George Bush|burgers|
Voter madness
White House reporter Helen Thomas calls George W. Bush
“the worst president in American history.” One look at how we go
about selecting our presidents indicates why we’ve done such a poor job
recently. A rational voter would take a hard look at the candidate’s history
and performance in public life, and use that as the main criterion for
selecting a president.
           Television
can’t present a compelling image of 34 years in Congress or 12 years as
governor, so we simply ignore that facet of a candidate’s portfolio. Instead,
we study body language on the campaign trail, looking for clues or just waiting
for that disastrous moment when the fatal slip is made.
           We are told
to ignore Wesley Clark’s achievements in one of the world’s most competitive
meritocracies. Focus instead on that hideous argyle sweater. We are told that
Howard Dean is “too angry”; he was captured on tape admonishing an
aggressive cameraman for intentionally hitting another reporter in the head
with a camera to move her out of the way. And does he really punctuate every
sentence with “yee-ha?
           We go about
selecting a president much the way a winner emerges on SurvivorIsland. Ignore the contestants’
accomplishments in the real world and consider only their behavior in the
artificial world of the campaign trail.
           I would
advise everyone to turn off the TV and search the internet for old stories on
the candidates. That is where the truth will be found.
           With the
current system, we elected a “uniter not a
divider” who has polarized the country in a way we haven’t seen since the
Civil War. If nothing changes, don’t be surprised when we elect another
“empty suit” as president — a flight suit at that.
           Thomas D. Bohan, Apple Creek Lane, Greece
Home security
It is incredible that George W. Bush should be focusing on
colonizing the moon and Mars. A planet does not export its war-making and irresponsibility
into outer space. Is Bush’s view of the future the one promulgated on the Black
Sabbath album Master of Reality?
           GBW should
be concentrating on improving people’s lives on earth.
           Greg Stark, Clinton Avenue, Rochester
The religious also suffer discrimination
The advertisement paid for by the Rochester Chapter of
Americans United for Separation of Church and State, appearing in your January
6 issue, speaks of an all-too-frequent prejudice that is rampant throughout the
United States.
           It breaks
our hearts for India Tracy that the shadow of the KKK follows her. It also
angers us that blatant discrimination against any child — be she or he of any religion, or none — exists in the “Land of the Free.”
           Instead of
sending a donation for the Legal Trust Fund for India Tracy, I am forwarding
this information to The Rutherford Institute. This is the type of case for
which Attorney John W. Whitehead established his legal group. The Institute has
attorneys all over the country who stand ready to fight for any child or adult who experiences
unfair treatment. Often the person cannot afford the legal fees. The Institute,
which is funded by people who believe in Constitutional fairness for everyone,
helps fund the attorneys from donations.
           We need to realize
that it is not only minorities who are denied rights. Some Institute attorneys
have filed amicus briefs in the crucial Supreme Court case of the ElkSchool District v. Michael A. Newdow. These attorneys argue that the court should
overturn the California District Court’s ruling that the “under God” phrase in
our nation’s Pledge of Allegiance violates the US Constitution.
           Atheist Newdow (who is both a medical doctor and an attorney) is
especially angry that his daughter and her mother joyfully attend a
Bible-believing church.
           Attorneys
for The Rutherford Institute successfully reached a settlement on behalf of
Carmine Sauchelli of Bayville, New
Jersey, who was unlawfully prohibited by county
officials from handing out religious materials in a public park. Rutherford
attorneys charged that OceanCounty
violated Sauchelli’s First Amendment rights to free
speech.
           In a more
disturbing case, in November 1998, two nurses arrived at the Head Start program
in Tulsa, Oklahoma,
to examine the children enrolled in the program. One nurse took blood samples
while the other allegedly removed the undergarments of the 4 and 5-year-olds to
perform genital examinations. Traumatized children cried or cowered in fear.
Parents were outraged that they had not been advised of the exams. The
attorneys argued successfully that the invasive, unauthorized examination
constituted unreasonable searches and seizures in violation of the Fourth
Amendment.
           Closer to
home, several years ago the VictoryBaptistChurch in Henrietta was assisted by
Rutherford attorneys when a Rush-Henrietta principal
refused to allow students to distribute religious literature at the high
school.
           The list
goes on. People of all ages, colors, and beliefs have been successfully
defended by Mr. Whitehead’s organization.
           In a
culture that becomes more and more secularized, we must be informed and aware
of how we can defend our Constitutional rights. Unless we are all treated
fairly, none of us is. The framers of our Constitution knew this.
           City readers may choose to follow
Americans United for Separation of Church and State as their ad suggests. I
invite those whom I’ve convinced to contact The Rutherford Institute at PO
Box 7482, Charlottesville, Virginia22906-7482.
           Doris S. Naundorf,
PictureBookPark, West Bloomfield
Rare bits
I enjoyed Adam Wilcox’s article on the local burger scene
(“Burger Patrol,” January 21). I’m a burger freak myself, but I don’t get out
to eat much and haven’t for a long time; money woes, you know. I usually make
my own burgers, whether grilled or fried, depending on the season. But I very
much appreciated the input of the judges, particularly Stan Merrill, a guy I
have known for years, but have lost touch with. However, I know he knows his
stuff.
           I’m partial
to Don’s Original, particularly at Sea Breeze. Best hot
sauce. Diablo sauce, I used to call it, owing to the distinctive red
color, as opposed to the usual brown. But of course that’s all relative.
           Thanks,
Adam, for a well-written, thoroughly researched article. It gave me a ton of
info on new places to try.
           Well done,
so to speak.
           Jason L. Brown, Pittsford
Another search
Whether I agree with the viewpoints or not, I always enjoy
reading City Newspaper and appreciate
your high literary and creative standards.
           But I especially
enjoyed “Burger Patrol,” not least because it resonated with me
directly. A number of years ago, when I still lived in New Jersey, several
friends and I undertook a similar exercise. I wrote a piece called “In
Search of the Perfect Hamburger,” which is at once a semi-chronicle of the
effort and a parody of the show of the same name and cheesy psuedo-documentaries
in general. It appears on my website http://www.irwinsjournal.com (in the
“Irwin’s Journal Online” section).
           It’s well
documented among my family and friends that if I don’t have a burger at least
once a week, I begin to exhibit withdrawal symptoms.
           Thanks for
the piece and a few new places to try, and the resulting opportunity to
cheerfully consume more bovine-based calories… I think.
           George Irwin, Blossom Circle West, Brighton
Burger judging
I read with great delight Adam Wilcox’s article on the
burger scene in Rochester. I also
appreciate the depth of research your team puts into each project. I still have
your article on chicken wings and keep it as the definitive Rochester
reference on wings.
           And, Stan
Merrill: What a guy. In my book, his street-wise palette is a trusted asset in
the Rochester food scene.
           I think
Wilcox pointed out well the differences between the two burger camps: the
fast-food style that depends more on the added flavorings than on the inherent
taste of the meat (which is there more for texture than anything else) and the
really good burgers.
           Had I been
on the Burger Patrol, I would have added few baseline criteria:
           •
Distinguishing among places that cook burgers from fresh-ground meat and those
that cook frozen, pre-formed hockey pucks. Fresh meat
has a tremendous impact on the quality of the burger. It’s a difference you can
see and taste in terms of flavor, texture, and juiciness — the three criteria
for judging the quality of any meat product and establishing some form of
apples-to-apples comparison, so to speak. (I have some background here as the
CMO for a high-end meat company.)
           • More
emphasis on the method of cooking — fried, broiled, and grilled (wood vs.
gas) — as an element of a particular burger’s flavor profile.
           • And
finally, some specifics on the meat: percentage of fat content (15 percent fat,
85 percent lean being the ideal); what cuts of meat are used in the grind (is
it all chuck, sirloin, top round, a combination?). The very best ground beef
for burgers is a blend of muscle cuts (an important consideration in the
post-BSE era), tenderloin for texture, chuck for juiciness, and sirloin for
beefy flavor.
           My only
criticism is that the beginning of the story — calling the act of eating a
burger “daring” — was a little too sensational. I think this
unreasonably plays on the fears of less-than-informed consumers who recoil at
the media’s depictions of cattle stumbling and falling down… calling it mad-cow
disease instead of BSE.
           As a former
journalist, I think the public deserves a media that informs responsibly.
           Looking
forward to your next project (Asian, Italian, chicken, hot dogs: We could use
all these and more).
           David Richards, CathawayPark, Rochester
Writing to City
We welcome and encourage readers’ letters for publication.
Send them to: themail@rochester-citynews.com or The Mail, City Newspaper, 250
North Goodman Street, Rochester14607.
           Our
guidelines: We don’t publish anonymous letters — and we ask that you include
your street name and city/town/village. While we don’t restrict length, letters
of under 350 words have a greater chance of being
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publish letters (or longer “op-ed” pieces) from the same writer more often than
once every three months.
This article appears in Feb 11-17, 2004.
