Twilight

A long walk today at twilight, to reflect on the death of Edward Kennedy. While I walked, mourners in Boston waited many hours to pay their respects and say farewell, passing by his coffin in silence. All day yesterday and today, there are those who are writing and speaking about his life and his work, remembering his indelible presence in the political arena and his enormous contribution to our country. Inevitably, in speaking of Ted Kennedy, we remember his brothers. I came of age when John F. Kennedy was running for President. For the first time, with Jack Kennedy on the scene, I found myself really interested in politics, seriously rooting for a candidate. I was too young to vote, but in my mind, my heart, I voted for JFK. I was proud and elated when he was elected on my birthday in 1960. And when he was murdered three years later, I became, like millions of Americans, one of the walking wounded, dazed and stunned by the loss of a beloved President.

By the time Robert Kennedy ran for President, I was certainly old enough to vote, and I most certainly would have voted for him. But it was a season of assassins. They gunned down Martin Luther King, Jr., and then Bobby Kennedy. Only Edward remained, and I believe, for many of us, there was a collective sigh of relief that his run for the Presidency failed. We could not endure the possibility of another madman cutting down Ted Kennedy. He went back to the Senate, and there he remained, to lead the way and craft legislation that would make life better for so many of us, in so many areas.

Just as much as the family and friends who loved him so dearly, I wish he could have been with us even longer. I wish he had been here to see his life's cherished work of universal health care become the law of the land. But I am grateful that he had a long life, and grateful that I was alive in this era of the Kennedy family. Whenever Edward Kennedy spoke, I remembered John and Robert. The Kennedy brothers made me proud to be an American, a Democrat, a liberal. In their courage and compassion, their intelligence and humor, their grace and humanity, they set the standard for what I seek and want in a Congressman, a Senator, a President. These three are gone; the light they cast into the darkness will remain.

Sunday Mind Rest

What If....

....John McCain had won the 2008 election? This speculation was prompted by the fact that at a recent Phoenix Presidential event, nearly 30 people showed up wearing loaded guns, including one man sporting an automatic rifle. Yesterday a caller to the Thom Hartmann show asked this question: "What if I, a black man, had shown up wearing a loaded gun to an event with President McCain? How long do you think it would be before I was tackled and shackled?" Thom's answer -- about 30 seconds.

Do you remember when it was President Bush in the White House, and certain people showed up to Presidential events wearing t-shirts that proclaimed they were anti-Bush? They were banned from those events. Led away. But that was different, of course. That was a white conservative Republican President. And we all know how dangerous political proclamation t-shirts are. Just look at the stats. All the people killed by t-shirts. It's scary.

Rachel Maddow: Ordering Pizza with Republicans

I tried, more than once, to post a video here from today's Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. Computer could-not-compute. If you didn't catch it live or on one of the many repeats during the evening, get thee to http://www.rachel.msnbc.com/ and take a look at the segment called "Parable of the pizza order and health care reform." It's Rachel's Metaphor Theatre in high gear, as she tries to order pizza with Kent, and he keeps saying no to every single topping she suggests. Pepperoni, olives, ham, green pepper -- no, no, no, no. Just cheese, then. No cheese. Just sauce then. No sauce. No, no, no, no. Remind you of anyone? Bingo! It's the Republicans on health care reform, claiming they want reform, just not any kind of reform President Obama and the Democrats want. So let us do as Rachel proposes. Forget the Republicans. Let us get our pizza exactly the way we want it. Tasty. And who knew pizza could be so good for our national health?

We did.

Spot On

If you read my rant on caesar salad, you may be wondering why I'm carrying on about food, while the hot topic on cable and in town halls is health care reform. It's probably because I saw Julie and Julia last weekend. This is a pleasant film made memorable by the remarkable Meryl Streep, whose buoyant portrayal of Julia Child adds another jewel to an already lustrous crown. If there was a cinematic textbook on how to have fun while acting, this is it.

Meryl Streep recreating Julia Child is certainly feast enough, but if you want more, I recommend Julie & Julia: Streep, Ephron and the Joy of Cooking, Mary Pols' review of the movie in the current (August 17) issue of Time Magazine. It is beautifully written and conveys the core of the parallel stories told in Julie and Julia. It also captures perfectly the defining difference between these two women: "One, Julie Powell (Amy Adams), had a bright idea, while the other, Julia Child....had a calling." The movie, most especially Streep, is a delicious treat, and Pols' review of it is, as the Brits might say, spot on.

There Ought to be a Law

I recently traveled to Ashland, Oregon, where I had one of the best caesar salads ever (I mean you, Maroni's). Since I am a huge fan of this salad, I tend to be wary of ordering it. Let me explain. Several years ago, caesar salad began appearing everywhere, and I found that most places don't know a caesar from a chef from a dinner salad. But my experience at Maroni's put me in a you-never-know-until-you-try kind of mood, so a couple of nights ago I ordered a caesar. It came drenched in a ranch style dressing posing as a caesar dressing. And it was covered with bermuda onions. Onions! Listen up, folks. There should be no onions in a caesar salad. No tomatoes. No carrots, or spinach. No sunflower seeds. Believe it or not, I have had caesars served up with all these items. No, no, no!

There ought to be a law. If a food establishment puts caesar salad on the menu, then anyone and everyone responsible for making said salad should be instructed in what it is and is not. Render unto caesar salad only that which belongs in caesar salad.

A caesar should, of course, be served with a real caesar dressing. And grilled chicken or salmon seem to be a sympatico addition. Apart from these two modern adaptations, this is all that should appear in your caesar salad:

• romaine lettuce (note: the outer leaves should be removed)
• croutons
• grated parmesan

When at home, let one and all indulge in variations to their heart's content. But in a place serving food to the public, anyone deviating from the traditional caesar should be roundly chastised and relegated to dinner salads. Or some other line of work.

You can find a brief history of this salad, and all the ingredients for a traditional caesar at http://reluctantgourmet.com/caesar.htm

Zero

Thanks to Thom Hartmann of Air America for bringing to my attention this fact from the current Harper's Index: "Amount of governmental support that Canadian banks have required during the financial crisis: $0."

In Canada, they regulate their banks. Here, the Big Money Boys & Girls are still fighting regulation tooth and nail. And why wouldn't they? They like adding those zeros to the money they make -- and take -- from the American taxpayer.