lummi island wine tasting aug 15-16 ’25
Hours this weekend: 4-6 pm Friday & Saturday
…Good grief!…what are these bozos doing now…??
This week’s wine tasting
Domaine de l’Amauve La Daurèle, Côtes du Rhône Villages Séguret ’23 France $21
Grenache blanc, clairette, viognier, & ugni blanc; expressive nose of white fruits, mirabelle plum, and acacia honey; soft on the palate with lively citrus flavors…yummy and very Food Versatile!
Decoy Red ’21 California $18
60% Cab, 40% Merlot, Zinfandel, Syrah, and Cab; aromas of blackberry, plum, spice and savory herbs; fresh, rich, and savory on the palate with rich, silky tannins and a long, lush finish.
Edi Simcic Duet ’21 Slovenia $27
Merlot, Cab Sauv, Cab Franc; bold and compelling, with notes of chocolate, cherries, cheesecake, and coffee on silky tannins and a lush, ripe, fruit-full body that goes on and on.
Simcic’s vineyards and winery are in Slovenia near the Italian border. Father and son winemakers and their wines are highly regarded for the quality of their fruit and the craftsmanship of the wines. Only a stone’s throw from the Italian border, trade was closed until the collapse of the USSR. Simcic wines are imported by our friends at Small Vineyards in West Seattle, so we are long-time fans. The little video below gives a sense of the alpine locale.
Economics of the Heart: That Old 60’s Feeling…
In just the past few weeks the Project 2025 zeitgeist has been morphing us back to the sixties. We old-timers remember lots of 60’s linkages across society. The military was entrenched in the quagmire of the Vietnam War. Our nation was deeply wounded from the assassinations of JFK, RFK, and MLK. LBJ’s Congress made huge strides in protecting voting rights and promoting desegregation. It was a vibrant, creative, expressive, and thoughtful time.
“Flower children” and protest songs became a fixture in San Francisco and across the country; joints and pipes were passed around in all kinds of settings, and was all done to the sounds and lyrics of the Beatles, Beach Boys, Linda, the Airplane, and more. There was turmoil, engagement, and challenging of social norms. It was a long time ago. And yet this moment feels a lot like Buffalo Springfield’s famous “protest” song, “For What It’s Worth.” lyrics video
For six months now we have watched the unfolding of the very well-publicized and detailed dystopian plan to end Constitutional democracy in the United States and replace it with an authoritarian, totalitarian oligarchy controlled by a handful of bazillionaires. Like hungry ghosts, these guys are cursed with insatiable appetites and throats that can only swallow a grain of rice at a time. The world’s oligarchs, elected Republicans, Project 2025 agents, and right-wing media personalities all fall into this realm. Their vast wealth does not alleviate either their constant need for more or the anger/frustration of never feeling satisfied.
Now, in just the past several weeks, our country teeters precariously around Maga’s wanton breaching of individual rights, “disappearing” of thousands of “illegal” immigrants to secret confinement in unknown locations, using military force against legal protesters in LA and DC, the ever-expanding web of lies about “the Epstein files”, and the increasing incoherence of the Tweetster. And just in the last week several very interesting things have happened that signify a “sea change” in both Maga policies and the kind of resistance they will be experiencing, especially across blue states.
It started with the already-highly-gerrymandered, Republican-controlled Texas House being pushed by slimeball Gov Abbott to even further gerrymander it to create five more Republican seats. In response the entire Democratic caucus of the Texas House left en masse to Indiana to prevent a quorum.
In response California Governor Gavin Newsom gave a long, widely broadcast interview with a merciless, globally circulated nyah-nyah-ing putdown of Maga and the Tweetster. Expressing outrage at the illegality and presumption of Abbott’s action, Newsom promised that if Abbott went through with his plan, Newsom would redistrict California to replace 5 Republican House seats with Democrats before the 2026 election. He urged other blue states to do the same with this widely circulated, Tweetster-imitating post:
“DONALD ‘TACO’ TRUMP, AS MANY CALL HIM, ‘MISSED’ THE DEADLINE!!! CALIFORNIA WILL NOW DRAW NEW, MORE ‘BEAUTIFUL MAPS,’ THEY WILL BE HISTORIC AS THEY WILL END THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY (DEMS TAKE BACK THE HOUSE!). BIG PRESS CONFERENCE THIS WEEK WITH POWERFUL DEMS AND GAVIN NEWSOM — YOUR FAVORITE GOVERNOR — THAT WILL BE DEVASTATING FOR ‘MAGA.’ THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER! — GN,”
Newsom’s position underlines the insanity of Democrats having toed the legal legislative limits for years as Republicans have been violating them wildly since ’87. Thus his position, coupled with the Texas Dems, with support from Indiana’s governor is serving as a potent catalyst for Democrats to take off the gloves and beat these bozos at their own game. And t triggered a nationwide mobilization of Blue state legislatures to follow California’s lead if Texas does not back down.
It feels really, really good to dig in and take a stand. Game on!
lummi island wine tasting Aug 8-9 ’25
Hours this weekend:
4-6 pm Friday & Saturday
painting by Anne Gibert
This week’s wine tasting
Mas des Bressades Rosé ’24 France $14
Bright and refreshing classic Rhone blend of grenache, syrah, and mourvèdre, with splashes of Carignan and Cinsault; nice flavor balance of bright red fruit, wild herbs, and a vibrant, spicy finish.
Domaine de l’Amauve La Vigne de Louis France $15
Youthful nose offering freshly crushed berries, mild spices, and garrigue. Rounded and supple palate with fresh red berry flavours and a vibrant finish.
Brunelli Martoccia di Luca Rosso di Montalcino ’22 Italy $24
Classic, dignified structure with approachable, wonderfully bright fruit; bright nose of cranberry, cherry, and slate; smooth, integrated tannins, and thoughtful, composed finish.
Economics of the Heart: Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics
The basic idea of fair elections is for citizens to decide their government representatives in a way that gives all candidates an equal shot at being elected, and all voters a guarantee their votes will be counted correctly. Roosevelt’s New Deal brought us back from the Depression and created an American middle class where education, opportunity, and social stability became widely available…and synonymous with “America.”
However, since even before the New Deal, extraordinarily wealthy financio-political interests have been working together to bring an end to any thought of an “American middle class.” The century-old financier-entitled wet dream has long been to replace Constitutional government with an oligarchic autocracy controlled by their small cadre of multi-billionaire, white-supremacist, misogynistic, and sadistic white men who claim to be doing God’s work by making people miserable.
Which brings us to the John Birch Society. It was a surprise just now to learn that the real John Birch was actually a patriot who worked closely in military intelligence in China during WWII with iconic WWII hero Gen. Claire Chennault. Birch was grotesquely murdered by Chinese Communists while on a peaceful mission— definitely not a guy who would ever have had anything to do with the ultra-Right Society that bears his name.
No, the JBS was actually launched in 1958 by ultra-conservative businessman Robert Welch. The Wikipedia discussions of the values and goals of Welch’s JBS is an uncannily prescient description of Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation/Federalist Society Plan to turn our country into Welch’s Nirvana and our Dystopian Nightmare.
That historical perspective fits pretty much everything we have been seeing since 2016. It also puts asterisks and exclamation points on the recent move by Texas House Republicans to further stack the election deck against Texas House Democrats for the next election...( let’s hope there actually is one and it’s actually fair…)
The recent inspiring argument from California Gov. Gavin Newsom for Democratic States to fight back with our own gerrymanders of Congressional districts to turn more of them blue in ’26 has sparked a growing and tangible realization that (duh!) Blue states could in fact take back the House by out-doing the Reds at their own game.
It’s not just a good idea; it’s a Long Overdue good idea!
lummi island wine tasting Aug 2-3 ’25
Hours this weekend:
4-6 pm Friday (more crowded!) & Saturday (less crowded!)
This week’s wine tasting
Harken Chardonnay ’23 California $15
Billed as the “return of oaky chardonnay,” these guys select fruit from scattered unnamed California vineyards. But the bad rep of “oaky chard” was from over-oaking crappy fruit, and this one is nicely balanced.
Wolftrap Red ’22 South Africa $14
Consistently appealing aromas and flavors of ripe plum, red currant, violets, Italian herbs and exotic spices; vibrant flavors of dark berries and spicy plum with hints of orange peel that linger on a juicy finish. Terrific value!
Pandemonium Cab ’21 California $24
From French Camp Vineyard high above Paso Robles, where hot days and cold nights produce flavorful layers of jammy black fruit, spicy aromas of leather and licorice, chalky tannins, and a well-rounded finish.
Economics of the Heart: Fascism Comes to America
In May of 2016, the Brookings Institute published a warning about the Tweetster’s candidacy. With surgical precision it identified him as a Fascist threat to our nation and laid out a remarkably prescient road map of what to expect, outlining in detail how similar figures (Hitler, Mussolini, Putin) have been able to transcend conventional politics by directly mobilizing a substantial population of followers with their outspoken disdain for the authority of the status quo.
In such circumstances, it suggests, the human race breaks down into groups of those who jump on the bandwagon, those who mumble and try not to make waves, and those who pretend it’s all just politics as usual. And of course, all of us who at some point in our lives took oaths to defend the Constitution and are still looking for ways to do so.
As regular watchers of Democracy Docket, we get daily updates on developments in many of the court cases brought against Project 2025’s ongoing assaults on our Constitutional rights. It is reassuring when such cases are either decided in favor of democracy or even delayed significantly in lower courts, as is the case for a huge majority of them. In the link above you will also find numerous ways to support its comprehensive efforts and add your effort to this vital cause.
The Carnegie Endowment, another source of democratic inspiration, noted in 2022 that “since the end of the Cold War, most democratic failure globally has been caused by elected governments using legal methods, such as gerrymandering and other technical rule changes” to achieve policies that willingly cripple democracy to ensure their side prevails by whatever means.
Indeed, it adds, “a paper classifying over 1,000 political parties, across 163 countries, by ideology and tactics, finds the current Republican Party far closer to authoritarian populist parties in Hungary and Turkey than to mainstream conservative parties in Germany or Canada.“
If we put these views together with the rising Maga Turmoil re the “Epstein Files,” we seem to be nearing a turning point as some Maggits are getting disillusioned, the Tweetster is getting more incoherent, the economy is faltering, and the discomforts of uncertainty and confusion are getting wearysome.
Signs of progress…
lummi island wine tasting July 25-26 ’25
Hours this weekend:
4-6 pm Friday (more crowded) & Saturday (less crowded)
This week’s wine tasting
Chapoutier Belleruche Blanc ’23 France $14
Delicious blend of grenache blanc and roussanne; fragrant and perfumed with a light, grilled-lemon note over ripe melon, and a lingering palate of rich white peach.
Lancyre Pic St Loup Vielles Vignes ’20 France $18
100 % malbec; unfolds with dark, enchanting notes of blackberry, grilled plum, and jammy raspberry with accents of orange peel, vanilla, and tobacco spice, finishing with balanced structure, plush texture, and a lengthy finish
Alto Moncayo Veraton ’21 Spain $32
Deep red with scarlet rim; balsamic aromas with notes of chocolate and black fruits; warming in the mouth, expressive nuances of flavor, and an immensely pleasing finish.
Economics of the Heart: The Road to Oligarchy
Even after six chaotic months of Project 2025’s wanton destruction of our 250-year old democratic Constitutional government, we are still groping to understand exactly what we are dealing with and how to resist it effectively. So it was interesting to run across a cogent, detailed set of arguments by economist/political scientist C.J. Polychroniou that bring the reality of our present situation into focus.
While many of us have been aware and outraged for decades by the ever-increasing belligerence of Republicans in Congress, we were blind to the magnitude of the long-term plan for what is happening now, even though we all saw many of the pieces:
- Three decades of stacking Courts at all levels with ultra-conservative judges by ultra-wealthy members of the Federalist Society;
- Active encouragement of Russian misinformation on social media;
- 24/7 media misinformation from Fox, right-wing radio hosts, and always-angry Congressional Republicans (and lots more)
- Senate failure to convict the Tweetster on either the Ukaine bribe impeachment or the Jan 6 impeachment.
These remarkable outcomes defied logic at the time, but it is clear from current events that each of those steps was deliberate, well organized, funded with $billions, and methodically developed over several decades.
Collaborations likely included interests of Heritage Foundation, Federalist Society, Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, Hungary, and other oligarchies (Israel..?). Beginning with getting Reagan elected, then Bushes 1 and 2, and then the Tweetster, they have left tracks that lead directly to this current ongoing coup.
In his article Prof. Polychroniou observes that Trump and his team of loyalist co-conspirators and ultra-wealthy backers are fervent believers in the “natural right of the rich and powerful to shape society as they please and make government function as they see fit,” and that the grandiose goals of their breathtaking egos also include
- “Oligarchic state capture”
- White Christian nationalism as the “hegemonic project“;
- The rise of a new U.S. autocratic empire run by and for a handful of trillionaires.
The nonstop purposeful chaos has effectively distracted and deflected criticism as regulatory institutions are gutted or shut down altogether and power concentrated among a small cadre of admiring loyalists. Never mind that they are breathtakingly unqualified to run the agencies they now head…after all, their missions are to destroy them completely, not make them work.
The article also notes that though the Tweetster has always been anti-labor, the very anti-labor agenda of Project 2025 aiming to roll back all labor reforms under the Biden administration, outlaw public sector unions, and rewrite a hundred years of labor law, could be the most damaging administration the U.S. labor movement has ever faced. Ironically, its laissez-faire product and market regulations could crush the Fox-addicted white working-class which helped the Tweetster return to power.
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