigation into the conflict, and, Crawford Fans: Bush is behind anything ugly Blair's had to do, and that's an awful lot of poop that's going to hit the transatlantic fan. Blair is known to be a decent guy, but unfortunately he let himself get ensnared by Bush into doing all sorts of things decent people just don't do.

The British press, Beatrix and Jeremy told us, is as relentless in their pursuit of scandal as the press anywhere can be. Also, the British Parliament pays no deference to the Prime Minister, rather, he is held to pretty high standards and has to answer for his actions, something we in the United States don't require of our politicians, but the effect will be the same, nevertheless because, as they say: "the truth will out."

Every word dragged out of Tony Blair in the next few weeks is going to reek to hell of George Bush, so, Merry Christmas everybody: the Brits are going to do us a favor and bring all the Bush mud out in the open.

 

Alex and Jane, Curious About That Mud
Mud, crud, manure, Alex and Jane said, they wanted particulars about what we were saying would be coming out soon. Max and Barry lost no time in giving Alex and Jane a short accounting of some of the subjects Blair was going to have to talk about that would expose the worst of the Bush administration, or, as Mark Twain would have called it: ass-minstration.

For starters, Blair of course is privy to the infamous Downing Street Memos, in which it's exposed that Bush was planning to invade Iraq long before 9/11. Blair was at a meeting at which minutes were carefully taken in which Bush advises Blair that he intends to plot the bombing of al-Jazeera in Qatar. Blair will be forced to disclose everything he knows about Bush and his pet projects, rendition and torture, and he will also have to explain Bush's inability or unwillingness to rein-in his President of Vice and his unrelenting insistence on being allowed to continue to practice torture. Also, it has been recently disclosed that the United Kingdom has recently broken with the U.S. over John Bolton, the "revolten" U.S. ambassador to the UN because Bolton/Revolten was insisting that Britain side with him over not passing the United Nations' 2006 budget.

Blair is still fuming at Bush's attack on Fallujah, and will have to explain to the world why, how and by what rationale Bush insisted on using illegal weapons such as white phosphorous, napalm and depleted uranium on the Iraqi populace.

 

Blair's Approval Rate in Great Britain Down to 30%
Whoa there boy! Was that George I heard slithering down the barbed wire banister at the White House, asked gleeful Bob? Blair, way too kind to Bush but still not a total fool, will try to defend his position before Parliament, and in any event, he will have to be truthful as the British government and the British press get to the bottom of these matters, and friend of Georgie Porgie's or not, all the scum is going to surface, making the case for impeachment on this side of the pond pretty much inevitable. And Lady Macbush's rotten little boy thought his reign was good for another three years! Ha.

Bob said he thought everything that Blair is going to have to bring out into the open will also lay the foundations for the International Criminal Court's case against Bush, Cheney, Rice Rumsfeld and Co. Well, that's what that unholy cabal gets for not being in the least bit ethical. Trouble is, of course, everything Tony Blair will have to bring out into the open will also get Al Qaeda's hackles up, and you know what that means.

 

Dinner Gong, Bliss At the Table
The way the teenagers ran to their places at the dining table in the great room, you'd think we hadn't fed them in weeks. (Sorry, that's not fair; some of us didn't waste much time finding a place at the table in the dining room either.)

Barry and Kim marinated some wonderful prawns in Corazón tequila and Domecq Fino sherry, then quickly cooked them in the red-hot wok. They served them over lettuce leaves, and though not really a "tapa" they still suggested that we enjoy them with the Domecq bone dry, slightly chilled La Ina sherry we've grown to love.

Do you love good French Onion Soup with Gruyère Cheese Croutons as much as we do? Hopefully you do. Up here, when the weather changes and we begin to face night after night of chilly weather, we turn to it for warmth and comfort. Barry and Kim happened to find a whole bunch of really nice little soup bowls with lids and then tracked down the manufacturer who fortunately was still in business, and voilà, we got a set for 50! The lids keep the soup piping hot and for the adults, ready for Barry and Kim's perfect wine pairing, a Henschke Riesling Eden Valley Julius 2002 from Australia. This dry Riesling with spicy pear and mineral flavors is always ideal with the onion soup. If you want, you can be more French, more "bistro" and have the soup with a fruity Beaujolais.

Max stepped in now, as the "grill master" to present us with another marvel of his grilling, a Spanish dish we love for him to make, Grilled Vegetable Escalivada served with Grilled Ahi. Briefly, the Escalivada is made up of eggplants, red onions, tomatoes and bell peppers. For garnish, Max uses finely chopped scallions. For this wonderful dish, Max and Charlotte chose a Bodegas Fuentespina Ribera del Duero 2001 Tempranillo. This is a fresh red wine with black cherry and plum flavors.

Max's input was invaluable when we were planning the "grilling stations." He thought we'd be best served by several Viking outdoor grills, and we have several on the porch for when the weather is good, and some more in the pool house that we use when the weather is really bad. Because Max doesn't seem to mind too much making the mad dash from the pool house grills to the house, we think we made a wise choice. Several of the grills were necessary because Max grills a lot and we almost always have the usual 50 or so people to feed.

Although Charlotte could easily be a professional pastry chef, she always cedes the right to make flan to Carmen. I don't know if you make flan very often, but can you imagine how difficult it is to turn out enough perfect flans for almost 50 people? Well, Carmen has mastered the art and tonight our flan was paired with an especially good dessert wine, an Alvear Pedro Ximénez Montilla-Moriles Solera 1910 NV. This exquisite, and unfortunately, expensive dessert wine, was served in the new, smallish sherry glasses we recently bought. A dessert wine should always be at least as sweet as the dessert it is being paired with, and this wine certainly meets that requirement. It coats the glass, and has raisin and treacle flavors.

 

Pleasant Close to a Good Day
Max made us all some excellent espresso from his secret blend. We drank his superb coffee back in the great room, so we could spend time with the teenagers. On the way in, Liz gave us this short quote to think about, and probably meant little 'ol George to think about it also: "There will be no whitewash in the White House." Richard Milhous Nixon.

Horse blankets were on our minds tonight. We're expecting a cold night, and some of the older horses and those that don't grow a nice thick winter coat benefit from a nice blanket or at least a wind-breaking sheet. In other words, some of us still have chores to take care of. It's been a good, brisk weather day, kind of like the calm before the storm. Something's going to hit the fan across the pond, and Wacko Bush is almost kaput.

 

Summary:
Tony Blair, the British prime minister, is facing ferocious battles in Parliament to save both his good name and to save his office. Because most of his problems have been brought on because of his misplaced trust in George Bush, these battles are surely going to bring to light many facts Bush would much rather never saw the light of day; problem is, they're going to see the light of day in every feisty British newspaper, and thus, will become known across the globe. Taps for Bush, methinks.

---

Free Restaurant Equipment Classifieds

This free classified ad site allows you to buy or sell used restaurant or kitchen equipment without any fees of any kind. Buy or sell stoves, refrigerators, freezers, racks, walk-in collers, kitchenware, knives, slicers, mixers, tableware, and silverware.

---

©Copyright 2005 Grindstaff Chronicles. All Rights Reserved.
================================================
Reprinted from The Grindstaff Chronicles Newsletter which is published in the USA by farmers, ranchers, and neighbors.

It is intended to share the thoughts and lifestyle of people who work hard, like to relax and enjoy life, and are often dismayed by news, politics, and the events of the day that defy common sense.
http://www.GrindstaffChronicles.com
================================================

Deceitful George, At It Again, and Caught Again

We'd Like To Be Nice Over The Holidays
All the gang arrived just about the same time, and we all got together in the great room, anxious to see what cocktail Schuyler had mixed for us. Tonight he prepared a cocktail called a Firefly which he made with Smirnoff vodka, grapefruit juice and grenadine. On the side, he had some nonalcoholic sparkling wine for those who don't drink and for those on medications that contraindicate grapefruit juice.

We were all commenting on how wonderful it would be if things in Washington were different, so that our comments and thoughts could be nice during this holiday season, instead of always finding dirt Bush would like to sweep under the rugs of the Offal Office. For you city folks, that's not a typo: offal is just awful cuts of meat and carcass leftovers. Nasty stuff.

 

Well, it's hard to be nice and say good things about your Prez when he's always up to no good and lying about it. We mentioned Jeremy and Beatrix's return from England, but failed to say that another good thing about their being back is that we now get daily news reports on world events from a British perspective, and right now, the perspective looks pretty shady. Shady's a nice word for an uglier one that we could use when referring to Bush's antics, but because it's the holiday season, we'll leave it at shady.

 

Beatrix and Jeremy's Report From London
Well, it seems that those rumors about George Bush, you know, the born-again christian, wanting to bomb al-Jazeera, in the U.S. ally country of Qatar, are true, and there's a transcript of a meeting which occurred in April 2004 between Bush and Tony Blair which proves Bush's intentions. All that happened over a year ago, and the story could have died, but on Tuesday of last week, the Daily Mirror, in London, printed the story that Bush had told Prime Minister Blair of his intentions because Bush detests al-Jazzeera for always attacking his actions in Iraq. Jeremy said that even with the report by the Daily Mirror coming to light the story might have died, except for the fact that the Attorney General in Great Britain, Lord Goldsmith decided to prosecute the two fellows involved in leaking the transcript, in breach of the British Official Secrets Act.

Beatrix said that the story is more than a little convoluted, but that in the end it has all to do with Bush's constantly undermining Tony Blair and, basically, acting like the infantile little fascist we know him to be. In a pique of anger, he ordered the botched assault in Fallujah, over the objections of the British, who said that the assault would destroy the gains they had made to win over the hearts and minds of the inhabitants of Fallujah. In another leaked British Foreign Office memo, the British government opined that "Heavy-handed U.S. military tactics in Fallujah and Najaf, some weeks ago, have fuelled both Sunni and Shia opposition to the coalition, and lost us much public support inside Iraq."

 

White Phosphorous ( Read news1 and news2 )
The British are also justifiably angry over Bush's use of illegal chemical weapons on Iraqis. Only in November did the British find out that Bush ordered the use of white phosphorous, which burns bodies right down to the bone. Bush has also ordered its use in Operation Steel Curtain, which is being used to drive insurgents out of towns along Iraq's borders with Jordan and Syria. It seems that Mr. Blair would prefer the world to see that Bush pays him some heed, but events are proving otherwise. "Events in Fallujah and beyond do not give much sign that the U.S. ever heeded any British expression of concern about its methods of dealing with the insurgency."

So Jeremy explained, it's all proving to be too much poop dumped on Blair's plate, and he cannot govern effectively as long as Bush keeps acting like the jackass he is.

 

Elizabeth chimed in: "And this is what he does to our closest ally?" We've told you before, sweet family, these Bush people. Anyway, it's almost certain now that since this is going to court in Great Britain, the entire five page memorandum/transcript is going to have to become public. Happy Holidays, Georgie.

 

Enough, Enough, Cried the Teenagers: Let's Eat
I think one reason the kids were so hungry was that every time Max opened one of the doors to the porch, they could smell the little shrimp he was grilling on cocktail skewers and was planning to serve with his delicious Cuban Mojo sauce. They immediately sat down at their table and we went in to the dining room. In just a minute Max had served us all our Grilled Shrimp with Mojo Sauce. For the adults, Max served us our favorite sherry, Tío Pepe.
Charlotte helped Max prepare the exquisite Oyster Bisque which always pleases all of us. For the bisque, they served another sherry, this one a very dry Domecq La Ina sherry.

 

Max took advantage of the grills' already going, and prepared Grilled Swordfish with a Southwestern Green Salsa, made with tomatillo and cilantro. With grilled corn and an interesting jicama salad on the side, the wine Charlotte and Max selected was a good pairing. They chose a Willamette Valley Winery Pinot Gris, which had spicy pear and apricot flavors. It was a light wine, and we really enjoyed it with the fish, which Max always manages to grill to flaky perfection.

 

Tonight, Max didn't think he wanted to cleanse our palate with a sorbet or granita, so instead, he immediately served us the beautiful steaks he had been grilling while we ate our fish. Charlotte had steamed some beautiful spinach and broccoli, and told us that her secret to keeping those vegetables green was to always add a tiny pinch of baking soda to the water. The wine they poured was a 2001 Château Souverain Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, an elegant wine with flavors of black olive and herbs.

Cathy baked several apple pies, simply, as good old-fashioned U.S. fare. With her exquisite handmade vanilla ice cream, all we needed was some of Max's special-blend after-dinner coffee, which we had in the great room so we could spend some time with the teenagers.

 

Because the teenagers were fully aware of the topic that had consumed us tonight, they understood the sadness of Liz's quote from Sir Winston Churchill, a statesman of a stature Bush could never even begin to understand. The quote touched on the subject of allies, and we all understood that Bush has lied and lied to, and used, the British and Tony Blair. Here is Liz's quote: "It is not given to us to peer into the mysteries of the future. Still, I avow my hope and faith, sure and inviolate, that in the days to come the British and the American peoples will for their own safety and for the good of all walk together side by side in majesty, in justice, and in peace."
One of our teenagers said he didn't think Bush's stature even reached the top of the soles of Churchill's shoes.

 

Summary:
George Bush continues his deceitful game of fraud; tricking the British people and his one sole ally, Tony Blair. He tricked the U.S. Congress, and now he's lying to the British. As the wise man said, what were those 59,054,087 people thinking when they "elected" this anointed Prince of Darkness, who is going to cause immeasurable harm to Tony Blair's ability to continue to govern within a parliamentary system which is so much more open than our system?

©Copyright 2005 Grindstaff Chronicles. All Rights Reserved.
================================================
Reprinted from The Grindstaff Chronicles Newsletter which is published in the USA by farmers, ranchers, and neighbors.

It is intended to share the thoughts and lifestyle of people who work hard, like to relax and enjoy life, and are often dismayed by news, politics, and the events of the day that defy common sense.
http://www.GrindstaffChronicles.com
================================================

Separation of Church and State? Well, Just Sometimes

Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered Am I
Fully satiated after a day of intemperate wining and dining, with a few days off to recover and walk it off, life on the farms and ranches out here is returning to normal. We discovered that we really are quite lucky to live way out here: nobody was tempted to find the nearest big town to do what most of the country seems to enjoy: going shopping like lunatics the day after Thanksgiving. No ma'am, it just isn't interesting when you consider it's a four and a half hour round trip excursion. Now, for food and our wine, well, then it's worth it, but to get squished to death like a worm, no sir. Thanks, we'll pass.

 

What we don't pass on though is Schuyler's always delicious cocktails. Today he served Black Russians, made with "handmade" Tito's Vodka and Kahlúa. For those who don't like alcohol, he made Fruit and Ginger Ale, an English mulled drink which he serves chilled. We used his cocktail to welcome back Marie Christine and her husband Jean-Paul, who had been back in France for a couple of years and returned the day after Thanksgiving. They returned to their beautiful horse farm, which had been leased to a couple for these past two years.

 

Together, Marie Christine and Jean-Paul run one of the best dressage schools within a two-hour radius. Dressage, some of you may know, is the art of riding horses in High School fashion, as at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, and they had spent the last two years in France in intensive riding clinics so they could bring better but yet baroque riding techniques to their multitude of clients. It is a joy to welcome them back, though we will also miss their tenants, who had become good friends.

 

Slowly, Elizabeth and Liz brought up a subject that, because we had just celebrated a holiday that still has some religious overtones, was bothering them immensely. Their bringing up this topic ended up bothering the rest of us just as much. Both Elizabeth and Liz were just a bit befuddled. Befuddled, i.e. a tad more than confused. First, Liz said, what does it mean today to be "religious?" Bubba and Bubbette, Bob and Judy's live-in ranch hands, have made it clear to everybody in our group that there is only one God, and only one "religion" - theirs. In other words, according to these paragons of rapture and Godly savvy, you have to be born-again and throw your arms up to the heavens at least hourly and squeal: 'Oh Jesus, Oh Jesus! We're such good and pious people. Please damn everybody else and send them straight to hell!" If you're unwilling to brown your nose when Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell bend over and grab their ankles and say: Kiss! you're just not going to heaven sweetheart.

 

Bewilderment? Times a gazillion!
O.K., Liz and Elizabeth said, if you're so holy, and nobody else can fill your shoes, surely that means that every other faith, Protestant or not, is doomed to hell, right? Oh, and those Mormons! Jeez, those Quakers; Christ's Blood! those Pentecostals. Ah! They said, Holy Mother of Jesus (but not the Catholic one, she's frying in hell, Bubette smartly told Bob and Judy), unless you're Republican and born-again. Liz said very quietly, conspiratorially: hey guys, we're all going to hell and everybody we know and everybody around the world who isn't born-again and Republican is going straight to hell.

 

Seems, Elizabeth told us, that we have to be as sweet and committed to corruption, pollution of the environment, deforestation, cronyism, fanatically committed to the unrelenting growth of the Military-Industrial complex, political cronyism, crushing of Freedom of Speech and Assembly, and committed to that highly born-again practice, torture, as is the Bush Cabal, if we want to be saved, like the born-agains. Hell, maybe we all need to argue for seceding right and left in order to form more perfect born-again independent statelets!

 

Schuyler, On The White House Poop Church
Well, Schuyler told us, actually, to understand the separation of church and state, you have to study, in depth, Thomas Jefferson's fears and thoughts on the subject, of which there are way too many for us to go into here. But briefly, he adamantly believed in that principle. Now, today, here come the people who are already labeling their collective memoirs "Mein Kampf at Krawford."

 

It seems, Schuyler, Liz and Elizabeth told us, the Bush Cabal has thrown its full weight, the scary power of the IRS, behind intimidating churches. Nice, don't you think? Christian, don't you think? What the Founding Fathers believed in, don't you think? Well, it seems this one church, All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California, a church that has a history of voicing its objection to our country going to war regardless of the party in power, is in deep doodoo. Ah! but now we have the nefarious, dastardly seriously fascist Bush Cabal in power, and they didn't like that one little 'ol church saying nasty things about Bush's illegal invasion of a sovereign nation, and so, Bush Inc. is sicking the IRS on them.

 

Funny, haven't heard about Bush Inc. attacking, via the IRS, churches that glorify him, have you? So, it's a warning to churches everywhere now: if your sermon glorifies the torturer Bush, your tax status is o.k. Speak badly about the Fascist Cabal, and out you go, churchy-pooh! Cripey, you don't think this White House wants to erase over 200 years of United States Constitutional history do you? Surely they wouldn't be so nasty, or would they? Surely the Cretin Shrub isn't SUCH a cretin, or is he?

 

The Dinner Gong for Our Paradisiacal Dinner
Just as we were called in to dinner, Liz told us what Daniel Defoe had once written: "And of all plagues with which mankind are curst, Ecclesiastic tyranny's the worst."

 

With this thought to ponder, we took our places at our respective dining room tables, the adults in the dining room and the teenagers in the dining area of the great room.

 

Although Marie Christine has only been back a day or two, she and Jean-Paul immediately fell back into our old routine and they immediately pitched in to help prepare dinner. Tonight, they prepared a comforting but not too heavy soup, a Chanterelle and Tortellini broth which they cooked with sherry, and of course also served alongside in our little glasses of Tío Pepe's Muy Seco sherry.

 

Jeremy and Jean-Paul prepared individual casseroles of Prawns and Crab. The Le Creuset casseroles, which are enameled cast iron, kept the casseroles wonderfully warm. Also, because we learned to cure all of our Le Creuset kitchenware with milk, nothing ever sticks, so even casseroles prepared with lots of cheese don't stick. The guys selected a very affordable Brander 2004 Santa Ynez Valley Sauvignon Blanc which had a wonderful pink grapefruit flavor. They chilled the wine perfectly, and this course was received with real gusto.

 

After small dollops of boysenberry granita, Max and Alex brought in some meat they had been grilling on the porch, a simply prepared Pepper Steak that they paired with a Clay Station 2002 Lodi Malbec. This wine had plum jam flavors that really complemented the steaks. Max, whenever he can take advantage of the grill, normally serves us grilled vegetables, and tonight was no exception. He grilled, in the myriad little grilling baskets we have just for his vegetables, large-diced carrots, pearl onions, bell peppers, zucchini and minute young potatoes. Our teenagers have learned that their meat portions will always be small, but that there will always be plenty of heavenly vegetables. They have also learned that no fast food chain could ever cook for them dishes they could like better than ours. Corny, maybe, but they also know that we fix our meals with love and friendship, a far cry from fixing meals eons before serving them and miles before arriving at some frigid, soulless kitchen.

 

Kathy had made a bunch of Key lime pies, and perhaps breaking with tradition, paired the pies with small glasses of ForestVille 2003 California Chardonnay, which has in its structure a scent of white flowers, and, of course, Key limes!

 

Fare Thee Well Until Tomorrow
This was our first dinner shared since we gathered to celebrate Thanksgiving. We spent Friday and the weekend catching up on normal farm and ranch chores. We had several horse blankets that needed mending, water troughs to be cleaned before Winter really sets it, fences to be checked, and wherever necessary, repair run-in shelters for our animals.

 

To share the thoughts of some of our teenagers, with which I agree whole heartedly, I'm growing to the point where I hate, as do the teenagers, to refer to our pets and livestock as animals. There is not one within our 13 mile-radius who is intentionally vicious or sadistic, so why should we call them animals. Rather, what should we call those people in D.C. who are sadistic, vicious, uncaring, unfeeling and diabolically opposed to the welfare of the less fortunate?

 

A shorter evening than many, but a good evening. The teenagers are delighted that they don't have homework to do when they go home, and that instead they can spend hours on the phone talking to their friends, and knowing that in the morning they'll have a decent amount of time in which to take care of their horses or other pets. We, well, we're just enjoying the beginning of a season where each meeting with our friends will help us become better advocates of all churches, not only the Republican-backed born-again churches that crush dissent.

 

Summary:
This White House allows some churches to preach hell, fire and brimstone, as long as the said evils are directed at liberals, progressives, and Democrats, but if a church dares to speak unkindly of the White House's many dastardly deeds, the IRS will immediately step in and revoke the church's tax-free status. Sounds like a pretty vicious double standard that the Founding Fathers never envisioned, doesn't it?

©Copyright 2005 Grindstaff Chronicles. All Rights Reserved.
================================================
Reprinted from The Grindstaff Chronicles Newsletter which is published in the USA by farmers, ranchers, and neighbors.

It is intended to share the thoughts and lifestyle of people who work hard, like to relax and enjoy life, and are often dismayed by news, politics, and the events of the day that defy common sense.
http://www.GrindstaffChronicles.com
================================================

We, With Life and Limb and Roof, Give Thanks

Brief Message of Good Values
With plenty to do today, and more people around us than we normally have, and distractions at every turn, our thoughts are not so much on what may be going on in D.C. so we just barely touched on politics. There are way too many other distractions. Schuyler thought it best to keep things simple, so he mixed only one cocktail, hoping those of us who wanted one would enjoy it. It is called a Montana, and Schuyler made them with simple and easy to find ingredients, brandy, port and dry vermouth. For almost everybody else, he was serving beautifully chilled Carta Nevada sparkling wine from Freixenet, since not everybody likes their drier brut.

 

Because we and our guests had all arrived, he raised a toast to the victims of Katrina and Rita, whom the White House is trying to forget. All the promises of immediate and effective help have wafted upward, evanescing like so much smoke. A few days ago I thought the White House was going to evict untold thousands of families from the hotels where they had sought refuge, right in the middle of the holidays. It seems that under monumental Democratic pressure that heinous mass-eviction will be postponed until Epiphany.

 

From Our Youngsters, More Good News on Values
One of our older teenagers, who is off to college next year, said that in her high school class someone had been talking about a group of young people who had gotten together to form the The Principles Project, which in their words, "Progressives need to tell the United States what we believe - and why we believe it." The program was launched by 2020 Democrats, a coast-to-coast network of young Progressives, The Principles Project "has been created in partnership with a host of activists, intellectuals and other Progressive groups."

Please, look them up at The Principles Project.com but briefly, our teenager said that in the notes she had taken in class, this energetic, patriotic group has given us these Progressive values to ponder over Thanksgiving:

"We believe in defending dignity."
"We believe in strengthening democracy."
"We believe in promoting progress."
"We believe in embracing leadership."

 

The full content of the Declaration of Progressive Principles is found at www.principlesproject.com

 

Youth and Grandparents
Well, we normally think of Thanksgiving as going to Grandma's house for good food and wise advice. Remarkably, today we're having dinner fixed by a younger generation and graciously served to the older generation, and beautifully, have learned some valuable lessons on principles to carry us through this, the first day of our traditional holidays, and hopefully, into the coming year, from the younger generation. And here, in this old stone farmhouse, we're having a multitude of generations, faiths, religions, ethnicities, gender preferences, and dogs! Oh yes, all guests were told that they were quite welcome to bring their four-legged owners over also, so, it's going to be a whopping good time. Happy Thanksgiving.

 

Dinner, As Prepared By All of Us
While final dinner preparations were being made, Schuyler and Elizabeth kept cocktail glasses full and champagne flutes bubbling. All along, they had been passing around Cold Roquefort Cheese Balls, Camembert Biscuits and Cheese Wafers.

Late in the afternoon, we sat down in the large dining room, the small dining room, and set up portable tables in the other two sections of the great room. If we normally seat around 45, and today every family brought friends and the children invited some friends, well, you can imagine the activity.

The kitchen, thanks to the enormous old French range, with its numerous ovens, burners, soup pot plates and griddles, was put to good use today. Along one side of the large old kitchen, a new bank of Viking cooktops and different ovens helped all the "cooks" put the finishing touches on the dishes they had brought to the farm, without getting in anybody's way.

 

The Dinner Gong, And All Hungry to The Tables
For our first course, we were each offered a choice of either Sweet Potato and Red Pepper Soup or Roasted Garlic and Butternut Squash Soup. To keep things simple, we had agreed in advance to keep serving only the Spanish sparkling wine with all the courses until the main course, the turkey and Rock Cornish Game Hens.

 

Following the soup, the main course was served, and as you can imagine, everything imaginable went with everything else, and everything was served in abundance. The centerpiece consisted of several platters with turkeys, some prepared following the latest craze, that is Cajun deep-fried turkey, with the interesting addition of prune and liver stuffing, the second one more traditionally slow-smoked, with chestnut and sausage stuffing. Every platter bearing a turkey was surrounded with plump little Rock Cornish Game Hens with cornbread and pine nut stuffing, allowing for at least one hen per guest. We had decided on this plan because not everybody enjoys turkey, and turkeys only have two legs, leaving a lot of people out there hoping for "gamier" fare! For this entire part of the meal, we had agreed in advance that we would serve one wine, good Châteauneuf du Pape.

 

Everybody helped to keep the serving platters full with typical and atypical side-dishes. We had platters heaping with Creamed Collard Greens, Oyster and Corn Bread Dressing, Dried-Cranberry Chutney, Maple-Glazed Sweet Potatoes, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Leeks, Mashed Potatoes with Chive Oil, Braised Fennel, and mountains of Max's Stone-ground Cornbread Biscuits.

 

Desserts were too abundant to mention, but every family brought a special family favorite, so you can imagine the groaning sideboards. We had Apple Pies, Almond and Marzipan Tartlets, Mango Pies, Crème Brulées, and so much more. Fortunately, we had two 40-cup coffee brewers stored in the old Butler's Pantry, and on days like today they really come in handy.

 

End of a Banquet And More
Finally, our dear friends and neighbors, have a good Thanksgiving, and like good Democrats, Liberals and Progressives, remember those the Republicans would like to see disappear from the face of the earth!

 

Copyright, The Royal Pavilion, Libraries & Museums, Brighton & Hove

 

Finally #2: Oh, please! Enjoy your festive day, but please, don't enjoy it so much that you look like Mr. Had a Lot here! Jolly good fellow, but maybe a tad too much to eat and drink? However, enjoy; we had this image sent over from the Royal Museum at Brighton, England, just in time to let you know how some of us will look at day's end.
Again, Happy Thanksgiving, and we'll be in touch again on Monday.

 

Summary:
Sometimes, many important political ideals come from the younger generations, and we express some of them today. Important dinners, such as Thanksgiving, can change generational "duties" around, and this year, the younger will cook and serve for the older, and we will all, each one of us, be thankful for something.

 

Key words:
good values, Freixenet Carta Nevada, Katrina, Rita, White House, The Principles Project, young progressives, Viking cooktops, Viking ovens, Châteauneuf du Pape

©Copyright 2005 Grindstaff Chronicles. All Rights Reserved.
================================================
Reprinted from The Grindstaff Chronicles Newsletter which is published in the USA by farmers, ranchers, and neighbors.

It is intended to share the thoughts and lifestyle of people who work hard, like to relax and enjoy life, and are often dismayed by news, politics, and the events of the day that defy common sense.
http://www.GrindstaffChronicles.com
================================================

Thanksgving For All Faiths

Sorry Liebchen, No Monopoly
Schuyler, busy mixing cocktails for the arriving neighbors, tonight decided to make a new drink called Laughing at the Waves. When asked why he chose this one, he said it was simply because he liked cocktails that mixed Campari with vodka. Tonight he selected a vodka we'd heard was good but had never tried, Tito's Vodka, from Texas! Schuyler had read that Tito's Vodka had received high accolades for their excellent vodka and decided to try it tonight. The drink also called for a small measure of Martini & Rossi dry vermouth.

 

Elizabeth, his wife, helped him serve the cocktails and also joined him in beginning our conversation, which centered around the feeling we have up here that the extreme religious right does not own Thanksgiving. Schuyler and Elizabeth were talking about how that radical fringe group and the never-to-be-outdone-on-the-hypocrisy-scale Republicans were trying to usurp not only God, but also Thanksgiving. As we learned from a Jewish Rabbi, Eric Yoffie, the extreme religious right has no monopoly on God, and thankfully, neither do George Bush, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly or those other lunatics, Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson.

 

Elizabeth On Illusion
Elizabeth, always good at remembering lines from important plays, quoted these lines from The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams: "I have tricks in my pocket, I have things up my sleeve. But I am the opposite of a stage magician. He gives illusion that has the appearance of truth. I give you truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion."

Amazingly, these lines, as soon as Elizabeth had quoted them to us, we knew would be in our minds for many, many days to come. In our political and religious reality, who is the stage magician, and who is telling us the truth? Bob, asked, "Don't smoke screens give you illusion in the appearance of truth?" Weighty words, but useful, at an important time of year. Barry and Kim, Jews who moved into our neighborhood from Israel not even a year ago, told us that the "religious right" did not have a monopoly on God and didn't have one on Thanksgiving either. Barry explained that they had read up on Thanksgiving together with our new neighbors, the two couples who just moved here from Iraq with their children.

 

Going back to Schuyler and Elizabeth's conversation and Elizabeth's quote on illusion, Barry said this celebration should not be an illusion, rather he said, it should be a reality, and is, since more and more people around the world are beginning to celebrate it. Kim explained that around the world Thanksgiving had lost the illusion of the kind-hearted pilgrims and the happy Native Americans, and instead, had gained the reality that Jew or Muslim, Protestant or Catholic, Hindu or Buddhist, Baha'i or Scientologist, Sikh or Unitarian, Atheist or Agnostic, and especially Native American, all people who had kept their self-respect and not succumbed to corruption and brutal behavior, and who also managed to have something, no matter how little, would gather and give thanks.

 

Schuyler On Reality
This loving couple always find good ways in which to express themselves, but they are also realists, and Schuyler said that in these days where many will celebrate, prayers should be said for the souls of the Republicans and the extreme religious right who have made the conscious decision to ally themselves heart and soul with the Republicans because here at home, these two groups have made the deliberate decision to only slowly and grudgingly help the victims of Katrina and Rita, This very second, thousands of them are being advised that they will soon lose what housing they have. Those two radical groups have barely lifted a collective finger to help the hapless victims of the horrendous earthquake in Pakistan, where surely, because of Republican and religious right extremist foot-dragging, untold thousands of Pakistanis will freeze to death in the coming weeks and months.

 

Compassionate conservatives indeed, that's the reality Schuyler said. Lastly, Elizabeth told us, right before coming over she had read that that paragon of religious virtue, Dick Cheney, had just hauled into his office for a sound scolding Senators John McCain, John Warner and Lindsey Graham, to snarlingly, with that swastika-like downward angle of his snarling lips, because of their refusal to help him get the authority he wants to be able to torture detainees. Well, Liebchen Cheney, these Senators, who are more manly and upright than you, aren't going to grant you your Thanksgiving wish: the right to torture to your heart's content. Can you imagine, on the eve of Thanksgiving, still pressuring the government to allow you to use torture? How do you say swine in 100 languages? Help, somebody?

 

Teenagers: Bang That Gong, Dinner's On
What is it about teenagers that keep them in a perpetual state of hunger? Doesn't really matter, we're so happy that they're willing to eat when we eat and what we eat. We're sorry the dining room isn't large enough to hold both adults and kids, but at least we're all in close proximity and can spend time right after dinner when we have our after-dinner coffee.

 

Kim and Barry, Chefs For Tonight
We had been begging Kim to make her famous Salmon Mousse, and tonight she delighted us by preparing it for us. She garnished the little triangles of mousse with salmon eggs and fresh chervil leaves and a drizzle of chive oil. For the mousse, Kim and Barry chose a Washington State sparkling wine, a Domaine Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley Extra Dry wine with apple and dried pineapple flavors, giving hints of both tart and sweet flavors, perfect for this mousse.

Barry had suggested this soup, which has some Middle Eastern aspects, his Lamb and Lentil Soup, made with his homemade stock. Right before serving the soup, Barry stirred in some chopped parsley, adding a perfect touch to this soup for a cool evening. Kim and Barry didn't have any trouble deciding to pair their rich soup with a very dry five-year old Cossart Gordon Sercial Madeira.

Together in the kitchen, this couple really shines! Their simple White Sole Sautéed with Grapes, served with Arborio rice and a Roast Pepper Terrine and paired with a Rancho Zabaco 2004 California Dancing Bull Sauvignon Blanc, which was grassy and had hints of lime juice spice was a marriage made in, well, the kitchen.

Our familiar little dollops of fruit sorbet serve only to clear the palate for a different dish, beautifully separating the fish from the meat courses. It's not just some exercise in being effete: it works, try it at home.

Barry surprised us by serving a beautifully poached chicken, and instead of serving warm vegetables on the plates, served a side-plate of Salade Niçoise, both of which paired excellently with a Jaillance Clarette de Die Cuvée Impériale from France.

A word about Kim's Roast Pepper Terrine. She makes them in several Le Creuset enameled cast iron terrine molds, but layers the vegetables so artfully, that when sliced, we are presented with little works of art.

 

Winding Down
We wanted to spend a few minutes with the teenagers, so we had our Mango Tartlets and after-dinner coffee back in the great room. We were surprised at how much they had learned from our discussion over the points made by Rabbi Eric Yoffie. They are all bright kids, and none would ever rush to blindly embrace a theory without questioning it thoroughly, but they were, one and all, deeply affected by Rabbi Yoffie's comparison of the Nazis to the extreme religious right in this country. One of our kids just said: Hate is hate, and it shouldn't exist in religion, and torture shouldn't exist, as it does in the hearts and minds of Cheney and Bush. Well said, and well-thought out.

 

Summary:
Our government, on the eve of Thanksgiving, is presenting us with illusion, whereas we, the people, need reality. On the very eve of Thanksgiving, when people everywhere, of whatever faith, lack of faith, national origin or ethnic variety will be celebrating good and expressing thanks for even having a little to be thankful for. At the same time, the Republicans and the extreme religious right have dragged their feet on helping the victims of Katrina, Rita, and the Pakistani earthquake. Cheney and Bush are assiduously harassing members of Congress, which will not grant these two the right to continue to use torture. Poor white trash, those Cheney's and Bushes.

 

Key words:
Thanksgiving, Campari, Tito's Vodka, Martini & Rossi, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams, Republicans, extreme religious right, Katrina and Rita victims, Pakistani earthquake, compassionate conservatives, Dick Cheney, John McCain, John Warner, Lindsey Graham, Domaine Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley Extra Dry, Cossart Gordon Sercial Madeira, Rancho Zabaco 2004 California Dancing Bull Sauvignon Blanc, Jaillance Clarette de Die Cuvée Impériale, Le Creuset

©Copyright 2005 Grindstaff Chronicles. All Rights Reserved.
================================================
Reprinted from The Grindstaff Chronicles Newsletter which is published in the USA by farmers, ranchers, and neighbors.

It is intended to share the thoughts and lifestyle of people who work hard, like to relax and enjoy life, and are often dismayed by news, politics, and the events of the day that defy common sense.
http://www.GrindstaffChronicles.com
================================================

Adam: Created to Fry in Hell?

Only Zealots Have a Monopoly on God
The braziers on the porch were not going to be able to keep the chill off tonight, so we decided to gather in the great room, by the fireplace. The teenagers gathered in one part of the room and we stayed in the center area where the fireplace is. It's funny how some people think that when autumn arrives farm and ranch people can just kick their boots off and sit lazily by the fire until spring. Well, let us disavow you of that belief: there is always something to do on a farm or on a ranch. Some of us have farm farms, some of us have horse farms, and others cattle ranches.

 

Terry and Art, who have the goat farm, artisanal goat cheese business, and the acres and acres of outdoor organic produce and indoor greenhouses, probably have more to do than the rest of us, and yet, as you've seen, they still find time to be significant contributors to our conversations and culinary endeavors. Today, a typical day of hard outdoor labor, will end, or begin maybe I should say, on a good note: Schuyler, as people started arriving, began serving a great cocktail, a Ridley, made with Corazón Silver tequila, Bombay Sapphire gin and Galliano. Well, a reward for a hard day's work.

 

Beginning of the Holiday Season
Out here, we have luckily managed to assemble such a diverse group of people that we actually have a microcosm of the world at large. We have so many religions represented and still wish we had more; we have so many ethnic groups, and still wish we had more; we have some atheist couples, and would welcome more; we have same-sex couple neighbors and would still welcome more; we have many nationalities represented, and would welcome more. Since we will, with no doubt, gather on Thursday to celebrate a special day in many different ways, we treasure the words relayed to us by Kim and Barry, our Jewish/Israeli neighbors who moved here not that long ago.

 

They told us they had heard what Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the liberal Union for Reform Judaism had said recently, referring to the religious right, or as we call them here, evangelical christians, "They believe that unless you attend my church, accept my God and study my sacred text you cannot be a moral person." Next, Barry and Kim said, Rabbi Yoffie had asked his audience, "What could be more bigoted than to claim that you have a monopoly on God?"

 

Lucky Little Microcosm
This isn't a "gated community," it's just a bunch of farms and ranches of varying sizes, mostly within a 13-mile radius, and by serendipity, we've all turned out to be compatible people who enjoy each other's company, conversation and food. From our recently arrived neighbors from Iraq, Muslims Rania, Fareed and Nisreen, and our Iraqi Jewish neighbors Eli and Sagidah and their son Naim, to Israelis Barry and Kim, Mexican Art, "International" Max and Charlotte, British Beatrix and Jeremy and the rest of our "gang" of different faiths, ethnicities and gender preferences, we each and every one expect to have a gangbusters Thanksgiving celebration, wishing to the last minute of that celebration, that the "evangelical christians" could embrace the same kind of diversity.

 

Great Comfort From a Humanitarian Rabbi
Of great comfort also were the thoughts expressed by Rabbi Yoffie, which Kim and Barry recounted to us, in part because they're just loving and all-embracing people, but also for the benefit of the two ladies who have the horse farm down the road: "We cannot forget that when Hitler came to power in 1933, one of the first things that he did was ban gay organizations. Yes, we can disagree about gay marriage, but there is no excuse for hateful rhetoric that fuels the hellfires of anti-gay bigotry."

 

And lastly, they reported that Rabbi Yoffie had said something that we all feel deeply in our hearts: "The conservatives too narrowly define family values, making a 'frozen embryo in a fertility clinic' more important than a child, and ignoring poverty and other social ills." Wow, sounds like the God we're going to celebrate on Thursday isn't the same God that created Adam only to condemn him to a life of hell, nor the God the evangelicals say has condemned every human being born since Adam and Eve until the birth of the "born-again christian movement." That's billions of people the evangelicals joyfully condemn to hellfire and brimstone!

 

This Pseudo-Christian Holiday Could Learn a Thing or Two
After hearing the thoughts expressed by Rabbi Yoffie and conveyed to us by Kim and Barry, we decided our little United Nations out here in the country could rally embark on a journey of understanding and acceptance, which really, are the most beautiful ideal behind the Democratic, Liberal and Progressive movement. Not for us the condemnation to eternal hell all those who are not "born-again christians/evangelicals."

 

On To Dinner and Sumptuous Dishes
Something we promised our new neighbors is that next year we would make a concerted effort to learn more about their cuisine and try to prepare dishes they like more often, although they are always very gracious and appreciate the dishes we do prepare for them and share right now. In any case, it would be a thrill to learn how to fix that many more dinners, and a challenge, I imagine.

 

Charlotte and Beatrix Cook
Charlotte, when asked her background or nationality, always smiles sweetly and says she's just international and because she's a true polyglot, she's a perfect wife for Max, another rather international neighbor we have. They both, I think, live to cook, and we, well, we live to eat what they cook for us. But tonight, Charlotte and Beatrix are the chefs du jour, and the first course was delicious, unctuous Chèvre on Warm Melba Toast Rounds they served with a Spanish sparkling wine, a Segura Viudas Reserva Heredad Cava, but if you prefer you could just as easily serve them with a good Italian Pinot Grigio.
Soup.

 

Oh, do these two know how to make us feel nice and warm. They teemed up on their Roasted Tomato and Garlic Soup. They spiced the soup up with leeks and basil, and used that wonderful Braun immersion blender to get everything mixed. It certainly beats carrying hot pots to the food processor. Charlotte and Beatrix surprised us with a change in the order of wine service. We almost always begin with sherry or a sparkling wine, and progress to fuller-bodied white wines and then on to the red wines, but here, they decided to follow Italian tradition, and served their soup with a Castello di Gabbiano Chianti Classico.

Their next delight was Boned Whole Fish Baked in a Crust. They used bass for our dinner, which because of the baking in a crust reminded us of Beef Wellington. On the plates, they served String Beans with Tomatoes and Basil, as well as Spinach Florentine. The wine they chose was one with a funny name in the Piedmontese dialect: "little rascal," a delightful white wine, a 2004 Ceretto Arneis Langhe Blangè.

A small serving of melon sorbet served to prepare us for the meat course. Breaded Milanese Beef Cutlets of extraordinary thinness. Charlotte sautéed fennel in butter, and also served petits pois with Prosciutto in little casseroles. She and Beatrix thought one more Chianti would be good with the beef, and poured a Villa Antinori Chianti Classico.

Using a bit of the same wine, Charlotte and Beatrix poached some fresh fruit, and served it to us with another Italian wine, a Vin Santo.

 

Close to a Fine Day
With the teenagers around us, and enjoying Max's after-dinner coffee with them, we enjoyed briefly recounting to them what we had been talking about earlier. Hopefully, these young adults and children will grow up with good hearts, regardless of their faiths.

 

Summary:
When a respected Rabbi, Rabbi Eric Yoffie reminds the country that the "religious right" is so bigoted that they claim a monopoly on God, we all need to listen, and be better. When he compares some factions within the "religious right" to the Nazis, we'd best snap to attention and become better Democrats, Liberals and Progressives. The born-again christians, this Thanksgiving, will once again proclaim that only they are saved. Tch-tch.

©Copyright 2005 Grindstaff Chronicles. All Rights Reserved.
================================================
Reprinted from The Grindstaff Chronicles Newsletter which is published in the USA by farmers, ranchers, and neighbors.

It is intended to share the thoughts and lifestyle of people who work hard, like to relax and enjoy life, and are often dismayed by news, politics, and the events of the day that defy common sense.
http://www.GrindstaffChronicles.com
================================================

Lord Help Us, They've Let Him Out of His Cage

Visibly Unstable Bush Is Off to China
The whole gang arrived pretty much at the same time, and Schuyler scrambled to mix Orange Daiquiris for those of us who wanted to start the evening off with a good cocktail. He made them with a rum that was new to most of us, Creole Schrubb rum, lime juice and simple syrup. On the drinks table he also had some non-alcoholic sparkling wine and some mineral water. Kim mentioned that she had been deeply disturbed by Bush's behavior on Veteran's Day when he gave a speech that was supposed to, by historic tradition, honor Veterans, past and present.

 

Instead, Kim told us, he spent almost 50 minutes snidely, bitchily, snarlingly swiping at the Democrats and others he perceives to disagree with him. In Kim's opinion, it was neither the time nor the place to play Queen Bee. There is, after all, such a thing as decorum, although maybe not in Crawford, or as we like to call it, Krawford, since that's where this nearly totally deranged one's planning to write his version of Mein Kampf, that's is, if Al Qaeda or The International Criminal Court don't get him first. His speech was smarmy, like one of Richard Nixon's speeches, and betrayed a deeply embittered "man."

Barry, Kim's husband, told us that what worried them was that at a time when Bush is visibly not in control of his faculties, nor at a time when his handlers are managing him adroitly, he's off to China, where, like the proverbial bull in the china shop, he's quite likely to break a lot of china, insulting people right and left, as is his wont. Problem is, Barry told us in worried tones, the Chinese are the very people who are holding most of our debt. We're up to our chins in debt to the Chinese, thanks to George's inability to manage the country's treasure. The U.S. National debt is currently $8,093,788,637,831.23 and growing by $3.48 billion a day. Thanks George; did you think you think your Gorgon mother and insensitive dad were going to bail you out yet once again? Barry said he was going to enroll in Chinese language and culture classes. Shouldn't we all start thinking of doing the same?

 

Wherever He Goes: He Offends
Alex said that he couldn't remember a trip by Bush during which he didn't manage to insult someone. It just seems to be in his blood to be offensive, which isn't unusual when you remember who his parents are. His most recent trip, to Argentina, wasn't exactly a glowing success, as evidenced by the fact that most foreign leaders hardly even acknowledged his presence. However, Latin America, for now, doesn't hold untold billions in U.S. debt, as do the Chinese, so if you think crossing your fingers helps, cross them and hope he doesn't royally tick off the Chinese during his trip to China.

Problem is, Bob and Judy said, China is not some little banana republic; they're fast becoming a financial behemoth with a lot more clout than most people realize. If Beijing doesn't want the U.S. to accomplish one mission or another on the world stage, it can impede any plan the U.S. wishes to accomplish, and Bush, with his typical rough cowboy behavior, could easily tick off the Chinese. So? Maybe we'd better start brushing up on our Chinese.

 

Alley Apples: Stop the Presses
Carmen and Jim had been listening quietly, but suddenly they interjected some really bad news none of us had heard or read about yet. Well, buckaroo, the Toxic Cowboy, sure enough, didn't waste any time in insulting and irritating the Chinese, and he hasn't even landed on Chinese soil! Kim, Barry, Alex, Bob and Judy's fears have already come true and the smarmy, dangerous, guy who runs around yelling No Wire Coat Hangers! As if we were all Joan Crawford's daughter or poor defenseless Baby Jane. Well, the Joan Crawford bitchy approach to dealing with foreign countries really doesn't help the United States, and really, it is almost treasonous. What Carmen and Jim had read just before coming over, was that the Associated Press had earlier reported that Bush was already goading on China on the subject of Taiwan.

 

Now, unless you've lived your entire life in a coal mine, you know how touchy the subject is, so why in hell would Bush taunt the Chinese about democracy and Taiwan from Japanese soil? The Associated Press wrote what Shrub had stupidly and dangerously said: "Modern Taiwan is free and democratic and prosperous. By embracing freedom at all levels, Taiwan has delivered prosperity to its people and created a free and democratic Chinese society." Idiotically, he continued: "I have pointed out that the people in China want more freedom to express themselves…to worship without state control…and to print Bibles and other sacred texts without state control." Alley Apples! This paragon of freedom of the press, of the freedom to allow vocal opposition at his speeches, this paragon of open government, this invader and torturer is going to lecture the Chinese?

Somebody ought to pull his filthy under shorts down and spank him with a wire coat hanger. After this trip, China will not work with us until we achieve regime change here in the United States. Well, Wacko Shrub, you screwed up again: you're doing a good job Brownie-nose.

 

Hungry Teenagers Ring the Dinner Gong
Max and Charlotte prepared dinner tonight, so as unpleasant as our conversation had turned out, we at least have something good to look forward to, and the always-hungry teenagers will be happily satiated as well. For an amuse-bouche, Charlotte had prepared Bruschetta, spread with an avocado mixture containing scallions, Thai chilies and basil. Charlotte and Max thought a Sauvignon Blanc with notes of lime would be good with the Bruschetta, and poured us a very affordable Rancho Zabaco 2004 California Dancing Bull Sauvignon Blanc from Zabaco Vintners. Maybe tonight would be a good night to try other affordable wines.

For our soup course, Max and Charlotte had felt the urge to try some Scottish food, and found a recipe for "Cullen Skink," which is a Smoked Haddock and Potato Soup. With our first real cold snap of the season, this soup really was satisfying. We normally have a nice sherry with our soup, and tonight Max and Charlotte poured us small "copitas" of Harvey's Bristol Cream in the new sherry glasses we got from the Dutch company Royal Leerdam.

Together, Charlotte and Max broiled tonight's fish, hamachi (or yellowtail). Perfectly broiled would be a better description. On the plates with the fish, they served baked Parmesan Stuffed Onions over a bed of fluffy white rice. They poured another very affordable wine, a 2004 Pfalz Villa Wolf Pinot Gris from Germany. This wine had fragrant pear and lemon flavors, and was clean and bright, certainly enhancing the pleasure of tasting the broiled hamachi.

An interlude of dollops of blueberry sorbet, and then Charlotte and Max kept regaling us with comfort and pleasure: Rosemary Roasted Chicken with Broiled Fingerling Potatoes and the most amazing Red Pepper Flan served on a bed of beautiful mesclum from Art and Terry's greenhouses. The wine they poured, a Hoodsport 2003 Columbia Valley Cabernet-Merlot, which had flavors of sweet red cherries. This Washington state wine was perfect with the chicken.

Tonight, a very chilly night, prompted us to light the fireplaces in the great room and in the dining room where we, the adults, have dinner, so the whole place was aglow with atmosphere. We thought a simple dessert would be fine after such a satisfying dinner, and Charlotte served a simple dish of ripe peaches and cream, pairing our dessert with an Italian Vietti 2004 Moscato d'Asti Cascinetta, which had scents of banana but with balanced acidity which kept it clean.

 

After-dinner Coffee in the Great Room
The cold snap tonight, which prompting the lighting of the fireplaces, put everybody in a good mood. Thankfully, it was only the adults who had to think of Bush's latest trip to skulk around sowing seeds of hatred, this time throughout Asia. Jeez, we're hated in so much of the world, and now, before he's even landed in China he's already insulted the Chinese, spreading more hatred. We're glad the kids don't realize what Beatrix and Jeremy confirmed when they returned from Great Britain: even the Brits hate us; the only friend we have there is poor, beleaguered Tony Blair. And the Canadians? They despise us. Blessedly, the kids are oblivious, for now, of how Bush has marginalized us, putting us in a very lone corner, where the world can despise us and spit on the image of what we used to be before Bush and his perverted cabal of goons, male and female.

 

Summary:
Bush had a chance to go to Asia and win friends and keep old friends. Even before landing in China, he insulted and antagonized 1.3 billion people, citizens of the world's newest financial, political and diplomatic behemoth. Not very smart, considering that Bush has hocked us to the hilt, and China holds the pawn slips. Too bad the United States, unlike other countries, doesn't have a system by which heads of state can only travel abroad with permission of their legislative branches.

©Copyright 2005 Grindstaff Chronicles. All Rights Reserved.
================================================
Reprinted from The Grindstaff Chronicles Newsletter which is published in the USA by farmers, ranchers, and neighbors.

It is intended to share the thoughts and lifestyle of people who work hard, like to relax and enjoy life, and are often dismayed by news, politics, and the events of the day that defy common sense.
http://www.GrindstaffChronicles.com
================================================

Check Your Phone Bill for Fake Charges from OAN and Nationwide Connections

Check Your Phone Bill for Fake Charges from OAN and Nationwide Connections, Inc.

 

OAN, Billview.com, Billingconcepts.com, Nationwide Connections, inc., oanweb.com, Qwest are all involved, but make it very hard to trace back to the source of the bogus phone bill charges

 

In looking over my phone bill this month I discover a charge for $6.25. Now, you would think I would remember a collect a call from Spearfish, SD from last month, right? Well it's a bogus charge and I also discovered we had one on our bill from last February that was supposed to have been made in December 2004. That one was from Michigan and also for $6.25.

 

The numbers they provide in the bills will take you to Nationwide Connections whose supposedly bill on behalf of OAN, whatever those letters mean. All the numbers they give you at Nationwide Connections for OAN just take you back to Nationwide Connections. OAN really does not want to be contacted by you...!

 

The good thing is that Nationwide Connections readily gives you credit or in the case of my old charge says they will send a voucher that can be used against our phone bill for credit. We'll see if we really get one.

 

The message here is to check your phone bill every month and question any funny-looking charges.

 

Do some searches in Google for oan scam and billview scan and you will find it ain't just me.

 

Here's one blog entry that I found that confirms what I've seen:

http://chittahchattah.blogspot.com/2005/04/seebach-exhibit-7-spurious-collect.html

 

(hris

Abuse of Defenseless Angels

The Holidays Are Approaching: Take Care of Your Children
On this beautiful, autumn evening, we tried something different for cocktails, an Orange Brandy, made with Grand Marnier. Everybody praised Schuyler's choice, since it served a double purpose: it prepared us for dinner, and it helped us talk about something we hate to bring up, especially since there are so many children in our families: child abuse at the hands of the clergy.

With Thanksgiving and Christmas fast approaching, be careful, mothers and fathers, if you plan to send your children off to see your parish priest unaccompanied by you. I wouldn't send my child into a pen of rattle snakes unattended, but apparently some parents still send their children off to see their merry priests without a chaperone. For those who do, shame on you, or at least follow the instructions that follow.

 

Remember Those Chastity Belts From Medieval Times: Start Stocking Up
Well, mothers, fathers, if you're going to continue to send your children off to their parish priests, you'd be wise to start looking into fitting them with chastity belts. Unfortunately, because of the many ways today's clergy use to abuse and rape children, you'd best look into the newer chastity belts that begin their protection at the child's mouth, and extend to protect their bodies to just above their knees. Drastic? Yeah, but so are the broken promises made by the church, who are swiftly backpedaling and are now refusing to be observed and monitored by impartial outside parties. Those sweet old priests are now insisting that they are able to monitor themselves, and that we should trust and believe in their integrity.

 

The Very Reverend, snippy and feminine ex-Bishop Wilton Gregory promised that beginning in Dallas in June of 2002, outside observers and monitors would oversee parishes around the country. He kept repeating that there would be a National Office for Child and Youth Protection which would report annually. Really? Now, they have put obstacles in the way of any outside monitoring of their, sorry, but it's true, nefarious activities. Why should this be very troubling to you? Because 4,000 pedophile priests have been identified; 80 churches have been shuttered; an archbishop has been forced to step down (and then way up, thanks to the Vatican, which just doesn't get it); 800,000 million has been paid out in lawsuits, and 100,000 child victims have been identified, with tens of scores still at risk. The church has now even begun to refuse much needed mental health counseling for the flocks they have injured and were supposed to be good shepherds to.

 

What Self-Audits?
In November of 2004, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) voted to use "self-audits" for the issue of child safety protection policies, excluding the audits that had initially been assigned to retired FBI agents.
The Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) and Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), have been lobbying to get the USCCB and the National Review Board (NRB) to fulfill their commitments as they were outlined in Dallas in 2002. Both VOTF and SNAP have written formal letters to NRB Chairman Nick Cafardi to rescind the USCCB's wrong actions.

In a good example of slithering up inside their own nether parts, letters to Bishops go unanswered! These groups have written Spokane Bishop William Skylstad (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops president) and Chicago Cardinal Francis George (USCCB vice-president), and guess what? Those stewards of the faith won't reply! Jeez, the chickens in our yard have bigger cojones.

To read a full transcript of the letter from Voice of the Faithful, please visit their Web site at http://www.votf.org/Press/pressrelease/120604.html
Also, please check this website http://www.snapnetwork.org/

 

As things stand now, instead of 100% of dioceses being visited, there will only be 10%. That's going to leave a lot of children at the mercy of the pedophiles.

 

Vatican Complicity = Second Round of Drinks
At this point we all asked Schuyler for another round of his delicious drink. Sadly, it seems that the Vatican is quite complicit in the abuse. Official Vatican policy forbids discussion of abuse by priests, as being "unspeakable crimes." In other words, Elizabeth said, it's "We know you sweet fellows rape little boys and girls; just don't talk about it because we don't want to deal with it." The Vatican has its own Code of Omerta: "Whoever appeals to the law against his fellow man is either a fool or a coward. Whoever cannot take care of himself without police protection is both. It is not to avenge an injury by violence. It is dastardly and contemptible in a wounded man to betray the name of his assailant, because if he recovers, he must naturally expect to take vengeance himself. A wounded man shall say to his assailant: If I live, I will kill you - If I die you are forgiven."

 

Omerta is the law of silence. It is the code of honor which the Mafia so sacredly follows. The code of Omerta is an essential aspect of the Italian Mafia that must not be treated lightly. Its main concepts are to "betray authority and take justice into your own hands".

"If a man cannot be a Christian in the place where he is, he cannot be a Christian anywhere."
Henry Ward Beecher

 

Sounds like the Mafiosi. I'm sorry, the clergy haven't read this, and wouldn't understand it if they did.

 

The Welcome Dinner Gong
Now, for a while at least, let's forget about those necessary chastity belts and go into the dining room and see what they've prepared for tonight's dinner. The kids fight over who is going to get the chance to "gong" and announce dinner.

First, Robert and Judy served us some baked piquillo peppers and manchego cheese on toast points. They served this with a good, dry Spanish sparkling wine, a Mont Marçal Cava Brut. Our next course was an interesting Sweet Potato and Chicken Chowder, served with a good, buttery Chardonnay from Trapiche, in Argentina.

Alex next brought us some medallions of grilled salmon he and Max had grilled in the pool house. Some were surprised that they had decided to pair it with a red wine, but believe us, it went perfectly with the salmon. What they poured was a Pinot Noir from MacMurray Ranch, a 2002 Sonoma Coast, from Healdsburg, California.

After changing our palates with a bit of guava sorbet, Robert and Judy brought out an amazing Chateaubriand. From their wine cellar they brought what they new would be the best wine for this, a splendid 2002 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars "Artemis" Cabernet Sauvignon. For dessert, they served us perfectly prepared crème brulée. If you can, you can serve the crème brulée with a flawless Château d'Yquem Sauternes going for about $3,000.00, or if you're in our league, pair it with a moderately priced Sauternes.

 

Winding Down
After dinner we returned to the great room, where we enjoyed Charlotte and Max's suggestion that we gather around and sip Coffee Orloff before heading home. Both the younger and older kids enjoy exchanging stories of their care of the foals entrusted to their care. And if the kids can be good shepherds to their foals, the least we can do during the season when our kids could be scarred for life, is to be good shepherds to them. Don't, don't, condemn them to a life of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, which often ends in suicide, and all because your parish priest looks like such a sweet, benevolent fellow.

 

Summary:
We're entering a season when our children, our angels, may be exposed more frequently to their parish priests. Either chaperone them at all times, or encase them in impenetrable chastity belts. Do you think you might offend your priests? Would you rather condemn your child to a life of hell? Think.

 

 

Key words:
child abuse, Grand Marnier, parish priest, chastity belts, ex-bishop Wilton Gregory, National Office for Child and Youth Protection, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, Voice of the Faithful, VOTF, Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, National Review Board, SNAP, Spokane Bishop William Skylastad, Chicago Cardinal Francis George, abuse by priests, Mont Marçal Cava Brut, MacMurray Ranch, 2002 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars "Artemis" Cabernet Sauvignon, Château d'Yquem Sauternes

©Copyright 2005 Grindstaff Chronicles. All Rights Reserved.
================================================
Reprinted from The Grindstaff Chronicles Newsletter which is published in the USA by farmers, ranchers, and neighbors.

It is intended to share the thoughts and lifestyle of people who work hard, like to relax and enjoy life, and are often dismayed by news, politics, and the events of the day that defy common sense.
http://www.GrindstaffChronicles.com
================================================

George's Inability To Speak Sensibly (or Truthfully)

How embarrassed can you be, as a citizen of the United States, to have the words of your president quoted all over the world, especially in the world of your only, last, ally Great Britain?

 

In a news report that went throughout the British Isles, our right reverend and Christian Prez rambled on ad nauseam about how he’s protecting heaven and earth from the infidel terrorists, and how he, practically single-handedly, is “finding terrorists and bringing them to justice,” though it seems to all who can read, that it is only other countries who actually find terrorists. The only ones Prez can find, are in the White House. England, Italy, Spain and Jordan actually find these terrorists, all the Prez does is use a dragnet and pull in myriad probably innocents.

 

But, back to the embarrassment: when the Prez of the U.S. speaks, we wish he spoke like an adult who had actually mastered the rudiments of grammar and elocution, as opposed to the drivel of an uncouth brat. In talking about the “black sites” that the entire world is aware of and investigating, this brat said: “We do not torture and therefore we’re working with Congress to make sure that as we go forward, we make it more possible to do our job.”

 

Logorrhea? Not only non sequitor, but totally risible and nonsensical. What in hell was the guy trying to say? And therefore? And therefore what? Sorry Georgie, but I think Ana Nicole Smith could have put it better, and not embarrassed us in front of the whole world for such puerile lack of language arts.

 

Editor, The Grindstaff Chronicles

 

 

Not For The Thin-Skinned or Those With Inferiority Complexes

The Torturers Are Still in Power, But Not For Long (Al Qaeda and/or The International Criminal Court'll get 'em)
This article was first written many, many lives of dead U.S. troops and innocent and/or untried Iraqi's ago. The article was drafted by a Mexican, from Mexico and his best friend, who was born and raised in Mexico. If you fall into that category, or consider yourself "Hispanic" then either you are invited to read this Chronicle, or bury your head in the sand and read the funny books.

 

The ultra-indecent U.S. administration, with the unequivocal help of a toad, referred to herein as an "Azteco-American," is still, after all this time, and after being made well-aware of the opprobrium of the entire world, rhythmically, rapingly, savagely, espousing the continued use of torture as an instrument of "war." The policy was designed by the toad who is today the Attorney General of the Sad United States, Alberto Gonzáles, at the behest of the President of the Broken United States and his President of Vice, Slimy Dick Cheney. The Coup de Vie was given to this policy by malevolent and sadistic Donald Rumsfeld, "Condi" Condosleazza Rice, General Richard Myers, and Raccoon Eyes Harriet Miers, among others. Each, paragons of what Bush calls Christianity.

The original article, in light of recent events, will have an addendum, right before our group heads in for dinner.

 

Barbarian Torturers in our Midst
Tonight, Schuyler served a good cocktail from the 1920s, a Bennett. Everybody arrived just about the same time, anxious to meet, have a good cocktail and important conversations, and to talk about our dinner.
Art, who is Mexican and from Mexico, was visibly upset about the whole Alberto Gonzáles issue. While finishing touches were being performed in the kitchen before serving dinner, he told us that the Aztecs were barbaric, blood-thirsty, sadistic torturers, with barrel-shaped hairless torsos, extremely short necks (look at the front page of the New York Times for Saturday, February 5, 2005), and flat, splayed feet. He told us that 99.9999% of the people in Mexico had fortunately lost, through evolution and intermarriage, their barbaric links to the Aztecs, but that an infinitesimal few that did not, were still connected by zero, zip, nada, degrees of separation from those torturers who were so uniquely fond of cutting out the beating hearts of their victims with obsidian knives. Art prayed out loud that someone out there would be able to keep all obsidian out of Gonzáles' reach, though he seemed sure that Bush would hand him some from time to time, as he has in the first four years of this grim administration. An old Aztec proverb says: "The enemy is but weeds to be moved."

This particular Gonzáles family renders quaint the notion that all sadistic Aztec blood has been eradicated, and proves that an infinitesimal portion of the population remains attached to its barbaric ancestors. My, my, funny, isn't it, how El Toxico zeroed in on El Creepo and the attached at the hip cloven-hoofed and splayed flat feet have become inseparable since El Creepo's time in the Texas judicial system where he received countless thousands of dollars from parties his office was trying in court. Oh, hail, can you see, how many people El Creepo sent to the death chamber that El Toxico should have pardoned? If his record today is abysmal and sullies our country, his judicial failures in Texas were criminal and immoral.

 

Insanely Stupid Loyalty
Art, and Max, who grew up abroad in a tyrannical, despotic country, were ashamed of the "Hispanics", like the National Council of La Raza, the League of United States Latin American Citizens, and the Hispanic National Bar Association for their support of Gonzáles, an avowed and enthusiastic supporter of torture who has blemished our country for the next several hundred years. If they think they're patriotic American citizens, they're wrong.

 

Morally, our country has been raped, and the effects of that rape will last a very long time; we will not be able to hold ourselves up as the model for democracy to the rest of the world at least for a few hundred years. How can we ever, now, accuse another country of violating human rights? The height of ridiculous ignorance, the comment made by Hispanic National Bar Association spokeswoman, Lisa Navarrete: "This is a milestone for the community." Milestone? Hitler's killing millions of people was a milestone. Does she think that too is good? By her pathetic and sick rationale, Germans everywhere, in every country, would have to support Nazis seeking public office because "they're one of us, and that would be a milestone!"

 

Don't Cry for Me, U.S.
Just because some little creep, neckless toad crept out of poverty and went to Harvard doesn't make him a figure to emulate. Hitler, Attila the Hun and Genghis Khan all had to overcome unfortunate childhoods. Should they be revered for having overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles to become what they became? I guess you can take the creep out of Teotihuacán, but you can't take Teotihuacán out of the creep, or the obsidian.
The National Council of La Raza, the League of United States Latin American Citizens, and the Hispanic National Bar Association I suppose are trying to make out El Creepo to be human, and in response, Art told us what others have said on the subject.

The National Director of the Anti-Defamation League asked, referring to Hitler's troubled and difficult youth: "Why the need or the desire to make this monster human? The judgment of history is that he was evil, that he was responsible for millions of deaths. Why trivialize that judgment of history by focusing on his childhood and adolescence?"

 

The same sentiments have been expressed by Morton Klein, president of the Zionist Organization of America, and by Ruth Weiss, a professor of Yiddish at Harvard University. So, Art said again, just 'cause you didn't have it easy as a child doesn't mean you have the right to grow up to be a sadistic torturer, and you also don't have the right to call yourself a true American citizen. If anybody ever deserved to be deported, well, need we say more? (Also needing forced repatriation, the other torture approver, Condi the Pit Bull. There are plenty of countries in Africa where she would fit right in.) El Creepo's sadistic, criminally pathological nature renders quaint the notion that he is an American citizen in the true sense of the word. Ah, the International Crimes Tribunal, when will you charge this obscene joke of a man and bring him to justice (together with his familiar.)

Anatole France wrote: "If it were absolutely necessary to choose, I would rather be guilty of an immoral act than of a cruel one." If only the neoconservatives, conservatives, "born-agains" and others in this tawdry administration would heed those words.

 

Kudos and Condemnation
Kudos to Melvyn Montano, the first Hispanic adjutant general in the Air National Guard, and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund for withholding their endorsement of the neckless, torturing toad. However, shame on those democrats who elected to approve the toad's nomination, especially Lieberman. Jeez, you'd think an intelligent Jew would have felt revulsion at the very thought of having such a creep as attorney general.

 

Guess it's a good thing he didn't become our vice-president, a heart beat away from possibly becoming president, since he seems to think torture ain't such a bad thing. And that miserable Ken Salazar, I guess sided with the toad because, "hell, he's Hispanic and so am I." Of course, The Neckless Toad is not "Hispanic" since that connotes a healthy infusion of Spanish blood, and this guy is Aztec from that weird hair to those splayed feet. I don't want to get into polemics just now, but maybe, since this country is obsessed with classifying people á la American Kennel Club, González should be called Azteco-American. For some interesting views on what and what isn't "Hispanic" check out www.angelfire.com/country/portugal

 

The View Today Through the Prism of John McCain's Patriotism and Principles
As I mentioned earlier, Art and Max drafted this Chronicle several months ago. Today, Senator John McCain is fighting valiantly to attach an amendment to a defense spending bill that would prohibit torture or abusive treatment of detainees, wherever they may be. Fighting with equal fervor, but fighting from the manure pit, are Bush and Cheney. Bush, who could have kept his putrid mouth shut, declared emphatically that if the bill passes with McCain's amendment, he would veto it. The first veto threat of his "presidency" so you know he filthily adores the idea of torture.

 

Voilà, Quel Unexpected Allies
These are very dark times in Washington, and we should have the Rev. Martin Niemoller's words engraved on our collective brains, but, because there is a Higher Power, the usually silent members of the Supreme Court are, unusually, voicing concerns that in more civilized times, the Congress would be voicing. It is the Congress' duty to voice concerns about the brutality of a government gone astray, but since the Congress has chosen to remain silent and acquiescent, for the first time in memory the Supreme Court is voicing concerns of international import that are affecting these sad United States.
On Saturday, The Washington Post reported that "Where the White House has pursued policies in the teeth of international opposition, the justices have often spoken with a multilateralist accent." The Post continued, in the words of Michael J. Glennon, a professor of international law at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University: "Congress has been notably acquiescent. The court has not. Congress has been a facilitator. The court has been an objector."

 

Sadly, here comes the Azteco-american toad again. Last Tuesday, the Washington Post reported , "he chided Justices Stephen G. Breyer and Anthony M. Kennedy for using opinions of foreign courts for guidance in recent rulings." Here, on the farm, these justices, and Justice O'Connor, have been elevated to the rank of True Patriots. The Post also reported that on October 20 she, Justice O'Connor, "used a speech at West Point to make a point about the alleged mistreatment of prisoners in U.S. Military custody, telling cadets 'We need a clear set of rules to reaffirm our values as a nation. This is crucial in the ongoing war of ideas. We have to demonstrate two things in particular: First, this country believes in protecting the basic humanity of all people, and that includes even our adversaries. Second, we will not stoop to the atrocities and inhumane tactics of some of our adversaries.'" Too bad the toad, his brown-nosed boss, the boss' boss, and all the devils from top down don't share those feelings. How dare the toad scold these Justices?

 

An Epicurean Reprieve
Wow, after all that, we were ready to go in to the dining room and see what dinner would be served tonight. The kids, by now, were also complaining that they were "starving." The idea for the gong that announces dinner I think we got from watching so many good English shows on PBS, but hey, it works!
Alex and Jane served us one of their specialties, poached chicken soup, perfect for a night of intense discussion. They know that chardonnay is sometimes hard to pair with food, but they chose a medium-bodied California chardonnay which turned out to be a good match. Next, Carmen and Jim served us small medallions of grilled swordfish with roasted red pepper and pine nut pesto. From their wine cellar they brought a Condrieu, a dry white from the Rhône which always goes well with grilled fish.

After the fish, we had small dollops of mango/persimmon sorbet. The next course was a huge roast with parsnips, turnips and rutabagas from Art and Terry's greenhouses. They paired this dish with a Jade Mountain Mourvèdre 2001, which also went well with the simply poached asparagus. Alex next brought out little dollops of key lime sorbet, and followed this with a salad of rotini, spinach and sun-dried-tomato pesto paired with a Giesen Sauvignon Blanc from 2002. Jane's ending for our meal was a simple strawberry mousse with which we had with a Domaine de la Tour Saumur-Champigny, an attractive, juicy-fruited red with considerable structure.

 

Winding Down
We returned to the great room for coffee and liqueurs, and joined the kids, who were happily finishing their dessert. This was pure comfort, important because an aura of evil, brought down by El Toxico and El Creepo, the obsidian-knife-carrying toad, still hung in the air. Probably, from now on we'll be thinking a lot about how torture has brought our country down many rungs in the eyes of the rest of the world.

 

Summary:
The Attorney General of the United States is the author of a document giving a salivating president and a slobbering president of vice, the legal wherewithal to torture people on U.S. soil, on U.S. controlled Cuban soil, in Afghanistan, Iraq, and through rendition, numerous other countries that will soon be reported on. Their actions render quaint the idea of America the Beautiful. They've turned us into America the Salivating, Slobbering Dr. Josef Mengele, or as he was known in the concentration camps, Todesengel: the Angel of Death, the exquisite torturer.

©Copyright 2005 Grindstaff Chronicles. All Rights Reserved.
================================================
Reprinted from The Grindstaff Chronicles Newsletter which is published in the USA by farmers, ranchers, and neighbors.

It is intended to share the thoughts and lifestyle of people who work hard, like to relax and enjoy life, and are often dismayed by news, politics, and the events of the day that defy common sense.
http://www.GrindstaffChronicles.com
================================================

Thanksgiving is Approaching: The Republicans Are Attempting to Wipe It Off The Calendar

Thanksgiving Represents Historic American Values, Hence: Not Republican
Schuyler was busy mixing Sapphire Martinis. He made them with Bombay Sapphire Gin and Parfait d'Amour. We're lucky that Schuyler has this wonderful hobby because almost every evening we have a cocktail we've never had before. Now that we have neighbors who don't like alcoholic drinks, Schuyler is also becoming quite an expert in mixing interesting concoctions for them as well. Everybody arrived just about the same time, so we kept him pretty busy. Thankfully, until Winter, we keep a pretty well-stocked drinks table on the porch for him so he doesn't have to do a lot of running around.

 

Jane couldn't believe some of the things the remarkably moronic radio talk show hosts and various and sundry pretend-preachers have let ooze from their foaming mouths; things like Progressives and Liberals would ban Christmas if they could. Well, people who live in a constant state of delirium will say anything, she said. What she was convinced of, however, was that the Republicans are hell-bent on wiping Thanksgiving off the calendar for the simple reason that it represents a historic American value, and that value, and this celebration above all others, represents the values of sharing, your plenty or your little, with others, whether those others have a lot or nothing. And that sharing and caring attitude is anathema to everything the republicans stand for.

 

Right Wing: private values; Progressives: public values
Alex added to Jane's comments by clarifying that republicans, the frightening extreme right wing party, believes in personal responsibility, thus unconscionably proclaiming that unemployment, hunger, homelessness, old age with no savings or resources, discrimination, etc. are all the individual's problem. They call that having private values. Republicans twist the language of responsibility to shirk responsibility, so Orwellian we none of us should be able to sleep peacefully while those cloven-hoofed people who stopped evolving morally way back in the dark ages have any say in the governance of this once shining beacon to the world.

 

Now, Alex said, if you so much as have one unfortunate at your Thanksgiving table, to share your great or your little bounty, you betray the republican party, all the born-again christians, and the entire religious right, because that one, lone unfortunate at your table is responsible for his or hers not having what it takes to have the wherewithal to afford his or her own Thanksgiving celebration, which after all, stems from the first liberals, the people who first began founding this country and sharing their bounty not only among themselves, but with the Native Americans. The premise, even then: thank some higher being for what you have to nourish you, and what you can do to help your neighbor enjoy the same nourishment. Again, anathema to republicans, born-again christians and the religious right.

 

Max was squirming in his chair, so we knew he was chomping at the bit to say something. Kindly, Alex asked him why he seemed so restless, and Max said that though the topic was Thanksgiving, and that because it represented sharing and caring for and with your neighbors, he knew it was a "holiday" the republicans were trying to remove from the calendar of U.S. special days. But more importantly, Max told us he wanted to talk briefly about the Declaration of Independence. Intrigued by what that revered document had to do with Thanksgiving, the republican's desire to eradicate that holiday, and turkey and cranberry sauce, we grew very quiet and ceded the "floor/porch" to Max.

 

Max told us that he was not going to go into a full-fledged lecture on the Declaration of Indepenence, but that he did want to go over a few points that have to do with values and true meaning of Thanksgiving. He said that some salient points in the Declaration of Independence touched on historic American values:

 

"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights; that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." It proclaims public values, measurements of the quality of governments, not individuals.

 

Here, Max asked us to indulge him, because he was preparing to read a short text written by a great American progressive writer, Bernie Horn, senior director of policy and communications at the Center for Policy Alternatives. This is what Max read to an audience of farmers and ranchers who hoped they had only love in their hearts for their neighbors and for their country:

 

"First, progressives are resolved to safeguard our individual freedoms. We must fiercely guard our constitutional and human rights, and keep government out of our private lives.

 

Second, progressives strive to guarantee equal opportunity for all. We must vigorously oppose all forms of discrimination, create a society where hard work is rewarded, and that all Americans have equal access to the American dream.

 

Third, progressives are determined to protect our security. While forcefully protecting lives and property, we must ensure the sick and vulnerable, safeguard the food we eat and products we use, and preserve our environment."

 

Max, in closing, finished by telling us the last crucial point that Mr. Horn had written:

 

"Our progressive values differ fundamentally from those of conservatives. While conservatives work to protect freedom, opportunity and security only for a select few, progressives work to extend these rights to all Americans. Now that's morality."

 

Max's emphasis: NOW THAT'S MORALITY. Pity, conservatives, republicans, born-again christians and the religious right haven't one drop of that in their putrid, execrable veins. How, Max said aloud, can we explain to our new, foreign-born neighbors, that though this putrescent administration has dragged us into the cesspool, deep inside, half the country really are decent, loving, sharing, caring, good people? Maybe, with Thanksgiving thirteen days away, a few more Americans will see the light and change the error of their ways, and shed their cloven hoofs.

 

Liz, just before we were called in to dinner, told us that Dag Hammarskjold had once written: "I believe that we should die with decency so that at least decency will survive."

 

The Youngsters, The Dinner Gong, and An Esculent Dinner
Indulge me, and pull out your Oxford Dictionary of the English Language. Archaic in my horse-training methods, my language tends also to be archaic. Here, I'll give you a hint: esculent just means scrumptious, delicious, and I think it will be a very, very good dinner.

 

Shelley and Cathy prepared "Coddle Eggs with Cauliflower Purée" in ramekins. Because they used truffle oil, the dish was just above very special. They paired this wonderful first course with a Ruston Sauvignon Blanc from California. All we could think that was that this was going to be a very special dinner.

 

Though we always serve dishes that allow us to progress from the lightest white wines to the more substantial red wines, we trusted Beatrix and Jeremy with this break in our "natural progression" of wine pairing, and enjoyed their Castello di Gabbiano chianti Classico Riserva with a Leek, Carrot and Tomato Soup with plenty of fresh basil. With this "esculent" beginning, dinner was just getting more and more sublime.

 

Alex and Jane thought we might enjoy a different kind of fish course, and worked together to prepare and serve us wood roasted oysters. They paired the oysters with perfect smoked carrots and fresh green beans, paired with a 2000 Green Valley Russian Cuvée Sparkling wine, which had a hint of red Bartlett pairs.

 

For cleansing our palate, Max and Charlotte served us small dollops of strawberry sorbet, and then they served us an excellent brisket that Max had been grilling, then smoking, all afternoon, imitating the old practice of preparing meat in pits dug deep into the ground and cooked over red hot stones. The only vegetables they thought were necessary were Grilled Fingerling Potatoes and some Garlic Braised Collard Greens. For this course, they served an Ironstone 2001 Sierra Foothills Reserve Cabernet Franc.

 

As the ending of a heavenly meal came to an end, Barry and Kim served us Mini Soufflés of Pumpkin and Pear, which they served with a Hogue Cellars Late Harvest Gewürztraminer.

 

This meal was so flawless and satisfying, none of us could contemplate dessert, so we went back to the great room to join the teenagers for a few minutes while we enjoyed Max's after-dinner espresso with them. I think spending time with the kids is a dessert in itself. Later, sweaters doffed because it wasn't very cold, everybody left for their farms and ranches, and we prayed that we could celebrate Thanksgiving later on in the month in the spirit in which that day was first celebrated, notwithstanding the republicans fervent desire to do away with the true meaning of the day.

 

Summary:
Thanksgiving is approaching, and the republicans are attempting to wipe it off the calendar. Why? Because Thanksgiving represents historic American values, and that is something the republicans are determined to exterminate. Sharing? Caring? Helping? Rich and poor sitting at the same table? Over their collective dead bodies, say the republicans.

 

The poor deserve an empty table, because it's their own fault for being poor, and the rich deserve to be even richer. Oh, and Pat Robertson, why doesn't he sodomize himself with his head, or, is that what he does daily and makes him say such sodomite garbage daily, since there's no difference between his head and the part of his anatomy that he should sodomize?

©Copyright 2005 Grindstaff Chronicles. All Rights Reserved.
================================================
Reprinted from The Grindstaff Chronicles Newsletter which is published in the USA by farmers, ranchers, and neighbors.

It is intended to share the thoughts and lifestyle of people who work hard, like to relax and enjoy life, and are often dismayed by news, politics, and the events of the day that defy common sense.
http://www.GrindstaffChronicles.com
================================================

As Twisted Logic as the Curly-tails on a Duroc Brown Pig

Make Sure Your Suspenders Are Working, Your Knickers Are Going to Get a Workout
Schuyler, in part to indoctrinate us into the fine are of sipping a real martini, and in part to slice through the tension on the porch, told us tonight he was fixing us Churchill Martinis. He made them with Bombay Sapphire gin, but said that he would finish preparing them the way Winston Churchill would have approved: he would either pass the tightly closed bottle of vermouth over the martini glasses, or do as Churchill did when he was being even more of a purist: he would just look at the bottle. There. A Churchill martini, gin and gin alone. Some of us, not quite Churchillian enough, passed and had Shirley Temples instead.

Max, who passed on the Churchill martinis, asked us if we were even remotely as confused about the White House's logic about the insane workings emanating from its dungeons (yes, Virginia, the bowels of the White House function just the way the dungeons of old did, remember, Smirky Dick Cheney and Swinish Karl Rove run things.) All at once, the rest of us asked, what logic are you talking about? That's the point, Max said, what logic? The wind suddenly rustling the leaves? No, just a bunch of knickers suddenly starting to bunch up into knots, and thus it dawned on us all: yes, what's the logic?

 

As Early as 1999 Wacko Bush Decided He Was Going to Invade Iraq
First, right off the bat, Jim said, let's make one thing clear. There is no war with Iraq. There's an invasion, decided on by Bush even before he was "elected" president. Saddam Hussein could have been transmogrified into the Virgin Mary, and Wacko would still have invaded Iraq because he was already determined to do it; all he needed was a little bit of time to "sex up the facts." 9/11 was just icing on the cake to help him shaft the people of the United States. As a group, we decided we would once again pull out our papers and re-study the Downing Street Memos and talk about them in the coming days, because this guy, who threw our youth to their deaths for nothing, deserves to be impeached before he's shot by Al Qaeda.

 

Of course, Wacko & Co. have changed their rationale for the war a gazillion times, but at the outset, the stated rationale was never, not once, not not not even once, that it was for humanitarian reasons. It was because the Bogey Man, Saddam Hussein (and Al Qaeda, even though Condi Condosleazza Rice had never heard of Al Qaeda), was after us. Trouble is, Jim said, Al Qaeda had nothing to do with Iraq, now, if you can follow the logic from the piggy's butt to the end of its twisting, spiraling tail, Iraq is overrun by Al Qaeda, and General Myers, that paragon of honesty, says we have to keep them there so they won't attack us here; problem is, buckaroo, it hasn't kept them out of London or Madrid, and they are just biding their time before they hit the U.S. again.

More piggy's tail logic, according to Alex, is Wacko's Jacko logic: we have to keep killing United States troops over there, so "they" won't attack us and kill us over here. See? Perfectly logical. Alex also told us that Meyers had said recently that if we accepted defeat over there, we would just be inviting another 9/11 over here. More logic, no? Well, it gets more stupid. Oh no, did I just call the White House stupid, Alex asked? Gee, must be nuts of me to say that. However, Alex said, Bush assures us that he's now got Al Qaeda on the run, and beautifully, General John Abizaid said that Al Qaeda is "empowered by modern communications, expertly using the virtual world for planning, recruiting, fund-raising, indoctrination and exploiting the mass media." Gee, sounds like Wacko Busho really has 'em on the run, doesn't it?

 

Shelley, on Logic
Well, Shelley said, sounds like this administration, which by the way doesn't administrate, really has logic down pat, doesn't it? Where there was no Al Qaeda, now Al Qaeda has a very welcome and fertile breeding ground for new recruits. Shelley told us she had just finished reading a wonderful French play, written during the time of the French Resistance during World War II, "The Madwoman of Chaillot" by Jean Giraudoux. She thought some of the play had bearing today, and quoted these lines:

 

"It seems to me these [Sunday Supplement ] writers just can't keep their minds off the sewers.
It fascinates them."
(Sewer Man, The Madwoman of Chaillot, Act ii.)

"And so you see why I have asked you to come here today.
The world has gone out of its mind.
Unless we do something, humanity is doomed!"
(Countess Aurelia, The Madwoman of Chaillot, Act ii.)

"But I don't understand, Aurelia.
Why should men want to destroy the city?
It was they themselves who put it up."
(Mademoiselle Gabrielle, The Madwoman of Chaillot, Act ii.)

"Men are big and beautiful, and as loyal as dogs."
(Mademoiselle Constance, The Madwoman of Chaillot, Act ii.)

"Justice is justice, my dear."
(Madame Joséphine, The Madwoman of Chaillot, Act ii.)

"Here they come, Countess!
You were right--It's a procession.
The street is full of taxis and limosines."
(Irma, The Madwoman of Chaillot, Act ii.)

"...we don't have to see it to write about it. We can imagine it."
(The 1st Press Agent, The Madwoman of Chaillot, Act ii.)

"Madame, we are the most powerful pressure group in the world!"
(The 1st Lady, The Madwoman of Chaillot, Act ii.)

"Nothing is ever so wrong in this world that a sensible woman can't set it right in the course of an afternoon."
(Countess Aurelia, The Madwoman of Chaillot, Act ii.)

"My poor cats must be starved.
What a bore for them if humanity had to be saved every afternoon.
They don't think much of it, as it is."
(Countess Aurelia, The Madwoman of Chaillot, Act ii.)

 

Noble thoughts from Countess Aurelia, pity, Shelley said, that the women in and around Bush's government and home don't have the same altruistic feelings.

 

The Gong, Announcing Dinner And a Welcome Change of Topics
Tonight everybody pitched in to help so dinner, though sumptuous, was easy to prepare, serve and clear. Carmen began our dinner by serving Cherry Peppers Stuffed with Saffron Shrimp. Carmen paired this appetizer with an Italian Vernaccia di San Gimignano from the Terruzzi e Puthod winery. This white wine has an attractive marzipan character.

 

Cathy served us her Oyster Bisque, a favorite with all of us. She chooses her wines carefully, and for the bisque she chose to serve us a Domecq Amontillado 51-1A VORS. Its aromas are woody and gentle, with a dry palate and a salty influence with a creamy opulence, and is absolutely bone dry. The Dutch company Royal Leerdam just developed a perfect glass for drinking sherry with meals, and thanks to Shelley and Cathy, who brought over 30 of the new sherry glasses, we now have an ideal, perfect sherry glass for our meals.

 

Schuyler and Elizabeth prepared Whole Roasted Sea Bass, served with artichokes, tomatoes, and Mustard Spaëtzle with Chives. From their wine cellar, they brought some bottles of a Pinot Grigio for the fish course, one we hadn't tried before, an Australian 2003 Clarendon Joseph d'Elena Angel Gully Pinot Grigio. Its smoky flavor, perfume notes and hints of green almonds made it a perfect match.

 

Alex and Jane roasted a perfect pork loin and apples, blanched some broccoli and sautéed a medley of mushrooms and shallots, and served a cranberry chutney alongside the pork loin. For this exquisite dish, we had a Scherrer 2002 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, which had notes of cherry and cranberry, making it a perfect wine for this course. They both sang the praises of their new Viking roasting pans, which they thought had made their roasts even better than ususal.

 

Winding Down
What a day. Having to wonder what logic the White House uses to trick the country into sliding headlong into swinish slime really takes its toll. The only respite is ending dinner by sharing time with the kids and sipping Max's special after-dinner coffee brews. The teenagers had all enjoyed tonight's dinner and were every bit as pleased as we were. Most of them headed home to do homework, and a few stayed to help us clean up after a delicious dinner.

 

Summary:
The swinish, corkscrew logic, or illogic, being followed by this White House is alarming. Daily, they change their rationale for their invasion of Iraq, and daily, members of the "administration" contradict each other on what and what isn't being accomplished in Iraq and on whether Al Qaeda is or isn't being contained. Right now, it seems that the only people acting coherently are Al Qaeda. Scary, huh?

©Copyright 2005 Grindstaff Chronicles. All Rights Reserved.
================================================
Reprinted from The Grindstaff Chronicles Newsletter which is published in the USA by farmers, ranchers, and neighbors.

It is intended to share the thoughts and lifestyle of people who work hard, like to relax and enjoy life, and are often dismayed by news, politics, and the events of the day that defy common sense.
http://www.GrindstaffChronicles.com
================================================

White House Overrun by Dastardly Women

200 Years, and All for Naught
Yesterday, Elizabeth had told us all that she wanted to speak briefly about what she perceived to be a problem of horrendous proportions within this scrofulous administration. First, her husband, Schuyler, who usually mixes our cocktails, was busy mixing a Conmemorativo, which oddly enough, had its beginnings in London. It is a cocktail meant for slow, appreciative sipping, made with only the premium, aged Conmemorativo tequila, simple syrup and lime wedges. Tonight, we thought we'd all need one, as Elizabeth seemed as troubled as she did yesterday. First, she apologized to women everywhere and begged their indulgence. Talking about, or against, some women, she said can be a pretty touchy subject, and she meant no insult to good, powerful, successful women throughout the world.

 

Elizabeth mentioned to us all that her problem was not with women and their historically assigned stereotypes, though of course it's impossible, for some, to talk about generalities without misdirecting some people to stereotypes. Primarily, Elizabeth said, she could hardly believe the difference between the ladies who stood by our previous administrations, and the ones who are sleeping with the enemy today, 200 years later. One thing that bothered her was the roles of stereotypes. While the world would be a better place if more men were kind, gentle and nourishing, perhaps because it's a cultural thing, Elizabeth said, we ascribe those attributes more to women than to men; we don't ascribe to women the insatiable desire to go out and enable those blood-thirsty torturers Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Myers, Gonzales and Addington, plus of course, the swinish Rove and slithering Scooter Libby.

 

There's A Dragon Lady On The Scene, And Her Name is Legion
Well, we knew immediately where this was going. We sipped our cocktails slowly, and we just let ourselves absorb what Elizabeth was telling us. She told us she had this feeling that terrorizes her, that this administration has been infiltrated wholly by shockingly evil women. She said that any woman who turned a blind eye to the evil that her husband is involved in is equally evil. Complicity is implicit in keeping silent. The Reverend Martin Niemoller can attest to that. To support your husband in deeds so dark and evil that it's becoming difficult to bring them all to light, makes you just as evil, and Elizabeth said, in her normal, quiet, gentle way, she couldn't understand how these women could continue to crawl under the sheets with their putrid husbands. Quel stomach, she said. Unfortunately, Elizabeth said she found a good comparison between the mousey librarian Laura Bush and Eva Braun, Hitler's mistress/maybe wife, and between Lynn Cheney and Benito Mussolini's mistress Claretta Petacci. Both Braun and Petacci must have had the stomach of a gorilla to be able to crawl under those beds' sheets.

 

Other women whose integrity and patriotism Elizabeth put in question tonight were the ladies of the dark, Harriet Miers and Condoleezza (Condosleazza, to the world) Rice, both of whom have been co-authors of Bush and Cheney's torture documents and policies. Both of them, and not slavishly by salivatingly, encouraged Alberto Gonzales and David S. Addington in the preparation of documents approving of the use of torture and rendition. Schuyler joined in for a second, proclaiming that even when we slaughter our animals for food, there's nothing as filthy on the gut wagon as these women. Miers and Rice can only be compared to repulsive Hermann Goering's wife Carin, leaving us only with Barbara Bush, who could have given birth to any of the above and suckled them fondly at her withered witch's tit.

 

Sweet Sound, The Dinner Gong
Some of the boys, exhausted from football practice, but blessedly freshly bathed, made it known that their tolerance tonight with politics would have some limits, and that their poor, tired bodies needed food, preferably wonderful food. It's a treasure, to be surrounded by teenagers who look forward to good meals, not hamburgers, so we gladly obliged and began serving dinner.

 

Cathy and Barry's wife Kim teamed up on the appetizers, and served us Eggplant and Chèvre Crostini which were quite spicy, but not bitingly hot with spice. For these appetizers, they poured a wonderful Chimney Rock Fumé Blanc from the Napa Valley. Do you know what it's like, knowing that one good dish is just going to lead to another and then another? Well, it's o.k., it's about the only way we're spoiled; days are for hard farm and ranch chores, year-round, but our evenings are for good conversation and excellent food and wine. They served us small glasses of medium-dry Madeira, Verdelho, from Blandy's.

 

Max and Charlotte prepared Whole Roast Sea Bass that they prepared with Patsy's Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Gaeta olives. With the plates garnished with perfect new potatoes and roasted mushrooms, they paired the Sea Bass with 2003 Dry Creek Chenin Blanc. Tonight, Max and Charlotte used both the roasting pans we have from Le Creuset and those we have from Viking. Some night, we hope they tell us which roasting pans produced the easiest path to their perfect roast sea bass. Instead of the small dollops of sorbet we usually have between the fish and meat dishes, they served us small cubes of Guava jelly, which was an interesting change.

 

Max and Barry helped each other out to prepare tonight's hearty, welcome Beef Stew. Accompanying the stew, Max and Barry served beautifully grilled vegetables: pearl onions, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes and cubed eggplant. Though time-consuming to prepare, proper planning makes it a snap, and everybody was more than satisfied.

 

Winding Down
After this hearty, succulent dinner, we decided not to have dessert, and took our after-dinner coffee in the great room with the teenagers. They too seemed to have been really pleased with dinner. As big as the large dining room is (it comfortably seats sixteen couples) it isn't big enough to seat the adults and the children, for which we're really sorry, so having coffee with the kids is at least one way to share at least part of our dinner with them. They're all great, hard-working kids, but they probably don't mind having their own dining area as much as we do. After coffee, everybody headed home, right after our quote queen, Liz, told us what Benito Mussolini had once said: "If the nineteenth century was a century of individualism, it may be expected that this will be the century of collectivism, and hence the century of the State." Scary, huh? She said, but not as scary as what William L. Shirer said in the New York Times on December 29, 1969: "Perhaps America will one day go fascist democratically, by popular vote." Thanks, those of you who have twice gotten Bush into this newly filthy White House.

 

Summary:
Never thought women could be as dastardly and sadistic as men, but they have overrun the White House. Never thought they would lend their stamp of approval on torture and condone barbaric behavior in their husbands and beloved "bosses." Fine examples of republican women, the Bush women, La Rice, Cocoon Eyes Miers, and Poor White Trash Lynne Cheney.

©Copyright 2005 Grindstaff Chronicles. All Rights Reserved.
================================================
Reprinted from The Grindstaff Chronicles Newsletter which is published in the USA by farmers, ranchers, and neighbors.

It is intended to share the thoughts and lifestyle of people who work hard, like to relax and enjoy life, and are often dismayed by news, politics, and the events of the day that defy common sense.
http://www.GrindstaffChronicles.com
================================================

Avian Flu Pandemic Ravages Collective White House Brains

You're Doing a Good Job Brownie
When all the gang had arrived and gathered on the back porch because of a very nice, mild evening, Jim served those who wanted one a great cocktail called a Silver Bronx, from the United States' Jazz Age. He used Martini & Rossi sweet and dry vermouth, and Bombay Sapphire gin. Jim told us this was one of his favorite cocktails, and that he'd be willing it to share it with the White House, if they'd lose their avian brains, alligator hearts, and the poop flowing through their veins that passes for blood. So, the rest of us guessed, Jim's not going to be sharing this cocktail with the White House anytime soon.

Collectively, Alex pointed out, we don't know how many animals we have, but they probably number in the thousands, yet, here in our little paradise of farms and ranches, all the animals are properly medicated and vaccinated. All it took was a little bit of good 'ol common horse sense, something neither Georgie nor Brownie were able to muster.

Because we're in touch with the earth, and very much involved with animals, we make it a point to know what's going on with the possible Avian flu pandemic, and trust us, we're not willing to put our welfare in either Georgie's hands, or his buddy Brownie who did such a good (i.e. asinine) good job, that today there are still thousands and thousands of displaced refugees, and FEMA can't locate several hundred thousand trailers. So, you choose, this regime of incompetents, or a new administration of capable people.

 

Already, Not Enough Flu Vaccine; "Trust Me, Touts Bush"
Well, Bush usurped the presidency in 2000, and in three of the last five years, the country has failed to meet seasonal flu vaccine demands. Now, this hideously secretive "man" is telling the country to trust him, that he has everything under control. Problem is George, Jim reported to us tonight that it's just the first week of November and already, across the country, medical providers are unable to meet flu vaccination demands. Health and Human Services subcommittee Chairman Arlen Specter, a republican, has had to accuse the administration of letting public health facilities deteriorate badly, and has complained publicly that: "We need to find some better way to know what the hell's going on [with the Avian flu] because the executive branch won't tell us." Last time we checked, "the executive branch" is our compassionate, revered born-again leader. I swear, half the group almost up-chucked at this point, but we'll leave that for another day.

 

Crawford Resident's Brown Nose
Now, Barry said, as a foreigner he didn't really know the origin or full meaning of those two words, 'brown nose.' Did it mean, he said, that the president smudged it somehow being a bit too friendly with the nether-parts of the drug industry and/or the nether-parts of Dick Cheney's anatomy? But 'Trust Me, and The Drug Industry' Barry said, just somehow sounded a tad ominous, kind of like 'Trust us, the Patriot Act and Rendition are benign programs designed to keep you safe.' Well, Schuyler said in almost a seething rage, when Bush says he and the drug industry and the drug lobby will 'take care of everything' God bless some people like Paul Zeitz, a doctor and executive of Global Aids Alliance, who recently was quoted as saying: "America cannot protect itself without investing in global public health. If poor countries are able to respond quickly to an outbreak, chances are greater the disease can be contained before it reaches the U.S."

 

Others, Schuyler said, are proposing that the effort proceed only with those labs willing and well-enough funded to proceed with only generic drugs, or the plan, because of Bush cronyism and industry greed, will not work. In Schuyler's opinion, and we trust him implicitly, Shrub Brown Nose will, as usual, be more interested in helping the drug industry, and via Cheney, anything Halliburton can do to have its two cents worth, than he will be in truly wanting to help We The People (unless you're filthy rich and have donated gazillions to the republicans.)

 

Scarier Than Medusa Barbara Bush In a Dark Alley, Late at Night
Bush, that paragon of sweetness and light, that treasure of compassion and generosity (remember, in the tsunami relief effort he generously gave $10,000.00 dlls., while a girl young enough to be his daughter, Sandra Bullock, gave one million!) has now, seriously, threatened to enlist the National Guard and the Army to enforce nationwide quarantines if and when his illustrious, honest and unsullied uncorrupt government deems it necessary. In his own sick, demented words: "Who is best able to effect a quarantine? One option is the use of the military that's able to plan and move." Yeah, like the planning and moving in Iraq? How'd you like Rumsfeld deciding what "quarantine camp" you were sent to?

 

And with Dick Cheney's insane, perverted adoration of the use of torture, how soon after Bush had his way do you think it would be before the citizens of the United States would be put on bread and water in quarantine camps, tortured for their misfortunate falling to the affliction of Avian bird flu? You think we're kidding Alex asked: open your eyes and look at what's happening at Guantánamo, Afghanistan and Iraq, not to mention "select" countries where Bush, Rumsfled and Cheney "render" people to be tortured.

 

Here, Elizabeth interjected that tomorrow, she'd like to talk at dinner about the horrendous role women have played in this nightmarish administration. She guaranteed that if we thought we were gentlemen and gentlewomen who could not hate women, we would begin to tomorrow.

 

Dinner Gong and Youthful Impatience
The teenagers, brought up with our passion for our country and the politics that affect it, still have tummies that cry out for more fodder than brain food: they also want to eat, so after being forgiving of our passions for a while tonight, they just gave up on us and sounded the dinner gong. Some of us who had been in charge of preparing and serving dinner had to scurry to finalize preparations, or else we were faced with a rebellion of hungry teenagers.

 

When faced with this last minute rush to finalize preparations to feed forty people, we are all, without exception, grateful for the old, huge French range and the double bank of Viking cooktops that make it possible to cook for and serve that many people. The enormous islands on either side of the old French range, one with a bank of warming lights, certainly help us keep everything running smoothly. Judy thought it was important to tell people that four and five-course dinners were not the typical dinner in typical families, but she did say that one or two of our courses and a touch of wine were perfectly easy to accomplish with just a bit of organization and a touch enough of love for your Democratic family to feed them well.

 

She doesn't see the rationale, ever, for feeding those you love slop that's been fixed thousands of miles and hundreds of hours away from where your family will eat. A typical family will not have 14 couples pitching in to prepare dinner, but one couple, well-organized, can certainly make dinner something to treasure, rather than something to swallow as quickly as possible. Judy's other reminder, keep the portions small but as delicious as good ingredients can make them. We, because we have so many courses and so many wines, also serve very few ounces of wine per course, treating it more as a wine-tasting every night, but one family can certainly serve the standard wineglass of 5 ounces, if it is your only wine for dinner. We have never, ever, had anybody in our group head back to their farms or ranches in any way inebriated.

 

Mini-banquet For The Start of a Busy Week
Shelley and Cathy prepared some sumptuous Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with Prosciutto and Garlic. This turned out to be an unexpectedly good appetizer, cannily prepared to pique our curiosity about what delicious dish could be next. Shelley and Cathy introduced us to an excellent Madeira tonight, which they also planned to serve with our soup. It was a very dry Cossart Gordon Sercial Madeira, the driest of the Madeiras. The proper, small wineglasses for Madeira and Sherry are not that hard to find, but you do have to look for them in specialty shops since they are not as common as the normal red and white wine glasses. Alas, they're easy to find in the very expensive range of crystal, but when you have as many people for dinner as we do and use dishwashers, you are better off with less expensive ware.

 

Shelley and Cathy, thinking that our new neighbors from Iraq might enjoy their soup, prepared a Lamb and Lentil Soup, which while not very spicy, was cooked to such excellent perfection that indeed it did please our new neighbors. Some of us requested more of the Madeira to go with our soup, and the pairing was a perfect success.

 

Jeremy and Beatrix wanted to prepare the fish, so they prepared us exquisite simply Sautéed Sole with Grapes, pairing the fish with a grassy, limey, Rancho Zabaco 2004 California Dancing Bull Sauvignon Blanc. This couple is near-professional when it comes to "plating" their presentations, so the fish was beautifully presented, and the plate was finished with equally beautiful presentations of Balsamic-glazed Pearl Onions and Baby Asparagus with Ham Gratin.

 

Right after small dollops of raspberry sorbet, Max served his Mesquite-grilled Brisket, grilled Medley of Vegetables, his to-die-for Garlic Smashed Potatoes, pairing his Brisket with a wonderful California Ironstone 2001 Sierra Foothills Reserve Cabernet Franc. The fish, as well as the brisket, had been served in very small portions, so when asked if we had room for dessert, we avowed that yes, we did have room, and nobody doubted that the younger set really would like dessert, so we were pleasantly surprised by Max and Charlotte's Truffled Lavender Honey tarts. We had small snifters of Courvoisier with our tarts, but that was not the end of dinner.

 

Good End to a Long Day
We always enjoy spending a few minutes with the "kids" just to see how their day has gone. It also gives us time to sip Max's ever-changing "secret" blends of after-dinner coffee. Because so many of the teenagers have their own horses, a lot of the talk on this mild evening was how soon it might be before we would all need to start blanketing our horses. Most of the horses grow a healthy winter coat, but others, like our Thoroughbreds, do not, so we have their blankets at the ready. We said our good-nights, and everybody headed home, hopefully satisfied with our dinner, if not with the course this country has taken.

 

 

Summary:
The avian flu pandemic, if it does indeed become a world-wide problem, cannot be mismanaged by incompetents like George Bush and his buddy Brownie. Democrats have to insist, now, that the problem be managed efficiently, and that all talk of turning quarantining over to the National Guard and the Army stop. Today.

©Copyright 2005 Grindstaff Chronicles. All Rights Reserved.
================================================
Reprinted from The Grindstaff Chronicles Newsletter which is published in the USA by farmers, ranchers, and neighbors.

It is intended to share the thoughts and lifestyle of people who work hard, like to relax and enjoy life, and are often dismayed by news, politics, and the events of the day that defy common sense.
http://www.GrindstaffChronicles.com
================================================

A Sad Farce of Comical and Disastrous Proportions: U.S.A. Drug Use

We Have a Bitchy, Pouty White House On Our Hands
A bitchy, snide, pouty, girlie man usurped the presidency in 2000, and then in 2004 59,054,087 idiots elected "it" to a second term, notwithstanding that by 2004 there was a record of ineptness of enormously stupid proportions. Having left Texas in near bankruptcy after his "governorship" this vastly inept, criminally megalomaniac mamma's boy, proceeded to sell the United States to the Chinese, not exactly our most fervent allies; morally bankrupted the country by kissing the butt of anybody who would approve his sadistic adoration of the use of torture; proceeded to alienate all but a handful of nations to the point that even the Canadians absolutely detest the United States today; lied to the Nation about the Iraq war, since even before becoming "president" he had his mind made up that he was going to invade Iraq; and today, after the United States has fought the illicit drug trade abroad, made it impossible for a foreign ally in the war on the drug trade to continue to help, thus opening the floodgates of more drugs into the United States. The acts of a smart man? No, the acts of the most foolish charlatan to ever occupy the Offal Office.

When More Drugs Start Crossing Our Borders, Thank Excrementious George
In a typical puerile hissy fit, infantile mamma's boy (and what a mamma) Bush decided to "punish" Mexico for becoming a signer of the International Criminal Court. Defenders say the guy isn't really completely stupid, but, Alex asked us tonight, how does not giving Mexico the funds to combat narcotraffic help the United States? In retaliation for Mexico's break with Washington on the International Criminal Court, Bush decided to slash the funds the U.S. provides Mexico to fight the drug cartels. Richard Dicker, director of Human Rights Watch International Justice Program said the United States will pay a heavy price for this latest stupid move by Shrub. Problem is, buckaroo, Mexico doesn't have a drug problem, the U.S. does, but try explaining that to someone with the brain of a shrub.

Why Is Bush So Terrified Of The International Criminal Court?
Could be, even he, who doesn't really ever think, realizes that if Al Qaeda doesn't get him and his family first, sooner or later the International Criminal Court will. Jim said that he wouldn't mind either option, as long as someone takes care of this buffoon of a president who has turned the United States into a squalid image of its old self. Do you think, asked Elizabeth, that maybe he's terrified of it because he adores torture so much? Rendition? Innocuous enough sounding word Elizabeth told us, but out here we call a spade a spade: it's sending people off to other countries to be tortured in our name. Our name, Elizabeth continued, now sounding more than a bit forlorn, used to stand for something; it used to mean something.

Today, it stands for everything we've always loathed in the past. She said we could almost never again look at another country and accuse it of human rights abuses because we've now become the chief proponents of legalizing them. To add to Elizabeth's thoughts, and how we do things out here, Schuyler said we ought to "render" this entire administration. As Shrub obnoxiously begins many sentences, Look: out here to render means to dismember and reduce to nothing the carcass of an animal. Schuyler ended our discussion with the reminder that one of the characteristics of a Fascist regime is its disdain for the recognition of human rights.

Off To Better Thoughts and Certainly a Great Dinner
Several of us helped with tonight's dinner, so no one couple had to do everything. We first served some Blue Cheese and Sesame Seed Tartlets. Tonight, rather than automatically treating our appetizer as a Spanish tapa, to drink with sherry, we held a vote and everybody agreed that the cheese tartlets could very well be paired with an intense, vibrant Pinot Grigio that also had mineral flavors, so we opened up some bottles of the California 2002 Estancia Pinot Grigio. This wine had gotten good reviews, and after trying it, we agreed with the reviews.

Tonight we decided to skip the soup we almost always have. To us, dinner without soup doesn't feel like a complete meal, but Carmen and Jim told us they had prepared a pasta dish that would be quite hearty, and served in larger plates than we usually have, since we always keep our portions quite small. Carmen said that some of the teenagers had been asking why we couldn't have American food some night, like pasta, or Mexican food? Well, you try and tell the younger set that pasta, pizza and Mexican food aren't "American" food.

First, Jeremy and Beatrix served a dish they often had in England and that was completely new for us. They call it Prawn and Salmon Kedgeree. Beatrix explained to us that kedgeree comes from the Indian word for mish-mash. The dish indeed seemed to have a bit of an Indian influence, as they added curry as one of the spices. The dish was garnished with parsley and chives, and paired with a California sparkling wine, a Napa Valley Mumm Cuvée Brut.

Following small dollops of quince sorbet, Carmen and Jim served a Farmers' Pasta dish on plates quite a bit larger than our daily usage plates. The dish was a vegetarian one, so every imaginable vegetable was included, and the pasta style Carmen and Jim chose was fusilli. They brought us some good Italian wine to enjoy the pasta with gusto, from Castello Banfi, the excellent winery in Tuscany, a Rosso di Montalcino 1997. This wine is made from the sangiovese brunello grape, and produces an intense wine which is warm, rich and enriching. Carmen told me in passing that she was really glad we had installed a special Kohler faucet over the Viking cook tops, which made filling the pasta pots a breeze.

Dessert tonight was simple: Baked Stuff Peaches with Amaretto Cookies, paired with a wonderful, fruity Italian sparkling wine, Asti Spumante. As usual, we were anxious to go back to join the younger set and see how their day had gone. Max brewed some good coffee for us, and we had it with the kids. Tonight, unseasonably mild, meant that we didn't have the fireplaces going, but we did have the glow of those fresh faces, inspiring us to put a fresh face on this morally bankrupt government.

Summary:
The Bush administration bites its nose to spite its face: cutting off funds to a foreign government, partner in the war on narcotics, in a fit of pique because of that government's decision to sign on to the International Criminal Court. Makes about as much sense as going in to Iraq expecting roads lined with welcoming rose petals. Is narcotraffic suddenly not so important?

©Copyright 2005 Grindstaff Chronicles. All Rights Reserved.
================================================
Reprinted from The Grindstaff Chronicles Newsletter which is published in the USA by farmers, ranchers, and neighbors.

It is intended to share the thoughts and lifestyle of people who work hard, like to relax and enjoy life, and are often dismayed by news, politics, and the events of the day that defy common sense.
http://www.GrindstaffChronicles.com
================================================

An Administration of Rats In Tenebris Is Not The American Way

Day of the Dead
For Art, today is a day of remembrance; a day in which to remember the dead. Tonight, after dinner, a few of us will join Art and Terry at our only cemetary to remember the dead, both those related to us and of equal importance, to remember all the troops who have died because of an administration that operates in darkness, in tenebris.

Administration Only Knows How to Operate Covertly
We apologized to all the neighbors as they arrived because we're playing Mozart's Requiem and our thoughts are both on our dead and on the darkness and immoral subterfuge under which this administration operates. As Schuyler fixed our drink for tonight, called a Horse's Neck and made with an affordable brandy, he mentioned that it came off as funny to him that this White House, which only operates under cover of darkness, always afraid of playing in the light of day, would get so teed off at Harry Reid for calling a secret Democratic Senate meeting on the investigation into the validity of the administration's claims that war on Iraq was called for. Schuyler thought Senator Bill Frist had come off as awfully snippy and snide, kind of like everybody else in this administration. Mr. Reid is only interested in getting the admistration to be truthful with the country, something the administration, and especially the president and the vice-president are unwilling to do.

What is Dick Cheney Hiding From The People?
Never before has a vice-president held so much power, and never before have we had a vice-president who tried so hard to skuttle our democracy. His chief-of-staff has just been indicted for lying to a grand jury, perjury, and obstructing justice, and now, rather than cleaning house, Cheney has appointed two of his devils to take Scooter Libby's place. One of them, John Hannah, is the official to whom the Iraqi National Congress fed information on Iraq that turned out to be erroneous. The second devil Cheney selected to replace Libby is David S. Addington, whom Human Rights Watch in Washington has accused as being one of Cheney's architects for the policy that led to the abuse of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan. Also, according to the Inter Press Service News Agency, he “regards international law with undisguised contempt.” Nice fellows, no?

Now, Liz commented, if Scooter Libby was Cheney's right-hand man, and he's been indicted, did Cheney order Libby to go after Ambassador Joseph Wilson and out his wife, Valerie Plame? Did Libby leak information about Ms. Plame under orders of Dick Cheney? Why, Liz wanted to know, has the vice-president been so reluctant to go before the people and clear things up? Did Libby commit perjury to protect the real miscreant, Cheney?

Dick Cheney, Slimier Than Nixon and Agnew
Alex interjected that two other officials who ran afoul of the law at least had the cojones to go before the public and explain their actions. When Nixon, as vice-president, was covered in scandal, he gave his famous Checkers speech and tried to clear his name. Even Spiro Agnew, when he was embroiled in a criminal investigation tried to explain his actions in the open. Gee, Alex exclaimed, things have gotten pretty cheesy when you're compared to those two, and you lose. Cheesy, slimy, a government of rats Alex said, is not what the United States wants or needs. He remembered that in a commencement address at Harvard in 1977, Barbara Jordan had said: “What the people want is very simple. They want an America as good as its promise.” And, Alex concluded, we're getting shafted, we're not getting, from these rats, as good as our country's promise.

Dinner On All Soul's Day
The teenagers were ravenous, but aren't they always? One of them banged on the dinner gong a bit ahead of time, so we finished our drinks and went to our places at the dinner table, hoping we hadn't made tonight's cooking couples rush to get us started. But, no need to worry, Charlotte was, as usual, cool as a cucumber and had her part of dinner quite ready. She served us some delicious shrimp tamales she had learned how to make quite recently. They can be a lot of trouble to make, but that's just the kind of dish Charlotte enjoys preparing. As a starter course to whet our appetite, the tamales were perfect. Charlotte served them with a dry, light white wine, a MacMurray Pinot Gris from California's Russian River Valley.

Max and Charlotte, with several of their large Le Creuset stock pots, which hold heat beautifully and allow the soup to remain warm without scorching, prepared Fresh Mushroom and Tarragon soup. The medley of mushrooms of course came from Art and Terry's organic produce greenhouses, as did the fresh tarragon sprigs. The Le Creuset pots are perfect for making soup, but because they are heavy, Charlotte really puts her immersion blender wand to good use. Hers is a 500 Watt hand blender from Braun. Instead of having to empty the pots into a blender, the immersion blender allows her to take the blender to the pot, so to speak. Paired with another dry, light wine, a Murphy-Goode Fumé Blanc from Sonoma County, our dinner continued to be, simply put, splendid. I know that sometimes my English tends to be a bit archaic, and I can't help it of course, since it's in my blood, but I would describe dinneres prepared by Charlotte and Max as vastly good.

Max, who delights in grilling, tonight grilled swordfish on skewers, with cucumbers and zucchini, and served the fish with a sauce he made with basil, chives and olive oil. He served the fish on a bed of delicious and fluffy white rice he and Charlotte always prepare with de-fatted free-range chicken consommé. They paired the fish with another Pinot Gris, this time a Montevina Pinot Grigio from California.

We almost always have a bit of fruit sorbet between the fish and the meat courses, and tonight we were served small dollops of blueberry sorbet, preparing us for Max's meat course, a Roasted Leg of Lamb with Pancetta. On the plates, he served only one side dish, a perfect salad of Wilted Spinach and Mustard. The Napa Valley Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon they paired with the lamb was such a good choice.

For Some of Us, The End of a Perfect, Thought-Provoking Evening
We went back to the great room in order to be able to have our dessert and after-dinner coffee with the younger set, some of whom help us in the kitchen and in serving, in exchange for spending money. Shelley had fixed individual Vanilla Apple Tartlets, served them warm, with some homemade vanilla ice cream. Just as we were saying our goodnights, Alex reminded us that we couldn't be having these free discussions and good dinners if some United States citizens weren't willing to speak out about the evil that today is permeating the government, and promoting regime change so that we can once again become the kind of government Barbara Jordan extolled.

Summary:
Operating in the dark like bubonic plague-spreading rats, the government officials of morally bankrupt George Bush filthily slink along the gutters they've gnawed throughout the halls of every institution in Washington. Never, never, has this country dragged itself in rat manure the way its doing today. Somebody, all of us, have to work to clean those gutters, impeach all who gnawed them, beginning with the Capo, Bush, and going down to the lowliest but still unbearably slimy official. We have to take our country back. Right now, we're not a shining city on a hill. How bereft these filthy rats are of any valuable values.

©Copyright 2005 Grindstaff Chronicles. All Rights Reserved.
================================================
Reprinted from The Grindstaff Chronicles Newsletter which is published in the USA by farmers, ranchers, and neighbors.

It is intended to share the thoughts and lifestyle of people who work hard, like to relax and enjoy life, and are often dismayed by news, politics, and the events of the day that defy common sense.
http://www.GrindstaffChronicles.com
================================================

Key words:
Day of the Dead, Harry Reid, Senator Bill Frist, Dick Cheney, Scooter Libby, John Hannah, David S. Addington, Human Rights Watch, Ambassador Joseph Wilson, Valerie Plame, Nixon, Spiro Agnew, Barbara Jordan, MacMurray Pinot Gris, California Russian River Valley, Le Creuset, Braun immersion blender, Murphy-Goode Fumé Blanc, Montevina Pinot Grigio, Napa Valley Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon

That Our Soldiers Not Suffer the Third Death

Art Teaches Us What as Americans, We Easily Forget
I promise you I haven't had a sip of my cocktail yet, and already I can tell you I'm going to ramble even more than usual. Now, I can have the first sip of my cocktail. Well, not a cocktail, but rather, because of the subject we and our good neighbors will be discussing, little "copitas" or little glasses, of marvelously good Patrón Tequila Reposado.

 

Art, who comes from Mexico, is a wealth of information for us on another culture, and together with his wife Terry, is the owner of the important organic produce farm and dairy goat farm down the road, from which we get delectable produce and some of the finest artisanal goat cheese.

 

With all of us gathered in the great room sipping our delicious little copitas of tequila, with a small but wonderful fire going, Art reminded us of something very important. He said that last night kids everywhere had a howling good time, with Halloween, but, he said, today and tomorrow are really much more important than Jack-o'-Lanterns and gobs of candy: the two days are really about death; about honoring your dead; about not forgetting them. Art told us that Donald Rumsfeld would say: "Death happens." George Bush would cry the crocodile tears, but that it was up to us to never forget: by midnight tonight, we're already on our way to counting way over the 2,000 dead figure of just a few days ago. Also, Art told us, he and Terry, as good, practicing Catholics, had gone to Mass today because today is All Saint's Day. In France, today was a national holiday, so Max and Charlotte also went to church, and Jeremy and Beatrix attended the closest Episcopal Church, an hour and a half away.

 

Art wanted us, in this time of a war of whim and personal vanity, to remember the men and women who are dying daily. He explained that in Mexico, there are many rituals relating to the dead, and one, applicable to today, All Saint's Day, and tomorrow, All Soul's Day, has to do with Ancient Mexicans' belief that there are three deaths we each must go through: the first, when our bodies no longer function, and when our hearts no longer beat of their own accord and when our gaze is no longer of this earth. Second, when our bodies are lowered into the ground, returned to Mother Earth, and last, the Third Death, and the worst: when there is no one left alive to remember us.

 

The Third Death Bush, Rumsfeld, Meyers, Rove, Miers and Rice Wish For
The Bush Cabal, with the surreptitious arrival of each body bag, wishes the public were not aware of that arrival, but more heinous, wishes the day after We The People would forget. If they had souls, they would grieve today: yesterday, All Saint's Day, normally is reserved to remember the children, but today, All Soul's Day, is traditionally reserved for remembering adults, and in our case, our dead military, who died because swine took over the White House.

 

Please, Art said, don't forget them, not for one minute. Instead, Art pleaded, do as we do: lay out an offering of food and drink for each departed soldier at an altar of some kind at your home. Remember them, and provide them love and sustenance as they pass on, and Art said, for each one of them, send a photograph to your government representative, to your local paper, and to the important newspapers from coast to coast.

 

Ancient Mexican Customs and An Episcopalian Prayer
Beatrix and Jeremy wanted to share this from their House of Worship:

All Saint's Day November 1
Almighty God, who hast knit together thine elect in one
communion and fellowship in the mystical body of thy Son
Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow thy blessed
saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to
those ineffable joys that thou hast prepared for those who
unfeignedly love thee; through the same Jesus Christ our
Lord, who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth,
one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

 

And Art wanted us to join him tonight at the only cemetary we have anywhere around our farms and ranches. A cemetary that probably began resting its dead over one hundred years ago, and that tonight, All Soul's Day, will see enacted among its ancient trees an even more ancient Mexican ritual, a tribute to the dead.

 

After dinner, and after most of our neighbors have gone home, a few of us will join Art and Terry at the cemetary, to honor not only our dead, but every soldier who has died in this war that should never have taken place.
We will light a candle, and lay out water to quench the thirst and for purification; salt, to season the food and for purification; and bread, to represent the food needed for survival.

Art explained that flowers represent the brevity of life, but that cempasuchil, the marigold, at this time of year is the most representative flower of the season. In Aztec times, the cempasuchil was called the flower of 400 lives. We will lay out marigolds, and pray.

 

A Simple, Tributary Dinner
After explaining to our neighbors how today is a very special day for some of us, nobody minded that dinner was going to be a bit simpler than usual. Simple, of course, is relative, when you have about 40 people over for dinner. Nevertheless, we held it in tribute to our soldiers.

 

Shelley and Cathy, because the weather cooperated, were able to barbecue some excellent shrimp for us. What made the shrimp so different, was the guava paste they used. The results were excellent, and paired with an Alsatian white wine, a Pinot Auxerrois, we were delighted. The beautiful, fluffy white rice they served with the shrimp was all the dish needed.

 

Barry and Kim prepared one of our favorite dishes, beautifully cooked Coq au Vin. The mushrooms and pearl onions they prepared with the dish were plump and excellent, and with some simple, baked fingerling potatoes, we didn't need anything further, except for the pefect wine match they presented us with, a Loire Valley Chenin Blanc, Domaine du Closel.

 

A wonderful Beaumes de Venise white dessert wine was paired perfectly to our simple Sicilian Marzipan and Candied Fruit Tartelets. Then, we went back to the great room to join the teenagers for a while and sip our after-dinner coffee. Knowing that some of us were off to a special tribute to our military dead, the gang disbanded quietly right after finishing our coffee.

 

Summary:
Día de los Muertos: Day of the Dead
No matter how you pay tribute to those who give their lives, even for an invasion that should never have taken place, pay tribute to them. Honor them by raising your voices to bring this government to heel. Honor them with flowers, but also by sending pictures of the dead to your representatives and to all the newspapers you can. We have to hold this "government" accountable for the unforgivable deaths they have cowardly caused. Don't let "The Third Death" occur on your watch.

©Copyright 2005 Grindstaff Chronicles. All Rights Reserved.
================================================
Reprinted from The Grindstaff Chronicles Newsletter which is published in the USA by farmers, ranchers, and neighbors.

It is intended to share the thoughts and lifestyle of people who work hard, like to relax and enjoy life, and are often dismayed by news, politics, and the events of the day that defy common sense.
http://www.GrindstaffChronicles.com
================================================