Best part of interview was Pam Geller's retort to Dem Strategist flack Bob Beckel's charge that Geller is anti-Islam. I'm not anti-Islam, counters Geller, I'm counter Jihad, and if you can't tell the difference sir, you've got some real problems.
Zing!
ABC News Admits Wrongdoing from "Freelancer" Covering Ground Zero Protest
Andrea Lafferty appeared on the Janet Mefferd Show to talk about the actions of a member of an ABC news crew at a Ground Zero Protest. While Andrea was on the Janet Mefferd Radio Show, the host read an acknowledgement she received from Geoffrey W. Schneider Senior VP and spokesman from ABC. In the statement issued by Mr. Schneider, the company admitted that a freelance audio technician did aggressively interview protestors and was not instructed to engage protestors at the rally according to ABC. The statement noted that the freelancer had been "repremanded" by the company.
Andrea responded that Mr. Schneider's explanation was nothing more than a cover-up and reported that there two full-time ABC employees at the protest. This was a setup. said Ms. Lafferty of the news crew's actions. She noted that an ABC cameraman who was a full-time employee of the broadcast company and a young woman who is a field producer for ABC were at the protest and did nothing to disuade the freelancer from engaging in his course of action. Andrea Lafferty maintains that the ABC news crew was on location, trying to gin up a confrontation so they could get news.
Andrea responded that Mr. Schneider's explanation was nothing more than a cover-up and reported that there two full-time ABC employees at the protest. This was a setup. said Ms. Lafferty of the news crew's actions. She noted that an ABC cameraman who was a full-time employee of the broadcast company and a young woman who is a field producer for ABC were at the protest and did nothing to disuade the freelancer from engaging in his course of action. Andrea Lafferty maintains that the ABC news crew was on location, trying to gin up a confrontation so they could get news.
Apparent ABC News Employee Caught Baiting Ground Zero Mosque Protestor
Ahh, the enlightened and ever-so-unbiased media. Andrea S. Lafferty writes in Big Journalism on the agent provocateur actions of an apparent employee of ABC covering a Ground Zero Mosque protest. Andrea noticed that the man was aggressively questioning an older gentleman holding a sign that read, “No Sharia Here." “Why do you feel threatened? What are you afraid of? Why can’t you answer my questions?” “Why do you feel threatened? What are you afraid of? Why can’t you answer my questions?” hammered the younger man dressed in black shirt while brandishing a phone camera.
Andrea's instincts kicked in and she took out her camera to record the scene. Andrea writes, When I challenged the man in the black shirt, asking him to tell me what media outlet he worked for, he refused to answer. He walked away. But there was cameraman was standing nearby, watching the scene play out. When I asked, he said he worked for ABC News. I then asked if the man in the black shirt was with him. The ABC cameraman said, “yes.”
Read the whole post here.
You don't think the media would try and stage a confrontation and then cover the ugly scene as news do you? -- Yes! They must be desperate.
Andrea's instincts kicked in and she took out her camera to record the scene. Andrea writes, When I challenged the man in the black shirt, asking him to tell me what media outlet he worked for, he refused to answer. He walked away. But there was cameraman was standing nearby, watching the scene play out. When I asked, he said he worked for ABC News. I then asked if the man in the black shirt was with him. The ABC cameraman said, “yes.”
Read the whole post here.
You don't think the media would try and stage a confrontation and then cover the ugly scene as news do you? -- Yes! They must be desperate.
2008 ElementOs 70% Tempranillo/30% Garnacha (Calatayud, Spain)
A ridiculous bargain! A soft, well-made, flavorful red with a bit of complexity for $5.99? Pretty darn rare. I bought this to cook with and ended up drinking most of it.
Dark ruby color. Youthful nose of blueberries, cinnamon, and coffee. Mouthfilling clean blackberry fruit augmented with stony minerals. Pure-tasting, decently long finish, with good balancing acidity. 87. $5.99 at Whole Foods on Bellaire.
(Sorry -- couldn't find a photo.)
2008 "THREE TREES" (100% Syrah) (VDP de Cotes Catalanes, southwest France)
This is a very good wine for the money. Tastes like a much more expensive Cornas.
Dark black ruby with violet highlights. Closed at first, with significant air time (and pouring through a Vinturi), it develops a big, dark, meaty, smoky blackcherry extract nose. The glory here, however, is in the mouth. These grapes must have been picked the perfect time. Loads of perfectly ripe, plummy, blackberry fruit, together with loads of smoky, sandstoney earth, Fantastic acidity. Lots of chewy, ripe tannins. Excellent! 90. Was $16.99 at Houston Wine Merchant on South Shepherd. Imported by Louis/Dressner Selections.
2006 Eric Chevalier (Domaine de l'Aujardiere) CHARDONNAY (Loire Valley, France)
This is an outstanding value in a fresh, minerally, unoaked Chardonnay. Tastes a lot like a high quality Chablis.
Very light gold color. Nose of lemony-limey fresh grapes infused with chalky rock dust. Loads of lively, peachy fruit, with a clean, stony component throughout. Bone dry and very refreshing. Medium-light bodied, with a very pure-tasting finish. Very nice, and definitely a repeat purchase at $13 and change at Spec's on Smith. 88. A Kermit Lynch Selection.
2009 Chateau Saint-Pierre de Mejans ROSÉ (Cotes de Luberon, France)
This was a terrific, refreshing rose.
Very light, pinkish-copper color. Very fresh, ripe nose of earthy minerals and freshly-crushed plums. In the mouth, loads of ripe fruit and mineral flavors are delivered in a medium-bodied, dry format. Very good acidity, especially for a wine from southern France. 88. Was $14 and change at Spec's on Smith.
2006 Masi "Brolo di Campofiorin" RIPASSO (Veneto, Italy)
An example of what would have been -- if not for the use of small oak instead of the typical large casks -- an excellent wine. The influence of the small barrels made it too oaky for its own good.
Sultry, black ruby/crimson color. Rich but intensely oaky nose, with ripe, sappy black cherry and smoky earth underneath. Dark, chocolatey, and intense, with good balancing acidity. Unfortunately, the taste of oak overshadows the fruit, detracting from what otherwise were obviously good raw materials. 84. Was $16 at Nundini's Deli -- a great Italian import store on North Shepherd.
2008 Zaumau (Priorat, Spain)
This garnacha (grenache) and samso (carignane) blend was excellent. Very soft, ripe, and balanced.
Vibrant dark black ruby. Textbook Spanish grenache nose of crushed-stone infused spicy dark raspberries and black cherry. Richly fruity and velvety soft, this mouthfilling yet not-heavy red offered lots of rich, up-front berry fruit, full-body, and a lengthy, pure-tasting finish. Some very fine-grained tannin and good acidity added structure. Very nice. Imported by one of my favorite Spanish importers, Jose Pastor Selections. 90. $20 at Spec's on Weslayan.
Coupla middlin' Italian wines
Not really worth their own blog entry.
2008 Pieropan SOAVE (Veneto, Italy) had a bitterish and sour component. Nice medium gold color, but the nose was kind of pungent, with lots of pungent minerals and sour pear fruit, with an interesting caramelized sugar crystal component. Some pear, apple, and lemon fruit, but led to a short, pungent, minerally finish. Funky. 78. Kind of disappointing, as Pieropan was one of the first producers to bring Soave out of the insipid, industrial acid water that used to pass as white wine in the appellation in the 1970s.
2006 Barberani "POLAGO" (Montepulciano-Sangiovese blend) (Umbria, Italy) -- This had some character but was too rustic. Med. dark ruby garnet. Straightforward, vinous nose of winey, old cherries, smoke, and moist, funky gravel. Medium body, with basic cherryish flavors that faded quickly into an acidy, rough, drying finish. A decent peasant wine to quaff with basic spaghetti and meatballs. 80.
Obama Booed in Prerecorded Address to Boy Scouts
Although U.S. president's since William Howard Taft have served as honorary presidents of the Boy Scouts of America, Barack Hussein Obama's address wasn't so warmly received by the nation's future political, science and business leaders attending the 100 year anniversary of Scouting in the U.S.A.
In a bid to try and shore up his sagging poll numbers with women voters, Obama took a pass on personally attending the National Jamboree held in nearby Virginia this year to jaunt up to New York City where he could flirt with the Marxist hens running The View. The dismissive attitude this president holds for the Scouts is played back one hundredfold by the Scouts who see through his cynical ploy and respond accordingly.
In stark contrast, the Christian rock band Switchfoot received a warm welcome by attendees of the 2010 Boy Scout Jamboree.
In a bid to try and shore up his sagging poll numbers with women voters, Obama took a pass on personally attending the National Jamboree held in nearby Virginia this year to jaunt up to New York City where he could flirt with the Marxist hens running The View. The dismissive attitude this president holds for the Scouts is played back one hundredfold by the Scouts who see through his cynical ploy and respond accordingly.
In stark contrast, the Christian rock band Switchfoot received a warm welcome by attendees of the 2010 Boy Scout Jamboree.
Black Conservatives take on Lock-Step Lib Reporters at Press Conference
Reporters fence with Black Conservatives at the National Press Club on August 4th. The result is hilarious, with the Tea Party Express schooling the media in elementary logic. The best part is when asked how many members of the race-obsessed press corps attending the conference considered themselves to be members of a minority group; only two representatives of the media raised their hands.
A bunch of great wines drunk with Angy and Susan
My brother Angy and his wife Susan were visiting for several days from Connecticut (which answers the question, who ever comes to Houston in summer for vacation?). To try to revive them from heat shock, we opened up several great bottles. But I was feeling too hot myself to do any serious analysis, so these are just quick impressions from memory.
First, the whites. A 2007 Domaine Weinbach SYLVANER Reserve ($17 at Spec's/Smith) was well-balanced but did not have inspiring depth or complexity. Sylvaner is a rather neutral tasting grape, so I guess I shouldn't have expected more than what I got, even from a great estate. The 2007 Domaine de la Rossignole SANCERRE "Cuvée Vieilles Vignes" ($19 at Spec's/Weslayan) was excellent: super crisp, lemony, and redolent of chalky minerals. None of the herbal, grassy side of Sauvignon Blanc on display. Finally, the 2007 Jacky Preys TOURAINE "Cuvée de Fie Gris Vieille Vigne" (ordered direct from North Berkeley Imports, which no longer ships to Texas thanks to the Texas wine police) was excellent and unique, bone dry and round, with a unique pumpernickel/rye bread component along with minerals and pear fruit.
A 2009 Lucien Crochet SANCERRE Pinot Rosé was a star, with unbelievable freshness, and a light mouthfeel yet with persistent ripe, crisp fruit.
Now for the sick reds we had. The 2008 Jean-Paul Brun MOULIN A VENT "Terres Dorées" was utterly classic Beaujolais, juxtaposing great freshness and lightness with very intense cherry fruit and crushed stone flavors. The 2004 Perticaia MONTEFALCO SAGRANTINO (previously reviewed) was holding beautifully, displaying soft, lush, mouthcoating fruit and crushed sandstone notes but with good balance and structure. A 2004 Nino Negri INFERNO "Mazér ($34 at Houston Wine Merchant) was a really fine example of a textbook Valtellina Nebbiolo, with a lightish color, and a lithe, austere mouthfeel serving as the delivery system for rose-scented intensely cherryish fruit.
And then there was the king: the 2004 Renatto Ratti BAROLO "Rocche" ($69 at Spec's on Weslayan) was mind-blowing, old fashioned Barolo, the likes of which I haven't drunk in literally decades. Ridiculously rich and complex nose, which featured ripe chokecherry liqueur fruit and a constantly-evolving, earthy, peat-like like component, and staggering length, richness, and balance. This will likely age for several more years, but I can't imagine it getting any better than it is now (keep in mind that my personal tastes veer decidedly toward younger rather than more aged wines). The contrast in this Nebbiolo with the Valtellina Neb from Negri of the same vintage was really instructive.
No scores, but the Sancerre Rosé, Moulin a Vent, Inferno, Sagrantino, and (especially) the Barolo, would all have been 90+ wines for sure.
The Unique Burden of American History
What do this picture:
and this picture:
have in common?
Both of them represent the failure of our culture, our national identity, to deal with a clear and present danger. The top image is an elevation of the Islamic center and mosque proposed to be built in New York City, two blocks from the site of the World Trade Center disaster. The mosque would be on the upper two floors of this sixteen story monstrosity so that it would overlook Ground Zero. The second image occurred in New York at a baseball game between the Mets and the Arizona Diamondbacks, where two men ran onto the field waving Mexican flags to protest the Arizona law.
Both of these show a callous disregard, and indeed, a blatant stick-in-your-eye towards decent everyday Americans. Now before you liberals start foaming multi-culturally at the mouth and telling me how insensitive I am, let's lay down some facts.
1. I am not opposed to building mosques...or temples, or synagogues, or cathedrals. However, I would be just as opposed to the construction of a Roman Catholic church towering over the killing chambers of Auschwitz as I am to building this mosque in New York City. It would be culturally insensitive (invasive?) , and the Catholics were not even the executioners of Hitler's "Final Solution." In point of fact, there have been some misunderstandings between Catholics and Jews at Auschwitz. A few nuns opened a convent near the grounds in 1984 to pray for the souls of the dead and beg God for forgiveness. Though their intent was pure, it was insensitive and an inappropriate place. In 1987, after dialogue with Jewish groups, Pope John Paul II ordered the nuns to move to another convent.
2. I don't hate Mexicans, or Guatemalans, or Liberians, Haitians, Kenyans, Latvians etc. etc. Don't label my opposition to what amounts to an invasion with the dreaded "r" word. I am sick and tired of liberals running around like the "Night of the Living Dead" pointing their crooked fingers and screaming "RACIST!" I am very much in favor of a robust immigration policy along the lines of what we once had with the Bracero Program from 1942-1964. I have no problem with immigrants from any part of the world that want to come to this country to ply their trade, craft or skills and to make a better life for themselves and their families by becoming proud American citizens. But one of the bargains of immigration must be assimilation. You must learn our language and customs so you can get ahead. Running across an American baseball field waving a Mexican flag is not assimilation...it is asinine and insulting, but we should not be surprised.
Thomas Sowell once said that "What 'multiculturalism' boils down to is that you can praise any culture in the world except Western culture - and you cannot blame any culture in the world except Western culture.'" I submit the above two photos as Exhibits A and B. How would the Saudis like a nice Anglican cathedral to be built within two blocks of the Ka'aba in Mecca? Especially, if it was undertaken by the "Acre Initiative," an Episcopalian group bent on "fostering understanding between Muslims and Christians?" The cathedral would be called "Acre House," to avoid offending the locals. Acre, you may recall was the site in 1192 of the victory of Richard the Lionheart over the Islamists during the Third Crusade. What might the difference be between "Acre House" and "Cordoba House?"
For starters, you will never see Acre House get built. Our ambitious Anglicans would be greeted with this:
That's right "obligatory for non muslims." In a country where conversion from Islam brings the death penalty, the Acre House project is (pardon me) dead on arrival. We are the ones who must be culturally "sensitive" and "expansive," while turning a total blind eye to their hatred and bigotry. The supporters of the "Cordoba House" (the Cordoba Caliphate represented the high-watermark of Muslim dominance in Spain from 756-1031...a totally innocent coincidence no doubt!) say they want to foster "understanding between Muslims and non-muslims." Perhaps a good place to start that understanding would be to build the center some place else.
Let's go south of the border. Let's say we're attending a nice futbol match in Aztec Stadium and we decide that Mexican restrictions of foreigners buying coastal land in Mexico are not fair! To show our love for Mexico and our desire for beachfront property in Cozumel, we decide to streak across the field waving the Stars and Stripes! Makes sense doesn't it? Of course not, but again, we are the ones who must be culturally "sensitive" and "expansive."
This is what multiculturalism begets. Any common sense approach such as the old "your rights end when your fist touches my nose," goes out the window.
America has a unique burden. All nations are founded in conquest, war, revolution and the like, but none carry the burden of the American experience. Our founding was out in the open, not hidden in the shrouded mists of a distant past with only tattered illegible scrolls to tell the tale. Our conquest of indigenous peoples is well documented. We carry the added weight on our shoulders of having imported millions against their will to work our fields. The curse of slavery was from our earliest days the holding of the wolf by the ears, as Jefferson said: "you don't like it very much, but you dare not let him go." But unlike other nations so founded, or empires expanded - we could look at the expansion of the Muslim caliphate across North Africa and into Spain, for example - we added a moral element that has truly made us stick out. In 1776, our founders brought the concept of justice from the Judaic tradition and merged it with the compassion and recognition of individual worth from the Christian tradition and presented to the world a bold idea: that "all men were created equal, and that they were endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights and that among these were life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
The paradox of an expansive nation sworn to protect the equality of all has been our special burden ever since. And, as Paul Johnson points out in his masterpiece "The History of the American People," placed the task before us to form a "society dedicated to justice and fairness." We have fought a bloody Civil War because of this paradox and in the conversion of a small piece of farmland in Gettysburg to a national cemetery, we renewed our vows to "the unfinished work which they who have fought here have so nobly advanced."
It is this paradox that keeps us constantly looking over our shoulder and asking ourselves: "have we done enough?" It has bred the civil rights movement and affirmative action, and it has led to an immigration policy that is based more on fear of not being considered inclusive enough than rational need or strategic interest. And it is this policy that our enemies, foreign and domestic, boldly exploit...it is the petard upon which multiculturalism is hoisted.
A society of laws and justice is not in a fair fight when it comes up against one with neither. We know, for example, that Al Qaeda operatives have been trained to demand their legal rights when captured. The Taliban waging guerrilla warfare on our soldiers in Afghanistan don't distinguish between combatant and civilian and they certainly don't give a lick about "Rules of Engagement." The interests behind the Cordoba House cynically know they can use our own zoning laws against us to build in this location and then cry "racism" and "bigotry" if there is opposition. The real mission behind Cordoba House, and they are doing a poor job of it in their founding, is to put a nice "smiley face" on Islam and expand their numbers in this country as they have done in Europe. Here is the problem: a religion that places women only slightly above farm animals and that views non-believers as inferior doesn't play well with the concept of "all men are created equal." Does our national paradox, therefore, insist that we commit cultural suicide by allowing more of them in? I think not.
In the same vein, the notion that our border is nothing but a concept drawn in the sands of the Arizona desert is reinforced by legions of illegal aliens screaming "racism" and "bigotry" at the first attempts to actually put some order to the influx of illegals streaming across the southern frontier. A society cannot maintain its system of laws and justice if it is being overrun by citizens from another land that care not for the basic norms of the country they are invading. No, not ALL people crossing the border are evil banditi, but there are enough of them to cause grave concern. We see it in the gang populations in almost all our major cities, we see it in the free-for-all gun battles in Northern Mexico, and we see it in the abductions and murders of our own citizens. Some, particularly on the left, cynically see this invasion as a fresh source of future votes. Others, on the right, see an unending source of cheap labor. Both are wrong, and the burden of our history does not mean we should commit cultural suicide here either.
We stand at a crossroads as a culture and a nation. The special burden of our founding cannot survive the multi-front assault we are under. If we fail, if we can no longer be the "City on the Hill," a beacon of idealistic hope for all, the world will be the lesser for it. We cherish our freedoms in this country and defend individual rights, but we also know there are limits: you can't cry "fire" in a crowded theater. There comes a time to stand for the greater good. That time is now - we must once again take pride in our special burden and renew the commitment to the notion that "all men are created equal." We invite all immigrants willing to accept our laws and culture to come and join that mission. We disinvite those that would tear it down to build up their own cultures that are antithetical to ours.
Stop the mosque. If the Cordoba Initiative wants to have a dialogue with Islam and other faiths, let it do so from Brooklyn. And let us accept the challenge to enter into that dialogue so that they understand that what they preach doesn't sit well with a culture and society dedicated to individual freedoms and rights.
Seal the border. If any person wants to immigrate to the United States and join our special mission, let them demonstrate that they are committed to that by first entering the country through proper channels.
Let us not commit cultural seppuku because we have been shamed into it!
Rumble on!
Sorry about the lack of activity . . . .
. . . a hectic summer vacation travelling schedule (visiting family in New England) and heat/humidity in Houston have conspired to both prevent me from having the time, and to sap my energy, to blog.
Stay tuned for a possible guest blogger post on some recent, slightly-more-expensive-than-usual treats I have enjoyed, however . . . .
Stay tuned for a possible guest blogger post on some recent, slightly-more-expensive-than-usual treats I have enjoyed, however . . . .
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