July 02, 2009
This Guy Defines "Pitiful"
...It’s not unusual to see a flag in liberal provinces, of course.News flash, idiot. Only you and your sensitive friends cowered from that hideous symbol of neo-conservatism and torturing war-mongers, that GARISH red, white and blue banner of shame.But in the Bush years of sanctioned torture and war built on deceit, many Americans withdrew from overt displays of patriotism.Some said they were ashamed of their country.
The REST of us remember what that Manhattan hole in the ground looked like beFORE the airplanes hit, remember what the aging gentlemen with the VFW pisscutters did to be able to march in the parade, get a little teary eyed when we watch "Glory", "Saving Private Ryan", "Sgt York", "Patton"...and don't think Jeff Daniel was half as bad a George Washington as we thought he was going to be. Remember that, at the very moment your bemused piece appears in a safe and comfortable environ, that there are men and women in the service of that flag who don't get to choose there wars. Who die where they are sent by a freely elected government and ask only that we remember THEM. They do not ask us to cherish their sacrifice, but I do. MY friends do. And I set those little flags out every morning and hope in my heart that, somewhere in an Afghani goat cave, with the horrors that surround them...I hope they know.
And a fair amount of us sniffle like little girls when we hear the Star Spangled Banner, because there's so much wrapped up in that song, written in the heat of yet another battle defending our freedoms...thinking of family and friends in uniform and the flood of emotion can take our breath away at the very first "Oh, say can you see...?"
Yes. We can. And we have always proudly hailed it. Because it is a constant, like that "We the People" piece of paper. They stand firm always, ensuring that BOTH the torturing war-mongers and elite, ineffectual, guilt-ridden intellectuals will not perpetually lead us, should we choose to make the change. Your banner of shame is our symbol of RIGHT ~ not a political leaning, but a freedom ensured by the pursuit of a "more perfect union".
I am sorry your world is so small that something so wonderful has to creep back into it. How sad that someone can only raise those stars and stripes when his candidate wins, and now it's cool again. 'Safe', you mean. So you don't get picked on by those "urban Americans" ~ those sophisticated, embittered, twisted lip, sneering decriers of anything remotely red, white and blue. I'd tiptoe timidly through that bunch, too. "I support the troops, BUT..."...red, white and blue is neo-fascist. How things change! Writing for the New York Times, your target audience has grappled with the same roiling guilts and anguishes (Check the comments ~ you scored beaucoup "empathy" points!) and now your tormented, cowering collective all can fist bump virtually together. Krishna, krishna.
And safely wear your little flag pins.
But for your president, not your country.
I'll never get it.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:31 AM | Comments (7)
Get Ready For Some Serious Spinning
Let's see how The One and his worshipful followers in the Media spin this
WASHINGTON (AP) - Out-of-work with no place to land, the legions of America's unemployed are growing. The Labor Department is scheduled to release a report Thursday expected to show the nation's unemployment rate edging closer to double digits. Wall Street economists predict the jobless rate will rise to 9.6 percent in June from 9.4 percent in May. That would mark a 26-year high.The rising rate comes as recession-weary companies continue to cut workers. Economists expect a loss of 363,000 jobs in June, up from 345,000 job cuts in May.
Mind you you, this is during the promised "accelerated" stimulus spending that has "created or saved" some 30 million jobs since January as the unemployment rate continues to, er, climb to 26 year highs.
Damn you Chimpy!
Oh, and there's this
Even if companies slow the pace of layoffs, they will be reluctant to hire until they feel certain the economy is back on its feet. That's why economists are forecasting a continued rise in the unemployment rate over the next year. It's expected to hit 10 percent this year.Many think it could rise as high as 10.7 percent by the second quarter of next year before it starts to make a slow descent. Some think the rate will top out at 11 percent. Others think the peak will lower — around 10.5 percent — by the spring of 2010.
Yep, there's going to be some serious spinning coming out of DC over the next few days.
My guess is, much like they do when their education or welfare polices fail, they will respond that the problem is not the policy but the scope, so we need to spend even more.
Gulp.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:03 AM | Comments (5)
Father's Day Grub
In every man there is some flaw, some tragic quality that leads them from the path of Grace to that of peril, ruin and perdition. For some, this Siren takes the form of narcotics; for others it's money; whilst others invariably yield to the allure of a woman.
Strong and heady temptations all. Yet none, in my mind, is so deceptive, so cunning, so singularly focused in its irresistible draw that pulls me in to its inescapable maelstrom as...Costco's Meat Department. My God. Do you folks realize that they are now selling Prime meats? Not "Select." Not only their usual "Choice" grade (which is damned good) but Prime grade, the highest grade of meat, at ridiculous prices. Just look at this
Boneless Prime Ribeye for $9.99 per pound. Most places charge a minimum of $20-25 (and a restaurant will charge you at least $35 for each steak) for these babies...and just look at them
That soft still voice you hear is the exquisite marbling crying out to be generously coated (on both sides) with Montreal Seasoning and left to sit at room temperature for 45 minutes or so whilst your Bride makes the Creamed Spinach of the Gods and some pan-roasted Rosemary Red Po-taters as the grill heats up. I've become a convert to the "reverse sear" method of grilling, where you cook the steaks indirectly on lower heat then sear them on high heat at the end of the cooking.
Now what to imbibe during this...
yummmmmmmmmm. As you know I really don't like spending more than $10 on wine if I can avoid it, so when I do I want to make damn sure that it's worth it. For $19 this Mondavi Cab is simply fantastic; full of luscious smooth fruit and velvety chocolate yumminess.
Especially when joined with the assembled Father's Day Feast
And the second bottle was even better.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:46 AM | Comments (7)
"Roadside" Game Hens
As I've mentioned before we're big fans of the Roadside Chicken recipe posted at the Virtual Weber Bulletin Board. A few weeks ago I decided to see how it would work on Cornish Game Hens. So I prepared the marinade and, er, marinated the wee buzzards
for a few hours, flipping occasionally, and grilled them over indirect heat until the usual sign of avian doneness (clear juices and loose bones, etc) and served them with some grilled asparagus (which had itself been marinated in lime juice, balsamic vinegar and a little olive oil) and some of that faithful old standby: Uncle Ben's Wild Rice mix
There's something just primally satisfying about having an entire carcass on your plate.
And damned tasty, too.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:53 AM | Comments (0)
To Counter Those Ugly And Unsubstantiated Rumors...
...spread most likely by fauxpseudovinoenvyists that "all" I'm imbibing of late comes from a box may I offer the following partial testament from June
Oops, that last one is the mussels (recipe here)I made last Friday as an excuse to consume the Sancerre...
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:24 AM | Comments (6)
July 01, 2009
Filed Under: Why Celebrities ALWAYS Know What's Best for Us
...and why they tell us so often.
Because they're deep, people. Deep people. Smart and DEEP, like the deepest blue of Gwinnie's eyes, but deeper than that. Deep like the ocean, but only DEEPER. Deeper than the deep happiness she felt when we all voted for Obama because she told us to, but, like even DEEPER. Like deepitydeepdeepdeep DEEP DEEPER.
...In a new interview which is sure to irk her American fans, Gwyneth belittles her native country's 223 years of history compared to the older nation of Spain.
The Oscar winner fell in love with the country when she spent a month living with a family in Talavera de la Reina in central Spain when she was 15.
Speaking in Spanish, she said: 'When I was 15, I went to a small town outside Talavera de la Reina and I had the most wonderful experience. It really changed my life.
'Spain became a second home. It is so different from the United States. It seemed to have a history, and the buildings are years and years and years old.
'Here in the United States an old building is about 17 (years old), and over there it's from 500 B.C., it's incredible...'
**fans self** "Incredible", indeed!
I read her words and feel something deep, too...rumbling in my bowels.
Excuse me for a minute.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:41 PM | Comments (19)
What Will Quarterbacks Do Now?
If the FDA takes their candy of choice away?
(CNN) -- A government advisory panel voted Tuesday to recommend eliminating prescription drugs that combine acetaminophen with narcotics -- such as Vicodin and Percocet -- because of their risk for overdose and for severe liver injury.
And there was much crying and gnashing of teeth across the NFL...
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:39 AM | Comments (6)
As Crusader Pointed Out So Eloquently Below
...the Honduran el presidente was attempting the Hugo-ian subversion of a happily democratic state.
..."Manuel Zelaya trampled the Honduran constitution by pushing for his illegal referendum to allow him to rule indefinitely, and by firing the top military official, Gen. Romeo Vasquez Velasquez, when he refused to comply with Zelaya's unconstitutional orders," said Rep. Connie Mack, R-Fla.Zelaya, the ousted leftist leader, ignored a ruling from the Honduran Supreme Court, warnings from the military and opposition by a sizable swath of his country's population when he maneuvered to amend his country's constitution, apparently in hopes of extending his own rule.
In light of Obama's pitiful, miserable reaction to a clear attack on a free and functioning society, I was wondering how many American Central American ex-pats had voted for him...while watching more cold-weather-state types laying down $400+ grand for Honduran beach houses last night on "House Hunters International".
Free of revolutionary tumult for generations, there's a considerable number of Americans who have made Honduras, Costa Rica and Panama home for the better part of the year, or just moved there permanently. Some established households have even started shifting to Panama and Honduras, as Costa Rica starts to tug the welcome mat back a smidge:
The Costa Rican government recently proposed several new measures in regards to immigration that could severely change the retiree and expat situation. Their aim, in theory, is to dually combat the large influx of mainly Nicaraguan migrant workers as well as the increasing stream of North American moving to the country. With the proposed increase in monetary qualifications for both prospective rentistas and pensioners, many would-be North American expats may be turned off by such a move, particularly in the current financial environment.The Costa Rican immigration authority, Migracíon, has recently been quoted as saying that the immigration situation in the country is “out of control” and that stricter requirements are desperately needed. In response, the government has proposed to increase immigration requirements for pensioners from $600 a month to $2000 a month, while rentistas face an increase from $1000/month to $5000/month. Basically, to qualify for Costa Rican residency you will have be able to prove that your pension or monthly income equals or exceeds the amount for whichever category you fall into, rentista or pensioner.
In light of these astronomical increases, it is clearly evident that potential retirees and expats could get hosed on this one. According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, the average pensioner in the U.S. receives around $1100 a month, far below the prescribed requirement. And, as the U.S. has one of the highest pension averages in the world, these requirements would have a worldwide effect; for example, Canada - a major contributor to the Costa Rican expat and retiree scene - has an average of around $700 a month.
The government in San Jose continues to claim that these requirements are “easily attainable”, which, from their point of view, is understandable. Milk the cow. If a steady cash flow continues to arrive via North America, it is not surprising that a government would try to keep pressing to see what the ceiling is; that is merely good business. However, in this case it would appear as if the proposed requirements far and away exceed any rationality.
That's pretty benign on its face, right? But (having heard first hand from a Panamanian dwelling ex-pat, whose neighborhood is swelling with migrating retirees) there are other rumblings causing a general sense of unease. So you pack up and move to friendlier environs. Easy cheesey. And you live in your American bubble that everything's hunky dory.
No one ever seems to consider the fact that the third world country they've just bought a home in could go wonky at any time ~ that rules could change overnight. It has a beach, I have a piece of paper that says I own it, the natives are friendly and I'm a U.S citizen, so why worry?
I'm having problems visualizing the Obamanator sending in the Navy (à la Bush in Lebanon) to off-load terrified American 50-somethings who don't read the paper, probably voted for him and have no clue why Spanish speaking thugs with weapons frogmarched them out of their hacienda at zerodarkthirty.
If they have any awareness of what's happening at all, I hope they have the sense to worry. Not only about the Hondurans, but ~ considering the American Precedent's endorsement of constitutional circumvention ~ whether anyone at home will answer when they light up the Bat Signal for help.
I wouldn't count on jack from this guy.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:42 AM | Comments (3)
Honduras
The wonderful Fausta has the complete story.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:40 AM | Comments (0)
My letter to the White House, not that I expect it to change a thing........
Mr. President,
I am writing this letter as a citizen who is appalled by the message my government is broadcasting to the world. Since it’s inception, the United States has stood as a beacon of freedom to the rest of the world, but these last few months have seen a dark shadow descend by way of the spoken word of our leaders and emissaries, with yourself at the forefront.
Continue reading "My letter to the White House, not that I expect it to change a thing........"
Posted by Crusader at 05:50 AM | Comments (5)
June 30, 2009
This Guy Is Just Pathetic
You know the old saying about what to do when you're in a hole?
"This was a whole lot more than a simple affair, this was a love story," Sanford said. "A forbidden one, a tragic one, but a love story at the end of the day."During an emotional interview at his Statehouse office with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Sanford said Chapur is his soul mate but he's trying to fall back in love with his wife.
... In early 2009, after Jenny Sanford discovered the affair, the couple went into counseling. She has told The Associated Press that he asked her several times to visit the mistress and she refused.
But the governor claims he wanted to end the affair in person and, with his wife's permission, went to New York with a "trusted spiritual adviser" serving as chaperone. The three went to church and dinner together and parted ways the same night.
Oh what a circus.
Oh what a show.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 03:23 PM | Comments (9)
I Hope They Have Seating For 300 Million
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 11:39 AM | Comments (1)
The New Jersey "Budget"
Lawhawk has a good summary on this bit of delusional insanity and fiscal disaster. Corzine and every single Legislator who voted for this should be pounded in the polls and thrown from office.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:59 AM | Comments (4)
The Electricution Of Mary Poppins
We've been out of town for a few days at a family get together. We got home at, oh, 9:30 Sunday night and were greeted by this
That's an 8' patio umbrella. Or was, I should say. It seems that on Friday night there was a rather violent thunderstorm that lifted the umbrella up, ripping it out of its heavy stand in the table on the deck in back of the house, carried it completely over the house and deposited it in the power lines in front.
Needless to say I didn't even attempt to get that sucker down; the good folks at JCP&L came by early yesterday and took care of it.
I got to cut up the tree that came down in the back yard.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:00 AM | Comments (21)
June 29, 2009
Sometimes You Have to Let the Actions Speak for Themselves
...before you say goodbye.
Kenneth Reusser, 1920 - 2009The funeral for Ken Reusser, a legendary Marine aviator is taking place in Clackamas as I type this. Apologies for not finding out about this sooner.
Reusser is a much-decorated pilot who received the Navy Cross for his actions in World War II. In a dramatic counter-kamikaze mission, he and his copilot tracked down a Japanese surveillance aircraft that was providing information to suicide pilots, chasing it through skies so cold that their guns froze up.They used their Corsair's propellers to slice through the tail of the reconnaisance plane.
His passing touches a special place in our family, too ~ he was the Grinch's Commanding Officer in VMF-232 during the mid-50's.
Semper Fi, sir.
And God speed your valiant heart through clear skies.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 07:23 PM | Comments (7)
June 28, 2009
Kcruella and Us Were in New Orleans All Weekend
I have no idea what Bingley's miserable excuse will be.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:23 PM | Comments (11)
