Begat Armaggedon
Noah begat Shem; and Shem begat Arphaxad; and Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber; and Eber begat Peleg; and Peleg begat Reu; and Reu begat Serug; and Serug begat Nahor; and Nahor begat Terah; and Terah begat Abram; and Abram begat Ishmael by the bondwoman, called Hagar. Abram's name was changed by God to Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac by his wife, Sarah, the freewoman.

Beelzebub begat Barbara the Barbarian, who begat Beelzebub Jr., AKA George W. Bush, who is committed to begetting the most horrendous holy war ever. His eternal tirades against certain Muslims is only stirring the flames in the Middle East, rendering quaint his sending the Polyester Queen, Karen Hughes the Clueless, on a mission to the win the hearts and minds of the people in the Middle East. Sorta stupid, isn't it? The epitome of counterproductive. Send La Hughes to appease, and then have El Wacko spout evil, challenging venom against all sorts of people in the Middle East. A new definition of working ass backward.

Right about now, I think we could all use a good cocktail. Schuyler, now that everybody's gathered on the back porch, is whipping up some Margaritas for us, with some exquisite Tequila Conmemorativo. His glasses were full of crushed lime wedges, and he told us this cocktail was meant to be sipped slowly. We once again are enjoying a mild evening, so the small braziers are enough to keep the more cold-natured of us warm.

The Two Thousand-year War and Torture
Our Crusader-in-Chief, who quite mistakenly calls himself a Christian, has, as most of the world's criminally megalomaniacs, encased himself in an impenetrable bubble, where reason absolutely cannot enter. Probably even the mousey librarian cannot penetrate that bubble anymore, and this megalomaniac is beyond redemption, hell-bent on unleashing a religious war of proportions never seen by man before. One simple point Jim wanted to make: a real Christian would never, ever, condone or approve the using torture, in any form or for any reason. Yet this fool, who has managed to convince half of the country that he is a Christian, adores the use of torture, just as the Spanish Inquisition did.

Alex told us that this megalomaniac maniac has never vetoed any bill presented to him, especially, he has never vetoed any spending bill, quickly sending this once rich country on its way into bankruptcy. But guess what? The only bill he's planning on vetoing is the one prepared by Senators John McCain, Lindsey Graham, and John Warner, whose aim is to forbid the United States from using torture at Guantánamo, Afghanistan and Iraq. Judy couldn't believe that this is the only bill that "christian" fool is threatening to veto.

Christians?
Judy, by now quite disturbed by the bad news none of us could tolerate, said that she had recently done much research on what it means to be a true Christian, and could find nothing remotely Christian about Dubya. Actually, she told us, after much study she decided that you could not claim to be a republican and a Christian at the same time. That, she said, was an oxymoron if there ever was one. At the heart of Christianity, Judy told us, was the underlying issue of kindness, and kindness can't contemplate torture, the killing of hundreds of thousands of innocents, the maiming of thousands of people and the willful, wanton destruction of the housing of poor people. Christianity, Judy continued, is all about taking care of your neighbor and seeing to his well-being, to her health needs, to easing their lives as they grow older, all things the republicans find repugnant. Christian president indeed! Torture lover, yes ma'am!

Alex Sums it Up
Alex kindly had brought a clipping from The Washington Post, which in an editorial said: "Let's be clear: Mr. Bush is proposing to use the first veto of its presidency on a defense bill needed to fund military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan [and Guantánamo] so that he can preserve the prerogative to subject detainees to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment."

Liz, on Essential Human Freedoms
Liz, who always has a quote at the ready for whatever the topic of the evening might be, told us what Franklin D. Roosevelt said in a speech to Congress on January 6, 1941:

"We look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms. The first is freedom of speech and expression [a concept Georgre and Laura don't get], everywhere in the world. The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way, everywhere in the world. The third is freedom from want [a concept foreign to Republicans], everywhere in the world. The fourth is freedom from fear…anywhere in the world [tragic, that Bush doesn't get it]." Fear = torture.

The Younger Set Announces Dinner
Tonight's dinner has a decidedly Latin American flavor. The teenagers suggested that we serve some of these dishes, which they probably heard about at school. Because we hadn't fixed a dinner like this in some time, we were happy to fix what they wanted.

Bob and Judy did an excellent job of serving Avocado and Shrimp Flour Tortilla rolls, with just a hit of spice from jalapeño peppers. They chose a Roederer Estate Nonvintage brut. This California sparkling wine is a good value and an excellent pairing for Bob and Judy's first course. Carmen and Jim brought over a nice Sauvignon Blanc from California, a 2003 Rudd Vineyards, which paired beautifully with the Roasted Eggplant and Squash Blossom-garnished Soup. The wine was an excellent companion to the garlic and fresh herbs in the soup.

Instead of a normal fish course, which all of us have become accustomed to enjoying before the meat course, Jim and Carmen prepared some fantastic Quesadillas with Fontina, Smoked Mussels and Piquillo Peppers. They served these quesadillas with a Spanish sparkling wine, the dry Freixenet.
Art and Terry contributed the next course, Roast Pork and Mole dish with wonderful Mexican rice on the side. The myriad ingredients that go into this mole sauce, including unsweetened chocolate, demanded a good Syrah, and they chose a 2002 Lewis Cellars wine. It's a bit on the pricey side, but the delicious mole dish warranted a top quality wine.

For the dessert, we begged Carmen to make her famous flan. It amazes all of us that she can make such delicious flans for so many people. Carmen and Jim served us small snifters of Hennessy Private Reserve Grande Champagne Cognac, extravagant, yes, but tonight's dinner merited such a good cognac.

Winding Down
Back in the great room, to enjoy our after-dinner coffee and spend a few moments with the teenagers who had requested this Latin-flavored dinner, we caught up with the events of their day. We were happy to hear that their foals were all looking strong and were already beginning to grow their winter coats. A few stayed to help us clean up and earn some extra money, but soon, everybody had gone home. Surely wish Bush would go home and turn the reins over to somebody with a conscience to serve out his term. Well, you can always dream.

Summary:
Bush is going to use his first veto to assure that he can continue to torture, injure, maim and humiliate detainees in Guantánamo, Afghanistan and Iraq. And they call that kind of monster a Christian?