Hey there food fans. I promised a quickie lamb recipe today and so I had to log in and get it posted. Here we go...

1 lamb roast, about 2 lbs. (typically you can get a 4-5 boneless leg of lamb, cut it in half and freeze the unused portion.

Lemon Juice
Curry Powder
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
salt to taste

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Roll out the lamb roast. If any portion is more than a couple inches thick, I like to butterfly it so it lays out flat. Now take the garlic, lemon juice and curry powder and mash it all together, adding juice or curry powder as necessary to make a paste. When your paste is ready, spread it over both sides of the lamb. Now season the roast with salt to taste. Place the lamb on a rack in a roasting pan and throw it into a 400 degree oven. Now I like my lamb medium-well to well done. That usually takes about 35-45 mins. If you want your lamb rare, you can probably have it finished in 25-30 mins. That is the beauty of laying it out flat, it roasts very quickly. This delicious roast will fill the house with wonderful aroma so be sure to have some lentils done with some warm pita. Alternatively, we like to serve it up here with steamed artichokes and roasted potato wedges. Good eatin' on ya!

And be sure to tune in soon for more on my discontent with the current Republican candidates for President in 2008. I continue to get some light flak from Rootie Rooters...so of course I have to rebut...

Smilin' Paul Villa U.S. Senate 2010
cyber-Congressman, R-Reno
Proud Member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy and 2 SUV Family

Some of my loyal readers have been taking me to task the last few weeks, ever since I referred to “Rootie” Julieannie in less than glowing terms. Reader Terry Garcia, Moraga CA wanted me to know that she happened to live in NYC (for which she has my sympathies) before, during and after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Now I’ve known Terry for 30 years this year, and I think the world of her and her opinion. When she says that “Rootie” was good for NYC I believe it. But she also makes my point. “Rootie” was good for NEW YORK CITY. That does not make him good for the United States of America. Reader Shaun “Hooter” Daniels, Alameda CA who I’ve known for going on 35 years is another “Rootie” Rooter who asked me if a little gun control was such a bad thing. I see its time for a little history lesson folks.

I attempt this only because I know that most of y’all who drop by here are educated folks who can agree to disagree if necessary but who are open to debate. Not argument like the lib’ruls love to engage in. I’m talking about reasoned debate. With that in mind, I will offer up this history lesson explaining why the Second Amendment does not need “adjustment”, despite the record, writings and utterances of Mr. Julieannie.

By way of background here, I refer my readers to The Federalist Papers. For those of you who are the unfortunate products of public schools, The Federalist Papers is a compilation of essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay, three of our most prominent Founding Fathers. These essays were directed at the People of New York during the debates on ratification of the Constitution. The essays were arguing in favor of ratification while explaining the history behind and intent of the various features of the Constitution as it was originally drafted. That is before the Bill of Rights was appended after ratification.

Gun control advocates will usually tell us that they don’t mind people possessing weapons for hunting or sport shooting, well ain’t that peachy. The problem for them and one reason why you never see a gun control advocate mention The Federalist Papers or the intent of the Founders in establishing the Second Amendment is that hunting wasn’t a concern of theirs except as it related to huntin’ Redcoats and I can tell you, there was no limit on them. People, the Second Amendment is the MOST IMPORTANT civil right we possess. Stripped of it, the remaining civil rights granted us in our Bill of Rights are meaningless because we would have no power to maintain our rights should the government decide to impose restrictions upon them. Now some of you all are just shaking your heads, writing me off as some grumpy old crank who has had too much time in the Nevada sun. Well then, let’s take the words of our Founding Fathers then. A group of men I presume we can all agree were far more intelligent than either you or I.

Writing in Federalist #46 James Madison stated that a great advantage enjoyed by Americans was that they were armed, and that this acted in concert with the appointment of militia officers by local government as insurance against higher level government abuses. Now this mention of the militia is commonly used by proponents of gun control to argue that the Founders meant that only the militia should be armed. Well, let’s not stop here because that is NOT what they stated at all. In Federalist #28 Alexander Hamilton clearly states that it is the final recourse of the people to take up arms in the event of betrayal by their representatives. Hamilton follows up this thought in Federalist #29 when he asserts that to require the great mass of the citizens to undergo sufficient training to make them a well regulated militia would be too inconvenient to the people. Hamilton does not call for limitations on the availability of arms despite his acknowledgement of the need for rigorous training in order to be characterized as a well drilled militia unit. Obviously the arming of the populace and the drilling of the militia were two separate issues to him and of course, his own words indicate that he felt the final arbiter of any government tyranny must be the ability of the people to rise up in arms against the government.

Another primary argument made by proponents of gun control is that the Second Amendment is a collective and not an individual right. Such reasoning flies in the face of the writings of the Founding Fathers. Every other right which was secured in the first ten amendments to the Constitution is an individual and not a collective right. Clearly the authors of the Federalist Papers considered the arming of the citizenry important and it was often considered in the context of a need for militia. The mission of the militia would be to protect the people from foreign and domestic threats. Reliance upon a militia does not alter the Second Amendments’ guarantee of an individual and not a collective right.

So folks, I simply cannot get excited about a candidate who professes to be a conservative Republican but whose record on gun control and the Second Amendment clearly indicates that he is a statist with no regard for the vision of our Founding Fathers. God forbid, should Julieannie become the Republican nominee for President in 2008 and it is a closely contested effort, then yes I will bite the bullet and vote for him because warts and all, he will still be better than any visible candidate from the Party of Sedition. However, should “Rootie” be well ahead then I shall exercise my franchise on behalf of a third party such as the Constitution Party.

Tune in tomorrow sports fans. I’ve got a killer lamb recipe that is simple and takes only minutes to roast….so reader Sam Ishaq, places unknown CA. can rejoice…


Smilin' Paul Villa U.S. Senate 2010
cyber-Congressman, R-Reno
Proud Member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy and 2 SUV Family

Sunday evening was one of those perfect nights where a man can really just sit back and think. I was tending a grill with a couple of t-bones from some of Nevada's finest range fed beef on it and an ice cold Miller High Life in hand (just in case of a fire). Above me the sky soared from a fiery orange/pink in the West, just behind the Hungry Mountains to a deep midnight over Spanish Peak and Sugar Loaf. In between was a carpet of stars and the only sounds were the snorts of the horses in their pen munching on their hay, the crackling of the beef and the occasional shout from the neighborhood kids. The temperature was mid 60s and it was still too early in the year for bugs. In short it was the kind of night where a man can give thanks to God for being (in no particular order) an American, a Westerner and in particular a resident of Red Country. A place where he can tune into KHWG broadcasting classic country music and the Central Nevada Farm and Ranch report out of Fallon.

A long time ago I wrote that America achieved greatness because of beef, pork and chicken. Think about it folks. Beef in particular is unique to the diet of the Americas. Not that other countries don't eat it but nowhere in the world has beef assumed the central role in the diet that it has in America. I would argue that this reliance on our bovine friend has served us well. In short, anytime you turn your back on beef and to a lesser extent, swine and yardstrutter, you turn your back on Americana. Some of you all are no doubt asking yourselves where I'm going with this well I'm here to tellya, America is unique to history. Those ingredients that are particular to the American experience all contribute to our national soul and well being. I expect a few lurking lib'ruls will probably refrain from eating their 3.2 oz of beef per year now but I also expect that folks like the Chop, Bull and Spider will make up their shortfall with an extra chicken fried steak or two this year.

Some you reading this have known me for better than 30 years and know I've been playing at cowboy all that time. I've got Tony Lama boots I wore when I was crawling through Honky Tonks with D.P. and Bull, Spider and the Chop. I still wear my Stetson to Sunday services and love my Red Steagall tracks. The image of the cowboy is even more central to the concept of America than beef is to the diet. For Americans, when you call someone a cowboy, it is usually done with a note of respect or admiration. Unless of course you're an effete Easterner, a European or an academic.

What set me off on this topic? Well I was reading a book recently called "Virgin Land" written by a man named Henry Nash Smith. Generally I'm suspicious of books written by men with three names but in this case, I had no choice, the book was assigned. Actually it was a fairly entertaining read until near the end, when the author exposed his agenda. Now according to the author, the problem with America is that it has always looked inward, toward the West or the prairie for its heroes rather than looking overseas. Consequently, this has inhibited our acceptance into the "community of nations" because we idolize the cowboy. So if we just give up our continued fascination with the imagery of John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart and Clint Eastwood, we'll be far happier. By extension, if we just disavow our pleasure at watching "True Grit" we can expect to be lauded by Islamonazis instead of being bombed by them and the French would finally quit sniffling at the mere mention of "American." Needless to say, the book left me a little bit cheesed off.

Not to speak ill of the dead, because the late Henry Nash Smith was Professor Emeritus at Cal Berkeley and he never lived to see it but he needn't have worried. When was the last time Hollywierd made a decent western? Not that they could if they had to. Who would you get to star? Besides Tom Selleck and Robert Duvall, I can't think of many actors who could take the time away from their agents, press clippings and hookers long enough to ACT like a legitimate American. You see conservative politics and cowboys go hand in hand. You never saw the Duke asking for gub'mint handouts or sniveling that some job was too tough. He always found a way to do the job and if he didn't, he inspired others to do it. Americans loved cowboys because they were independent, proud and just. They had simple beliefs and worked hard at thier jobs, they believed in God and didn't need a Supreme Court decision to tell them when or who or what to worship. Cowboys viewed the Second Amendment as etched in stone and guns were another tool for them. In short, cowboys are everything that is anathema to the left. So go out and have a steak tonight and give thanks to God for inspiring me to inspire you to support our cattlemen. Someday, I'll do the same for hog growers cause we're laying in a half pig for the freezer tomorrow...

Smilin' Paul Villa U.S. Senate 2010
cyber-Congressman, R-Reno
Proud Member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy and 2 SUV Family

Ok all you Julieannie fans, here is a link that ought to explain volumes about why I can't support Rootie in the primaries. God help us if he is the Republican nominee but then there is always none of the above or the Constitution Party. They maybe out there, but at least they've READ the Constitution....

Smilin' Paul Villa U.S. Senate 2010
cyber-Congressman, R-Reno
Proud Member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy and 2 SUV Family