Nasty Russian Censorship
Grotesque, and so twentieth century, clamping down on a reporter just for doing her job, of telling the people the truth. Might have happened in Russia, but along the Texas-Mexico border reporters telling the truth are routinely assassinated. Seems Olga Romanova, acid-tongued respected reporter was refused entry to the studio she uses for broadcasting her news, which is not influenced by the Kremlin.

Mikhail S. Gorbachev denounced the action, saying it was a blow to the independence and impartiality of the press. Dastardly, no?

That Hook At The Outside Edge of Cheney's Snarling Lips
Well, sorry sweetie, but have you ever seen a picture of Cheney when he wasn't snarling? Well then, by now you've noticed that there is always a little "hook" at the outside corner of Cheney's snarling lips but now, take out your magnifying glass and take a closer, more patriotic look (Cheney loves that word, patriotic): that hook ain't a hook baby, it's a baby swastika. And that brings us, with a good cocktail in hand stirred-up by Schuyler, to the untouchables in United States politics, semantically speaking: fascism and Nazism.

Liz was really worked up tonight, but she's a smart woman, and we've learned that she doesn't speak for the sake of hearing herself. She has studied Cheney for a long time. There are basically fourteen points that help define one or the other of those two ideologies, but tonight Liz wanted to concentrate on the one having to do with control, or the attempted control, of the mass media, something particularly dear to old Feral Cheney' diseased heart. Outright censorship, for now, is still not possible in this country, but there are myriad devious ways in which it is being put to use by Cheney, and a lot of that has to do with Cheney's making sure that as much information is withheld from the media, and that has a lot to do with Scott McClellan's eternal obfuscation, and then there is Cheney's favorite MO, planting the news he wants in the media, both here and in Iraq. Either way, those are methods dear to both Mussolini and Hitler, and they have no place in the United States.

Today, We Can't Speak Evil of the Russians
As in Cheney's reverence for the act of torture and how it has tied our hands as far as being able to criticize any other country on earth for using it, Cheney's unconscionable manipulation of the media, with its fascist and Nazi undertones, doesn't allow us to criticize the Russians for clamping down on their own freedom of the press. Liz told us that whatever evil is perpetrated around the world, if we are practitioners of the same evils, our lips, which once could proclaim adherence to the rule of law and simple, common, human decency, are now sealed by that Evil, Feral Thing George Bush saw fit to loose upon the world. I don't know of a word, Liz said, that could describe the lowest human being, but for tonight, Liz, she said she would call that lowest of human beings a Feral Cheney. We'll add that to our Webster's.

Right Before Dinner, Liz's Quote on Freedom of the Press
Liz told us what Thomas Jefferson had written in on January 16, 1787. She also told us it was a crime Cheney didn't understand it, and a revolting offense to the nation that the Mousey Librarian Laura Bush didn't force her despotic husband to memorize:

"The basis of our government being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. But I should mean that every man should receive those papers, and be capable of reading them."

The Teenagers, Hungry as Usual, Sounded the Dinner Gong
Marie Christine and Charlotte, with help from Max, prepared most of our dinner tonight. The first course they served us consisted of Provençal Toast Points with Ahi tuna and milk-soaked and rinsed anchovy fillets. Actually, the enormous number of ingredients that go on these delectable little toast points is amazing, but of course, that's how these two ladies love to cook. Our new sherry glasses came in handy, since they paired the Provençal Toast Points with González Byass' Tío Pepe Fino Muy Seco Palomino Fino dry sherry.

The same sherry they paired with a Pancetta and Onion soup. The parmesan croutons at the bottom of the bowls added a bit of surprise to this soup which is perfect for the kind of cold and damp weather we're experiencing right now. Schuyler, always the hopeful one, asked if maybe someone couldn't be in charge of going out to every farm at noon with piping hot pots of soups like this to keep everybody warm and satiated even during the middle of the day. May have been my imagination, but I think he got stared down by not a few pairs of eyes. (During the day, it's not like we don't have a jillion farm and ranch chores that have to be attended to.)

Just a guess, but probably only Marie Christine, Charlotte and Beatrix would have the patience to prepare our next sublime dish, a beautifully arranged and prepared Striped Fish Terrine. It is made with salmon and sole, beautifully layered, and after being transferred to its serving platter, the terrine was decorated with ultra-thin cucumber slices made on an Oxo mandoline, considered one of the world's best. Instead of a white wine, Marie Christine and Charlotte decided to pour us a Marimar Torres Pinot Noir, and though a bit unusual, the pairing was magical.

For a brief interlude between courses, we were served a nectarine sorbet, preparing us for our next anxiously awaited dish. We don't often serve liver, but the teenagers are slowly growing accustomed to it, and even looking forward to the few times we do have it. Tonight we served very thin slices of Beef Liver Florentine Style, very simply grilled. Also on the simple side, the liver was plated only with some exquisite Tuscan white beans and just-wilted spinach. The wine they selected for the liver was a beautiful Italian Granduca Barolo Riserva.

Winding Down
After such a satisfying dinner, we didn't need much more than Maxi's especially brewed after-dinner coffee. He keeps a vintage solid brass machine under lock and key in the butler's pantry, and his brewing our coffee is a pleasurable and theatrical experience. The teenagers are for the most part quite glad that most of our days have been mild, but they are always ready to blanket the horses if the weather gets too chilly. Out here, watching the weather reports isn't just for fun, it's for life and for comfort.

Summary:
Censorship and control of the media is unacceptable in the United States. Either tactic is reminiscent of fascist and Nazi regimes. That Tricky Dick Cheney would attempt either, and shove it down Bush's throat, shows how un-American he is, and how low he would like to bring our country down. The fact that Bush is too weak to rein in his President of Vice and Torture, indicate that regime change has to occur before three more years elapse with this sham and shameful government.