Neighbors, Gather 'round
Nippy but still comfortable enough to begin the evening by gathering on the porch. A.J. was making Black Dublinskis, a drink we'd never tried before. He made them with Bailey's, Kahlua, vodka and dry sherry. The creaminess of the drink seemed perfect for a fall afternoon. Things in the kitchen were all under control, so we were all gathered together.

Jane asked us if we thought it was a Bush family trait to abandon people and break their promises. When Bush Sr. abandoned the Iraqis after the Gulf War, thousands of Iraqis were slaughtered by Saddam Hussein. Now, after promising the women of Iraq that their rights were guaranteed, Little Bush is abandoning them. You know in your heart that if Dubya could, he'd abandon the victims of Katrina and Rita.

Safia Taleb al-Souhail
Ms. Souhail was invited to sit next to Laura Bush at the state of the union address. She gamely raised her hand to show her blue ink-stained finger, proving that she had voted in the Iraqi election. At the time, Bush was proclaiming all the progress being made in Iraq, including the protections of women's rights. Slowly, he's backing away from those assurances and is letting Islamic sharia law to prevail, guaranteeing that women in Iraq will soon lose their rights. Can Burkas be far behind? Abayas are already all over the place. Horrendous betrayal by a Bush, once again.

As Ms. Souhail said: "When we came back from exile, we thought we were going to improve rights and the position of women. But look what has happened: we have lost all the gains we made over the last 30 years. It's a big disappointment. Human rights should not be linked to Islamic sharia law at all. They should be listed separately in the constitution." Don't you know she regrets the day she appeared with Laura for all the world to see, when it turns out that it was just one more crooked White House photo-op?

And Because I Didn't Have to Wear An Abaya, I didn't Speak Up
Shame on Laura. She's not as mousey as she likes to portray herself, and she really ought to keep after Tricky George to uphold Iraqi women's rights. After all, it's his invasion of choice that has turned Iraqi society upside down. And now, it's his insane invasion that will most likely take away the rights Iraqi women have known for 30 years. Iraqi activist Ban Jamil has alerted the world that now, Iraqi "women cannot walk freely out in the street. Women face lack of respect when they walk uncovered." Another Iraqi woman, Jinan Mubarak has proclaimed that "We cover and change the way we dress unwillingly due to pressure." Do you think it was Tricky Dick or Tricky George, who said: "I let down my friends, I let down my country. I let down our system of government.?"

Liz, who detests Bush's betrayal of Iraqi women, ended a famous quote:
"Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me."
Rev. Martin Niemoller, 1945

The Youngest of Our Young Pounds on the Dinner Gong
I never knew a six-year old could make our dinner gong wake up the dogs miles away! But boy, did she have fun, and in any event, we were happy to know that it was time to go in to dinner. Could be there was a message there, temperance in how loudly you ring the dinner gong, and temperance in how much we eat, but by now you probably have heard us say that all our portions are small, and the ounces of wine we drink with each course are very few. Our goal is to enjoy different courses with different wines, but there is no emphasis on quantity. We eat small portions and drink very little wine, but enormously enjoy each other's company.

Kim and Barry Prepare Dinner
Tonight we were being treated to the combined efforts of Kim and Barry. They are Jewish, recently moved here from Israel. They delighted us all by their enthusiastic announcement that they had heard that two of the farms up for sale not far from us had been bought, one by a Muslim family who had just moved here from Iraq, and the other farm was bought by a Jewish family, also from Iraq. Our diversity is about to be enhanced, and we can hardly wait to welcome these new families to our community.

Kim served us Kung Pao Shrimp on skewers as an appetizer. If she had wanted to be timid and safe, she could have served the shrimp with beer, but instead, she opted for an Italian Lambrusco, a Cantine Ceci La Luna, full of fizz and able to pair with the fiery shrimp. Barry next brought a Portuguese soup made with kale and an excellent chorizo. The potatoes in the soup thickened it just enough, and the Albariño wine Barry chose was an excellent pairing. They quickly grilled some small catfish fillets which they served with pecan slivers and lemon wedges. The fish, served with tender broccoli and an onion and fennel tart, were superbly matched to the WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Gris from the Willamette Valley. Lastly, Barry served very small medallions of Pan-seared Rib Eye Steaks, country-style mashed potatoes and grilled pearl onions. A Castle Rock, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was perfect with the steaks. Kim and Barry's dinner was a success.

Winding Down
We were so satisfied we didn't need any dessert, so we went back to join the teenagers where Max was pouring us his delicious espresso. How glad we all felt that our girls and older teenagers, young women really, were free to dress as they chose, and not as some religious court ordered them to dress. We were all looking forward to meeting our new neighbors and making them feel welcome.

Summary:
Abandoning and betraying people seems to be a Bush family trait. Surely this country is too good to continue acting so ignominiously. How tragic that one family can bring down a country like ours that has always stood for better ethics.