Seth,
Indeed, they DID nominate Kerry. He was about my 6th choice, and not sure how he finagled that
nomination. It sure is hard for politicians to just keep quiet sometimes.........

BB --

Had Kerry been the only candidate running from all parties, he would have been about my 30th choice, LOL.

30th choice?

he wasn't even my list.

Shoprat --

That was assuming he was the only candidate. If his only opponent had been Roseanne Roseanna Danna, she'd have gotten my vote hands down.

It really does tell us volumes about today's Democratic Party that the best they could do in 2004 was Jacques Kerry.

I mean, here is a guy whose every breath reveals a traitor to his country, and he's the candidate the Dems threw all their weight behind.

On the same token, I have pretty much the same degree of contempt for the residents of Massachusettes as I do for the French {spit!} because they keep on reelecting both Kerry and the Admiral of Chappaquiddick.

What treasonous scumbags they all are.

I-John-Kerry is a pompas ass. That's the nicest thing I can think of to say about the man(?).

Old Soldier --

Given that Kerry is the subject, I must say that is quite a compliment.

For my own part, thinking about Kerry as I do, I am reminded of an ancient Bob Dylan line:

"...and if my thought(dream)s could be seen, they'd probably put my head in a guillotine..."

I still believe that this was not necessarily a botched joke but his true feelings about the military. His reputation of disdain for the troops receeds this statement and speaks for itself

Like Ken Taylor, I think he said it the way he meant to say it...and that it reflects his true feelings. He did mean to tell a joke. But the way he's been trying to spin it, the joke really wouldn't make a lot of sense. Taken at face value, how he actually delivered it, it's obvious to me what kind of a laugh he was trying to generate. But he could not help but be who he is, and fail to see that in order to tell the joke, it also revealed a certain mindset that many Democrats have: that is, the perception that you only join the military if you are from a poor family, have no other options, and are undeducated; that you are a victim of your circumstance by being in the military.

Ken --

I, too, believe he meant every word of it -- look at the reluctance with which he delivered his left-handed (no pun in tended) "apology", or should I say, mea-culpa, then this latest one that obviously resulted from peer pressure.

What tickles me is the way his Democrat colleagues are "distancing" themselves from his statement, I believe Hillary called it "inappropriate", LOL.

That doesn't say much for them or for the rest of the Democratic Party -- they are the ones who gave him "credibility" by running him for President in 2004, and they would not have done so had he not represented their views to the letter. In short, as far as I'm concerned and no matter how much the Dems attempt to deny it, whenever Kerry opens his mouth, he is acting as a spokesman for his entire party.

Wordsmith --

Yes, Kerry exemplifies the concept of pure hatred for the Armed Forces. That and contempt. No matter what he says, he can't erase his remarks from over three decades ago, when he called the military pillagers, torturers, rapists and so forth.

Now he is basically calling them illiterate losers. Given his position, what he said, joking or not, was inexcusable -- even a sincere apology from a kneeling position wouldn't cut it, he is a leader of our government and we are at war. The fact that his "joke" was based upon a complete falsehood notwithstanding, those people he so blatantly insulted are living in harm's way for their country and reenlisting to stay over there in large numbers, rather than trying to parley a tiny metal splinter into a third Purple Heart and a ticket home.

I only hope that when people go to the polls this Tuesday, they go knowing, thanks to Kerry's remark, what we can expect if the Democrats get a majority in the House.

If I had to run on the Republicans record (controlling both houses of congress as well as the White House with a conspicuous lack of success governing) I'd find something else to talk about as well.

John Kerry's gaffe (his target the President & not our troops in Iraq, obvious to any sentient being) makes him the target.

Typical

Arthur --

Kerry has been slandering our troops ever since he defrauded his way out of Vietnam. He is a friggin' traitor in every sense of the word, which is why he is so popular with liberals.

One of his targets may be Bush, but he was verbally attacking the military long before either Bush ever ran for, let alone became, President.

So, and not for the first time, I must inquire, WTF are you talking about?

Kerry wasn't talking about the military in general. He botched a joke about the C in C.

Far less serious than botching a war.

Except for this crowd it seems.

But I understand your predicatment.

A near Total failure in foreign policy is tough for the Republicans to campaign with.

Oh well.

Arthur --

You just go on believing that -- just like Kerry didn't mean what he said when he was slandering the military back in the 1970s. Back then, using superhuman foresight, he was also botching a joke about the Bush Administration, right?

As for failed foreign policy, I presume you mean that Bush has pissed off some socialist weasel countries like France (spit!) who weren't our friends, anyway, by taking the lead in actions that those other governments should be right there up front in dealing with as well.

Why is it that you lefties seem to think that our own (U.S.) interests and security concerns need to come last, that the U.S. exists solely to please other countries first?

Seth-

Believe me Seth I feel your pain.

With both houses of congress & the White House all these years faced with failed foreign policies & the hangover from Katrina & dubious domestic iniatives I'd want to change the subject as well.

Sorry.

This isn't about John Kerry.

This is about the disintigration of Iraq & other Republican failures.

Have a great weekend.

Arthur --

No, the post, the linked post and the comment thread have been about John Kerry's remark about our military personnel.

"This is about" anything else is only in your mind, Arthur.

Seth wrote-

No, the post, the linked post and the comment thread have been about John Kerry's remark about our military personnel.

The 'remark about our military personnel' was a botched joke about GWB. And you know it.

This is about the Republicans trying to avoid having to run on their pathetic record by diverting attention to John Kerry, a fellow who, by the way, actually performed military service for which he emerged highly decorated. Decorations which, contrary to the right-wing blogosphere, he did not actually award himself.

Unlike the draft-dodger in chief & the "I had other priorities" V.P.

Sorry Seth.

Seth,

I just had a great idea. Let's play matchmaker. I found a match for Arthur Stone.

Her name is mudkitty and she trolls Doug's Political Pistachio and Indigo Red's Further Adventures of.

They would make a great couple! Can you think of other trolls we can match up???

How about rob and Mrs. Green at Mike's America?

Seth, I think the Dems threw themselves behind Kerry as their presidential candidate, because they really think Americans forgot all about what he did during the Vietnam era. They think we are stupid, remember? LOL! The democrats are so arrogant they don't understand who the stupid people really are here.

Atheling2 --

I've run across Mudkitty at The Liberal Lie, The Conservative Truth. She would have Arthur wearing an apron 24/ 7 while she went out to play, LOL.

As for Rob, I think he and Mudkitty would be a marriage made in Utopia. :-)

Gayle --

They truly don't realize who the stupid people are, they're too busy thinking it's everybody but them.

This is why their political leaders are often so amusing to listen to: They say things that only really dumb people will take seriously, and while most of us snort with derision, their faithful liberal followers nod solemnly with expressions of devotion and awe.

"Snort in derision"? heh politics does make some of us a little edgy. Suggest you kick back and enjoy one of your gourmet repasts....

I really have a hard time pronouncing "Massachusetts" .. I usually pronounce it "Mass of two shits".... Kerry is the first... the second is?

BB --

Politics doesn't make me edgy, things have gotten so farfetched -- I mean c'mon, how far have we come that the likes of Jacques Kerry could actually have been a major party candidate for President? -- that I'm beginning to feel more like I'm watching a comedy show.

Actually, earlier this week I had a recently new favorite, curried goat, along with a hot/peppery rice side dish and for dessert, caramelized banana in a rum sauce, while dining with a client contact on his "home turf".

Seeing as I'm in the near-final stages of negotiating a permanent employment contract with this client, I'm very glad I enjoy what may soon be my local cuisine. :-)

ABF --

Welcome.

"Mass of two shits".... Kerry is the first... the second is,... The Admiral of Chappaquiddick!

A.S. Wrote:
'The 'remark about our military personnel' was a botched joke about GWB. And you know it.'

This is the first time I have commented about this. A.S. you are probably right. The issue here though is not the intended meaning, but the perceived meaning. While attending a Liberal college here in California, I had to take a Speech Class. It was almost 25 years ago, but I still remember the professor's #1 point which is this:

"The message received IS the message given, whether intended or not."

In other words, it is the speaker's responsibility to insure the listener understands the message, NOT the other way around.

Whether John Kerry meant to hurl yet another insult at his president or not is not the issue. The issue is that what was heard was an injurious comment toward active duty, retired and veterans of the military like yours truly.

Had this been a one time occurrence, he would have probably been let off the hook with just an apology, but he couldn't even manage that, and this is certainly NOT a one time occurrence. He began bashing the military the minute he got off active duty in 1971, and has since shown a propensity to use every opportunity to diminish the military's value.

So perhaps, his comments were a "Freudian slip", and his intent was ultimately derogatory toward the military yet again.

Gawfer --

Spot on.

We are responsible for what we say, and Kerry does have a high profile track record re slandering US military people.

I am hard put to find justification in the response of the gullible to his "botched joke" excuse.

Seth,
Yesterday the VFW PAC in Illinois endorsed a GOP candidate who has never been in the military over
the Dem Tammy Duckworth, who lost both legs over
Iraq while piloting her Blackhawk. Oh, how I admire Karl Rove!!

BB-Idaho -

Perhaps the GOP candidate appeared in The Caine Mutiny in college. Navy vet.

That's my guess.

BB --

While I would look at a war hero first as a candidate, I would also look at that person's platforms, beliefs, qualifications and how they came off to me in their interaction with the public, vs same as regards their opponents.

Being a vet and being the best choice for a given post are not mutually exclusive.

I may be a little on the obtuse side today, but can you clarify the reference to Rove?

Speaking of obtuse,

Arthur --

What are you prattling on about, LOL?

Seth,
My admiration for Mr. Rove has to do with his knack for getting out the base. Never really seen anything like it. To set up John McCain in a southern primary as militarily soft is the stuff of legend. The hand of the master also appeared in the defamation of paraplegic Max
Cleland. Sheer genius; how else could the Illinois VFW NOT endorse one of their own..especially since there was no poll of members, just orders from HQ? Ok, so I kid a little, after all, two years ago the Wisconsin
VFW endorsed Russ Feingold. Parity? BTW, Seth, regarding goat preparation, the Idaho alternative to curry is to wrap the goat carefully and bury it at the far corner of the acerage!

BB --

Ah! Yes, Rove is undoubtedly one of the greatest party treasures in recent history, the White House's not-so-secret political weapon. That's one reason why the Democrats do their damndest to connect him with whatever the Scandal of the Day happens to be -- to get him out of there, heh, heh.

...wrap the goat carefully and bury it at the far corner of the acerage! --

Is that to say they don't eat goat, or is it an Idaho variation of haggis, only on the hoof?

The first time I ever ate goat was in Mexico in the early 1970s, goatmeat tacos at a little hibachi stand for ten cents apiece, and I found them highly enjoyable. The meat is sort of like mutton only a little more subtle, taste-wise. Spiced up, Mmmmmmmmm!

Goat. Ugh. Mutton. Ugh.

I like lamb. But that's as adventurous as I get with meat. I like chicken, beef, pork and lamb. I did have elk stew once and it wasn't bad. And elk sausage, come to think of it and that was good too. I also had ostrich. Very dry.

I won't touch dog. Or bear. I don't like to eat carnivores. The idea is aversive to me.

Atheling2 --

I've had snake, alligator and a few other interesting items in the past, including bear, but I draw the line at horse and dog.

Goat is actually a lot better than one would think, especially spicy. I have yet to find a piece of tin can in any goat meat, LOL(though I have run across buck shot in steak).

Hmmmm, spicy can cover a multitude of evils.

I wouldn't want to eat horse, though I'd eat it before dog. Horses are vegetarians so I don't feel disgusted by eating them... I just like horses so I wouldn't want to eat them if I didn't have to. Oh yeah, I've had venison too and I don't care for the gamey taste, though once someone prepared a venison roast and that was quite delicious.

Once I was in England and I was staying at a youth hostel and they were serving chili, so I took some and took one bite and couldn't finish it. I asked what it was, because I thought it was ground beef and they said minced lamb. But it tasted really bad, so I bet it was really mutton. Ugh!

Is it true that snake tastes like chicken? Bears stink, so I can't imagine eating one.

Atheling2 --

The texture of the snake was like white meat chicken, maybe a tad chewier, but the taste reminded me a little of sea food. Of course, it was also cooked with garlic and some Cajun spices.

Seth,
You DO exhibit an adventurous palate. Like Atheling, I have sampled the wild game..elk, moose, deer, bear, upland birds, pronghorn, etc.
Pronghorn smells like mutton and goat, hence I would place goat down there with skunk...something to be avoided when Angus is available. Had an old friend, WWII vet, who was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge: his worst nightmares involved the constant mutton diet at the Brit hospital where he spent three months!
I am in awe of your 'liberal' approach to cuisine....

BB --

And for all that, I can't stand pate or caviar, will not eat escargot and passionately avoid items like yogurt, couscous, tofu, sashimi and more exotic looking morsels of sushi (those upon which my chopsticks will descend are bathed in hot mustard en route to their final destination). :-)

My "adventurousness" extends mainly to foods into which one can sink ones teeth...

Aw, Seth, you don't like sushi? MMMMMMM! I love it. Mind you, I don't care for raw octopus or squid, but I love raw fish like salmon or escolar or ahi tuna. Raw salmon has this rich, clean, buttery flavor - not fish like at all.

And what's wrong with yogurt and couscous (it's just a pasta) and tofu??? I love whole milk yogurt, with the cream on top. You don't need anything else with it.

I like escargot, though I admit that it was slathered with garlic and butter and I think even cardboard would probably be good with lots of butter and garlic. I had unagi recently and enjoyed it - it had a "pillowy" texture.

Mmmmm, pate... with truffles, even better! I just recently bought a bottle of white truffle oil which is good drizzled on mashed potatoes, risotto, etc... Caviar... depends. I like it on top of certain rolls like the Seventh Heaven roll (crab and avocado topped with raw salmon, ahi tuna and albacore, but a little goes a long way. On a baked potato is good too.

What do you think of oysters? Fried, raw, barbecued, I can eat them forever!

Hehehe, we can talk about food all day it seems!

Atheling2 --

I think the deal with caviar, couscous, pate et al is their textures more than anything else. Yogurt has always given me this unpleasant aftertaste -- same with sour cream and cottage cheese, in the latter case except in blintzes for some reason or when mixed with egg noodles. Tofu also gives me an unpleasant sensation in my mouth -- to reinforce my dislike of it, Matt Furey, the mentor of the exercise system I've been following and he a guy who spends half or more of every year in Asia, condemns it as a majorly harmful thing to eat.

Tuna and salmon tofu are among those I will eat (see "hot mustard") without a qualm.

crab and avocado topped with raw salmon, ahi tuna and albacore... -- now that sounds downright goooood!

I like oysters (hell, I lived in Nawlins for many years and tried them in everything from the half shell to dressing to oysters Rockefeller), but they leave an unpleasant aftertaste in the back of my throat, go figure....

....now, as far as clams and mussels are concerned, I can eat miles of either in any form you care to name!

I have also been known to eat and enjoy calamari from time to time.

Now why is tofu harmful? I've heard about that but no one is able to explain what it is...? I think tofu's texture is a bit like scrambled egg.

I love shellfish. Any kind. I like just about all fish too. I LOVE calamari if it's prepared properly. I tried eel lately and really enjoyed it. Very tender.

atheling-

Seth won't allow himself pate.

It's French you see.

Pate is made here in the US too.

Atheling2 --

On the tofu kerfuffle, I expect it's got something to do with it remaining in ones arterial system and contributing to clogging it. I could be majorly wrong on this, but that is what I perceive from the cautions I've read. Look at its consistency!

I love lobster, clams, mussels, crawfish and any kind of meaty crab.

Down in the islands last week, I also got to have one of my old favorites from when I lived in Puerto Rico a couple of lifetimes ago... langosta, the meaty, clawless lobsters that are indigenous to down there. It was served cracked along the back, the meat seasoned with garlic, curry and some other spices, and mmmmmmmmmmmmmm! The side dishes were pasta pie and a really spicy rice pilaf kind of thing.

I'll probably be moving down there in the next couple of months to accept a permanent position.

While Matt Furey's dietary no-nos include chicken -- it depletes your energy supply, and I haven't eaten any in many months -- I may have to make a few exceptions: One of the major dishes on my soon-to-be new home turf is jerked chicken, and having tried it, I am enamoured of it, it is great!

Generally fishwise, as I've said with a few exceptions like salmon, I generally avoid fish that wasn't caught exactly where I happen to be at the time. My favorites are redfish, trout, salmon, tuna and swordfish.

Arthur --

LOL!!!!

You're actually correct, if pate only came from France, even if I loved it more than words can say, I wouldn't touch the stuff.

But... It is also produced here in the U.S., and I simply don't like things with that texture...

Atheling2 --

Even so... the texture...

Now, don't get me wrong, duck is probably my all time favorite thing to eat. Forget the orange sauce, the Peking bit, whatever, simple roast duck or the way they prepare it at Chinese cookeries (again, no Peking, LOL) produces a kind of culinary ecstasy in me that rivals Nirvana!

Just not in pate form...

I LOVE langosta! Been ages since I've had it though... hard to find.

Duck is okay, but I have an aversion to eating poultry that is not well done, and I think duck is supposed to be cooked medium rare so that freaks me out.

There is no way that tofu clogs the arteries. There is no cholesterol in it! I looked up some stuff online and they were talking about non organic tofu being bad for you or the processing method but it all sounds so vague. I suspect that it's a campaign to scare people into buying organic food, that's all.

Atheling2 --

Well, the artery thing about tofu was just an uneducated guess, LOL. However, it would be like the mostly ultra-liberal organic food crowd to use scare tactics. Matt Furey is definitely not ultra-left, though.

As far as things that might clog the arteries are concerned, if they taste good, my arteries are on their own.

To me, the closest I get to organic is listening occasionally to E. Power Biggs, though I must admit that on my last grocery shopping trip, I did buy a dozen of those eggs with the serial numbers on them -- that's good security: If they're stolen, the Free Range Police can positively identify each of the eggs by its serial number and bring the egg thieves to justice(background music, Theme from Dragnet).

Doesn't well done dry poultry out on the inside?

I make cornish hens stuffed with wild rice once in a blue moon, and noticed early on that you have to be really careful not to leave them in the oven too long.

But duck. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm..................

Mmm, cornish hens stuffed with wild rice is heavenly...

Well done poultry... well it seems that breast meat tends to dry out, though it depends on how it's cooked. One of my favorites is to braise chicken thighs in white wine, dried apricots, black olives, olive oil, garlic and some chicken broth and it comes out well done, falling off the bone and juicy!

"As far as things that might clog the arteries are concerned, if they taste good, my arteries are on their own." LOL!!!! Take heart, my friend, have you heard the latest good news about red wine?

The eggs... though I'm not an organic only buyer I have to admit that fresh eggs from free range chickens do seem to taste better and look better. I have a friend who keeps chickens and in the summer she gives me their eggs and they beat the supermarket eggs by miles anyday.

I also don't buy organic as a rule, but if I go to the farmer's market and I see a beautiful bunch of salad greens that happen to be organic I'll buy them. Same with any produce that I think looks good. I also find that tomatoes which are organic or homegrown taste better than the stuff in the grocery store.

Atheling2 --

I accidentally replied via the comment notification and have no idea where that goes, LOL.

Have you ever heard of Neimann Ranch?

"My favorites are redfish, trout, salmon, tuna and swordfish."
Rather surprised that Walleye was not mentioned.
Fileted and fried with a couple pats of butter in a cast iron frying pan next to the northern lake. Don't forget the baked potato in foil under the coals. Walleye is something else!

Swordfish doesn't excite me. Too oily for my palate. I've had escolar and that was wonderful -cooked or raw. So is Chilean sea bass (cooked that is) - so I guess I'm not as discriminating about where my fish comes from.

Seth wrote:

You're actually correct, if pate only came from France, even if I loved it more than words can say, I wouldn't touch the stuff.

Hence the need to spread the pate on (dare I say it) crispy French bread and add some cornichons (pickles here).

Yum.

And thanks Atheling for pointing out that pate is made stateside as well. Some folks may not be aware of the universality of pate.

Vive le France!

BB --

It sounds like you do some fishing.

I haven't fished for several years, though the last I did involved some pretty big catfish, caught in the Mississippi. I don't know if I've had walleye.

Atheling2 --

To me, swordfish is the ocean's version of steak.

Arthur --

If you want to pledge allegiance to the enemy -- France(spit!) -- that's your look-out.

I have found that American liberals, at least the pseudo-intellectual ones, for some reason seem to believe that that socialist failure of an excuse for a country is in some way superior to the United States.

Wrong!

Arthur --

If you want to pledge allegiance to the enemy -- France(spit!) -- that's your look-out.

Hardly 'the enemy'.

Wonderful country.

Visit once or twice a year.

To each their own.

Arthur --

It does not surprise me in the least that you love the French(spit!).

As you say, to each his own.

Arthur --

It does not surprise me in the least that you love the French(spit!).

As you say, to each his own.

Indeed. Ignorance must be bliss.

Arthur --

The last time I looked, the only ignorance I perceived here came from a certain lefty whose initials spell 2/3 of a certain definitive 3 letter word. I do not refer to the verb for posing a question, what falls off the end of a lit cigarette, nor a reference to a cobra.

Seth-

Spitting is rude & a health hazard.

And in your particular case, childish.

Arthur --

In my case, it is what's known as being figurative as opposed to verbalizing in a most offensive and "R" rated manner how I feel about the French.

In my case, it is what's known as being figurative as opposed to verbalizing in a most offensive and "R" rated manner how I feel about the French.

Hey it's your blog. Why hold back?

We'd be interested on your take regarding an entire nation, it's policies, politics, culture & character.

I'm sure it's fascinating to hear.

Arthur --

France has been a surrender monkey country for centuries. They helped us back in the early days of America, against the Brits. Yahoooooo!

They've been milking that for some time.

In the last century, we saved them from the Germans twice, sacrificing thousands of our young men and massive sums of taxpayer dollars.

After WW2, via the IMF(International Monetary Fund) we bailed out their failed economy twice, again using American taxpayers' money which was never paid back.

The first time we ever asked them for anything was for back-up in Iraq. They not only turned us down, they hurled innuendo at us and opposed us at the UN every way they could.

Previously, they violated the ban on selling military products to Iraq that they had signed off on, just to make money. After we invaded Iraq, they were still selling rockets to the enemy. In the interim, their diplomats were making illicit profits off the Oil-For-Food program.

They are a nation of self seeking, sleazy opportunists and chizzlers.

Today, their "peacekeeping" troops in Lebanon are turning a blind eye on Hezbollah's rearmament and other violations of the obligations they agreed to, allowing the terrorist organization to prepare for future attacks against Israel.

The French are scumbags of the highest order and beyond any argument, an enemy of the United States.

It surprises me not an iota, given your stated hatred of all things American, that you support the French.

Seth harrumphed:

It surprises me not an iota, given your stated hatred of all things American, that you support the French.

Sigh.

Show me my 'stated hatred of all things American.'

I'm waiting Seth.

Arthur --

It's in a good percentage of your comments, and I don't have time to set up a special archives of examples just to glorify your craving for attention. I would suggest that you go through them yourself and try to see past your built-in liberal mental block. :-)

Seth-

You mistakenly assume that only 'real americans' share the same paranoid reactionary viepoints as yours & Old Soldiers & Mike's America etc., ad nauseum.

Happily the nation is a much bigger, healthier diverse place than you give seem able to imagine.

You should get out and see more of it.

Have a great weekend.