Pajama Pundits

It seems the court system just can't get its collective act together... or maybe they just can't win.

A few days ago, the Supreme court basically defined the concept of private property out of existence. (not without receiving at least a little real world flak over the decision) It shouldn't surprise too many folk that the SC has been harshly criticized for the maneuver...

... but it also seems that, sometimes, a judge is just plain doomed to criticism, even for doing their jobs the way they're supposed to.

Submitted for your approval, Federal District Judge Karon Bowdre. You might remember her, she was the judge who got, in random assignment, the trial of Richard Scrushy; CEO of HealthSouth; for a $2.7 billion overstatement on earnings.

In the current climate, one might think that simply being a corporate wheel that got called into court in the first place made a conviction almost a slam-dunk. Certainly big corporations have been the 'evil du jour' for the media for quite a while, right behind the President, though occasionally being edged out by the odd celebrity trial, firearm crime, or manufactured story. (hey, if you can't find something, make up something, it'll sound just as good) This time, however, it didn't quite work out that way.

In a somewhat surprising result, Scrushy was cleared of all counts against him. As some folk would have it, this one, like another media-circus trial recently, was all about witness credibility.

But the judge herself is now taking heat, in part because there was, in the past, a non-professional relationship between the judge and the wife of the defendant.

So why is someone sticking up for the judge?

She offered to entertain motions to remove herself from the case, but neither side took her up on it. Perhaps the prosecution wanted an exit strategy,,, should things not go as planned?

This recipe needs a name. I'd love to hear suggestions! It's based on the Neiman Marcus cookie recipe (the hoax recipe, not the official recipe) and one for Ranger cookies that Brookshire's used to sell.

• 2 cups butter
• 1 2/3 cups dark brown sugar
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups oatmeal
• 3 - 3 1/2 cups flour
• 16 oz. chopped dates
• 4 oz. semi-sweet baking chocolate, grated
• 3 cups Rice Crispies

Cream butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla.

Blend oatmeal to a fine powder in blender. This should yield approximately 2 1/3 cups.

I prefer finely chopped dates, so I generally chop packaged chopped dates again.

Mix together: flour, oatmeal powder, salt, baking powder, soda, and dates. Add to creamed mixture. Blend well.

Add chocolate, then Rice Crispies, blend well.

Place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet, using the rounded teaspoon method, or use a melon scooper - my preferred method. This scoop looks like the one I use.

Bake for 8 - 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Do not overbake, the cookie may not look "done". Remove from pan and allow to cool on cookie rack. All ovens seem to vary, so make adjustments to temperature and time after the first batch. My old copy of this recipe said 6 minutes. I've got a new oven since then, and the last time I made them, they required longer to cook.

Additional ingredients may include chopped candied fruits, coconut, toffee... use your imagination. I often make these without the chocolate simply because grating chocolate is a supreme pain. I've also made it with anywhere from 1/2 to 1 oz, and with miniature chocolate chips. If anyone has suggestions for a method of grating chocolate, I love to hear about that too.

This recipe makes approximately 12 dozen cookies. It can be halved, of course. I have a 30 year old 6 quart KitchenAid mixer, and this recipe maxes out the bowl and the motor. I wouldn't try it in one of the new smaller KitchenAid mixers without halving it.

Or: Be careful what you wish for... [yesterday's news, I know, but the irony is just too, too delicious to let go just yet]

It seems that Justice may sometimes be somewhat more swift than others... and more personal?

In an already somewhat infamous decision, the USSC has decided that private property doesn't have to be either. Once more citing 'international opinion', the usual suspects have decided that it is perfectly acceptable to take private property from one person and give it to another, even if for private use. The requisite 'good' necessary to render such a move legal was traditionally ambiguous...

... but it might backfire. Supreme boot

GOP Bloggers considers it an eye for an eye, and Powerpundit wonders if this may just come back to bite him. [him being USSC Justice David Souter]

One delights in hoping that 'justice' will be served to all 5 supporters of this gem of jurispridential lack of foresight. Surely 5 luxury hotels in certain, quiet, upscale areas could generate a goodly amount of local tax revenue, not to mention a hasty revisit to a bad decision?

I wonder if Justice Souter is familiar with the Klingon proverb which tells us that 'Revenge is a dish, best served cold'?

Or: Business as usual in the land of Huh?

Yesterday, George Will wrote regarding the amazing interpretational flexibility of the US Supreme Court, with respect to Establishment Clause issues. Hairsplitting

I don't take any particular exception to his conclusions, but I do wonder why it's supposed to be news?

Consider:

So why is today's court preoccupied with the supposed problem of mere displays of the Commandments? Because beginning about 25 years ago the court evidently decided that the Establishment Clause's historical context, and the Framers' intentions regarding it, are irrelevant.

All due respect, Mr. Will, but this is hardly the first Constitutional clause to be sacrificed on the altar of 'progress', nor is this the first panel to wield the dagger.

Certainly the 'Miller' court (307 US 174 (1939)) viewed original intent and the historical context of the 2nd Amendment as not only irrelevant, but somehow incorrect. Still, one must remember that this was the same decision which held that a short-barreled shotgun was not 'part of the ordinary military equipment', despite the extensive use of exactly such firearms in the trenches of Europe in the recent world conflict.

At that, butchering the intent of the 2nd Amendment was not the high court's first foray into interpretational expediency. A good case can be made regarding their treatment of the 14th Amendment, starting in 1874 or so...

This isn't the first time they screwed up, it probably won't be the last.

There are people out there — reporters, pundits, Senators and Congressmen — who hate the President and the Republican Party so deeply and with such passion that they would rather see the United States defeated and Iraq collapsed into a failed state than support what they see as George W. Bush’s war. --Jeff Harrell

Perhaps the best thing GWB could do for Iraq would be to say he's got a message from God that we should pull out of Iraq tomorrow. Support for the war should skyrocket.

There will always be a few bad apples in every organization. Good for the Army for getting rid of these.

I don't think class action suits should be abolished, but they are certainly the most abused type of suit and this practice doesn't surprise me at all.

Massachusetts gains ground in my personal opinion poll of the various states.

Our favorite neighbor gave us a bag of tomatoes and another large zucchini yesterday. I finally got around to making the zucchini quiche.

3 slices thick bacon, cut into 1/4" - 1/2" pieces
1 small to medium onion, chopped fine
3 to 4 cups zucchini - sliced thin
1/2 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
2 medium tomatoes - peeled and sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
8 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream

Fry bacon until done, add onions, zucchini and Lawry's, continue cooking until all the bacon grease is absorbed. Set this aside to cool.

Mix bread crumbs and butter together. Pat into a large, deep dish pie pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Sprinkle salt and pepper over tomatoes.

Whip eggs and cream until frothy (I use a blender for this step).

Layer zucchini mixture in pie plate. Top with 1/2 the egg mixture. Arrange tomato layer, and pour remaining eggs & cream over them.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, reduce heat to 300 degrees, bake for another 20 minutes. Adjust baking time if you use a shallow pan. The dish I use is 1 3/4" deep and filled to the brim.

Quiche is fun because there are so many variations. To the eggs and cream, you can add whatever is in your larder. The crust is variable also. Whole wheat or rye crust would be good, and there are recipes using Bisquick or refrigerator crescent rolls.

Considering my husband (with a little help from our male gardening neighbor) ate more than half of this pie immediately (I barely got a photo) I think I've proven real men do eat quiche.

Get a cup of coffee, have a snack handy, and enjoy the History Carnival #10 at Spinning Clio.

•What shall I call thee when thou art a man?

•I don't think you are a fool, but what's my opinion compared to that of thousands of others?

•Not even Hercules could knock your brain out, as you have none.

•I used to think that you were a colossal pain in the neck.

•Now I have a much lower opinion of you.

•I desire we be better strangers.

•Someone said that you were not fit to slop pigs the other day. I stuck up for you, though. I told them you were.

•I was seeking for a fool when I found you.

•You're not yourself today. I noticed the improvement immediately.

•You've reached rock-bottom and still digging.

•If bald, you would have more hair than wit.

•Oh dear, somebody forgot to water you this week, didn't they?

•Let's meet as little as we can.

•If you grasp your ears and firmly pull, I think you can get your head out of there.

•Whoever told you to be youself couldn't have given you worse advice.

•Your confusion rivals Adam's on Mother's Day.

I made this list years ago, I don't even remember who I was thinking of when I compiled it... and now I'm throwing that scrap of paper away, along with tons of other scraps of paper I've saved over the years. Why did I think I'd need every single utility bill we've paid since... 1990?

Back to housekeeping now. A huge box of photos awaits my attention.

It's up at News from the Great Beyond, and one of the best renditions yet. Don't miss it!

3 1/2 cups zucchini, cut into 1/2 to 3/4 inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt (or salt & pepper)

Mix all the above together and marinate 2 hours, or overnight.

In large non-stick skillet, saute the mixture until the zucchini and onions begin to soften. Add:

1 - 28 oz. can Italian style diced tomatoes (I used Hunt's Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic & Oregano)

Heat until it just begins to boil, turn heat off and add:

1/2 cup heavy cream

Mix thoroughly and serve over angel hair pasta, garnish with fresh parsley. Serves 4 to 6 people, depending on their appetite, gender, age, etc.

Try this with just the tomatoes and a little less cream for a very easy, quick dinner.

According to Allstate.com, the most desired retirement activity for Baby Boomers is travel. Ah... yes, I'd like to see the French West Indies,

explore the architecture in Russia,

return to Scotland where the rainbows are bigger than any I've ever seen before,

...however, my darling husband has decided that he is going to raise chickens.

The upside to this is that these birds are Red Wing Sex Links. Don't ask me what that means, I have no clue. But I figure it should get a Google hit or two... however disappointed the visitors may be. Perhaps I'll do a philosophical post or two about chickenshit, since I now understand a lot better just how meaningful that term is.

Oh... please Google! Please let this post be on the first page of search results for "Where is my cell phone?" Because, I really, really, really want to tell my husband, when he asks me that question (and he will...) that maybe we should look on the internet for it.

UPDATE: "where is my cell phone"

Thanks to the Songstress' s Rendition of the Carnival of Recipes at News from the Great Beyond, and to Cathouse Chat and David of third world county, who may still be searching for his car keys.

But that would be akin to tempting fate. So, I will only say that I hope The Self-Indulgence Of The American Media and Leftist Establishment has reached its nadir.

Frankly, there are always those encouraging them to keep digging. "To think otherwise is to be willfully naive".

My daughters have a talent for giving. They usually save the best for Mother's Day, but an awesome gift might arrive on my birthday too. Or Christmas. Or on a random Tuesday. One thing all their gifts have in common is they are not temporary, but are enjoyable in some way for years.

I got the announcement of my 2003 birthday present via a creatively hilarious emailed PowerPoint presentation based on TV game shows and commercials. (Proof that good can come from endless hours of watching TV!) It was sent so I'd get it at work, where my boss and co-workers already knew what was coming. Cheesecake petits fours and a Maxine birthday party kit arrived at the office shortly after the email. Getting notified of the gift was just as exciting as the gift itself - a trip to Scotland.

For the warmest memories, the evening at Superior's Steakhouse for my sister and I, was a celebration of both motherhood and sisterhood. Along with spirited conversation, the warmth of their companionship, and the honor, there were cocktails, a different wine with each course, and cognac after dessert.

That they spend time in their busy lives thinking of me is honor enough, that they spend their hard-earned money on me is icing. The first expensive gift I got from one of them was when the oldest spent her summer earnings to buy a table & chairs I had admired.

Perhaps the ultimate combination of thought, time, effort, and cost was the scrapbook they made, a history of our immediate family in photos and words. The best part of that gift was that they both made the trip home to give it to me.

These wonderful memories along with the collection of handmade cards and gifts from their younger years and the lovely containers that once held beautiful plants - I have a black thumb, but they are optimists - are in so many ways undeserved. They are proof that there is something greater than nature or nurture.

This year, for Mother's Day, I got Amazon gift certificates. Somewhere out there, there's someone saying there's no effort or thought put into THAT! But that would be so wrong. The thoughtfulness is in their knowing that my reading tastes do not always match theirs, that my interests can range from the silly to serious in 60 seconds or less and that I'll have fun browsing, knowing I can buy.

While the gift is slowing down posting momentarily, reviews of the books will be fodder for future posts. So far, I've got:

Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything - I'd read so much about this one on other blogs, I had to have it. For me, the valuable point is the lesson in how to ask the question.

Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America

How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story of How Western Europe's Poorest Nation Created Our World & Everything in It

Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America

Scotch-Irish: A Social History

Black Rednecks And White Liberals

The five books above stem from a natural interest in Scotland, and these two posts from Sissy Willis, and the accompanying comments. I haven't read Albion's Seed yet, but of the others, Leyburn's Social History is the best. Sowell's Black Redneck theme could use a little Leyburn, and a little less Grady McWhiney, whose book I thought went on for hundreds of pages after he'd expressed all his thoughts. I have to wonder if I would have liked Sowell's book better if I hadn't read Freakonomics first.

Last Man Out: Glenn McDole, USMC, Survivor of the Palawan Massacre in World War II

Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission

The last two books are interesting because one of my uncles was one of the eleven survivors of the Palawan Massacre, and he never told us much about his experience as a POW or very many details of the escape. I never heard him mention the massacre.

This brings me to the point of this post. [You had a point? -ed.] I've got about $40 left and I'm looking for suggestions on what to spend the rest of my Amazon bounty.

In the Future, Everyone Will Be Hitler For 15 Minutes.

Back in the 80's, in a discussion of my management style, I was called a Hitler. Those who personally know me will not be surprised that I was 'fashionable' long before it was fashionable. Or, something like that.