Sunday Funnies & So Much More

Ruben Bolling, on target as usual. Click to enlarge; for more, see www.tomthedancingbug.com.

Last Wednesday, we caught Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, backed by a terrific band that included T-Bone Burnett (looking like a Civil War general) and guitarist nonpareil Buddy Miller. Selections ranged from gospel a capella to spirituals to R & B to rockabilly to Townes Van Zandt to Led Zeppelin. Plant and Krauss shimmered on a slowed down version of "Black Dog" introduced by a banjo tuned to a minor key. "Nothing," the Van Zandt number, was as haunting as the Everly Brothers' "Gone Gone Gone" was spirited. Both singers clearly enjoyed themselves, and Plant even gave us a few of his LZ yowls. Gene Stout of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer has more here...

Eric Alterman writes:

McCain and Palin are losing to Obama and Biden, thank God. But even the possibility that the most powerful nation on Earth is in danger of electing yet another president characterized by dishonesty, belligerence, ideological obsession and personal recklessness -- coupled with a vice president whose life experience makes her more appropriate for a casting session of "Desperate Housewives" than a Cabinet meeting -- gives one pause when considering the future of this country, regardless of whether we manage to avoid this catastrophe on Election Day.

More here. Alterman blogs each weekday here and writes about media issues for The Nation...

Whatever else it may be, the Obama campaign is relentless. Nebraska (along with Maine) splits its electoral votes, and the campaign sees a chance to pick up one of them. In a sign of how worried he is, McCain has dispatched Sarah Palin to campaign in Omaha. More here...

Friday, we joined some friends at an invitation-only dinner featuring nueva Mexican cuisine prepared by chef Naomi Andrade Smith and wine pairings from Argentina, Chile, Spain, and Portugal selected by wine consultant Catherine Reynolds. The menu and pairings:

SALPICóN DE PESCADO CON AGUACATE
Minced sautéed rockfish w/ chile and avocado with hand-cut chips
2007 Zuccardi Organic Sparkling Chardonnay (Mendoza,Argentina)

ENSALADA DE NARANJA, JíCAMA Y BERROS
salad with jicama, orange and honey-tamarind dressing
2006 Montenovo Godello (Valdeorras, Spain)

TAMALITOS DE SETAS AL GUAJILLO
Chanterelle mushroom tamales steamed in banana leaves

2006 Gougenheim Cabernet Sauvignon (Mendoza, Argentina)

CHILES EN NOGADA
Chicken picadillo-stuffed poblano chiles with walnut cream sauce and pomegranate seeds
2005 Alto Almanzora Este (Valle de Almanzora, Spain)
2006 Araunco Pinot Noir (Valle Central, Chile)

COSTILLAS DE CERDO
Chipotle-rubbed pork ribs with jalapeño/pineapple glaze

PASTA DE FRIJOLES CON FRISEé DE TORTILLAS

Creamy coconut refried beans
2005 Quinto do Crasto (Douro, Portugal)
2005 Mas Doix Salanques (Priorat, Spain)

EL GRAN FLAN CON ZARZAMORAS
Flan for a crowd with raspberries
Broadbent 5-year Reserve Madeira (Portugal)

CAFé MOCAMBO
Villa Victoria's own roast coffee

Why Shouldn't I Gloat?

So, I'm gone ten days and what happens? Conservatism collapses as a viable ideology. A new Quinnipiac poll shows Obama trouncing McCain in Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania and he leads in every national poll, often by numbers that can't be explained away as a "statistical tie." Sarah Palin wilts under the relentless questioning of Katie Couric. (Tina Fey dined on Palin's carcass with exquisite gusto.)  In fact, the only remotely sour note for me personally was actually finding myself on the same side as ultra-right Republicans in opposing the bailout...

One columnist tut-tutted his fellow liberals for gloating over the Wall Street collapse and the disarray among Republicans. This is serious business that should be treated seriously; it's no time for schadenfreude. Well, I beg to differ. I'm quite capable of feeling concern for the middle- and l0wer-class people hammered by financial deregulation while at the same time enjoying the implosion of the malignant ideology that visited this mess on my country. For over thirty years, conservatives have ridiculed liberals, impugned our patriotism, and attacked us savagely at every turn in a effort to polarize the country to their political benefit.

Now, a month before the election, their economic philosophy has been exposed as a fraud, their foreign policy based on military might lays in tatters, and they are in grave danger of losing the presidential election to a black liberal. Why shouldn't I enjoy the moment? I'm not made of stone, you know...

The Audacity of Hype: I'm published! And by a publication I respect and that I've been reading for twenty years! The new issue of Rock and Rap Confidential, an e-zine edited by Dave Marsh and Lee Ballinger, includes a version of my blog entry "Tom Joad Lives". For a free copy of RRC -- available only via email -- write to rockrap@aol.com. Thanks to Stupid & Contagious for his support. And to Premium T. for getting me to write again...

"Dukes" Fan Cries Foul: Dave Archer writes to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

I am so incensed by Bill Maher's recent incendiary comments about Sarah Palin that I can barely hold my hands steady enough to type this letter. To say that the only type of people dumb enough to vote for Palin are the people who would wait in line to watch a "Dukes of Hazzard" movie is totally offensive and untrue. You are free to call me a dumb hillbilly who was weaned on the hilarious adventures of those good old Hazzard boys -- just don't insinuate that someone like me is dumb enough to vote for Sarah Palin.

We Report, You Decide Dept: A typical example of the "fair and balanced" reporting exclusive to Fox News:

We had a great trip to New York. I'll list the restaurants, the menus and review the highlights tomorrow, In the meantime, we're going to hit the ground running tonight when we see Alison Krause and Robert Plant:

Looking at America

The New York Times speaks for millions here.

Joel Connelly of The Seattle Post-Intelligencer writes about what makes Iowa Republicans tick:

• "Our presidents should be godly people." -James Patrick, Des Moines churchgoer;
  
• "Over 70 per cent of Iowans believe marriage should be between one man and one woman and nothing else [sic]. We believe this issue of marriage is important to the health and welfare of the family in this country." -Pastor Dan Barry, Cornerstone Family Church of Des Moines;
• "I've worked now in three successful presidential campaigns, but the moral climate in this country has continued to deteriorate." -Anne Perry (another Sunday worshipper, not the mystery writer).

Of course, considering the way in which the Bush Administration has ignored the ongoing agony of Louisiana and the Gulf Coast,  she may have a point. Meanwhile, John Edwards dares argue that poverty is the real threat to the health and welfare of this country, here.

Killian Read: Darkly Dreaming Dexter (Jeff Lindsay)

Killian's Downloads:

Son of Skip James (Dion)

Raising Sand (Robert Plant & Alison Krauss) As hard as this pairing is to envision, it works on just about every level. Who knew?