Guantanamo Geese

I love random conversations and connections, so I thought I'd share. I went to a Halloween party last night, where there was a discussion of President Bush's administration and its recent failures. In the midst of this, someone asked what the "grey stuff" on the cheese plate was.

It was, of course, pate. This led to everyone telling their pate virginity stories. The we came around to the recent laws that prevent the production of pate de foie gras in various places. In case you haven't heard, it is alleged that the pate is made by force feeding the birds a high fat diet to the point that the size of their livers alone makes them uncomfortable. (I say "alleged" because I have heard multiple sides to this argument, and I am neither a veterinarian nor a pate producer.) So, some states are banning pate, not because killing birds is wrong, but because force feeding them is. It was generally decided that this was similar to certain views on capital punishment, i.e., that killing a bird (person) is not cruel, but other things are.

Our resident Frenchman said this was all foolishness, and wanted some reassurance that there would be a place to make pate. Coming full circle to the current administration, someone dressed as Greg Brady suggested Guantanamo Bay - the one place President Bush (with the help of Attorney General Gonzales) has decided that the rules don't apply.

If this bored you, I'm sorry, but I love the image of a military base raising geese. Besides, the revenue might help the deficit.

SHOUT OUT -- to the guy at the North Pointe Safeway who gave me the wallet I had left sitting on the check writing platform. You're a decent guy.

PREDICTION -- despite what the pundits say, I've got a bad feeling that President Bush will try to get his administration back on track with a fight, not an olive branch. I'm again afraid he may nominate Judge Janice Rogers Brown to the Supreme Court (for the reasons, see my previous post). My number two guess is Orrin Hatch -- a solidly conservative Senator from a reliably Red State. For once I hope I'm wrong.