Here is our e-book review for Alicia Colon’s Cindy McCain: Elegance, Good Will and Hope for a New America by Alicia Colon The book is only in ebook format (click on the photos to go to amazon’s product page)and will not be published as an actual book. It was written during the 2008 presidential campaign. Even though Cindy McCain is often seen or labeled a Stepford Wife, this is a quick and insightful read into how Mrs. McCain is in fact, not a Stepford Wife. Not that we have anything against the label. We adored all the qualities embedded in the entirely unnecessary vitriolic hurled at her in the name of "liberal open-mindedness."

 Cindy McCain is a Stepford Wife. The only opinions she has are the ones John gives her. She only says what John tells her to say. Cindy McCain doesn’t have an original throught at all in her mind. She is an absolute milquetoast. She only does what John tells her to do.

Here is a great line from the book that got us ladies chatting an entire afternoon!

"[Cindy] told me many times that she wanted to be the perfect wife and mother, and she wanted to be everything that John McCain wanted her to be," said longtime friend Betsey Bayless. "And she pretty much was the perfect wife and mother, but, youknow, she had to come to the realization that everything isn’t perfect."

I read somewhere that this book was pending print publication IF John McCain had won the presidency in 2008. So don’t hold your breath for the physical book being out soon. Also, note there are NO images on this e-book. You will have to supplement your reading with Image Googling and Youtubing "Cindy McCain" (add the search word ‘HALO’ and enjoy!)

Ah where to begin? Needless to say, we at the Stepford Wives Organization were charmed when we heard about a public figure being continually compared to our way of life. We understand it’s meant in a derisive way, but we take no offense. We understand it’s not for everyone. Still, we adore Cindy McCain, her meticulous presentation, her gracious ways, her great humanitarian track record, her "family first" philosophy, and her "stand by your man" duties as the perfect wife. Many of these qualities are hallmarks of iconic heiresses from the past.

So why was there such vitriolic savagery online and in the media towards Mrs. John McCain? I think there’s the ever-present class system and prejudices at work. In the States – though many want to believe its a country where all are created equal and should be treated as such – affluence continues to arouse an invidious jealousy among the unwashed masses. Combine this with arrogant libs with no formal training in good manners and a population eager to flaunt their broadmindedness by supporting the other candidate, one could understand (though not forgive) the uncharitable words that were flung at Cindy McCain during the election of 2008.

Alicia Colon’s book addressed this very topic. She even quotes invectives hurled at our heroine from online comment boards and media articles. But Cindy McCain is so much more. Opting for a low-keyed presence, performing and working with charitable organizations (Operation Smile, HALO (landmine removal), and CARE) and founded AVMT (American Voluntary Medical Team). Mrs. McCain is not one of those donors who writes a check and calls it the day. Without media coverage, as early as twenty years ago, she was already traveling to war-torn third world countries to work with the less fortunate. Colon writes that McCain wants to make sure the money goes to the right people, an increasing problem (read Linda Polman’s Crisis Caravan) for people who know and are serious about humanitarian aid. We all mourned the passing of Princess Di, but here is a person (one of America’s own) who is using her riches and visibility to do meaningful global acts of humanity and what did she get from the general public? It was downright disgraceful!

Her generosity was present early on in her life. Attaining a masters in Special Ed., Cindy Hensley returned to Arizona to teach children with Down Syndrome at impoverished Avondale. When she inherited her father’s beer distribution business, she chose to carry on the tradition of taking care of their long time clients. At the same time she began her international humanitarian work when she discovered the atrocious conditions in a Micronesia Hospital E.R. after a diving accident. One realizes how admirable this is when you compare it to the other American "heiresses" of present day who are more concerned with partying and releasing sex tapes of themselves.

Colon could have done a more thorough job. This book has a very "rushed" feel to it, focusing a bit too much on John McCain at many points in the book, as if it were supplementary reading for undecided voters during 2008. Colon sometimes goes on the offensive against liberal attacks, which is off-topic. To be fair, Mrs. McCain is ill-at-ease to be in the public limelight, so her sense of privacy is admirable and given due respect. The author covers all the major scandals that hit Mrs. McCain (the possible romantic fling with John while he was still technically married to Carol McCain, her addiction to Vicodin (to tame back pains) that led to pocketed prescription from AVMT, and the mysterious sister from Jim Hensley’s previous marriage). The others, involving her adopted daughter Bridget, though mentioned, and serves as an example of the vicious gossip the McCains had to endure, should not be given the dignity of acknowledgment here.

Now with the election over, and the mean-spirited anti-McCain savages back in their caves, we can slowly admire the work of a quiet humanitarian and a genuine philanthropist.

Our growing list can be found here: Stepford FAQ

7. “Does the Stepford Organization Support Mail Order Brides?”

No. Absolutely not. We have asked the webmaster to be diligent in blocking all Mail Order Bride banners on our site. The moment we catch one, we ask him to ban the banner!

To date, we have not heard a single success story pertaining to mail order brides. They are usually Russian or Asian women who come here pretending to be passive and docile. But time and again, they always turn out to be intensively ambitious individuals with the set agenda of immigration. We have heard stories (from relatives) of initially submissive mail order wives turning into hyper-materialistic, label-conscious women, a super-deluxe grotesque caricature of the self-centered Western woman.

We even know of an in-law with an imported wife whose former husband had been driven to drink, only to meet with a mysterious and fatal road accident. Armed with his entire inheritance, this naturalized widow has since hooked up with the in-law, alienated him from his entire family and he, in turn, has developed a dangerous drinking problem.

So No no no! Stay away from mail order brides! They’re not all they are cracked up to be. If you are looking for the genuine article, always look locally. Stepford is a homegrown product. The only way you can find a genuinely acquiescent and obedient wife is to find someone who has no ulterior motive. No hidden agenda to gain citizenship or monetary assets. When you come across the genuine U.S. made, homegrown Stepford wife, you know she’ll stay with you for good, and abide by your wishes because she enjoys doing so and wants to, not because she needs to. A considerable distinction.

With the current outbreak of salmonella in eggs (which by the way, is eradicated with proper cooking….so unless you are making tiramisu, chocolate mousse or Caesar salad dressing, you have nothing to worry about), I am reminded of a topic I frequently revisit. Healthy eating and healthy cooking. There’s a difference between alarmist, hypochondriac approach to food vs sensible cooking.

I’ve been preaching healthy cooking for years. I even get on my mom’s case for the traditional way she cooks.

What is healthy cooking? Well, first and foremost, stay away from the cans. If you’ve never “canned” foods yourself, you may not understand the science of preservation. To put it in simple terms, just pop open a bottle of wine. A decent bottle of wine – refrigerated- will go bad in a day or two A box or jug wine, can make it past a week and still retain it’s original flavor. What is the secret ingredient? Preservatives. And they are not always natural ones either. Has anyone even notice that modern apples can go for days without turning brown? How do you think they got THAT way? So if you can’t cook with homegrown vegetables (a staple among us gals), at least use frozen veggies.

Secondly, healthy cooking means using substitutes. You may not get the full pleasure of a properly cooked French omelette with egg whites or egg subsitutes, or a greasy hamburger with a soy vegan burger, but as human beings, we all learn to adjust. Some fads have come and gone, admittedly – like margarine. But try olive oil spray when you want to use butter or canola. Yogurt instead of mayonnaise, mushrooms instead of beef. (The exception is when the man of the house asks for beef. We shut up and get ourselves to the kitchen!)

So opt for that free range chicken, and hormone-free eggs. Trey Stevia instead of sugar, or use sugar-in-the-raw if you must. And if you ever have a craving for fast food, we recommend Devin Alexander’s Fast Food Fix: 75+ Amazing Recipe Makeovers of Your Fast Food Restaurant Favorites. In the book, she approximates your dishes from your favorite American fast food joints, using healthy low-calorie substitutes. We at the organization give it a hearty five stars!

A little bit of background. British bawdy tv comic Benny Hill had a show that ran for two decades from ’69-’89 on BBC. So literally, it spanned the conscious-raising women’s movement, through bra-burning, through the 80s, and finally up against the post feminist era. A British comedian from the 80′s called Benny Hill “a dirty old man, tearing the clothes off nubile girls.” That comic’s name is Benny Elton. He later claims it was taken out of context. But another Brit comic, Harry Enfield brought together the two Bennies, and created a post-feminist Benny Hill “chase” in the video above. This homage shows what the classic Benny Hill chase would have become when that reformed dirty old male chauvinist became a politically-correct male feminist. The fellow in the suit is Benny Elton.

Special thanks to Margaret, one of our readers in Leicester, UK for sending us this clip. Enjoy!

Recently while visiting friends in the Anapolis (MD) area, a few of us girls had a chance to drop in on the Great Grapes Wine Festival. These wine festivals feature a delightful array of mostly domestic wines, some from vineyards outside the U.S. (Australia, Chile, Argentina), some food (cheese, crabcakes, pizza, standard fairground foods), and cooking instructions (usually sponsored by a utensil company selling a product).

It was so hot that day, to be honest, it was a little difficult to judge the wines. But we did manage to agree on a small number of items. For the summer, we absolutely adored Cygnus Chardonnay 2007 , a dry white with a grassy citrus taste, a long finish, and a hint of soy. Cygnus is a vineyard in Manchester MD, and their wines are made from a careful blend of traditional techniques and modern science. All the grapes are grown locally, so support this local U.S. homegrown product!

Cygnus wines are available only in MD stores, but you can always ask your local wine store if they can order it for you.

We also liked Kerrygold’s Aged Cheddar with Irish Whiskey, and think it’s a delightful combination with the Cygnus Chardonnay.

For years, cookbooks have advised innovative ways to use junk food. After all, even bad things in small doses are acceptable. You wouldn”t want to sit down with a bowl, save a bag of crisps, for nourishment. Heavens no! But to take a handful of pita chips, potato chips, or even tortillas, crumble it all up, and throw it over a salad topping, underneath a ham and cheese sandwich, or into a burrito or veggie wrap is a perfect garnish for texture.

EXTRA KITCHEN TIP: Go for Lo-Salt or Salt-Free chips if you want to use the crumbs at the end of the bag. We find the regular chips too salty once you get to the bottom of the bag. With Lo-Salt or Salt Free chips, the mix in the crumbs is just right.

I did a bit of research on the multitude of versions for the Bible when I was shopping for my personal copy. I looked up all my favorite passages at The Bible Gateway. Of course, the King James Version is a must at every home, even if it’s purely as literature. (I have a copy of the translated Koran as well, given to me by a devout, peace-loving Palestinian friend).

For my favorite passage: Ephesians 5:33, the Amplified Bible never disappoints.

33
However, let each man of you [without exception] love his wife as [being in a sense] his very own self; and let the wife see that she respects and reverences her husband [[a]that she notices him, regards him, honors him, prefers him, venerates, and esteems him; and [b]that she defers to him, praises him, and loves and admires him exceedingly]. [I Pet. 3:2.]

I live by this line, and remind myself of it throughout the day. I was going to recommend Zondervan’s pink and green copy from christianbooks.com, simply because it’s so darlingly preppy. I got mine with personalized name imprinting on the Italian cover! Unfortunately, it is no longer available. But they still have brown versions, if you are so inclined.

For those of our readers who are in financial dire straits, please know you can always read the bible online, and there are many affordable choices available at an extremely reasonable price.

As you know, among our Stepford bibles is Helen B Andelin’s Fascinating Womanhood. Her husband Aubrey also wrote a book for men, after Fascinating Womanhood became a bestseller (it sold over 1.6 million copies since 1963, when it was published!). Man of Velvet and Steel (ISBN-978-0911094237 ) was written in 1972, and though it is primarily a guide for men, we thought we’d share our highlighted passages here, since it’s a guide for Stepford women too, in how to behave around our men. After all, the purpose of good manners is to help our husbands make a good impression on others, demonstrating what good decision-makers they are by picking such an obedient and loving wife. Here are some of the favorites among us Stepford girls.

Click on this link to go to read excerpts of this book on the Good Manners page on our websites: Stepfordwives.org and Stepfordwife.com

Once in a while the girls at the organization come up with a treasure of a find. Keith Jarrett’s “The Melody At Night, With You” is a pretty little album to play in a barely audible volume your child’s bedroom if you want a change from the music box. This recording was made from a lone piano in Jarrett’s house, as a love note to his then wife Rose Anne.

American jazz/classical pianist Keith Jarrett is one of the pioneers of improvised solo piano, whose recordings may have been responsible for the watered-down and depreciated genre called “New Age.” This very personal recording benefits from its purpose from the the lack of Jarrett’s performance idiosyncracies – the groans and moans – leading to an intimate, sometimes even stately restrained performance. Try it today in your child’s bedroom or just in the kitchen when you’re relaxing. You can listen to the samples at Amazon.

Dennis the Menace 1953

Hank Ketcham’s humorous take on homemaking in the ’50s cloaks his a delightful artistry of brevity. Sure, we here at Stepfordwife.com absolutely adore Alice and Henry’s matching black bows in their daily outfits. We also love Alice’s Stay-at-Home mom sensibilities. These were the golden days of the family and men were men.

To look at more of Ketcham’s Dennis the Menace work, you can purchase Hank Ketcham’s Complete Dennis the Menace 1950-1954 Box Set (Vol. 1-2) at Amazon. His magazine art is just as entertaining, practically encapsulating what we at the organization go through on a daily basis.