Italian Tomatoes

When the Taxpayers Walk

2009-06-05T08:36:00.001-07:00

The administration of Barack Obama has embarked on the most interventionist agenda that we have seen in two generations. Like all episodes of expansionist government, the first steps are easy. Lots of speeches, meetings, legislation signing ceremonies, conferences, yada, yada, yada. There is an appearance of action and vigor (Vigah, as JFK used to say).

But once it's launched, the sobering reality sets in. It is very hard to downsize big government. Whatever it creates, it's around for a long time. And has to be paid for.

In the long run, it never works. Big government becomes expensive and oppressive, and the people get sick of paying taxes to support it. They drop out, physically in the celebrated case of the ancient Hebrews in Egypt, or psychologically. They just don't want to do the work necessary to support the visions of their political overseers while their own aspirations are shortchanged.

Caveat emptor!

If You've Had Enough, Vote Tedisco! A Message for NY 20th CD Voters

2009-03-30T11:53:00.000-07:00

Membership in the House of Representatives is an important job. We are getting a painful reminder of this in 2009. With the Democrats in charge of both the White House and Congress, the government is on a spending spree that is unparalleled in American history.

The March 31st election is your chance to send a message to the nation's leaders. And that message is that you've had enough! The election will be closely watched around the nation. You may never have a better opportunity as voters to send this message than you have now. Vote Jim Tedisco and the Washington DC elites will hear it, loud and clear!

Barack Obama is a decent and well-meaning man. Alas, he has never run anything in his life, and the inexperience shows, amplified by a Democratic Congress that has gone out of control. It has embarked on an orgy of wasteful spending that will be funded by staggering increases in the national debt.

But it is not just about the money. The liberal elites advising the President and Congress simply can't stand the middle class. They despise our values, our livelihoods and ourselves. They are convinced that Main Street voters live too high on the hog, that we consume too much and pay too little taxes. Their ideal is an eco-utopia where we use little energy and are content with the resulting poverty. Do you really want Al Gore and his acolytes to determine how you drive, heat your homes and power your businesses?

Enough! You can send a message to Washington DC that will resound as loudly as Paul Revere's. Vote for Jim Tedisco!

(And he's a member of the Sons of Italy- how can you go wrong :>)

Cross-posted on http://www.theminorityreportblog.com

We Have Audio! What would an Italian site be without it!

2008-11-06T13:40:00.000-08:00

I have been updating this blog sporadically, and realize the reason for the slow progress. Sound is missing!

While I can't put sound in this blog (as far as I know), I can cross reference it to my Italian Tomatoes radio show on Blog Talk Radio. Here is the link:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/TR-Cefalu

Now the radio show and the blog can reinforce each other in a cacophony of images and sounds.

Bellissimo!

Campaign 2008- and That Kennedy Thing (I)

2008-07-28T18:53:00.000-07:00

American presidential elections are fascinating as much for their sociological import as their concrete political issues. So it was intriguing to watch the Kennedys, America's first explicitly ethnic dynasty, pass the torch to the first African-American presidential candidate. And that does inspire some meanderings down memory lane.

Everyone raised in the postwar Catholic neighborhoods remembers the tremendous impact of the John F. Kennedy's race in 1960. Of course, JFK was not the first Catholic candidate. That honor belongs to Al Smith, who was buried by Herbert Hoover in the 1928 landslide in which a substantial part of the electorate vented their anti-Catholic prejudices. (Mr. Smith later joked that he sent the pope a brief post-election telegram: "Unpack!"). Catholics went on to become a cornerstone of Roosevelt's New Deal coalition, with its strong ties to Irish-dominated urban political machines.

But by the 1950's, the winds of change were blowing. President Eisenhower won over large numbers of Catholic voters with his moderate brand of Republicanism. Postwar affluence was loosening the bonds that tied Catholic voters to traditional ethnic neighborhoods, and many moved out to the incredibly affordable suburbs of that era. Returning veterans did not always choose to settle in the states of their birth, either, and planted roots in shiny new communities from Florida to California. Catholics, along with Jews, began attending college in great numbers and then stormed the citadels of elite universities, hitherto a bastion of the Protestant elites, winning a recognized place for themselves there.

JFK was perfectly positioned to connect with these newly affluent, educated voters. Handsome, polished, urbane and above all rich, this charming third generation Irishman was the epitome of the American dream.

Still, there were doubts. There were lingering reservations about JFK's Catholic religion (remember that prior to the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), the Church had long rejected the American concept of freedom of religion, in theory anyway). And then there was the concern articulated by former president Harry S. Truman- "it's not the pope I'm worried about, but the pop!" And many other people worried about Joseph P. Kennedy Sr- rich as Croesus, with known isolationist tendencies, suspected anti-Semitic sentiments, whose tentacles seemed to extend into every precinct poised to release tons of ready cash.

Looking back at the election in retrospect, it seems almost quaintly consensus-driven. The two protagonists, Kennedy and Nixon, were incredibly close in policy matters compared to today's ideologically divisive politics. Both were resolute Cold Warriors. A heavily regulated system of capitalism was a given for both men. Their differences were largely stylistic- Kennedy campaigning on Change (a perennial!) and "Vigah", Nixon touting his "experience" (at 47!-one year older than Barack Obama!). Of course, the consensus would unravel as the tumultuous 1960's proceeded. Kennedy's election put an end to the "Catholic question" in American politics, probably forever. It was a great milestone in the full integration of Catholics in American life. But JFK's legacy in office, and the issues left unresolved by his tragic death, seem to exert a strange presence down to the present day.

Lessons from Italian Widows- the Greatest Generation!

2008-01-22T15:29:00.000-08:00

PAGLIA: Yeah, I mean you see these little widows- they're like eighty year olds- Italian widows running around. You know they outlive their husbands by thirty years. This is me. I wasn't married, but I'm like a widow.

GLENNDA: Yeah, I know Italian women- they would come to work, they would be in their eighties, and they'd still come to work. Every single day to work. Work, work, work.

PAGLIA: Yeah. And don't get in their way!

(Dialogue from "Vamps and Tramps", essay collection by Camille Paglia)

I never noticed it at first. Growing up third-generation in the Italian subculture, and benefiting from the emphasis Italian ladies of the second generation placed on the domestic arts, it was easy not to notice. These women were tough! Those domestic arts camoflauged the determination of the tigress in protecting their domain.

It became clearer as I moved into middle age. When my mother's generation grew older, they continued to be the glue that held families together. They coped with the increasing strains on their health. They frequently took care of THEIR ageing parents. They coped with the legendary issues of being married to Italian men. (In case anyone doubts that this is a real issue, just ask the Mrs. Giuliani- all three of them! And I say this as one who admires Rudy enormously. And the Italian men of the previous last generation could be much more of a handful.)

The secret to this extraordinary durability lies in a centered, realistic approach to life. These women had few illusions. Life is TOUGH. Things are NOT easy. My mother's generation had first hand knowledge of poverty, unemployment, scarcity, and bereavement. Unlike today's feminists, they knew instinctively that having a family involved enormous commitment. And they knew other things: holding down a job is hard, running a home is hard, being married is hard, and doing it all is triply hard. Life is about choices, and dignity is about not whining. And they were realistic about relationships. When a husband strayed, they could be angry, hurt, disappointed and even vengeful. But rarely surprised. And when a woman strayed- watch out!

It is sad to contemplate that this reality-based perspective is at risk of being lost as the generational tide recedes. It will be needed again if we face rocky times, which is most likely. The modern impulse is to reach for the comfortable security blanket of victimhood whenever things go wrong. The Italian widows of the Greatest Generation would laugh at this. It is up to their descendants who know better, however imperfectly, to make sure this perspective survives.

Ethnoanalysis- Do Barese Women Rule With an Iron Fist?

2007-09-27T12:30:00.001-07:00

One of my very good friends went to medical school at the University of Bologna. He had to study Italian to matriculate, and became quite fluent in that language. He became engaged, and eventually married, the sister of another American studying there, who was of Italian descent.

One day Brian came to our house and started dishing with my grandmother, who grew up in Torino. Naturally, my grandmother loved conversing in her native tongue. When she asked where his fiancee's family was from, he replied "Bari", a city on the southeastern side of the Italian peninsula. My grandmother exclaimed: "Barese women! - They rule with an iron fist!"

Native Italian she might have been, but my grandmother was so American in this response. You see, she slotted poor Martha into a construct, the same way that our contemporary Anglos pigeonhole ethnicities into broader constructs like "Hispanic" and "Asian" and "Slavic". Naturally, the regional stereotypes of my grandmother's youth would not fit the reality of a third generation American decades removed from her parents' point of origin in the Old Country.

Likewise, the convenient categories adopted by the media whenever the subject of ethnicity comes up do not conform to the complex, ever-evolving reality. Always consider this whenever an ethnic angle surfaces in the press.

Oh, I almost forgot. Brian and Martha have been married just about 30 years now. I have not seen any evidence of an iron fist. But an iron nudge- maybe!

Debate 08- Why not a Roman Holiday?

2007-09-14T05:29:00.000-07:00

As we head into the presidential campaign of 2008, the political classes will start their ritualistic dance as they negotiate the details of venue and format. Could I suggest Rome? There is a very intriguing device there called the Bocca Della Verita (Mouth of Truth). Most probably a drain cover surviving from ancient times, legend has it that you can test someone's truthfulness by having him (or her!) insert a hand into the mouth of the figure. Liars get a well-deserved nip! Think what THAT could do to foster full disclosure in our political process. (Of course, legend also has it that the reputation of La Bocca della Verita was enhanced over time by its caretakers, who were known to place a scorpion inside the mouth to, er, help things along.)

A Bottle of Red, A Bottle of White- The Italian Restaurant

2007-08-12T10:22:00.000-07:00

"A Bottle of Red, A Bottle of White,
Whatever Mood You'r In Tonight!"
- Billy Joel

Let's face it. Your average Calvinist (and Calvinism exerts a very powerful attraction on American culture) is simply appalled at the Italian restaurant, especially the local kind with a neighborhood ambiance and a regular clientele. It may be just a pizza joint, or offer a full array of pasta, seafood and meat dishes. And if it's really on top of things, it will offer good coffee, espresso, cappucino, tiramasu, cannoli and cheesecake at the end of an enjoyable lunch or dinner.

The Italian restaurant offers enjoyment as its portal to subversion of the dominant Anglo culture. Besides the cuisine itself - tasty, comforting, predictable, modest- there is the joy of lingering over conversation. Conversation where one listens to one's family and friends, not participating in an exercise in food snobbery. You eat, you drink, you listen, you talk, you observe. The Italian restaurant is an uncongenial environment for that most Anglo of pastimes - the disguised lecture for the disguised Calvinist - ever worried that someone, somewhere may be deprived of their enlightened opinions. Now the Italian restaurant is not immune to the entry of blowhards. But is hard to declaim in the WASP style in this setting. Wise, skeptical eyes will puncture one's pretensions over the wine bottles even if their owners don't say much. The speaker will get the message soon enough. Unless it's a family or friend type of blowhard, in which case the speaker is part of the evening's entertainment!

If you need relief from the screeching and opinionated talking heads, let alone virtuous and hectoring politicians, make a date at the trattoria of your choice, and get going. You'll be glad you did!

A Funny Thing Happened On the Way Back From The Forum

2007-03-06T12:30:00.000-08:00

Years ago I accompanied my friend Joe on a grocery shopping expedition, as his wife needed a few items. It seemed like a good opportunity to pick up a few things for myself, so I headed to the produce area. On the way back Joe, a teasing descendant of Eire through and through, began to rib me about how I was examining the produce to see if the quality was right. "Typical Italian - squeeze the tomatoes!" I can't remember my riposte, maybe it was the old standby about why it's hard to remember being invited out to an Irish restaurant.

But of course he was right. Being raised Italian, it IS normal to check, and check aggressively. And so the seed was sown.

Ethnicity matters. The culture, traditions and experiences of a group will carry over into so many areas. These things will color how one sees reality.

Divine Providence has made many cultures, each with its own virtues and failings. In America today the establishment pushes a cult of aggressive abstract multiculturalism that is wrapped up in the cold intellectual structures of Anglo-Saxon legalism. Hidden under the slick ice, however, it often tolerates and even encourages ethnic stereotyping and rabble-rousing.

Perhaps Italian-American culture, with its earthiness, physicality and skepticism, was heaven-made to puncture the illusions of this balloon. I'll try to do my part, anyway!

And by the way, to properly check a tomato, grasp it firmly but DON'T squeeze, rotate it to check for firmness and to make sure it has no punctures or blemishes. If this is too much trouble, that's OK, but this is a signal that you could be Irish. Save me a beer!