The Audacity to Survive

Sometimes it is important to go to the core text instead of just reading others opinions. This is a measure we try to enforce over here at Rumbler Central. A fine column by Peter Kirsanow this morning in the American Thinker led me to do a little research. Mr. Kirsanow was taking Obama to task for his vote against the "Induced Birth Infant Liability Act" during his short tenure in the Illinois state legislature. Essentially, the columnist's argument is that BO is portrayed as a really nice guy but, in fact, he's pretty heartless and his vote against the aforementioned bill was Exhibit A. Well, what does the bill say? Let's look (a link to the full text is also provided):

92_SB1661

Findings  and  intent.  The General Assembly
7    finds that all children who are born alive  are  entitled  to
8    equal   protection   under   the   law   regardless   of  the
9    circumstances surrounding the birth.  Children who  are  born
10    alive as the result of an induced labor abortion or any other
11    abortion  are  in  special need of protection due to the fact
12    that the intent of their birth is to cause the death  of  the
13    born  child.   Therefore,  it  is  the  intent of the General
14    Assembly to protect a child who is born alive as  the  result
15    of  an  induced  labor  abortion or any other abortion and to
16    ensure that the child receives all medical care necessary  to
17    preserve  and  protect  the  life,  health, and safety of the
18    child.

Hmm, "all children who are born alive are entitled to equal protection under the law..." oh, and even those who are born as a result of an "induced labor abortion." This latter term is a late term abortion thus some number of the abortees make it out of the womb and actually draw a breath and see light, feel pain etc. Believe me, I don't mean to be in anyway callous about this. I am just trying to understand how you can vote AGAINST giving said abortee that draws a breath, sees light and feels pain a chance at becoming something more than a forgotten abortee. Now, a quick point of clarification: BO voted AGAINST the Bill when it came out of his Judicial Committee...he voted PRESENT in the full senate and was the only Senator to speak publicly against the Bill stating it would add "one more burden on women."

I don't want to take this post to engage in the abortion debate. Followers of my scribblings know where I stand. But even the most ardent pro-abortion folks...say, Barbara Boxer...believe that killing the infant outside the womb is murder. So, in an Obamaworld, if you are an infant who has exhibited the audacity to survive an abortion, lay low! Maybe they'll toss you in with the medical waste and you'll have a chance that an off-duty nurse just might find you and give you a chance. Miracles can happen...ask Illinois nurse, Jill Stanek, who testified before BO's committee:

"One night, a nursing co-worker was taking an aborted Down syndrome baby who was born alive to our Soiled Utility Room because his parents did not want to hold him, and she did not have the time to hold him. I couldn't bear the thought of this suffering child lying alone in a Soiled Utility Room, so I cradled and rocked him for the 45 minutes that he lived."

Obama wants to show compassion to all. He has compassion for the poor women who have late term abortions obviously. His chilling position on their potential progeny, however, reminds me of the Eudora Welty quote: "compassion leads to the gas chamber."

Rumble on!

Merle Haggard live-Fightin side of me

Still the best...God bless you Merle!

Rumble on!

What Are We Teaching In Science Classes?

Has anyone ever heard of the scientific method? Does anyone know how to gather information and analyze it without a preexisting bias?

In case you haven't heard, it seems that some global warming lemmings are postulating that there will be little or no ice at the North Pole this summer. The reason? What else but global warming? I'll tell you what else that these incompetent "scientists" have either not researched or have ignored for the advancement of their own agenda.

A team of research scientists (who actually deserve to be called "scientists") have discovered that volcanic eruptions have been taking place under the Arctic ice. These eruptions were previously thought to be virtually impossible due to the weight of the water on the ocean floor.

Please allow me to lay out the information for the global warming crowd in a very simple, methodical manner so they can understand.

1. The Earth has molten lava inside.
2. The heat from the molten lava builds pressure that pushes against the Earth's crust.
3. When the lava's pressure level exceeds the crust's ability to contain it, it forcefully pushes its way out through volcanoes. Some of those volcanoes are on the ocean floor. We have scientific proof of that, not just speculation and conjecture.
4. Since the average temperature of lava is 750°C (1382°F) and because ice begins to melt above a mere 0°C (32°F), we can deduce that a volcanic eruption below the Arctic Ocean would cause significant melting of the icy surface.

Science is not difficult but you must remain objective. You cannot predetermine a result then find data to support your theory. You will prove yourself right every time.

Accident or Intent?

All this stuff about Mike Klonskey led me to google "October League" a Maoist organization he helped fund. Take a look at the screenshot below ... see where it says "Sponsored Links" at the top of the page, just below "Communist Party" - is that coincidence or intent?


Now go over to Wikipedia and see the entry for "Communist Party" there...OK, here it is:

Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist) (USA)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

The Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist) was a Maoist political party in the United States. Its predecessor organization, the October League, was founded in 1971 by several local groups, many of which had grown out of the radical student organization Students for a Democratic Society when SDS split apart in 1969. Michael Klonsky, who had been a national leader in SDS in the late 1960s, was the main leader of the CP(M-L).

The October League came out of the Revolutionary Youth Movement II grouping in the SDS split. In 1977, the October League transformed itself from an organization into a party, declaring itself the vanguard party of the U.S. proletariat. This is when it changed its name to the Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist). The CP(M-L) had a very multi-racial membership compared to other organizations that were part of the New Communist Movement of the 1970s. Longtime Black communist Harry Haywood became a CP(M-L) member near the end of his life, and the CP(M-L)'s press, Liberator Press, published Haywood's book Black Bolshevik: Autobiography of an Afro-American Communist in 1978.

After the death of Communist Party of China leader Mao Zedong in 1976, the CP(M-L) became the main U.S. group that the post-Mao Chinese leadership recognized as a U.S. fraternal party. As the Communist Party of China moved away from Maoism, this moved the CP(M-L) away from other Maoist groups, who opposed the post-Mao Chinese leaders. The CP(M-L) published a theoretical journal called Class Struggle and a newspaper named The Call before disbanding in 1981 soon after Klonsky resigned from the leadership and amidst the beginnings of soon to be massive free-market reforms in China.

[edit] Further reading

• Haywood, Harry. Negro Liberation. Chicago. Liberator Press, 1976. 245p.

• October League (Marxist-Leninist) Building a new Communist Party in the U.S. October League (Marxist-Leninist), Los Angeles. 1973, 17p., wraps. Cover title: Party building in the U.S.

Look under the "Further reading" section and we find a book about "Negro Liberation" published in Chicago. Is this weird or what? More dots....negro liberation, communism, Chicago, Reverend Wright, Farakhan...I don't know about you, but I am getting a little creeped out!

Rumble on!

Vacation wines -- Day 6

2006 Widmer Brickstone Cellars Semi-Dry Riesling (Finger Lakes, NY) -- This wine was a dead-ringer for a Kabinett from the Rheingau. Beautiful nose of bright green apples and slate-y minerals. Crisp, refreshing, and full of flavor, all in a wonderful, light-bodied frame.

2007 Cairnbrae "The Stones" Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand) -- This wine had a striking and unusual color -- pure pewtery silver. Crisp scents of herbs and grass, with a nice artichoke component to the flavors.

2006 "Montenovo" Godello (Valdeorras, Spain) -- This wine was similar to a simple Maconnais white. Not bad, but not distinguished.


2006 Alvarinho Primaz Vinho Verde (Portugal) -- I'm usually not a Vinho Verde fan, but this had great minerally flavors and a crisp, beautiful texture . . . in other words, it had FLAVOR! Very nice.

Dinner: grilled red snapper, flounder, and shrimp (Marche style)

Vacation Wines -- Day 5

2004 Saladini Pilastri "Pregio del Conte" Rosso (Marche, Italy) -- This Montepulciano/Aglianico blend had a wonderful tobacco-ey earthy nose. It was a bit clipped in the finish, however, but still was quite nice.

2006 Tenuta San Leone Bardolino Superiore "Montesalionze" -- The 2005 of this wine, which I previously reviewed, was phenomenal. This vintage had a lot in common with the 2005 on the nose (concentrated cherry and cinnamon scents), but was a little lighter and had crisper acidity. Still excellent, but not quite up to its older sibling's standards.

Dinner: Risotto with "salcheech" (wine marinated sausage); risotto with green onions and spinach.

Who Rides the Magic Bus?

Who can forget The Who with their Magic Bus paean to buses taking us to our loved ones. Our friends at LittleGreenFootballs have been keeping track of the Obama campaign web-site. It is apparently a model of Soviet efficiency in eliminating potentially harmful material. The latest bus rider booted out the middle door is Mike Klonsky. Mikey was yet another of the pony-tailed happy crew that made up the Weathermen. Michael Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn were also among that meteorological band. Ahh, The Weathermen, the Weather Underground...perhaps a little refresher course is in order...this from Wikipedia:

The name Weatherman was derived from the Bob Dylan song “Subterranean Homesick Blues”, which featured the lyrics “You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.” The lyrics had been quoted at the bottom of an influential essay in the SDS newspaper, New Left Notes. Using this title the Weathermen meant, partially, to appeal to the segment of American youth inspired to action for social justice by Dylan’s songs. It appears also that the “Weatherman” moniker used by the group may have been meant as a rebuke against the Progressive Labor Party, whose Worker Student Alliance SDS faction had succeeded in recruiting many former SDSers to its ranks, and had allegedly co-opted the 1969 convention.

The Weatherman group had long held that militancy was becoming more important than nonviolent forms of anti-war action, and that university-campus-based demonstrations needed to be punctuated with more dramatic actions, which had the potential to interfere with the U.S. military and internal security apparatus. The belief was that these types of urban guerrilla actions would act as a catalyst for the coming revolution. Many international events indeed seemed to support the Weathermen’s overall assertion that worldwide revolution was imminent, such as the tumultuous Cultural Revolution in China; the 1968 student revolts in France, Mexico City and elsewhere; the Prague Spring; the emergence of the Tupamaros organization in Uruguay; the emergence of the Guinea-Bissauan Revolution and similar Marxist-led independence movements throughout Africa; and within the United States, the prominence of the Black Panther Party together with a series of “ghetto rebellions” throughout poor black neighborhoods across the country.^[10]

We felt that doing nothing in a period of repressive violence is itself a form of violence. That's really the part that I think is the hardest for people to understand. If you sit in your house, live your white life and go to your white job, and allow the country that you live in to murder people and to commit genocide, and you sit there and you don't do anything about it, that's violence.

—Naomi Jaffe^[6]

The Weathermen were outspoken advocates of the analytical concepts that later came to be known as “white privilege” and identity politics.^{[citation needed]} As the unrest in poor black neighborhoods intensified in the early 1970s, Bernardine Dohrn said, “White youth must choose sides now. They must either fight on the side of the oppressed, or be on the side of the oppressor.”

What is it with Barry O that he keeps finding himself in the same confines as Dohrn, Ayers and Klonsky? It is a frightening mind set if he respects and likes them. While people like this were blowing up buildings in the United States, a half-world away, young men were in battle. Young men who didn't care whether the guy next to him was black or white, who didn't care whether the fellow was poor or rich, who only cared that the two of them would get out alive. I am tearfully reminded of the concluding line in "We Were Soldiers" - the story of the first engagement between regular U.S. Army (7th Cavalry, Custer's Regiment) and the North Vietnamese Regular Army. Outnumbered by almost 10 to 1 (395 versus 3,000), fought for over two days and soundly defeated the NVA. Joe Galloway, a reporter on the scene, who wrote the book upon which the movie is based observed: There were no bands, no flags, no honor guard to welcome them home. They went to war because their country ordered them to. But in the end they fought not for their country or their flag, they fought for each other.

That, my friends, is real unity. And as someone who has served, I can tell you it is an unbreakable bond that someone like Barry O cannot grasp. Such a bond requires humility, trust and love. It does not require ambition or gain. It seeks only mutual reward. Ask the growing crowd under the Magic O Bus how it feels to have friends like Barry..."too much the Magic Bus!"


Post Note: For a quick look at the Bus List, visit Confederate Yankee. He's got Michelle Obama "clinging to the bumper." I've been saying for awhile, that the real reason Barry O is worried about the possibility of a controversial tape about her is he'll have to climb back there and pry her fingernails off the bumper.

Post post note: More on Mike Klonsky from our friends over at the Global Labor Forum:

However, it must be pointed out that a notorious ally of Bill Ayers for many years, Mike Klonsky, is an open member of the Obama campaign. Klonsky runs a blog on the official Obama website here where he claims to be a "professor of education" (the website of the Small Schools Workshop that he directs says only that he teaches some graduate courses, though it appears he was a visiting professor for one year at Nova Southeastern University in Florida in 2006-07) and says he blogs for Obama on "education politics and teaching for social justice."

Who is Mike Klonsky? Well, on one level, he might just appear to be a protege of Bill Ayers in the education world. He received, as I detail below, a $175,000 grant from the Ayers/Obama-led Annenberg Challenge to run the Small Schools Workshop that he and Ayers started in Chicago to push their school reform agenda.

But that is only half the story. Klonsky was one of the most destructive hardline maoists in the SDS in the late 60's who emerged from SDS to form a pro-Chinese sect called the October League that later became the Beijing-recognized Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist). As chairman of the party, Klonsky travelled to Beijing itself in 1977 and, literally, toasted the Chinese stalinist leadership who, in turn, "hailed the formation of the CP(ML) as 'reflecting the aspirations of the proletariat and working people,' effectively recognizing the group as the all-but-official US Maoist party." (Elbaum, Revolution in the Air, 228).

I know of no indications that Klonsky has ever expressed any regrets about that activity. Perhaps like his SDS comrade, Ayers, he, too, thinks he did not do enough back then. In my view they did more than enough.

Maoist? For some fun make sure you click on the link that says Mikey is a blogger for Obama - you get this subliminal image of an eagle and the Obama rising sun logo and then it flickers away. There are way too many of these moonbats floating in the water near the S.S. Obama to make it all be subliminal.

Are You Feeling Lucky, Punk?

So the Supreme Court goes from a stupid decision one day to a correct decision the next day. Blame it on Anthony Kennedy, the "John McCain" of the court. With four conservative justices and four liberals who vote fairly predictably, in many cases Kennedy is the deciding vote.

Yesterday, Kennedy voted against the death penalty for child rapists citing that it is "not a proportional punishment" and is "cruel and unusual." Based on that statement I can reasonably deduce that Kennedy thinks raping a child is not "cruel and unusual."

Today, he joined the conservative side of the court in not destroying the Second Amendment. The 5-4 vote struck down the Washington, DC ban on having handguns in a home for self-defense.

I am surprised that so many people are surprised by this decision. How hard is it to understand "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed?"

Vacation wines -- Day 4

2007 Anakena Pinot Noir (Rapel Valley, Chile) -- This was a simple, yet varietally correct Pinot from Chile. Soft and fragrant, with a pine forest earthiness.

2005 Mazzocco Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel "West Dry Creek" -- This was an outstanding Zin. Large-boned, ripe, soft, with rich spicy blackberry fruit and nice underlying mineraliness.

2006 Bassermann-Jordan Estate Riesling Trocken (Rheinpfalz, Germany) -- This was a very refreshing off-dry Riesling with lots of crisp, appley-peachy fruit and nice underlying steely minerality. I'm usually not a Trocken fan, as the wines sometimes tend to suppress Riesling's beautiful fruitiness in favor of just getting the damn thing fermented dry, but this was an exception. Very nice.

Dinner: Grilled T-bones and Strips with fresh chimichurri; sauteed greens with salt pork, garlic, rosemary, and oil.

Vacation wines -- Day 3

2005 Vincent Arroyo Napa Valley Petite Sirah -- This is a small Calistoga winery that Liz and I visited in 1993, and that my brother and his wife visited last year. Usually the wines he makes are very soft, ripe, balanced, and drinkable upon release. This one was just bizarre. Everyone agreed it smelled like lemon-lime Gatorade powder.

2006 Edmeades Mendocino County Zinfandel -- Atypical, but very nice. Soft, berryish fruit, very fleshy and ripe. Won't age well, but nice for current drinking.

2006 Jean Albrecht Pinot Blanc (Alsace) -- This was very clean and fresh, with nice peachy fruit. Not complex or distinguished, but fun to drink.

2002 Pierre Sparr Gewurztraminer "Vendages Tardives" (Alsace) -- This late harvest Gewurz was really nice. Lots of apricot and lychee nut fruit, long fresh finish. Not cloyingly sweet.

Dinner: Pasta with meat sauce; pasta with garlic, oil, and broccoli.

Why Are You Voting?

I have been hearing some very alarming reasons why people are or are not voting this November. I fear that our public school system and parents have failed to convey important values to young people and we are not seeing the results.

The primary reasons people are voting for Obama?

• We need change.
• Bush and the Republicans have hurt this country.
• He will get us out of Iraq.
  
• He's a good speaker.
• He's nice looking.
• He's young.
• He's black.
  

I look at that list and I am unable to find even one reason is a required qualification to be president.

The reasons people are not voting for McCain?

• We need change.
• Bush and the Republicans have hurt this country.
• He will keep us in Iraq.
  
• He's old.
  

The second item I will give you. If you happen to believe that. In some ways I suppose it is true but not in the ways most liberals mean.

So we basically have turned out elections into Hollywood style popularity contests. Who's the best looking? Who's the coolest?

Obama is nothing more than an ogre in a nice suit. His plan for change will be a change for the worse.

Come on people!! Don't be stupid!! Do some research. Learn something for yourselves. Don't rely on the media to tell you what is going on.

You can't vote for or against someone because of their looks or because they are or aren't a good speaker. You can't not vote for someone because they are "old". When did we eliminate experience and wisdom as qualifications to be president?

Vacation wines -- Day 2

2006 Ferrando Erbaluce di Caluso "La Torrazza" -- This was a very refreshing, dry white. Stylistically like a good Sancerre or Chablis, this wine had great minerality and refreshing dry fruit.

2005 Tenuta San Leone Bardolino Superiore "Montesalionze" -- This wine, which I previously raved about, is still drinking wonderfully, and has lots of life left. An amazing Veronese wine.

2004 Edmunds St. John "Rocks and Gravel" -- This was a really French-styled Rhone blend from California. The label doesn't give info about the varietal(s), but from the spicy blackberry, olive, iodine, and gravelly-earthy scents and flavors, I'm guessing that this has lots of Grenache and a bit of Mourvedre and maybe some Carignane in it. Very elegant.

2005 Guigal Cotes du Rhone -- To see just how French the previous wine actually was, we opened this one next. Though tight upon opening opening, it developed a rich, spicy cassis fruitiness, with earthy, iodine, and herbal undertones. It was really good, and, if anything, it was even more Californian in style than the previous (California) wine.

Dinner: Pollo in potacchio Marchegiana

Vacation wines -- Day 1

We're on a huge extended family vacation at the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It's not avenue conducive to measured, objective note-taking, but I'll try, amidst the chaos, to write a few quick notes about the wines we're drinking. Here's the first day.

2004 Pillar Box Red -- I previously reviewed (and really liked) this Australian Shiraz-Cabernet blend. It's still drinking beautifully. Rich cassis fruit and a charcoally, smoky component. Full and soft.

2006 "Peace" -- This 1.5 liter Cabernet-Shiraz blend from southeast Australia was fruity, clean, and well-balanced.

Dinner: grilled hamburgers and hot dogs (hey, we'd just arrived at the beach house -- give me a break).

What are they selling?

More from those crazy cats over at TruthThroughAction.org. So in the last installment we learned that liberal chicks were easy...at least in that one, they were easy on the eye. Now (and you can buy the t-shirt!) we learn that they are overweight, don't wear bras and for some reason need cycling gloves to umm go after(?) their skinny androgynous mates? Good God Son, check your package! Why is he(?) the one covering his breasts?

Is this the vision of change that Obama seeks to bring? Here's the "all male" version from their site...what a hottie!


Sorry, I am going to go vomit.

Rumble on.

I hurt myself laughing...

Barack Balled

OK, I confess...I was going to post the original "Truth through Action" video and talk about liberal chicks being easy. But along the way found out someone had already done the work for me. It is a testament to how STUPID the Democrats really think you are if they believe that stuff like this is going to win them votes. Oh wait, with the numbskulls gushing out of our education system, this just might work!

Rumble on!

Official Theme Song of the Democrat Party

Great theater brought back to life in time for the Democrats to discuss energy policy.

Pi - Those Crazy Anglo-Saxons!

This from The Guardian in the UK:

"The formation, measuring 150ft in diameter, is apparently a coded image representing the first 10 digits, 3.141592654, of pi.

It is has appeared in a field near Barbury Castle, an iron-age hill fort above Wroughton, Wilts, and has been described by astrophysicists as "mind-boggling".

Michael Reed, an astrophysicist, said: "The tenth digit has even been correctly rounded up. The little dot near the centre is the decimal point."

I don't know about you, but I could probably come up with something other than this to do on a Friday night...but hey, whatever floats your boat!

2007 Domaine de Corbillières PINOT NOIR ROSÉ (Touraine, France)

Another winner from this outstanding Loire Valley domaine. While not as amazing as the 2005 rosé, reviewed previously here, this was really enjoyable. And a GREAT value as well.
Eye: Beautiful light pinkish-cantaloupe color.

Nose: Really exuberant nose of strawberries, powdered stony minerals, and a tres leches-like, cream-laden angel cake component.

Mouth: Bright, fresh, and fruity, with medium-light body and loads of crisp fruit, and a nice "lift" and clarity to the long finish.

Score: 89.

Cellar or drink? It's a dang rosé, for Pete's sake. You know what to do: chill it and drink it this summer!

Price/store: Was $10.99 at Richard's on Voss (near San Felipe).

2004 Martinelli SYRAH "Terra Felices" (Russian River Valley, Cal.)

This was a ripe, rich, earthy Syrah for short-term enjoyment. I thought it was very enjoyable, despite being a little softer and lower in acidity than I usually expect Syrah to be.

Eye: Dark, saturated black ruby with violet at the rim.

Nose: Fairly intense nose of roasted red meat, spicy and oozingly ripe blackberries, and balsa wood.

Mouth: Luciously soft and full in the mouth. Remarkable texture. Very low acidity, however, which is surprising to me, given that the Russian River Valley is generally known as a relatively cool climate AVA. Fleshy, rich cassis flavors, with equal magnitude notes of iodine and irony-earth. Long, ripe, soft finish.

Score: 89.

Cellar or drink? I would drink this over the next year or two. It' seems just too soft and too ripe to gamble on cellaring.

Price/store: This was on the wine list at Reef, where, despite the name, my wife and I had it with non-fish dishes. (Did you know that you can re-cork and take home unfinished wine from restaurants in Texas? Despite living in Texas for the last 10 years, I didn't, until our waitress suggested it!)

2005 Pascual Toso CABERNET SAUVIGNON "Reserve" Las Barrancas Vineyards (Mendoza, Argentina)

A complex, generous, high-class, good-value Cabernet.

Eye: Fully saturated black/blood red color.

Nose: Incredibly rich nose of ripe cassis, blackberry, chocolate, roasted coffee beans, and crushed stones.

Mouth: Soft and very full-flavored, with rich blackberry fruit and lots of dark chocolatey notes, as well as loads of metallic minerals, particularly in the finish (which is long, long!) Substantial tannin, but it's soft, so it doesn't detract from immediate drinking pleasure.

Score: 90.

Cellar or drink? This will certainly last for another several years, although its flavors are so open and inviting now, I can't see it developing additional nuances.

Price/store: Was $15 at Whole Foods on Bellaire.

Two great but very different Pinot Noirs

We had our friends -- at least I HOPE they're still our friends* -- the Finleys over last night for roast prime rib and Pinot Noir night. We enjoyed two tremendous but very very different renditions of the grape.


2004 Cristom "Louise Vineyard" Willamette Valley (Oregon) PINOT NOIR -- This relatively light-colored wine was unbelievably complex and fragrant, with earthy, smoky, minerally sappy cherry flavors, full body, and a long soft finish. (Robert Finley said something something about eating chocolate-dipped cherries in a log-cabin hunting lodge sitting in front of a peat fire). If I were scoring, this would have been in the 92-95 range. For drinking over the next year.







2002 Daniel Bocquenet ECHEZEAUX (Burgundy, France) -- This wine was densely colored and very tightly-wound, with substantial structure for ageing. The nose developed and opened slowly over time, initially revealing a prominent menthol/eucalyptus component that stayed with the wine throughout the evening. But as it sat, tight fruity aromas of hard plum and cherry candy, and well as smoky/minerally scents emerged. Nice acid balance as well, which, together with the plentiful tannic structure, indicated to me that this wine needs (yes, needs) 5 more years at least in a cool cellar. I probably would have scored this somewhere in the 90+ to 91+ range.



* I say "hope" because I was in full argumentative mode the latter half of the dinner, which, um, detracted from the usual level of collegiality.

I am not making this stuff up...

This from the USA Today today (umm, your honor, your honor):

ELYRIA, Ohio (AP) — A judge in Ohio says the state's method of putting prisoners to death is unconstitutional because two of three drugs used in the lethal injection process can cause pain.

Lorain County Common Pleas Judge James Burge said Tuesday the state's lethal injection procedure doesn't provide the quick and painless death required by Ohio law.

Burge said Ohio must stop allowing a combination of drugs and focus instead on a single, anesthetic drug.

The ruling is likely be appealed to the Ohio Supreme Court.

Ohio has executed 26 inmates since it resumed putting prisoners to death in 1999.

OK, we could argue about the death penalty and whether it's inhumane to kill someone who has committed murder and other heinous crimes, but here's the picture that accompanied the story:

Yeah, the purple tie is a little passe, the craggy finger with the slightly too long fingernail is a little funny...wait! What's that popping up over his shoulder? Is that an Obama poster?? Why yes it is! Good thing there is no other art work up there...oh wait, who is that guy on the left (hyuk, hyuk!) is it Superman?

Nope, it's our good old Argentinean pest controller, Che! For a quick history refresher, here's the short bio from Wikipedia:

Ernesto "Che" Guevara (May 14, 1928 – October 9, 1967), commonly known as Che Guevara, El Che, or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, politician, author, physician, military theorist, and guerrilla leader. His stylized image also later became an ubiquitous countercultural symbol worldwide.

As a young medical student, Guevara travelled throughout Latin America and was transformed by the endemic poverty he witnessed. His experiences and observations during these trips led him to conclude that the region's ingrained economicinequalities were an intrinsic result of monopoly capitalism, neo-colonialism, and imperialism, with the only remedy being world revolution. This belief prompted his involvement in Guatemala's social reforms under President Jacobo Arbenz, whose eventualCIA-assisted overthrow solidified Guevara’s radical ideology.

Later, in Mexico, he joined and was promoted to commander in Fidel Castro’s 26th of July Movement, playing a pivotal role in the successful guerrilla campaign to overthrow the U.S.-backed Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista.^[1] After the Cuban revolution, Guevara served in many prominent governmental positions, including president of the national bank, minister of industry, and “supreme prosecutor” over the revolutionary tribunals and executions of suspected war criminals from the previous regime. Along with traversing the globe to meet an array of world leaders on behalf of Cuban socialism, he was a prolific writer and diarist. One of his most prominent published works includes a manual on the theory and practice of guerrilla warfare. Guevara left Cuba in 1965 to incite revolutions first in an unsuccessful attempt in Congo-Kinshasa and then in Bolivia, where he was captured with help of the CIA and executed.Both notorious for his harsh discipline and revered for his unwavering dedication to his revolutionary doctrines, Guevara remains an admired, controversial, and significant historical figure.

I am sure that once again, Obama will state that "he does not know this man" and "I never heard him say those things..." but what is it about old lefties that makes them want to hang a picture of a murdering Marxist thug as art? What are the characteristics or policies that he represented that are so appealing? "Harsh discipline?" "Unwavering dedication to his revolutionary doctrines?" Somehow, these folks see something in Obama that makes them gooey kneed in the same way that Che does. Remember these shots from the Houston campaign office?

Clinton Supporters Work on Enemies List

Now that the campaign is officially suspended Bill and Hillary and their supporters have some time on their hands to reflect on the race for the Democrat Party nomination, Mark Leibovich reports in the New York Times that supporters of the former first couple have been making a list of who did right and who did wrong to the Clintons.

Leibovich cites Clinton insider Doug Band's storied scorekeeping of friends and enemies of Bill and Hill in the wake of the primary race. Leibovich writes, Mr. Band keeps close track of the past allies and beneficiaries of the Clintons who supported Mr. Obama’s campaign, three Clinton associates and campaign officials said. Indeed, he is widely known as a member of the Clinton inner circle whose memory is particularly acute on the matter of who has been there for the couple — and who has not.

Mr. Band, who declined to comment, is hardly alone in tallying those considered to have crossed the former candidate or the former president in recent months by supporting Mr. Obama. As the Obama bandwagon has swelled, so have the lists of people Clinton loyalists regard as some variation of “ingrate,” “traitor” or “enemy,” according to the associates and campaign officials, who would speak only on condition of anonymity.

Based on the names mentioned in the article the short list for Clinton "traitor" A-lister would have to lead off with New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson who served as Energy Secretary and later United Nations ambassador under the administration of President Bill Clinton. Richardson had tilted markedly toward Hillary in the early stages of the campaign but shifted in the last minutes Other notables cited as "charter members" in the top-tier list of Clinton enemies are Matt Drudge, and MSNBC hosts Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann. Select members of the DNC rules committee would have to be included in the list.

I prefer to think of the Clintons during this time as the cute couple depicted in this early video released by Hillary's campaign during the early stages of her run for the White House.

Democrats Vote In Support Of Terrorism

Democrats on a House Appropriations subcommittee rejected a Republican proposal to drill for oil between 50 and 200 miles off the U.S. coast. All 9 Democrats on the subcommittee voted to continue our support of terrorism by reinforcing our dependence on Middle Eastern sources of oil.

Chairman David Obey said we are kidding ourselves if we think we can drill our way out of this problem. He's partially right.

First, Democrats have to loosen the choke hold environmentalists have on their party so that more refineries can be built without the shackles and outrageous additional costs placed on oil companies by ill-devised environmental legislation. Once we have sufficient refinery capacity, then we should look at opening new areas for drilling in this country to lessen our dependence on foreign oil.

At what price for gasoline will we demand that our Congress allow drilling in this country? Do we have to get to $5.00 per gallon? $10.00? How much damage to our economy will we allow before we do what is logical?

Messianic Mumblings?

The left wants us to believe he is the new Messiah...note the "fired up" crowds. Off prompter, this guy is an empty suit.

Windfall Profits Tax? How Stupid Can You Be?

I am as unhappy with fuel prices as the next guy. I just finished driving about 1200 miles while on vacation. I planned my vacation late last year when gasoline prices were much lower.

However, this idea that the oil companies must be "punished" for making money is childish at best and is Marxist. Looks like Dick Durbin has been re-reading his copy of Das Kapital. Durbin made the following disturbing statement: "The oil companies need to know that there is a limit on how much profit they can take in this economy."

That statement should send chills down your spine. If Obama becomes president and the Senate gets enough seats to overcome a GOP filibuster, you can expect things like this to be rammed down our throats.

Maybe your company makes too much money. Should the government tell you how much profit it enough? Should the government tell ANYBODY how much profit is enough? Talk about running roughshod over the Constitution!!

Besides that, does Congress think taking the oil company profits will drive the price of fuel down? Are they really that stupid? No, they aren't and they know it won't help. Their greed far exceeds that of the oil companies and they have done nothing to deserve it. They have not provided any products or services that have benefitted us. They are nothing more than thieves in suits.

Contact your senators and tell them you oppose this Marxist legislation.

I really don't get it!

Sorry, the butt of my rifle hit me in the knees when I reached for my Bible and I tripped over this image on the Internet.  Whoever owns this needs to identify themselves, genius should be acknowledged.

This just in from a good friend:

Chilling resemblance, yes?

Gingrich: I'm deeply worried

Regardless of how you feel about Newt, you need to listen to this.

"How the Jewish Lobby Works" entry posted on Obama Campaign Website

Little Green Footballs spotted an entry for "How the Jewish Lobby Works" on the candidate's campaign website and uncovers a long list of the motivations behind Obama's supporters. Michelle Malkin and PowerLine Blog also picked up on the vile Jew-Hating entry on the Senator's official campaign website.



The site was quickly scrubbed but not before LGF was able to capture this image on the official Internet presence of Senator "Change You Can Believe In".


Before you dismiss with a "How can he possibly control what his supporters say" defense keep in mind that Obama is not running a public blog hosting service but is running to become President of the United States. These vile entries are appearing on his official website.

Not to worry however there are plenty of Marxists/Socialists/Communists/Jew-Haters posting Blog entries for their candidate under my.barackobama.com as sampled here and they have plenty to say about what he will do about Israel and the United States if he ever gets elected to the highest office in the land.

Here was another charming entry captured by LGF that appeared on Obama's website titled; These Jews Are Corrupting U.S. Politics. This little diddy was available to you if you clicked the link titled “Tennessee for Obama ‘08” at the top of the page according to LGF.

The fun just doesn't end there. This entry is posted by Jemaah Islamiyah For Obama and noted on LGF.

Allah has blessed us with a man who will stand up to the neoconservatives and the racist zionists. I believe with all my heart that Barack Obama will stop the American occupation of Iraq. No longer will American soldiers be able to kill our women and children with impunity.

Mr. Obama will also talk to Iran's leader Mahmoud Amadinejad, whom the current chimp in the White House has treated so badly. I mean why should American and Israel be able to have nukes but not Iran? That is very unfair. Obama will right that wrong.

Here's what the entry looks like:





















And more joyous news. If elected Obama promisses to "Prosecute War Criminals" according to this flyer titled Turn the Page in Iraq uncovered by LGF.

Obama must have really hated to give that talk before AIPAC last week. Only last week, Barack first reassured his audience that "Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided".


Obama's campaign quickly issued a "clarification" on Barack's assurances to AIPAC. "Jerusalem is a final status issue, which means it has to be negotiated between the two parties" as part of "an agreement that they both can live with. Two principles should apply to any outcome," reported the Jerusalem Post on remarks made by an Obama campaign advisor addressing the issue. The adviser demurred that, "Jerusalem remains Israel's capital and it's not going to be divided by barbed wire and checkpoints as it was in 1948-1967." The advisor, refused, however, to rule out other configurations, such as the city also serving as the capital of a Palestinian state or Palestinian sovereignty over Arab neighborhoods.

Not exactly a rock-solid endorsement for Jerusalem's status as Israel's capital. And Obama's ability to attract the support from groups and individuals that have such vile hatred for Israel and the United States is troubling to say the least.

2006 Ferraton CROZES-HERMITAGE (White) "La Matinière" (Rhone Valley, France)

This was a very full-flavored, weighty white wine. I believe it's made with 100% Marsanne grape, but I'm not sure.

Eye: Brassy gold color.

Nose: Shy nose at first, but as it warmed up and aired out, it developed a beautiful nose of crushed stones, tropical fruit, and melted butter.

Mouth: Broadly-flavored and with a pleasantly heavy mouthfeel, this wine spreads out on the palate with deep, low acid flavors of stony minerals, pears, and zucchini blossom. Long and full-bodied. Loads of character.

Score: 88.

Cellar or drink? White from Crozes-Hermitage can age a bit, but not for nearly as long as the white from its more prestigious sister appellation, Hermitage. However, the sheer weight and concentration of this wine suggest that it could last another year or two, if you insist on delaying gratification.

Price/store: Was $19.99 at Central Market.

UPDATE (6/10): Fixed the mistake in the heading . . . sorry.

2005 Louis Latour POUILLY-VINZELLES "En Paradis" (Burgundy, France)

This wine is almost always a sure bet for a good value, minerally, unoaked Chardonnay.

Eye: Very light silvery gold with greenish glints.

Nose: Lots of lemon-lime fruit, creamy marzipan, and lots of earthy stones.

Mouth: Earthy/minerally in the mouth, with some pear-like fruit. Full body and a very pleasant earthy, straw-like finish.

Score: 87.

Cellar or drink? Drink over the next few months.

Price/store: Was about $15 at Spec's on Holcombe, though I think most sizable Spec's stores stock this.

2006 Quinta do Penedo DÃO (Portugal)

This relatively inexpensive wine, which is produced by an estate in the stable of the large Portuguese wine concern, Messias, was very balanced, flavorful, and interesting.

Eye: Saturated black, black ruby color.

Nose: Very interesting nose -- smoky embers, sandstone, and sweet plums.

Mouth: Soft and broadly-flavored, but lacking just a tad of concentration in the mid-palate. Flavors of sweet cassis and plum fruit, with iodine and a pleasant, slightly bitter earthy component.

Was very nice with pasta in a rich sauce that included tomatoes, garlic, prosciutto, soppressata, fresh mozzarella, and lots of herbs.

Score: 87.

Cellar or drink? Drink over the next year or so.

Price/store: Was $13 and change at Spec's on Smith.

Hillary Delivers Concession Speech, Gives Support to Obama

Before a wildly supportive and enthusiastic crowd of campaign faithful, Hillary Rodham Clinton conceded her race for the nomination and threw her support behind Barack Hussein Obama for the Party's 2008 Democratic Presidential race in November. In what promisses to be a rough road ahead for Obama the sound of booing piercing the cheers of others in the audience can be heard on the tape. Toward the end of the segment, when Hillary says "And I ask all of you to join me in working as hard for Barack Obama as you have for me." the boos are so overwhelming and disruptive that she has to stop and pause before continuing with her obligatory endoresment of the man from Hyde Park.



LGF detects A Distinct Lack of Enthusiasm by the Hill faithfull for changing horses in mid-stream.

The most striking thing about Hillary Clinton’s “concession” speech was the reaction of the crowd. Most of the speech was actually about Hillary, not Obama — but every time she used her catchphrase “We must elect Barack Obama,” the crowd’s reaction was less and less enthusiastic, and a lot of people were booing.

The last time she said it, there was almost no applause. People sitting behind her podium gave it a perfunctory golf clap.

Hillary is 44 acknowledges The Party's Over and notes:

Sixty percent of her Democratic supporters would vote for Obama, 17 percent would vote for McCain, and 22 percent say they would stay at home in November and not vote for anyone.

And a few words of advice to Hillary: If you lie down with dogs you wake up with fleas.

Michelle Malkin points to a Boston Globe article bemoaning the negative reaction of the Clinton faithful to the very thought of supporting Obamessiah.

Hundreds of women have logged onto Clinton's campaign website, with many insisting they will not vote for "that man" - Obama - and urging Clinton to run as an independent or challenge Obama's nomination at the August convention in Denver. Many on the website pledged to vote for Senator John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive GOP nominee.

A new 527 called the PUMA (Party Unity My Ass) PAC has formed to fight the party and the media for the shameful way Mrs. Clinton was treated by her own party and former media fans.

In Thank You, Hillary Clinton. We'll take it from here.

The PUMAs give a synopsis of how their candidate was treated by the DNC bosses and their media jackals.

Hillary was baited by false accusations of racism. She was called a monster for competing with all her strength. She was depicted using the most humiliating and sexist sorts of stereotypes — as a castrater, a witch, a madwoman, a harpie, a shrew, a bitch, inhuman and insane. These twisted depictions did not come from the public, from voters or citizens who did not support her. If they had, it would be unfortunate, but not unconscionable. But they did not. The majority of Americans admired and continue to admire Hillary Clinton, even after all these months of insulting and demeaning onslaught by the media and her own political party. No, the personal and humiliating attacks on Hillary Clinton, the rhetorical violence used to undermine her legitimacy, her very existence, came from the institutions of American life that we rely on every single day — for guidance, for information, for leadership, for truth. By shirking that responsibility for guidance; by throwing principles to the wind and engaging in a witch-hunt; by using technicalities instead of inspiration to win — they have let us all down. This is truly a shameful day for them.

But our new work is just beginning. We now have a duty to ourselves, our candidate, our party, and our country to make those institutions accountable for their actions. Pumas, this is not the end for us — it is only the beginning.

WE WILL BE PROTESTING THE 2008 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

WE WILL NOT VOTE FOR THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE

We want it back.

They're mad as Hell and they're not going to take it anymore!

D-Day Tribute

This is dedicated to the brave men who sixty-four years ago today took part in the largest invasion in history as allied troops invaded Normandy in France to free Europe from the tyranny of Nazi conquest and domination.

The men and women who sacrificed so much for that momentous day opened the way for freedom's light to pierce through the darkest night of facist rule. These and their peers truly were the greatest generation.

We will never forget you or your sacrifice, and we will forever be in your debt.

God Bless you all!

Barack Detours when asked about Michelle Race Rant

Questioned by a McClatchy News reporter about the veracity of rumors circulating around the Internet that wife Michelle was caught on video in a heated rant against white people, Senator Obama brushed aside the question and turned instead to decry whispering campaigns.

Politico's Ben Smith says the Senator responded with, “We have seen this before. There is dirt and lies that are circulated in e-mails and they pump them out long enough until finally you, a mainstream reporter, asks me about it,”....That gives legs to the story. If somebody has evidence that myself or Michelle or anybody has said something inappropriate, let them do it.”

Smith writes, Asked whether he knew it not to be true, Obama said he had answered the question.

So was it even acceptable to ask the question?

Before Obama could answer, communications director Robert Gibbs interjected: “You just did.”

“That is my point,” Obama said. “I just think people have to think about it before they ask.”

The reason the reporter asked the question Senator Obama, was to dispel rumors swirling around the Internet of a race centered tirade by the Missus at the 2004 Rainbow/PUSH Coalition conference held in your city that year. The reporter assigned to your entourage was giving you a golden opportunity to categorically deny that any such outburst ever occured by the woman who provides the world with a window to your soul.

Instead of responding with a conclusive answer such as, "It's absolutely untrue." or "Michelle never said anything of the sort." or even, "That's a complete lie." the Senator instead responded with a reflexive retort, then redirected to the subject of how unflatering stories are circulated by email, scolded the reporter for having the temerity to ask the such a question and finally challenges the unknown person or person's holding such a compromising recording to produce the evidence!

Are we at some forensic forum or at trial that you should respond in such an indirect manner to a direct question Senator? Has the practice of engaging in Socratic fencing matches when confronted with direct queries become second nature to you?

A flat out "No" Senator would have gone a whole lot farther in putting this whole thing to rest than responding with stupid debating trick #1, Attack The Messenger. Why address a question when you can attack the questioner? By attacking the questioner you can avoid answering directly or answering at all and then redirect to appear to hold the higher ground.

OK, you heard the Senator, if someone really has a Tape or DVD or oil painting of Michelle Obama deep in the throes of some race-baiting rant then produce the evidence for all of us to see. It's time for the person or person's holding such collateral to put up or shut up because if such a video does exist, Obama's campaign to represent his party this November is finished.

Chicagoans Against Obama too are not impressed by the Senator's non-answer answer.

...it looks like this tape probably does exist based on the following:

1. Barack did not deny it’s existence

2. He reverted to belittling a reporter for asking the question—he typically does this if someone refers to, or asks him about……his middle name, heritage, lack of experience, voting record, lies, preachers, mentors, fundraisers, wife, Palestinian friends, Hamas negotiating foreign policy advisors, terrorist friends, etc……