Bring the food leave the problems.

Last night’s dinner was simple. Tuna loin marinated in Dijon mustard, sesame oil, wasabi, garlic; then seared. It was served sliced on sushi rice with slice cucumbers pickled in ginger and sushi vinegar.

We used our new grill pan to sear the tuna. We were both struck by the translucence of the tuna under the halogen lamps in the new range hood. The old one would never have provided such a play of light and food for our enjoyment.

A good part of serving food properly is understanding how it appeals visually. This was just a serendipitous, rapidly transient image that we were able to capture. Photo by Gloria. 20 Oct 09 ca 1840

Tonight’s dinner will be an adaptation of Posole, a Mexican stew or thick soup using hominy as a base. To yellow hominy, I’ve added mustard greens for color and nutrition, a small piece of pork sirloin, lots of spices, seasonings and the remnants of a bottle or vermouth that somehow found its way into our kitchen. This collection of food stuffs has been quietly, happily simmering in the crock pot since 0800 this morning. As a result, the house smells good and dinner will be eagerly anticipated.

Gloria came in from class with her nearly-completed humming bird project. She’s quite pleased with the outcome to date. Only cosmetic treatment of the frame remains to be done. Then, we hang it in the foyer. This is her 4th project since she began working in stained glass. I’m quite impressed with it. You can see more of her photographs of this and of the birds she lures to her camera at:

http://gloria-hemlockhollow.blogspot.com/

Dinner, Mexican in origin if not actuality, brings us to the day’s concern.

CNN is running a quasi-documentary on “Latinos in the U.S. tonight. Every other word broadcast today has been concerned with something or someone Latino.

At an early age I became aware of a huge and basic discrepancy in the nations of the New World. Those nations which use English as a business and common language, which had no official religion, were highly industrialized, and, by the time I came along, had social safety net programs, good public health programs, and excellent public schools for all children, and good infrastructure. The primary religion, professed by the citizenry was the protestant offshoot of Christianity. Those nations using Spanish or Portuguese, having Roman Catholicism as the official and dominant religion were less industrialized and less well off economically. Their public infrastructure, public schools, and social structure suffered badly in comparison to ours.

What was the cause of this discrepancy between North America – Canada and the United States- and Latin America? Look at which nations in Europe founded and controlled which incipient nations. England settled the eastern portions of North America other than the part that became Spanish Florida and those bits of land claimed by the Dutch and by the French. The Dutch lost all colonies here by 1674. The French hopes for colonies in North America were done by 1687. That left England and Spain to contest for the New World.

England was concerned with the quest for furs, for gold, for the North West Passage, for monetary returns to the Crown and to investment companies such as HBC (Here Before Christ), resulting in colonies that were to become economically feasible, self-sustaining, and politically viable.

Spain wanted to loot the new colonies, to establish suzerainties for 2nd and 3rd sons, and to “Christianize the natives.”

England ruled the new colonies for growth and for continued return. England had already undergone the Protestant reformation. As strongly as the new protestant churches watched and controlled the subjects of England, they were not at all the vampire which was the Roman Catholic Church in Spain and the Spanish Colonies. The Church of England had no designs upon the Native Americans. There was no plan among the Quakers to convert the savages, no Puritans planning prayer campaigns. The Spanish Church controlled every aspect of Spanish life at home and abroad. The priests who went out with conquering armies were more akin to commissars of the Soviet Army than to chaplains.

The Spanish royalty had no concern for self-sustaining colonies as long as gold and slaves flowed back to Spain. Once the natives were forcibly converted – with some inclusion of local religions to ease the transition – they were often worked to death under threat of excommunication and damnation. The governors, the Dons, who managed the new colonies made no moves on their own but needed instruction from Spain in nearly all matters. There was no program of education established, any descendant of the ruling class returned to Spain for school. The natives were encouraged to reproduce carelessly and often existed at a starvation level since all produce, grain, anything that could be sold for gold was, or was shipped back to Spain. The countries, by the time they revolted and threw off Spanish rule, were already established as impoverished oligarchies. They were as much subjects of Rome as they were independent states.

The English colonies were granted somewhat more self-governance. As in England, local rule applied when possible although the crown still had all authority not assigned to an individual. Universities were established which still exist today. While we employed slavery throughout this nation, while we nearly wiped out our Native Americans, we managed to forge a far stronger and more stable nation than any, to date, in central or South America. If we can avoid the rapidly swelling Latino populace’s refusal to become acculturated citizens of the U.S. rather than allowing them to overlay the nation with the flaws of Latin America as created by the Spanish church, then we can remain the nation we intend to be. If we allow our nation to become North Mexico, the entire New World will suffer and the lead among nations will likely shift back to Asia once again. The Spanish empire is gone for good; the torn shroud it was buried in is not plan for a modern nation.

As always, this material is strictly my opinion, whether right or wrong in content and in nature. I have no personal animosity toward Latinos. My family includes Latinos, legal immigrants and native born citizens of the U.S.; and they are industrious and highly intelligent individuals, whom I think highly of.

I do have considerable animosity toward what the Spanish Church made of Latin America, and what its Italian parent would make of the U.S. if it were allowed. Note that my animosity is directed toward an institution rather than individuals.

As for me, I’m happy to have been born into a nation that was established byEngland, after the Protestant Reformation. For me, it is a good thing that Henry VIII was not satisfied with one wife.

Today's creek images: