Letters to the Editor
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ethics, et al
Jeffersonian comes from my father's career as a history professor, and particularly of American history. He was fond of talking about the Jeffersonian ideal,which is someone grounded in working the land, or doing a trade, or pursuing commerce, but at heart a well educated, curious, involved citizen. Jefferson thought the future of the republic was centered on such men (now women, thank God). So, it's a nod to that philosophy, not an aspiration to model myself after the man. I'd stand no chance. But, thanks, ethics professor, for seeing the literal and psychological pain with which I am currently dealing. But, I'm not in Burma, or Darfur, and my children are not in Iraq, so I have much to be grateful for.
Regarding the grill, I"m afraid tonight will be cobbled together of leftovers from yesteday's BBQ, since we have to be babysitting two of our grandchildren by seven. On mother's day, however, teriyaki pork tenderloin, seared ahi with wasabi mayonnaise, coconut rice, a stir fry with boy choy, spring garlic, sweet red peppers, peruvian onions, and a dash of hosin and sesame oil. Mothers day, and I still have my mother, 87 and coping with dad's haunting decline better than I am by far, and my wife, mother of our four amazing men and women, and our daughters, each a mother of two (one a boy and then a girl, the other just the other way 'round. Sounds so symmetrical, yet it's all so random. Our family planning oft times consisted of a glass of Mateus, some Herbie Mann or Hubert Laws, and a dash to the bed room; or the kitchen. Whatever. Hey, it was the seventies. Behind all this, we retain the
cockeyed optimism of progressives, believing against all evidence that this country, and this world can be better, and we can be, in our own modest ways, instruments of that change. The spring garlic doesn't hurt, either. Probably a local Savignon Blanc and maybe a Jadot Beaujolais for old time's sake. best, jeff