A Battle Won In a War That Should Never Have Been Fought

We're Going to Bring Dignity Back to The White House
Yeah, sure, and I'm going to let the sexual pervert down the street baby-sit my kids while I go catch a flic. After all, he said "Trust me, I'm a good guy." Just today, Senator John McCain won the battle over allowing the White House to use torture. Problem is, Alex said, there should never, in this country, have been a war between Senator McCain and the amazingly disgusting White House over whether the United States should or should not condone torture. It should always have been a mute point.

However, Alex continued, The United States allowed itself to be overrun by thugs of the worst sort. "America the Beautiful" suddenly has a very hollow ring. What can be beautiful about a country that allows, and votes into power, a gang of thugs so low that they would condone torture? The "people" Bush has chosen to surround him have everything in common with the people Hitler chose to surround himself with, and no, Alex said, he wasn't running off at the mouth, he's planning on telling us more about this subject in the next few days. Anyway, so much for "dignity" Bush. Look up the word, it might surprise you.

This war: It Should Never Have Had to Happen
Why, why in the world would a United States senator have to wage war to the death with the "president" of the United States? Why should a brutally tortured soldier from the Vietnam war have to butt heads with the biggest ascholss in the history of the United States? Well, in great part because of the insanely megalomaniac people he chooses to get counsel from, each of whom has encouraged the use of torture and to flaunt the rule of law; not just United States law, but International law.

You'd have to have been living under a rock somewhere if you weren't aware of the fact that Dick Cheney, he with the little swastika in the corner of his perpetually snarling lips was openly, fascistly, advocating for allowing the CIA to continue to engage in torture; he fought John McCain, tooth, nail and snarling lips right up until the end. That ferociously inept and unpleasant "woman," advocate of torture and everything that can be accomplished under cover of night and secrecy, just hauled the United States through the dung all across Europe, denying the use of what her "president" and "president of vice" wanted so dearly in their dung-filled hearts: the ability to continue to use torture. Fortunately, the European Union has more cojones than most citizens of the United States and is planning on bringing this entire embarrassing practice into the open.

The European Union is going to bring some of this administration to justice. But, as the French say, let's get back to our mutton: why, in 2005, should any United States senator have to battle the administration of the United States to forbid it from doing what the world already has agreed to forbid in treaty after treaty, in agreement after agreement. What shame this scrofulous cabal has rained down upon us, and, Jane asked us all, how many generations is it going to take before we can wash this dung off of our collective hands? We've been damaged, immeasurably.

Finishing Our Cocktails, With Bent Heads
Schuyler had fixed us a delicious cocktail called Fruits of the Desert, made with golden Corazón tequila, triple sec and Cointreau. Delicious, except for the shame we felt for "America the Beautiful" and the pride we felt in that one patriot, John McCain. The ink hasn't dried on the documents prepared tonight, and already his triumph is being shot out of the air by Bush, Cheney, the toad Gonzáles, the pig Rove, the viper Rice and guess who else? The U.S. army, already planning a secret addendum to The Army Field Manual, so Senator John McCain's labors are not over, the battle still continues, surreptitiously, under cover of night and cover of the machinations of people we once thought honorable, Senator Lindsay Graham, who is going "emasculate" McCain's triumph.

Hopefully, Senator Arlen Specter can deter him, but how shameful that Senator Graham has chosen to act as without cojones as Bush does ever day of his sad life. And Duncan Hunter? Hopefully somebody will tie the proverbial piano wire tightly 'round his family jewels. In a nutshell, Max told us, McCain tried to save us, Bush took the glory, and tomorrow, when we wake up, the battle will continue, and the repulsive Rice thing and the nasty Aztec toad Gonzáles will be goading Bush on into continuing to thwart the rule of law and decency.

Watch out, Alex told us, the White House is not going to take this defeat lying down. It's going to keep snarling at John McCain, and We The People are going to have to join the Europeans in being more vigilant. We held our heads down, since there was no joy in the great room. Our only joy, it seems, is going to come from the noble Europeans and their unflagging investigations. Give us French Fries or anything nobly European any day, over anything dastardly this administration would feed us.

The Children and the Dinner Gong
The teenagers, animatedly engaged in their own conversations, are never shy about letting us know when it's time to eat, which is probably a good thing, since some nights we could talk about our world all night and never think of food; so, young gang, thank you for reminding us that we also have to replenish our bodies, along with our minds.

We took our places at the two dining tables, the one in the large dining room for the adults and the dining table in the great room for the "young adults," also known as "those who will carry the torch into a better future." We sat down to Max and Charlotte's superb Beef Satay and Hot Mango Sauce. The perfect beef was broiled on skewers and served with the Mango Sauce. We agreed with Max and Charlotte's choice of a Sauvignon Blanc for this appetizer, and were pleased beyond belief when they poured us one of the top, award-winning Sauvignon Blancs for the 2002 California season, the 2002 Château St. Jean La Petite Étoile Vineyard, Russian River Valley Fumé Blanc (Sauvignon Blanc.)

Bob and Judy brought a Lentil and Orechiette soup, spiced with cloves, celery, marjoram, basil and thyme. Delicious? Well, a little bit more than inspired. It was perfect for a cold evening, and the lentils made some of our neighbors comfortable and right at home, which, after all, is the point of these good dinners.

The next intricate course required the savvy and patience of both Charlotte and Beatrix. To some of us, the dish seemed impossible to put together for 50 people, but these two ladies acted as if they had done nothing. Well, you decide. The dish was Smoked Salmon and Wild Rice Ramekins. Each of the ramekins they lined with the smoked salmon and then they filled the cavity with feta cheese, diced cucumber, wild rice and fresh chervil. On the plates, they place some lime wedges but no vegetables. We were all amazed by this dish which looked so complicated and tasted so sublime and delicate. The 2001 Paraíso, Monterey County Chardonnay they selected to pair with the salmon was a perfect choice.

Before Max's meat course, we were served small dollops of Key Lime Sorbet, beautifully providing a "palate" interlude between the fish and the meat course.

Max had planned for a long time to prepare us Grilled Rosemary Chicken in individual clay pots. It seems that every month he was buying a couple of wonderful clay, covered pots in which to prepare his fabulous chicken. Each pot contained a wonderful array of vegetables; something to please every one of us. For the chicken, Max and Charlotte selected another award-winning wine, a 2002 Firestone Vineyards, Santa Ynez Valley Syrah.

Beatrix must have spent a long time preparing our Mango Mousse In Individual Ramekins, but of course, she said that it had been a snap. Paired with a sweet Italian sparkling wine, it was a perfect end to wonderful dinner. All we wanted after this little banquet was to join the teenagers in the great room for our after-dinner coffee. Their company and chatter is just as good as sparkling wine!

Sorry guys, I just lost my supper, and then some. Most of the crowd has left, but I made the mistake of catching a bit of late news, and found the obscenely hideous, hairless-barrel-chested, spiny-haired, splayed footed obsidian knife-carrying Aztec torturer Alberto González, whose mother must have co-habited with Beelzebub to spawn such a sick child, on national television, saying he didn't know anything, not one iota, of the 26 prisoners killed while in U.S. custody. He pretended from Hades-only ignorance of any wrongdoing, when he was the architect of this country's widespread use of torture. How grotesque it is to see the "attorney general of the United States" to play stupid, ignorant, innocent toad. As I lost my dinner, I thought how hideously repulsive all the people encircling the insanely sick Bush are.

Cheney, with his perpetual snarl ought to be locked up; Rove, rotund and hog-snouted, ought to be put on a spit, with the spit being properly inserted from one orifice to the next; Rice, with that almost insanely dismissive attitude towards the rest of the world, except for the man she longs to sleep with, should be done with as was done with Joan of Arc, though not for her saintliness, of course; Gonzáles, well, any death would be too kind; like his ancestors, he should be smothered in honey and placed in a pit of fire ants; and then there's the fancy-costume-liking "president" for whom no death should be merciful: judging from the acts of torture he adores with all his "born-again christian" fascist heart, he should have the soles of his feet slammed with bats until he dies. Sorry sweetie, but faith has its limits, and this dung-like crew has made mine snap.

Summary:
John McCain won an anti-torture battle yesterday, and immediately, the administration started to scuttle it. When George Bush and the guy who browns his nose, Dick Cheney, said they wanted to keep torture, they meant it, and they haven't stopped this insane war with John McCain. They are already adding a secret addendum to the Army Filed Manual. Nice people, those Bush people. Whew, if we could just have them on the ranch for one day they'd be singing a very different song.

©Copyright 2005 Grindstaff Chronicles. All Rights Reserved.
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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
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