WHO OWNS THE U.S.?

Fall, on the Porch with Mojitos
With some wearing light sweaters and others jackets, we began to gather on the porch. A. J. had fixed Cuban Mojitos for us and had used a really good white rum. Chores on a farm or on a ranch are always there, but I'll tell you, they're a lot easier to do when the weather turns cooler. Good organization, a trait of Democrats, farmers and ranchers, means that we can sip our drinks and begin our conversations, without having to worry unduly about dinner preparations. Max, for example, usually begins his dinner contributions a couple of days ahead, so that when he needs something, it's already partially ready.

Scary, huh?
Sorry to have to tell you, but just since you started reading the above paragraph, your sweet Republican administration has spent just over $5,950,000.00 and Cathy asked what, roughly, was our present National Debt. When Schuyler told her it was way over 7 trillion dollars, she almost fell off her chair. O.K., you know I hate to sound like Archie Bunker, but there are a couple of meatheads in the administration who need to put those heads on the block of the guillotine. Why the guillotine? Well, old George forgot that the Constitution begins with "We the People." He believes, and his Attorney General supports him in this, that it begins "We, King George." Now, probably the Secretary of the Treasury would be one of those heads that needs to roll into the basket after the blade drops, but hey, he's just following the King's orders.

Why Should We Be Afraid?
O.K., honey bun: Where is our valiant, courageous, Kaiserette getting all that money? Well, not from the rich. He's giving barrels of money to them. He's getting it from you. But wait, there's more. He's getting the bulk of that money from our friendly neighbors overseas, the Chinese. They own us now. Also, the distance from Beijing to Washington is only 6,929.0 miles (11,151.0 Km.), and the distance from Beijing to Honolulu is only 5,074.0 miles (8,165.0 Km.) Now, why is all of this relevant? Well, lets go inside and we'll tell you while we finish our Mojitos.

Meatheads and Rottweillers
Well, you've got some figures now. Has that $5,950,000.00 tripled or quadrupled? As a former government official said once, She (Rice) ought to go back to teaching Russian or whatever it is she does." She was incompetent as National Security Advisor, and she's gonna sink us with her gross incompetence as Secretary of State. She's failed at everything she's touched, and China probably hasn't crossed her Rottweiller brain. But, and it's a big but, China recently test fired a long-range ballistic missile from a submarine, and the missile has a range of 8,000 Km. Gee, wonder why she hasn't brought that up, since Honolulu isn't that far away, is it? And if the submarine got close to the U.S. shore, Washington isn't that far away either, is it? China is expected to spend 90 Billion on defense this year.

The Kaiserette
Meanwhile, our Kaiserette, George Bush, Dick Cheney's marionette, seems oblivious of these problems. He long ago lost interest in finding Bin Laden; the reconstruction and stability of Afghanistan is way down there on his "things to do list"; he's now lowering expectations about what will happen in Iraq. Does this sound like somebody who's going to know how to handle the China problem?

The Dinner Gong: Food, Glorious Food
The kids went to the smaller dining table and we proceeded to the large dining room. Already at our places, Charlotte had placed small ramekins on each plate. Each ramekin held a small Zucchini Blossom filled with basil and heavy cream. She served a just barely bubbly Spanish Cava with these palate teasers, a L'Hereu de Raventos i Blanc. Next, Max brought out one of the dishes that he can make a day ahead, a hearty fish stew he paired with an interesting Italian white wine, a 2003 Vigneti delle Dolomiti Cortinie. Charlotte then served little dollops of Nectarine Sorbet, and then Max, who had been busy barbecuing chicken, served his chicken and grilled vegetables with a Rosé, a 2004 Coteaux du Languedoc.

Winding Down and a Closing Question
We didn't think we needed any more food, but we did want to go back to the great room for dessert and coffee so we could spend some time with the kids and see how school is going. Elizabeth had made some Toffee Apple Tarts which we and the kids ate with great relish.

Now, by how much has that figure of $5,950,000.00 increased?