NOTE: this blog is no longer active as of 12/07. New one: http://blog.kirchhof.com
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur.
Sat, 31 Dec 2005
Off To The Show
A Very Happy New Year to one and all. I hope that 2006 is your best
year ever.
Posted at 22:29 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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Fri, 30 Dec 2005
Admin Stuff
Hey gang, in for a busy weekend. Playing w/ the Calico Kings
tonight at Cedar Street & a private party tomorrow. Also up to my ears
in techy stuff as well. So no rants for the time being... I guess that
saving the world will have to wait until next year....
But after the first of the year, it's very likely that I'll be
changing the blog software that I use over to Scoop. It's a full featured
content management system, kind of skewed towards blogging. It'll
allow people to make accounts, post comments, rant back, etc. Lots of
the big guys use it, most notibly Kos. If it can handle his
load, I imagine that it can take the two repeat visitor a month that I
get. :)
Have a great weekend, and be careful out on the roads. You may be
an excellent driver. Doesn't matter. They are out to kill us.
Posted at 15:23 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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Thu, 29 Dec 2005
Yup
This
is exactly right.
What this country needs is an unapologetic, principled liberal
party that doesn't look at polls before they say what they believe.
All the current party in power can do is try to scare you, take your
rights, and vote themselves more money.
Posted at 21:05 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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Sun, 25 Dec 2005
Merry Christmas!
I have a gift for ya!
I've been working on a fresh Tex-Mex salsa
recipe, tweaking it for, well, literally months. It's pretty good now,
and I think that it's time to release it into the wild and let it
evolve. All I ask is that if you improve it, shoot me back the
changes!
Here you go:
Best, Easiest Hot Salsa Fresca Ever (In My Kitchen,
Anyway)
800g fresh *ripe* tomatoes, seeded. (Cut in half horizontally and
squeeze to seed. Romas work great.)
400g fresh yellow onion
80 g fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded
20 g fresh garlic cloves
20 g fresh cilantro, leaves only; avoid stalks if you can, they're bitter.
10 g celery stalk (Yup, celery. Just a bit. It brings out the garden
in everything else.)
1 tbsp Kosher salt (Or regular. Whatever. Non-iodized.)
1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp sugar
Juice of one large lime (...Or two medium...)
Mince and mix it all together with a cake mixer, blender, or
food-processor. These portions make about a liter/quart & a half.
Notes:
- I use metric here 'cause I have a digital kitchen
scale (15 bucks at Target when on sale) that reads in fractions when in
Averdupois mode (...and I incidentally maintain that any
measuring system that can express something in "furlong-stones per
fortnight" is antiquated at this late date. :) But you'll note that the
recipe is pretty geometric. (1, 1/2, 1/10th, 1/40th, 1/80th.) 800
grams of tomatoes is about 1.75 lbs, and seeds will account for about
20% of the weight (I think.) Or try it measuring by volume, I bet it'd
be fine. It's not super critical.
-
If you chop the tomatoes first and immediately mix in the lime juice,
it'll retain its color well. Taste isn't affected in any case, but it
will darken a bit without the prompt anti-oxidation of the lime juice.
-
Also, note that a lot of the heat in this sauce comes from the
garlic. Raw garlic is "bottom of the tongue" spicy, and hotter than
you think; capsaicin in the jalapenos is "top of the tongue" hot. Play
w/ the ratio between the two to adjust the heat to your liking. As
written, this is a pretty hot salsa, assuming that you use real
jalapenos and not those big "Caucasian grade" peppers you
occasionally see these days. Serranos work too, for that matter, but
they're more firey and less flavorful in my opinion. Play with
it. There aren't any rules here.
Now grab a bath towel, a gallon of iced tea & some chips and commence
to eating. You'll need the bath towel. Fridge it overnight for a more
definite garlic/cilantro flavor.
-=-
Bonus recipe: get a pound of sirloin tips, brown, cover with this
salsa, and lightly simmer for a couple or three hours for a great
Carne Guisada.
-=-
Bonus secret discovered over the course of this process: capsaicin is
fat soluble, not water soluble. If you coat your hands lightly with
olive or cooking oil, you can wash it off with detergent and have much
less worry about the "rub the eye (or worse) with the jalapeno hand" effect.
Enjoy, friends; let me know if you improve upon it.
And a very, very Happy New Year to You and Yours!
[Addendum: in response to overwhelming demand
for.... well okay, one perplexed email, it's my understanding that the
heat in garlic comes from sulphuric acid, and it affects every cell that it
touches. Hence the "bottom of the tongue" turn-o-phrase. It's a
remarkable effect when noted. Capsaicin, on the other hand, attaches
to fat cells in your taste buds, which are pretty much on top, and is
hard to dislodge - that's where its heat comes from. If you need to
recover from a nuclear taco, swishing around buttermilk works way, way
better than water or beer.
<*clink*> To Science!]
[Another addendum: I simplified this and improved it a few
months later.]
Posted at 23:45 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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Fri, 23 Dec 2005
Okay, Just For The Heck Of It
Let's revisit S.J. Resolution 23:
S. J. RES. 23
JOINT RESOLUTION
To authorize the use of United States Armed Forces
against those responsible for the recent attacks launched against the
United States.
Whereas, on September 11, 2001, acts of treacherous violence
were committed against the United States and its citizens; and
Whereas, such acts render it both necessary and appropriate
that
the United States exercise its rights to self-defense and to protect
United States citizens both at home and abroad; and
Whereas, in light of the threat to the national security and
foreign policy of the United States posed by these grave acts of
violence; and
Whereas, such acts continue to pose an unusual and
extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of
the
United States; and
Whereas, the President has authority under the Constitution to
take action to deter and prevent acts of international terrorism
against the United States: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate and House of
Representatives of the United States of America in Congress
assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This joint resolution may be cited as the `Authorization
for Use of Military Force'.
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF UNITED STATES ARMED
FORCES.
(a) IN GENERAL- That the President is authorized to use
all
necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations,
or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the
terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored
such
organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of
international terrorism against the United States by such nations,
organizations or persons.
(b) War Powers Resolution Requirements-
(1) SPECIFIC STATUTORY AUTHORIZATION- Consistent with
section 8(a)(1) of the War Powers Resolution, the Congress declares
that this section is intended to constitute specific statutory
authorization within the meaning of section 5(b) of the War Powers
Resolution.
(2) APPLICABILITY OF OTHER REQUIREMENTS- Nothing in
this resolution supercedes any requirement of the War Powers
Resolution.
Passed the Senate September 14, 2001.
Attest:
Secretary.
107th CONGRESS
There are a couple of things here.
First, Tom Daschle nixed
the addition of phrasing that would allow operations in the United
States:
"Literally minutes before the Senate cast its vote, the administration
sought to add the words 'in the United States and' after 'appropriate
force' in the agreed-upon text," Daschle wrote. "This last-minute
change would have given the president broad authority to exercise
expansive powers not just overseas -- where we all understood he
wanted authority to act -- but right here in the United States,
potentially against American citizens. I could see no justification
for Congress to accede to this extraordinary request for additional
authority. I refused."
So, children, the Congress specifically did not authorize
these operations within the borders of the United States.
Second, note that this specifically refers to "all necessary
and appropriate force against those nations, organizations or persons
he determines planned, authorized, committed or aided" the Sept. 11
attacks.
"He determines."
Two fateful words. I can't think of any more sweeping carte blanche
since the Gulf of
Tonkin Resolution.
Both are bad law. Both were passed in the heat of emotion. Both
have done untold damage to our country.
I wish that we would learn.
Posted at 14:26 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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Wed, 21 Dec 2005
Two For Two
This just in from the National
Journal:
By a vote of 56 to 44, the Senate failed to stop debate on the '06
defense appropriations bill with the ANWR drilling provision attached.
It now returns to conference, where members will likely strip the ANWR
plank from the text and resubmit it for a vote.
Better late than never, I guess. Nice to see some huevos growing on
the minority side. Patriot Act, now ANWR. Good enough. Maybe after the
election, we can see a GWB perp walk.
Posted at 15:18 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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Question
Is lying about a blow job more impeachable than subverting the
Constitution, acting like a dictator, illegally spying on citizens and
ignoring the law?
I'd really like to hear from all of you Kool-aid drinkers out
there. And if you want to give the "we're at war" argument, please
give me a reference to the applicable Declaration Of War passed by the
Congress of the United States of America. Your argument will still be
specious, but at least you'll be able to cite long discredited precedent.
Anyone?
Posted at 14:06 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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Sun, 18 Dec 2005
Better Living Through Technology
Create
Your Own Bush Speech. Just drag the phrases down to the open area
at the bottom and press play. Slide 'em closer or further away from
one another to get the rhythm. Fun for all ages.
Posted at 18:17 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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Simmering Up To A Boil Now
Scott
Bateman is on his game this weekend.
Posted at 16:06 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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Sat, 17 Dec 2005
Thank God God Has A Sense Of Humor
Make Them
Go Away.....
Posted at 05:40 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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Feedjahbrain
Here.
Posted at 04:48 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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Fri, 16 Dec 2005
The World Standard Of Cute
Friday awwwwwwwwwwww....
Prepare to go into insulin shock, it's so sweet. Cute Overload.
Posted at 14:21 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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All I Want For Christmas
From the National Journal's Hotline
Blog:
MA. Sen. John Kerry said last night that if Dems retake the House,
there's a "solid case" to bring "articles of impeachment" against
President Bush for allegedly misleading the country about pre-war
intelligence, according to several Dems who attended.
Kerry was speaking at a holiday party for alumni of his WH '04 bid.
About 100 campaign vets gathered at Finn McCool's bar in D.C. to hear
him. In a short speech, Kerry praised Dems who were working on Senate
and House campaigns, and then said, according to one listener: "If we
take back the House, there's a solid case to bring articles of
impeachment against this president." Another listener heard a slight
variation: "If we win back the House, I think we have a pretty solid
case to bring articles of impeachment against this President." Kerry
then quickly added, according to several in the audience, "Don't tell
anyone I said that."
Kerry Comm. Dir. David Wade, in an email, said his boss was
joking. [MARC AMBINDER]
Well, he might be. But there are a lot of people who might
not be. I think that it's really interesting that someone with
Kerry's gravitas and visibility feels free to make such a joke in
public. A very good sign.
Posted at 14:14 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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Thu, 15 Dec 2005
Humor: Politics Explained
I think that I like the surrealism thing.
Posted at 09:23 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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Wed, 14 Dec 2005
Something Nice
Ben Stein, with whom I disagree about virtually everything
(including his presumed postulate that he is better at trivia than,
well, me) has written something with which I can agree
wholeheartedly. Pull up a chair.
How to Feel Rich
The secret to happiness is being grateful for everything.
By Ben Stein
My father entered Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, in
September 1931. The United States was entering the downswing of a
small uptick at the beginning of what would be the worst industrial
depression in history.
My father had an unemployed father (a former skilled tool-and-die
maker) and a mother who worked as a sales clerk at a department store
in Schenectady, N.Y. He had no money, no financial reserves, no social
connections.
He told me of many jobs while he was at Williams, but one stays in my
memory a dozen times a day, especially when I am working by traveling
through a dismal, endless security line or waiting in a line to check
into a hotel or noticing that my bed in my new hotel has a ripped
sheet and is next to a noisy air-conditioner.
My father had a job thanks to a kindly man named Taylor Ostrander at a
fraternity called Sigma Psi. My father's job was to wash dishes in the
basement of the frat house as the other boys finished their lunches
and dinners. (One of the boys, Richard Helms, went on to be director
of the C.I.A., but that's another story.) He toiled down there at a
huge sink, with steam rising and detergent getting on his unimaginably
soft hands. He wore a stocking cap to keep his already curly hair from
going crazy.
It was the 1930's, and Jews weren't allowed in any fraternity at
Williams. Many years later, maybe in the 1980's, by which time my
father had become a major economist and public policy discussant, I
asked him if he felt angry about having to wash dishes to pay his way
through school in a fraternity that didn't admit Jews. "Not at all,"
he said. "I didn't have the luxury of feeling aggrieved. I was just
grateful to have a job so I could go to one of the best schools in the
country."
I think that this was the secret ingredient - aside from astonishing
intelligence and versatility - in my father's success and
happiness. He did not feel that he had the luxury of feeling
aggrieved. He was just grateful to have a chance. Or, I can say, he
was grateful for the opportunities he had been given. I think about
this in other situations, too. A few days ago, on a United Airlines
flight from San Francisco to Denver, a group of flight attendants
gathered near my seat in the last row of first class. One was either
wearing or displaying a perfume I was allergic to, and I went into a
wild asthmatic attack in which I could simply not breathe for an
uncomfortable amount of time.
When I revived, I thought of lodging a complaint and throwing a
fit. But then I thought: "Well, these poor people. Think of what
United employees are going through. I am just grateful I have a
job. Why torture them any more than they are already tortured?"
I was on my way to another job. I got to the next stop in my journey,
Baltimore, and my driver could not recall where he had left the
car. We had to have the airport police find it for us. He also did not
know his way from Baltimore to Washington. (I am not kidding.)
Exhausted as I was, I had to guide him all of the way. Never mind. I
was grateful that I was in a car with a driver and on my way to a
superimportant gig. This man was probably about where my father was in
1931. I decided not to pick on him.
Now, I have found that I cannot predict the stock market except over
very long periods. I cannot tell you when the housing bubble will
burst - only that it will burst. I cannot tell you when the dollar
will stop rallying - only that it will stop. So I cannot tell you
anything that, in a few minutes, will tell you how to be rich.
But I can tell you how to feel rich, which is far better, let me
tell you firsthand, than being rich. Be grateful. Be grateful you have
a job, even if it takes you to the world's worst airport, Dulles, and
to the world's worst security lines, also at Dulles.
Be grateful you have a job to travel to, even if you must travel to a
hotel room where the previous tenant was a cigar tester for Fidel
Castro. (But do ask for another room.) Be grateful about everything
and you'll feel a lot richer than the billionaires I know who are
always moaning about everything that happens and who lament, like King
Canute, that they cannot control the waves of the market or the
business cycle.
When I got to Washington with my novitiate driver, I rested. The next
day, I spoke to about 250 kids, perhaps ages 5 to 15, about how
grateful the nation was to them. Their fathers had died in the wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan and in training accidents. They were as good,
brave, intelligent and yet haunted-looking as any kids I have ever
met. Be grateful for their sacrifice and that your son or daughter is
not one of them.
Then I spoke to about 500 widows, widowers, mothers, fathers, fiancees
of men who had been killed in the war on terror. They were totally
devoted to one another and to helping one another through their
grueling losses. They were probably the most spiritually fit,
unselfish human beings I have ever met. One showed me the contents of
his son's wallet when his son was killed. A dollar bill still had a
blood stain on it. The father cried when he showed it to me. Be
grateful that the armed forces of this country have such brave
families.
As I told them, we could do without Hollywood for a century. We could
not do without them and their sacrifice for a week. Gratitude. As my
pal Phil DeMuth says, it's the only totally reliable get-rich-quick
scheme. Gratitude. Losing the luxury of feeling aggrieved when, if you
look closely, you have an opportunity. My father washed dishes at the
Sigma Psi house so that he could build an education and a life for the
family he did not even have yet.
At my house, I always insist on doing the dishes, and I feel a thrill
of gratitude for what washing a dish can do with every swipe of the
sponge. Wiping away the selfishness of the moment, building a life for
my son. The zen of dishwashing. The zen of gratitude. The zen of
riches. Thanks, Pop.
(Thanks to Andrew Tobias
for the pointer.)
Posted at 11:47 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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Tue, 13 Dec 2005
A Good Time For Action
If you think that freedom is a pretty good thing, and would prefer
not to live in a police state, I invite you to consider the following:
The White House is pressuring Congress to reauthorize a new version of
the Patriot Act that is worse than the original law and doesn't
include needed reforms. This could come before the Senate as soon as
Thursday.
A bipartisan group of senators have agreed to fight the Patriot Act,
by filibuster if necessary.
This is a huge moment. Senators from both parties are standing
together to protect freedom and liberty -- and they're ready to
fight. Can you sign this petition to show them and the rest of the
Senate that you support filibustering this bad bill? The Patriot Act
has to be stopped until it includes reforms.
http://political.moveon.org/patriotact/
Posted at 16:54 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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1000 days
Where
we stand:
$204.4billion The cost to the US of the war so far. The UK's
bill up until March 2005 was #3.1 billion
2,339 Allied troops killed
98 UK troops killed
30,000 Estimated Iraqi civilian deaths
0 Number of WMDs found
8 per cent of Iraqi children suffering acute malnutrition
$35.819m World Bank estimated cost of reconstruction
53,470 Iraqi insurgents killed
67 per cent Iraqis who feel less secure because of occupation
$343 Average monthly salary for an Iraqi soldier. Average
monthly
salary for an American soldier in Iraq: $4,160.75
66 journalists killed in Iraq. Journalists killed during
Vietnam war:
63
5 foreign civilians kidnapped per month
47 per cent Iraqis who never have enough electricity
20 casualties per month from unexploded mines
20 per cent Inflation rate 2005
25-40 per cent Estimated unemployment rate, Nov 2005
251 Foreigners kidnapped
70 per cent of Iraqi's whose sewage system rarely works
183,000 British and American troops are still in action in
Iraq.
There are 162,000 US troops and 8,000 British with 13,000 from other
nations
90 Daily attacks by insurgents in Nov '05. In Jun '03: 8
82 per centIraqis who are "strongly opposed" to presence of
coalition troops
15,955 US troops wounded in action
For What?
Posted at 12:41 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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Mon, 12 Dec 2005
Oh, Marshall
Joe
Liebermann Appreciation Day?
*Snort*
How about "Let's generate traffic on the Bull Moose Blog" day?
Maybe he is pondering starting to sell ads, and needs the stats. A
most un-Bull Moose like thing to do. He may admire T.R., but he ain't
no T.R.
I herewith put an asterisk beside everything nice that I've
ever written about him.
Pul-ease.
Posted at 16:14 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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Sat, 10 Dec 2005
Heh
This is the only place that you're likely to see this
headline anytime soon...
Posted at 15:56 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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Thu, 08 Dec 2005
Just A Reminder
Why Costco Is Better
Than Wal-Mart.
Posted at 14:27 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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Tue, 06 Dec 2005
State Of The World
Despardes has a reprint of a
Stratfor analysis that I find to
be very interesting. Essentially, the premise is that Washington is
going to be preoccupied with scandals for the next year or two, and
when the cat's away, the mice (read: the rest of the world) will play.
Worth a few moments of your time, if only to remind us that we
don't live in a vacuum. Article over
here.
Posted at 11:43 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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Fri, 02 Dec 2005
Coming Home To Roost
'Nuff said:
Justice Department lawyers concluded that the landmark Texas
congressional redistricting plan spearheaded by Rep. Tom Delay (R)
violated the Voting Rights Act, according to a previously undisclosed
memo obtained by The Washington Post. But senior officials overruled
them and approved the plan.
The memo, unanimously endorsed by six lawyers and two analysts in the
department's voting section, said the redistricting plan illegally
diluted black and Hispanic voting power in two congressional
districts. It also said the plan eliminated several other districts in
which minorities had a substantial, though not necessarily decisive,
influence in elections.
"The State of Texas has not met its burden in showing that the
proposed congressional redistricting plan does not have a
discriminatory effect," the memo concluded. The memo also found that
Republican lawmakers and state officials who helped craft the proposal
were aware it posed a high risk of being ruled discriminatory compared
with other options.
Posted at 09:05 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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