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JANESVILLE 6 MESSENGER ■ Sunday, July 27, 2008 communityshoppers.com PERSPECTIVES T HE WAY WE SEE IT Barack’s excellent adventure B arack Obama’s current standing in the presidential race — he holds an 8 percentage-point lead in the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll — is easy to understand when you watch the fawning media coverage of the candidate’s recent globe-trotting. Obama, who has less foreign policy experience than the average foreign-exchange student, sought to burnish his thin credentials with a trip this past week to the Middle East and to Europe. He was accompanied by a phalanx of adoring reporters and news anchors, who chronicled — unwittingly, of course — the painful awkwardness of an elite liberal trundling Our view ■ Media magic recasts Obama as superior statesman. among the unwashed fighting men and women of the American military. Glad-handing American troops in Iraq, Obama, though at least photogenic, looked comically similar to 1988 Democrat presidential nominee Michael Dukakis, who weebled and wobbled atop a tank in a laughable effort to project commander-in-chief gravitas. Republican John McCain, meanwhile, challenged Obama to concede that the Iraq troop surge, for which the Democrat expressed no hope, audacious or otherwise last year, has been a rousing success. Obama, predictably, waffled, even as he stood on ground that would have been ceded to terrorists had his retreat-anddefeat strategy for troop withdrawal been implemented instead of the surge. And yet the myth of Obama as a qualified presidential candidate stubbornly persists, thanks largely to an elite media in full swoon over the gossamer shimmer of a young, cameraready liberal. And what of McCain, whose cranky common sense used to earn high praise among the chattering class? He is now so far under the media bus that he couldn’t get the New York Times to publish his column about the Iraq war, even though Obama was allowed to hold forth on the same page just days earlier. So much for the maverick’s fourth-estate constituency. Such events underscore the challenge facing McCain, who seems flummoxed by the serial platitudes of Obama and the complicity of malleable reporters. It may not be fair, but it’s entirely predictable. “America is on a gambling binge. The more available and accessible it becomes, the more gambling is acceptable to people.” Tom Grey, executive director of the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling, made that statement two years ago. Grey’s next line: “But shouldn’t government be encouraging people to save their money, instead of encouraging them to gamble?” Even if you believe the answer to Grey’s question is yes, the stark reality is just the opposite. Government is expanding gaming options. Stateline.org reports, “States are more addicted to gambling revenue than ever as the lure of easy, new money for schools, tax relief and public services has led to an explosion of statesanctioned casinos, slot machines at racetracks and lottery games. “Twenty-five years ago, gambling was legal in only three states. Now, every state except Utah and Hawaii rely on gambling to generate revenues to help avoid raising taxes.” Wisconsin is right there with other states, enabling gambling that rivals Las Vegas, and promoting games with clever marketing in radio and TV ads. The heavy concentration of games has evolved, despite the fact Wisconsin voters took a firm stand against the proliferation of gambling. Gov. Tommy Thompson called a special session of the Legislature in June 1992 to consider amending the constitution to permanently exclude casino-style gambling from inclusion in the state lottery. Voters considered the following question: “Gambling expansion prohibited. Shall article IV of the constitution be revised to clarify that all forms of gambling are prohibited except bingo, raffles, pari-mutuel on-track betting and the current state-run lottery and to assure that the state will not conduct prohibited forms of gambling as part of the state-run lottery?” In 1993, the amendment passed overwhelmingly. As things now stand, stateoperated or private casino-style gaming in Wisconsin would require subsequent constitutional change. The results of the advisory referenda, which also appeared on the ballot, indicated the voters’ preference for maintaining the status quo regarding gambling. Despite the results, Gov. Doyle has signed gaming compacts with tribes that have resulted in an explosion of gambling never foreseen. After Louis Butler replaced Diane Sykes on the state Supreme Court, the court made a ruling that essentially OK’d the expanded gaming negotiated in the compacts. In July 2006 I wrote, “Thanks to the ruling, the state’s largest gambling operation, the Potawatomi Bingo Casino in Milwaukee, will now advance with plans to triple its floor space, currently at 70,000 square feet. That will give the facility 210,000 square feet, more floor space than any casino in all of Las Vegas. ... “The Potawatomi also plan to double the number of slot machines from 1,500 to 3,000. That would rival the MGM Grand’s 3,700 slot machines, and the expanded Potawatomi facility would have more slots than any other casino in Las Vegas ...” As predicted, last month the Potawatomi Bingo Casino advertised the grand opening of its expansion, now featuring 3,100 slot machines. The director of the Wisconsin Lottery now wishes games could be offered online. This follows a national trend of states searching for new ways to expand gambling opportunities. Is there no end to what states might do to recruit more gamblers? Probably not. The Denver Post reports the Colorado Lottery is selling coffee-flavored scratchand-sniff lottery tickets, with chocolateand flower-flavored scents coming soon. A spokeswoman for the Colorado Lottery, Erika Gonzalez, says, “We could even have a Corona with lime.” Editor’s note: Contact Wisconsin state Sen. Mary Lazich, R-New Berlin, at Sen.Lazich@legis.wisconsin.gov. On the other hand: Obama puts a fine point on positions It looks as though the reason Barack Obama is reluctant to have multiple debates with John McCain is because he’s having too much fun debating himself. (OK, that was a cheap shot; so what? Some days, you pass up the cheap shot, you don’t get any shot at all.) The thing is, he has so “refined” his positions on a number of issues lately that they resemble political gummy bears — all chewy and <strong>sweet</strong>. For example: He announced his administration would support faith-based initiatives by private religious groups, saying that the social problems facing the country are too great and complex to be solved by government action alone. Separation of church and state anyone? The faith-based initiative, remember, was the lure that George Bush used to get evangelical voters into his boat. Could Mr. YOUR TURN: Joe Toebes Janesville “The security of our country. Nothing else matters unless we’re secure.” Cash-hungry states on a gambling binge DONALD ONALD KAUL AUL MINUTEMAN MEDIA Obama be trolling the same waters? When the Supreme Court, by a 5-4 vote, knocked down a law that called for the execution of rapists of children, Obama spoke out against the ruling. Aren’t real liberals supposed to be against the death penalty? Period? But when the Supreme Court said that the District of Columbia’s ban on handguns was unconstitutional, Obama agreed with it. He said that while he believes in the government’s right to regulate handguns, he also believes in the right of individuals to own them. He didn’t straddle the issue, he surrounded it. What is the single most important issue in this year’s presidential campaign? Bernie Shields Janesville “Ending this war. We can’t get anything else accomplished until we do.” Joan Heinz Janesville “Economics and health care. There are a lot of people who have no health care whatsoever. When they’re sick, they don’t get help.” SEN. EN. MARY LAZICH AZICH GUEST COLUMN He supported a bill establishing electronic surveillance rules for the government’s eavesdropping program, even though it granted immunity to telecommunications companies that conducted warrantless wiretaps in the past. And finally, he said he might reassess his timetable for the withdrawal of our troops from Iraq after he’d gone there and talked to our military commanders. The granola liberals of the anti-war left squealed loudest at this, hearing in it the echoes of John McCain’s endless-war strategy. No, he said, he remains committed to ending the war, and he reiterated his previously stated position that “we had to be as careful getting out as we were careless getting in.” But you know what? None of that socalled flip-flopping matters much to me. I may be less than enthusiastic about some Alice Hessenauer Janesville “Getting out of Iraq. You don’t get in and out overnight, but getting them out peaceably is important. I think we also need alternate sources of energy.” Linda Fredell Janesville “I’d like to get out of Iraq without more loss. It’s a quandary; you want to support the troops but you also want them to be safe.” of those positions but they all seem reasonable to me, something about which we can agree to disagree. Religious organizations have a history and an expertise in helping people in dire straits, and if the government can give them a little boost, it’s money well spent. I’m also against capital punishment but if you’re going to kill anyone, child rapists are a good place to start. The D.C. gun law is a joke, ineffective and unenforceable. Besides, what’s so wrong with a politician changing his mind? John McCain used to be against Bush’s tax cuts, now he’s for them. He’s allowed a second opinion. For the past seven years, we have had a president who never changed his mind about anything. How’s that working out for you? Editor’s note: Donald Kaul retired as Washington columnist for the Des Moines Register. E-mail him at donald.kaul2@verizon.net ■ The Janesville Messenger welcomes issue-oriented letters and guest column submissions for publication on the Perspectives page. Guidelines: Letters no longer than 250 words; all letters are subject to editing for spelling, grammar, length; no personal attacks or letters related to personal disputes; daytime phone number needed for verification. Guest columns should be approximately 550 to 650 words; not all guest columns will be published; Limit of one letter/column per month. Send to: Managing Editor, P.O. Box 367, Delavan, WI, 53115. E-mail to bheisel@communityshoppers.com
GARDEN TOURISM See new plants, ideas at these trial sites Vacation days are here. What do gardeners do during their time off? Well, the odd ones (present company included) like to look at plants that other gardeners have taken care of. The question I get from my family is — Why? There are a few reasons I will admit to. First, the very competitive spirit of every gardener (come on, admit it) makes us want to compare our skills, successes, and failures with those of other gardeners. Second, new plants are very cool to see and get to know. Third, I enjoy immersing myself in the labors of others. And yes, there are great places to go in North America to get resolution for these wacky needs. Trials are conducted, by different organizations with similar goals, to test for superior performance and overall plant quality. Almost all of the plant societies and botanic gardens have their own methods for determining their best performer each year, be it hosta, daylily, rose, urban trees, rhododendron or shrubs. Who selects? The All-American Selections (AAS) has been testing annual flowers and vegetables since 1932. Perennial plants are evaluated yearly by the Perennial Plant Association. Athens Select tests plant material for performance in heat and humidity. Chicago Botanic Garden tests plant material of all types to determine quality performance in the Midwest. Each and every trial garden has its own purpose for testing, but most will work with plant material either new on the market or those that are scheduled for market release within a few years. As one would guess, the best-case goal of the breeder is to have positive comments and endorsements, which will tremendously aid the plants’ marketability. Matched up? Should you worry about matching conditions of the trial garden location and <strong>home</strong> garden site? It’s a good idea if you are looking for plants to add to your landscape. Depending on the site, soil, care and environmental-condition differences, plants that perform well in the trial garden may not perform in a similar fashion in your yard. But if you just are curious about new developments, don’t give that aspect another thought — go to all of them and enjoy the eye candy! When planning your trips, don’t discount gardens in areas further to the south. As is evidenced by the recent weather, our heat and humidity can match some pretty intense southern conditions. And if you raise vegetables and annual flowers, other than growing days to maturity for veggies, we can fool almost any plant into living for us. Where to go Trial gardens can be found at universities, technical schools, botanic gardens, historical sites, independent plant growers and breeders and also at some garden centers. Online searching makes it easy. If you don’t have access to online resources, ask at your favorite garden center, or check All-American Selections LIS IS FRIEMOTH RIEMOTH THE GARDEN HOE ■ Boerner Botanical Gardens, 9400 Boerner Drive, Hales Corners, Wis., (414) 525-5600, www.boernerbotanicalgardens.org. ■ Cantigny Gardens, 11S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton, Ill., (630) 668-5161, www.cantigny.org. ■ Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, Ill., (847) 835-5440, www.chicagobotanic.org. ■ Green Bay Botanical Gardens, 2600 Larsen Road, Green Bay, Wis., (920) 490-9457, www.gbbg.org. ■ Rotary Gardens, 1455 Palmer Drive, Janesville Wis., (608) 752- 3885, www.rotarygardens.org. ■ Triton College Botanical Garden, 2000 Fifth Ave., River Grove, Ill.,(708) 456-0300, www.triton.edu. ■ University of Illinois Arboretum, Miles C. Hartley Selections Garden, 1802 S. Lincoln Ave., Urbana, Ill. (217) 333- 7579, www.arboretum.uiuc. edu/hartley_garden.htm. ■ University of Wisconsin West Madison Research Station, 8502 Mineral Point Road, Verona, Wis., (608) 262-2257, www.cals.wisc.edu. ■ Vincent High School Environmental Science and Natural Resources, 7501 N. Granville Road, Milwaukee, Wis., (414) 236-1200, www2.milwaukee.k12.wi.us out the libraries — either will be able to help you find the information to get you started. As you are planning a visit, be sure to do a bit research to find out if they have the plants you really want to see. Not all of the vegetables, bedding plants, perennials, trees, shrubs, and grasses are represented at each and every site. Be sure to call or visit their Web site before going; some (mainly the privately owned gardens) do request scheduled appointments or may have a fee associated with visiting. Remember to take a camera (you will take lots of pictures) and a notebook or recorder. You will regret it if you forget either of these. Editor’s note: Lis Friemoth is a horticulture diagnostician. Contact her at (262) 745-2904, P.O. Box 58, Springfield, WI 53176, visit online at www.thegardenhoe.com or e-mail her at gardenhoe@tds.net. communityshoppers.com A reader recently asked me if I had been on vacation. “No,” I assured him, “I’ve been working hard.” “Well, I haven’t seen any zucchini recipes lately; you’d think you’d have those in by now,” he replied. OK, point well-taken. With all the rain we’ve had lately, the zucchini literally is about to explode. And when you have too much zucchini on your plate, you have to start putting it in bread, muffins and the freezer. Zucchini blossoms Do you become the scourge of the neighborhood once zucchini season starts? Do the neighbors start locking their doors in fear of receiving yet another bag of zucchini? You need a new weapon to deplete your harvest, and this it. Don’t let the blossoms develop; eat them instead! When picking blossoms, look for ones that are beginning to open, but still are slightly swirled and twisted at the top — they are less likely to hide any bugs. Plus, they stay closed when you twist them shut again before frying. Don’t confine yourself to the zucchini patch; you can use any squash blossom — acorn, butternut, yellow, even pumpkin. You can make a spicy dip, or use what you have in the refrigerator. A good sauce for dipping is ranch-style salad dressing. Serves 2 6 fresh picked blossoms 2 oz. monterey jack cheese 1 recipe beer batter 1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning vegetable oil for frying Beer batter: 1 large egg, beaten 1/2 cup beer 3/4 cup flour Italian herb blend: Mix together equal portions of dried, crushed thyme, Rosemary and oregano and granulated garlic. Store in tightly covered container in dry location out of direct sunlight. Wash the blossoms carefully making sure there are no bugs. Cut the cheese into 6 equal rectangular portions and dip each into the Italian herbs to coat. Open each blossom up and slide in the little rectangle of cheese. Twist the top of the blossom shut, dip in batter and fry for about 1-1/2 minutes on each side. Remove and drain on paper toweling. Serve with a Ranch-style salad dressing for a dipping sauce. Zucchini salad JANESVILLE MESSENGER ■ Sunday, July 27, 2008 7 IT’S ZUCCHINI TIME! VEGETABLE CAN DRESS UP A VARIETY OF DISHES The brief cooking time of the vegetables really makes this dish special. It helps to meld the flavors, and is wellreceived by those who tend to prefer the cooked vegetable to the raw. Serves 6 LYNN YNN GREENE REENE LYNN’S PLACE 4 Tbsps. olive oil 3 small zucchini (about 1 pound) 1 clove crushed garlic 1 red pepper 1 small red or white onion 3 or 4 plum tomatoes 1/2 lemon 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar 1 tsp. dried crushed Italian herbs 1/4 tsp. salt, optional In a saute pan, heat the olive oil. Wash — but do not peel — the zucchini. Slice into very thin rounds. Slice the red pepper and onions into thin strips. Saute the zucchini, crushed garlic clove, red pepper and onions very briefly — just until the zucchini wilts a little. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Slice the plum tomatoes into thin rounds and add to mixture. Squeeze the juice of one-half lemon over all, straining to remove the seeds. Sprinkle the vinegar, herbs, and salt over all and mix everything together. Refrigerate for several hours before serving. Zucchini quiche And when you have too much zucchini on your plate, you have to start putting it in bread, muffins and the freezer. Serves 4 as a main course 1 deep dish 9-inch pie shell ( bottom only) 3 Tbsps. butter 1 or 2 small zucchini (about 1/2 pound) 1 plum tomato 8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese 8 oz. shredded Swiss cheese 1 pint half-and-half 4 large eggs dash of salt and white pepper 1 tsp. dried crushed Italian herbs 1/4 tsp. nutmeg In a saute pan, heat the olive oil. Wash and slice the zucchini very thin. Chop the tomatoes very fine. Saute the zucchini and tomatoes until tender. Let cool slightly, then mix together with the cheeses. Put this mixture in the pie shell. In a bowl, beat together the half-and-half and the eggs. Pour over the zucchini mixture. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, herbs and nutmeg. Place the pie pan on a cookie sheet to catch any wayward drips, and bake in a 375 F oven for about 50 minutes. Test as for custard — if a toothpick comes out clean, it is done. Remove from the oven, but do not cover (it will make it soggy.) Let cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing into wedges. Zucchini bread Makes 3 mini-loaves or 12 muffins 4 eggs 2 cups sugar 1 cup salad oil 2 cups zucchini, freshly grated, skin-on 1 tsp. vanilla 1 tsp. salt 1-1/2 tsps. cinnamon 1 tsp. baking soda 1-1/4 tsps. baking powder 1-3/4 cups flour Cream together eggs, sugar and oil. Add zucchini and vanilla and blend together. Sift together dry ingredients and add to mixture gradually. Once all dry ingredients have been incorporated, remove from mixer and add additional ingredients from variations. Variation 1: Add 1/2 cup chopped nuts and 1/2 cup raisins. Variation 2: Add 1/2 cup candied pineapple and 1/2 cup slivered almonds. Variation 3: Add 1 cup craisins. Variation 4: Add 1 cup chopped dates Variation 5: Add 1 cup grated apple (skin-on) and 1/2 cup quick oatmeal. Variation 6: Add 1/2 cup cocoa and 2 Tbsps. butter. Freezing zucchini Because I do a lot of baking with zucchini, I like to make up big batches of the zucchini-bread batter for freezing. When you want to bake a few muffins, remove the container from the freezer, let it thaw for just a bit and use an ice cream scoop to take out only what you need. A No. 20 scoop works well for muffins. I also grate the zucchini and freeze it in 2-cup portions in freezer Ziploc bags. When you use it in a recipe, do not drain; the liquid is needed. Editor’s note: Lynn Greene is senior editor for CSI Media, which publishes the Janesville Messenger. Contact her at lgreene@communityshoppers.com
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