Dead Horses

There's nothing to be gained in beating a dead horse, goes the old saw. So why do the conservatives continue to do so?? Their present dead horse is the growth of government as exemplified by "Obamacare." Funny, when Medicare/Medicaid was enacted I don't remember cries of foreboding about "Johnsoncare." Was it because we were not as clever then? Doubtful. Most likely it was because we were more civil then, at least in our domestic policy discussions. But I digress....

This morning I happened to catch Congressman Mike Pence (R-Ind,) on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program. Mr Pence is a conservative Republican and a winner of Conservative Man of the Year from the organization Human Rights. After the usual frothing about how health care reform as presently constituted will be a crushing blow to our economic recovery, Mt. Pence would NOT name any other government program than "Obamacare" that he would cut to help reduce spending at the federal level and the trillion-dollar deficit. This despite several instances of encouragement by the show' s panelist Mike Barnicle. Mr. Pence's stand is so typical of the conservative Republicans who got us into this mess in the first place---the Iraq War, the debacle named Afghanistan, the collapse of the financial system in 2007------the legacy of George W Bush and the Republican controlled congress (until 2006). And now it's Barack Obama's health care reform that is plunging us into the abyss???? I think not. I agree with David Frum---time for the conservatives to work within the system rather than merely being perceived as obstructionist if they want to make any headway in the November mid-term elections.

So go to the tea parties, continue the "I'm NRA and I vote", and the "NObama" bumper sticker tirades. On with the racial epithets and gender preference slurs, on Rush, on Sean, on Glenn, on over the top screaming, and on to defeat with your beaten dead horse in November.

"...with a whimper"

So the Christians and tea-baggers go from the capitol. Health reform, or at least, health insurance reform, was passed by the House of Representatives late Sunday evening. And the debate was at such a level that all Amerikans should be proud----cries of "baby-killer", "nigger", etc. raining down on our elected representatives. Stand tall, Amerika. From water-boarding to torture to the total dissolution of any modicum of civility, your partisanship rises triumphant. I am as disgusted with the inexcusable performance of supposed "leaders" over the health care debate as I was over the Vietnam war. What a pathetic excuse for a civilized country. So shall we go to our just desserts, not with a bang but with a whimper.........or in a hale of racist or hateful epithets.

Road Trip with the Dad

So last Sunday I got to go with Dad and spend Monday in his office. We went back home Monday night. I wasn't especially into the office thing, either. And poor little Bertie had a very rough time of it.

But the road from Clovis to Las Cruces is fascinating. You start out at about 4300ft in Clovis--that's why it's called the "high plains." Think about it--that's almost 2/3rds of the way up Mt Washington, highest point in the Northeast, and a whole lot higher than Ohio where I was an unclaimed stray. You get to Roswell and then really start climbing---towns like Tinnie, Hondo, San Patricio---Can't you just see Roy, Gene, Mr. Eastwood, and "Duke" Wayne riding across your computer screens?????? Great town names.

You pass the Tunstall murder site then climb thru 6000ft. Ruidoso is the next town at 6900ft. Climb some more---Apache Summit is the apex--7591ft above sea level. And all the while you catch glimpses of Sierra Blanca, dominating the plains from its 11,000ft elevation.......Then the descent through the Mescalero Apache reservation into the Tularosa basin, about 4500ft. Alamogordo leads the way into the desert---White Sands National monument and the missile range---kick it out to 80mph. Then clear the San Augustin pass at 5719ft and descend into Las Cruces (3900ft in the valley where we live).

Mostly I sleep through the ride but I do get occasional phrases of the music from the iPod---"wrap your legs round these velvet rims and strap your hands cross my engines...i wanna know if love is wild and i wanna know if love is real...i wanna die with you Wendy on the streets tonite in an everlasting kiss..." or "roll down the window and let the wind blow back your hair/ the night's busted open and these two lanes can take us anywhere..." (Bruce S.) The man knows about dogs and cars. "Did an angel/ whisper in your ear/ hold you close/ take away your fears/in those long/ miles from here..." (Lucinda W.) or "Sometimes i wonder if i'm ever gonna make it home again/ it's so far and out of sight.."(Carole K.) Another favorite is "a woman is like a dresser some men are always runing though its drawers.."(Cream) or "Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike/ they've all come to look for America.." (S&G) And lastly "once a story's told/ it can't help but grow old/ roses do/ lovers too/ so cast your seasons to the wind.." (Boz S). Just road song fragments that I heard when I was awake, which wasn't often over four and a half hours driving through the night. But it's all worth it to spend the time with my Dad.

LOL

Leny

First Mate of the Pirate Dogs

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.