Torturing

The sole purpose of this post is to torture the Fabulous Penguin. This person is a friend who recently visited us in Las Cruces. Their intent is to move here. There are some reservations they have---the availability of New York style pizza, the ease of acquiring green chile, the usual real estate issues in the present market. All legitimate concerns. AND AS OF TODAY-----all moot!!!!

FP, todays special at Zeffiro's N Y Pizzeria was GREEN CHILE MEATBALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry, couldn't resist rubbing it in...........How could Las Cruces be any MORE perfect?????

N Y C in Las Cruces

Ahhhhhhh, Nuevo Mexico, land of green chiles, pintos, pistachios, pecans, and enchantment. And now, N Y style pizza slices!!!!!!!!!! Near the downtown mall is a pizzeria cum artisan bread shop, Zeffiro's/Popular Artisan Bread. It serves excellent brick oven pizza. Across town, by the university, the same people have been teasing us with a banner announcing the opening soon of a New York style pizza place. For those of us from "the east" there is nothing like a N Y slice---thin crust, delicious sauce, good toppings---fold it in half , place it in your mouth, and allow your taste buds to experience ecstasy. And now we can experience this wonder in Las Cruces.

I had gone to the bicycle shop to check the status of the tune-up on my mountain bike but it wasn't ready. So Leny and I went to lunch at Zeffiro's N Y style pizza on University. She stayed in the truck, I ordered a plain slice to go, took it to the truck, and shared it with her in the parking lot.

It was as good a slice as I've had since leaving the east coast!!! So I decided that dinner would be a N Y pizza, to be eaten during the Big East showdown between Villanova (YAY) and Syracuse (BOO). I called in the order. The wife and I went to pick it up. Now there is one negative---the very friendly young woman who cheerily took my money said it would be a minute for them to box the order, then never gave us the pizza. Giving the place the benefit of the doubt, it being new with new staff and still needing to work out the kinks, let alone considering their proximity to the university and how many people might not pick up orders, I patiently waited about 25 minutes for her to call my name to pick up my order. The wife of course picked up on my growing impatience and went out onto the patio. I approached the counter and the young person acted as if I had just entered the establishment---total air head. There was no-one home behind that sweet smile!!!! After we established I'd called in an order and had already paid for it, the owner/manager came over. He apologized and refunded my money. The pizza and calzone were under the counter, getting cold. The cashier still did not give them to me---it took another employee to hand them over!!!! Hopefully they get over their birthing pains soon because I will say the product is absolutely outstanding!!!!! The acid test of a pizza is whether it tastes good cold and this pizza certainly did!!! I bet it would be even better hot!!!! Hopefully I'll experience it that way next week. Now if they'd only add anchovies to their list of toppings it would be perfection...............

Death in D C

Mourning time hath come.

On two issues the Democrats have proven why they cannot govern, even with the change agent the people elected in November 2008 as their leader. It is truly time to change the name of the American capitol from the "District of Columbia" to the "Dysfunctionality of Congress."

The latest fiasco by the Democratic leadership is the Senate's alleged leader Harry Reid doing all he can to strip a bill fashioned by---hold your breath---a Democrat and a Republican to boost jobs. The details are too much to go into here---see the N Y Times piece. Suffice it to say that once again Reid has managed to sabotage the president's initiatives in trying to get the Republicans to participate in rather than stonewall his program.

Reid's blunder follows on the heels of his and the House speaker Nancy Pelosi's total mismanagement of health care reform, which degenerated into health care insurance reform, which is now nowhere. I know there are those who say good riddance and keep the government's hands off my medicare, but most economists, even those of the conservative ilk, take the position that unless health care inflation is brought under control, deficits at the federal level never will be and future generations will pay and pay as America's position as the world's economic engine sputters into decline.

I almost wish I lived in San Francisco because if I did, I'd be working to get a new representative----Where is the "Draft Gavin Newsom, Dump Pelosi" movement. He'd do more good in her seat than following the Gubernator............

The Revolution Circa 2010

Tonight's the night-----TEA PARTY!!!!!!!!

The first convention for this new party is being held in Nashville TN. At more than $500 a ticket it costs a lot more than those other revolutionary venues like Woodstock in 1969, Chicago's Grant Park in 1968, or John Lennon's Toronto or Paris hotel rooms. And the list of speakers and topics, and the workshops!!!!

But the keynote speaker---former Alaska governor, wolf slaughterer, and moose cleaner Sarah Palin. This time without a lead-in from Tina Fey. I'm sure her performance will be more than worth the price of admission. Or not.

Isn't it amazing how John Lennon foretold this movement in his song Revolution---"you tell me it's the institution/ well you know/ you better free your mind instead." The tea-partiers are so full of original, thoughtful slogans--Obama care is socialized medicine; If you think health care is expensive now, wait until it's free; Let's take back America for Americans. But my personal favorite is when those choruses of retirees all chant for the government to keep its hands off their Medicare.

Maybe John was wrong----he assumed they had minds that they could free.

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??