August 19
William Jefferson Clinton's Birthday
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William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton was the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Clinton presided over the longest period of peace-time economic expansion in American history, which included a balanced budget and a reported federal surplus of $559 billion. At the end of his presidency, Clinton reported a surplus of $559 billion. He became the first member of the Democratic Party since Franklin D. Roosevelt to win a second term as president .Later he was impeached for obstruction of justice, but was subsequently acquitted by the US Senate. However, his impeachment failed to affect his popularity and left office with an approval rating at 66%. Since then, he has been involved in public speaking and humanitarian work, most notably the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS. Unfortunately, Clinton's presidency which should be remembered for his brilliant fiscal policies, The North American Trade Agreement, and welfare reform, and other landmark social policies, may be best remembered as one of the most scandal-laden presidencies in history. There was Travelgate, Troopergate, Whitewater, the suspension of Clinton's Arkansas law license for five years, a series of highly controversial pardons, and being the second U.S. president to be impeached . His impeachment was based on charges of obstruction of justice and perjury charge on his testimony about his relationship to Monica Lewinsky during a sexual harassment lawsuit brought by former Arkansas state employee Paula Jones. The Senate concluded a twenty-one day trial on February 12, 1999, with the vote on both counts falling short of the Constitutional two-thirds majority requirement to convict and remove an office holder. The final vote was generally along party lines, with no Democrats voting guilty. Some Republicans voted not guilty for both charges. On the perjury charge, fifty-five senators voted to acquit, including ten Republicans, and forty-five voted to convict; on the obstruction charge the Senate voted 50-50. A historical note. The word testify comes from the Latin testes. The early Romans would swear an oath by placing a hand over their testicles since the penalty for perjury was castration. If we had kept this practice, the Clinton presidency might have been better remembered for his great accomplishments rather than for his impeachment. But Bill survived and went on to be one of our most popular presidents and former presidents and has raised millions for HIV/AIDS Funding and other critical causes including $10 million needed to completely fund the Flight 93 National Memorial. However, for his birthday. we suggest watching Primary Colors (1998) and watch John Travolta's great impersonation of Bill while enjoying a dish of Peach-Mint Sorbet and what we hope you will also find a tasty pun.
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Peach-Mint Sorbet |
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Ingredients |
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2&1/2 lbs ripe peaches, peeled,
puttied, and sliced 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup. corn syrup |
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TB fresh lemon juice |
| Instructions |
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1.
Combine all ingredients in a food processor process until thick
and smooth. 2. Freeze peach mixture in ice cream maker according to manufacturer instructions. 3. Chop the fresh mint leaves and add them to the mixture as it is freezing. 4. Serve with a few sliced fresh strawberries |
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Makes 1 quart |
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