GCCB

Yes, we're on the green chile cheeseburger thing again. I know most readers will never come here and experience this sensation. So here's some propaganda from the NM Dept. of Tourism that will hopefully entice you. And if you make your base of operations Las Cruces, you'll have a place to stay!!!!!!

First, please watch this so you can understand:

Got your taste buds all atwitter??????? Don't tell me your mouth isn't watering........lying isn't very nice!!!!!! Especially to Pirate Dogs who will haunt your darkest nightmares if you treat them so.............Note the loser Bobby Flay in the video. Buckhorn has excellent GCCB but we still rate The Owl numero uno!!!!!! The atmosphere adds to the experience and The Owl, with Conrad Hilton's original bar, the business cards and dollar bills stuck to the walls and ceilings, is the ultimate environment for enjoying this unique treasure of the Land of Enchantment.

So click on this link for the only map of New Mexico you will ever need. You trust the Pirate Dogs, right??? They are waiting for you to come and join them in the trek to taste a green chile cheeseburger at each of the locations on the map---except for the Blake' s Lotta Burger locations. Those are pretty inconsistent, it being a fast food chain. But the two locations in San Antonio---MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

LOL

P.D.

State of the Union 2010

So the first state of the union address by Barack Obama, originally believed to be scheduled for Feb. 2, has been the victim of constituent pressure. Rather than pre-empt or, worse yet, compete with the season premiere of Lost, the prez and team have scheduled the big speech for Wed. Jan. 27. Bending to special interests already.....And think of the poor speechwriters. Seven seasons of West Wing have taught us all about the angst of the White House staff in crafting this annual message and policy statement. To move it forward a week would have sent Josh and Sam into apoplectic fits and a long stay in a sanitarium.

In a previous post, we said we'd comment on some of the political news, so here we go---from the perspective of some rather intelligent canines---the Pirate Dogs!!!!

The first subject is hubris. The Democratic leadership (or lack thereof) embodied in Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid were so certain they could use their numerical advantage and senatorial super-majority to ram through anything on their agenda. In the course of attempting this one party take-over of the republic, these two have totally undermined the bi-partisan goals of their party's leader---the president. So the Republicans do a drug war thing--"just say no"--- and all the economic recovery and needed programs like environmental protection and health care become subject to the pork needs of every Democratic denizen of the halls of the capitol. These "leaders" of the Democratic party are so inept they allowed a Republican victory in a Massachusetts special election for the Senate seat that has been held by a Kennedy since 1952!!!!! Scott Brown ran the type of campaign that might entice any voter. If he eschews his "Number 41" b.s. and actually does what he said---represent the citizens of MA first, he would be a breath of fresh air in the Senate.

Next we have Pat Robertson saying Haiti's deals with the devil caused the tragic earthquake. What is it with "Christians"???? Now the soldiers in the Middle East can't aim their weapons properly because all the gun sights have biblical inscriptions on them and they are being recalled and replaced!!!! Or at least removed. Did it occur to these people that part of the rationale for the Islamic jihadist is their perception that they need to defeat the Crusaders, i.e., Christians, in order to preserve their life style and religion. Aren't they to be allowed the same freedom of religion as the citizens of the United States??? Didn't the King of England in 1776 call the Sons of Liberty "terrorists"?

Scandals----aahhh, what would American media be without them. Around the clock Tiger affair coverage, Mark Sanford and the Argentinian/Appalachian deception. Now John Edwards has admitted fathering Rielle's daughter and the National Inquirer's editorial board is going to submit their coverage for a Pulitzer prize, that most coveted award for SERIOUS journalism!!!! The National Inquirer---home of "I was an Alien Love Slave" exposes.......People, are you there?? Thank heaven they are "ineligible". What a fiasco that would be-----maybe even worse then McCain picking Palin !!!! Or thinking Reid and Pelosi could steer health care reform through the legislative process and have it emerge as a really positive benefit for the American people!!!

Next, let's discuss campaign finance reform. Now that the Supreme Court has overturned parts of McCain-Feingold and opened the door to limitless contributions, maybe it's time for real reform. Let the federal government take one dollar from each tax return and put the money in a pot for the presidential election. The money would be divided equally among all candidates appearing on the ballot in 26 states. (26 states is one more than half the total number of states. Some states have very low filing fees which encourage very marginal or fringe candidates to enter their primaries. If candidates can file in at least 26 states this might prevent public funding for the extremists and wackos.) Any additional expenditure would be illegal and we wouldn't want a criminal for president, would we?? No fund raising is permitted in local elections. Each office seeker should pay a filing fee and get out and meet the voters and convince them of their worthiness to serve. Just like the Founding Fathers had to---you didn't see George Washington or Thomas Jefferson doing polls and paying political advisers!!!!!!

Finally, the BIG ONE---health-care reform. Now Paul Krugman has some ideas in his column today but how about this----let's make the plan that all the government officials, Senators, House members, and federal employees have available to the general public?? Even a Republican couldn't vote against that without having to answer charges of elitism. What's good for our bureaucrats and elected representatives should be good for all the citizens, right???

THE MAP

Ok---it's one year for Obama, State of the Union time, all kinds of stuff----like the Massachusetts senate seat the Republicans just won that has been held since 1952 not only by Democrats, but by BROTHERS John and Ted Kennedy. So much for the forefathers diatribes about royalty............And the Pirate Dogs are observing all this and we will comment----over the week-end.

But right now----it's green chile cheeseburgers!!!!!!!!! The NM Dept. of Tourism has released the map for aficionados of this culinary treat. In the Clovis area, Taco Box made the cut and their version isn't bad, much better than say Mickey-D's, Wendy's, or Sonic. Peppers on the Plaza made it in La Mesilla. Bobcat Bite is on the map. Of course both the OWL and the Buckhorn are there. Who wants to accompany me and the Pirate Dogs in visiting as many as we can over maybe a long week-end this summer??

Bonus

An unexpected bonus this Sunday morning. Having the usual cup of coffee and perusing the online New York Times. Checking the normal online haunts. Then a squeal of excitement from the kitchen.

To the east of the adobe shack rise the Organ Mountains. The house itself sits in the valley north of Las Cruces. This particular clear crisp morning we were awarded the sight of nine hot air balloons drifting along. That isn't all that unusual a sight in the Mesilla Valley. We saw balloons Saturday as we headed out to do our weekend shopping and run errands. The bonus this morning was to see the air craft landing in the open area between our location and the main roads a few miles to the east.

Not only do we have those lovely views and the privacy of the pecan orchard but we are also near a hot air balloon launch and landing site!!!

I'm sure pictures will appear soon on CZ's site so stay tuned.

The Next Thing to Fix

Way back in 1789, when thirteen former colonies, fairly similar in population, conceived a constitution, they could not foresee how the new nation would spread across the continent of North America. Nor how population patterns would emerge. The great mass of citizens settling along the coasts. The incredibly low population densities in the Midwest and Southwest. The polarization of the citizenry---the god-fearing conservative heartlanders and the secular liberal promiscuous residents along the two oceanic coasts.

So these great men devised a House of Representatives, which is structured to represent the citizens on a basis proportional to the population of the various states. I think I read somewhere that thanks to the 2010 census, CA may lose a couple of representatives and TX may gain them. And the Senate, conceived as a gentlemanly forum of debate, discussion, and leisurely reflection on issues, to be attended by two formidable lions from each state. Now this made sense back in 1789 when the new entities were similar in population and the driving need was to unify the disparate former colonies. But today??

Gail Collins, writing in today's New York Times, puts this error by our forefathers into perspective:

"There are 100 members of the Senate. But as Brown [Republican in the special election for Ted Kennedy's Seat] is currently reminding us, because of the filibuster rule, it takes only 41 to stop any bill from passing.

U.S. population: 307,006,550.

Population for the 20 least-populated states: 31,434,822.

That means that in the Senate, all it takes to stop legislation is one guy plus 40 senators representing 10.2 percent of the country.

People, think about what we went through to elect a new president — a year and a half of campaigning, three dozen debates, $1.6 billion in donations. Then the voters sent a clear, unmistakable message. Which can be totally ignored because of a parliamentary rule that allows the representatives of slightly more than 10 percent of the population to call the shots.

Why isn’t 90 percent of the country marching on the Capitol with teapots and funny hats, waving signs about the filibuster?"

So after we fix heath care---regardless of your opinion of the present package, it's a much needed start!!!-we need to fix this error by the founding fathers. After all, we changed their rules about counting slaves in the population (the 60% rule in the Constitution). We can change the structure of the Senate the same way. Let's get rolling!!!!!!!!

Virtuous

Faith, Hope, and Charity. What Christian doesn't know these three virtues as the cornerstone of the faith. And the Golden Rule, right from Christ in the scriptures, "Love your neighbor as yourself." Words and feelings to live by and to guide us, the poor sinners trekking through the vale of tears and the valley of death. And how we count on the approval and example of our spiritual leaders. Pope Benedict, for all his flaws, met the woman who knocked him down on Christmas eve and forgave her. A true example for his flock.

But here in the US, with Christian fundamentalism running rampant, there are other shepherds, like Pat Robertson. Not one to be in thrall to the pope, this preacher came at the tragedy in Haiti with all the compassion of a spawn of Satan himself-----no forgiveness or compassion here. That earthquake was visited on the poorest Western nation because of a pact with the devil. Bet they have a lot of "homos" there too, huh, Pat??? Sometimes I wonder what the hell bible these yahoos are reading................

Losing Ground?

So 2009 , the year just finished, was all about Darwin and evolution. The 200th anniversary of his birth. The 150th anniversary of the publication of his masterpiece The Origin of Species.

If you listened to all the talking heads and watched any of the specials you got the feeling that evolution had culminated with modern Man. Did it??? I would refer you to this link that was on Google news today: dolphins as humans. When I was in college I wrote a short story about a future where humankind had ceded its mastery of the planet to other species. The final paragraph was a description of a dolphin's tears as it proudly stood on the moon, surveying all the garbage humans had left to despoil the lunar landscape. It won a prize for short story fiction and got published in the school's literary gazette.

Need more proof about evolution continuing beyond humanity?? I present as evidence Gilbert Arenas. This yahoo makes how many million dollars a year??? And now he's lost it, hopefully permanently. Like Roger Clemens---I remember hearing him speak and thinking that if he couldn't throw a fastball like he did, he'd starve because there wasn't enough grey matter in his skull to allow for his survival.

I don't have a problem with professional athletes making money. Their careers are short and their physical prowess must decline with age. I really have a problem with the idiot franchise owners in professional sports who entice talents like Michael Vick or Kevin Garnett to eschew their education and "turn pro." Garnett seems okay, Vick had his dog days and served time for them. Arenas and Clemens are evidence we may someday be surpassed by another species on the Tree of Life. And I hope I'm not around to see it. Go Dolphins---and I don't mean the Miami football team...........

Happy New Year 2010

The blue moon rose large over the Organs on New Year's eve. Fireworks graced the skies at midnight ushering in the first year of the second decade of the 21st Century. Just a couple hundred more years until NCC-1701 leaves its moorings for its maiden voyage.

The biggest concern is that we make it that long. Some kind of health insurance reform will get through Congress in 2010. It will be largely influenced by lobbyists since despite all of Barry Obama's post-partisan change beliefs, the District of Columbia is still a place where money talks and everything else (like ethics, representing the voters who sent you, honesty) walks.

Should we even discuss the latest foiled terrorist attempt? Does the end justify the means or lack thereof?? The guy got caught, the bomb did not go off. It wasn't 9/11 all over again. So all the recommendations by all the investigative committees in the world can't defeat the fact that human beings are not infallible. It is the nature of the species to err in order to evolve.

Speaking of errors, what exactly is the problem with those whole body screen machines?? Being an individual with a knee implant, I can attest that the machines (Albuquerque has them) are far less intrusive than some bozo using wands and "patting" me down. They are also much faster, making the lines at airport security check points flow much more smoothly. If the concern is privacy, as I've heard voiced by opponents and talking heads on t.v., then we need to eliminate Facebook, Google, credit cards, credit bureaus, government, and probably most other human institutions because we cede a little of our precious privacy every time we interact with one of them.

Just a few thoughts--

"...and Happy New Year. Let's hope it's a good one, without any fear. War is over if you want it, war is over now." -- John Lennon