Four Thousand - 4,000 - MMMM dead and counting in Iraq "War"/Country Joe McDonald Performs Feel Like I'm Fixin' To Die Rag (with lyrics)

Country Joe McDonald performs "Feel Like I'm Fixin' To Die Rag




I FEEL LIKE I'M FIXIN' TO DIE
by Country Joe McDonald

Yeah, come on all of you, big strong men,
Uncle Sam needs your help again.
He's got himself in a terrible jam
Way down yonder in Vietnam
So put down your books and pick up a gun,
We're gonna have a whole lotta fun.
And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam;
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.
Well, come on generals, let's move fast;
Your big chance has come at last.
Gotta go out and get those reds —
The only good commie is the one who's dead
And you know that peace can only be won
When we've blown 'em all to kingdom come.
And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam;
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.
Huh!
Well, come on Wall Street, don't move slow,
Why man, this is war au-go-go.
There's plenty good money to be made
By supplying the Army with the tools of the trade,
Just hope and pray that if they drop the bomb,
They drop it on the Viet Cong.
And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam.
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.
Well, come on mothers throughout the land,
Pack your boys off to Vietnam.
Come on fathers, don't hesitate,
Send 'em off before it's too late.
Be the first one on your block
To have your boy come home in a box.
And it's one, two, three
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam.
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.
---o0o---

President Bush discusses long term affair with plushie "Heather"

President Bush discusses long term affair with the plushie "Heather"

By Pablo Fanque, All This Is That national affairs editor

In a stunning admission to reporters Saturday following the White House Easter Egg Roll, President Bush discussed a long-term relationship with a plushie Bunny named Heather [1]. The President acknowledged that while he was a devout Christian, he considers his relationship with Heather to be something that "transcends the teachings of Jesus, and even the temporal plane in which my deep relationship with Laura flourishes. " The President went on to detail why he believes his relations with Heather do not breach his matrimonial bonds with Laura Bush.

Skeptical reporters asked for scriptural proofs, and inquired as to whether the First Lady knew of the relationship. One reporter, who was immediately escorted from the briefing room asked is this is "a three-way relationship?"

[1] What is a Plushophile, or Plushie, or Furry? A plushophile is someone who loves plushies. This can be for any reason and ranges anywhere from those who love to collect them to those who like to cuddle, sleep with or who become sexually involved with their plushies. Many, probably most, plushophiles are also furries. It is never safe to assume that particular plushophiles are sexually active with plushies, nor that they are inactive with people because of their plushophilia.
---o0o---

Barack Obama's version of gutter politics/Senior adviser invoked Monica Lewinsky's blue dress

Only hours after Governor Richardson ripped into the Clinton campaign and James Carville, for practising gutter politics, one of Obama's advisors took it into the gutter just about as deep as you can go. Gordon Fischer a former director of the Iowa Democrats and an adviser on Indiana, wrote in his blog:

"When Joe McCarthy questioned others' patriotism, McCarthy actually believed, at least aparently (sic), the questions were genuine, and he did so in order to build up, not tear down, his own party, the GOP. Bill Clinton cannot possibly seriously believe Obama is not a patriot, and cannot possibly be said to be helping -- instead he is hurting -- his own party. B. Clinton should never be forgiven. Period. This is a stain on his legacy, much worse, much deeper, than the one on Monica's blue dress."

Uh, is this what Senator Obama meant when he promised to focus on policy differences instead of personal attacks? Those remarks have since been removed from the blog, and Obama's camp has gone to some trouble to distance themselves from both the remarks and the author of those remarks. . .acknowledging by implication that the Clinton camp has no control over James Carville either. Or did they just reverse positions and decide to fight fire with fire?

---o0o---

Aviophobia: Pilot's gun discharges on US Airways flight

This little news item really hit home, since I just flew on U.S. Airways a week ago. From the WCNC (Charlotte) news:

Pilot's gun discharges on US Airways flight
by Diana Rugg

"A US Airways pilot’s gun accidentally discharged during a flight from Denver to Charlotte Saturday, according to as statement released by the airline. The statement said the discharge happened on Flight 1536, which left Denver at approximately 6:45am and arrived in Charlotte at approximately 11:51am.



"The Airbus A319 plane landed safely and none of the flight’s 124 passengers or five crew members was injured, according to the statement. It was a full flight. And airline spokeswoman said the plane has been taken out of service to make sure it is safe to return to flight.



A Transportation Safety Administration spokeswoman reached by WCNC Sunday said the pilot is part of TSA’s Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) program, which trains pilots to carry guns on flights. Andrea McCauley said the gun discharged in the cockpit, but she could not release how the gun was being transported at the time. She did not release the pilot’s name, but said he was authorized to carry the weapon and was last requalified in the FFDO program last November.



A statement from TSA said the airplane was never in danger, and the TSA and the Federal Air Marshals Service are investigating the incident. WCNC reporter Diana Rugg is following up on this story. If you or someone you know were on that flight, please e-mail her at drugg@wcnc.com.

---o0o---

Hymn No. 322: Up from the grave He arose

We used to sing this every Easter in the Baptist Church.

No. 322. Up from the Grave He Arose (Low in the Grave He Lay)
Text: Robert Lowry, 1826-1899 Music: Robert Lowry, 1826-1899




Up from the Grave He Arose

1. Low in the grave he lay, Jesus my Savior,
waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!



Refrain:
Up from the grave he arose;
with a mighty triumph o'er his foes;
he arose a victor from the dark domain,
and he lives forever, with his saints to reign.
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!

2. Vainly they watch his bed, Jesus my Savior,
vainly they seal the dead, Jesus my Lord!



(Refrain)

3. Death cannot keep its prey, Jesus my Savior;
he tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord!



(Refrain)
---o0o---

Bill Richardson's slap in the face/another rat slips off the sinking ship HMS Clinton

After their shameless open courting of their old pal and cabinet member, Bill Richardson; after the two Bills most publicly drank beer, ate ribs, and watched the Superbowl together last month, and after promising to not endorse Obama, the Governor of New Mexico endorsed Barak Obama for President Friday in Portland, Oregon.

"Your candidacy is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our country, and you are a once-in-a-lifetime leader," said Richardson, the nation's only Hispanic governor, before a roaring crowd of 12,000 in Portland's Memorial Coliseum. "You will make every American proud to be an American."

Richardson broke the news to Clinton late Thursday. "We've had better conversations," he said.

In his speech, Richardson said "It is time for Democrats to stop fighting amongst ourselves and to prepare for the tough fight we have against John McCain," the Republican nominee. Or, in short, "get out of the race Hillary."

The Clinton camp, naturally, tried to brush off the endorsement, saying it was largely symbolic, and not likely to turn any votes around (well, if you don't count the superdelegates!). To find out what the Clintons are really thinking, perhaps it's best to look at their longtime loose cannon rolling around on the deck:

James Carville told the New York Times that Richardson, a former member of Bill Clinton's Cabinet, had committed "an act of betrayal." "Right around the anniversary of the day when Judas sold out [Jesus] for 30 pieces of silver, so I think the timing is appropriate, if ironic."

Now things are heating up. In response, Governor Richardson said this morning on a talk show:

"I'm not going to get in the gutter like that," Richardson said on "Fox News Sunday." "That's typical of many of the people around Senator Clinton. They think they have a sense of entitlement to the presidency."

"I am very loyal to the Clintons," said Richardson, but he said he wanted something beyond "Bush, Clinton, Bush, Clinton." "You know, what about the rest of us?" he asked.
---o0o---

A novel by Stephen Clarke-Willson: Nano-plasm—a large nano-tech project goes astray

Stephen Clarke-Willson has written a novel titled Nano-Plasm" in which "a major nano-technology product roll-out goes horribly wrong." He has published a trade-paperback edition, which you can (and should!) buy at Lulu.com. They sell the paperback for $13.08. You can download it for $6.25. Or, you can read it free on the Nano-plasm blog, one chapter at a time. There is even a 'bot that will email you the new chapters when you've caught up. They're up to Chapter 18 right now. He's got it covered—put it on your electronic reading device or smart phone for half-price, read it on line free and get the rest emailed to you. If you're a greybeard, or just like books, you can actually just buy it!

I used to work with Dr. Clarke-Willson, and I remember when he started this novel on a business trip. He wrote the first chapter in the air, in transit, on a Palm Pilot. I read the first chapters years ago...he released a chunk of the novel early on, and then went back and finished it.

"But it was going to take more than a forensic expert to figure out how Smythe’s brain and eyes and a portion of his spinal column had been removed from his head intact, and placed two feet away on the floor."

---o0o---

Easter Weekend: free cut out Easter greeting cards, by an unknown prankster/artist

I don't know who created these cut-out Easter cards of Jesus and the bunny [1]. I've had them since before JPG became the primary image format. These were originally BMPs or TIFFs.


click to enlarge another image/photo by an unknown artist. This
sepia rendering of Golgotha [2] does capture something of the bleakness
that muist have been in the air Good Friday. You have to wonder
about the clouds, 'though. . .it's 90 in Jerusalem today, it will be
95 tomorrow. . .and it always has been!


click to enlarge

click to enlarge

[1] Seeing this image reminds me that I need to write about the underground dinner Daryle, Claire, Keelin, and I attended...a "one pot dinner" where one of the courses was rabbit, which I like. Rabbit just seems to be one off from most people's comfort zone; one small stop beyond the familiar...like Buffalo, or Venison, Sweetbreads or Tripe, Pigeon, Boar, Smelt, or Sea Urchin. On the whole, I probably prefer chicken...rabbit's fine, but for the price, you can pick up an organic, free range, "heriloom" chicken with incredible flavor. Of "odd" food I've eaten, I'd probably put jellyfish and grilled fishheads on the top of the rockpile, although they each have certain charms. Not necessarily charms I'd repeat, if I had the option, but on the other hand, I've had worse. . .have you ever eaten at Denny's, Sambo's (yeah, they closed the last one years ago), Howard Johnson's, Marie Callendar's, etc.? I am reminded of the rumors that dogged Frank Zappa for years, alleging that he munched on a Brown Bomber at a show.

As Frank Zappa said: For the records, folks: I never took a shit on stage, and the closest I ever came to eating shit anywhere was at a Holiday Inn buffet in Fayetteville, North Carolina, in 1973.

[2] Calvary is the English-language name given to Golgotha, outside of Ancient Jerusalem, where Christ was assassinated, The exact location is handed down from antiquity. Although the significance of the name is lost to modernity, Calvariae Locus in Latin, Κρανιου Τοπος (Kraniou Topos) in Greek, and Gûlgaltâ in Aramaic all denote 'place of [the] skull.'

---o0o---

Onion Video: A Rough Day in the White House Press Room

Thanks to Dean Ericksen of Almost There In No Time (ATINT) for sending this clip along to All This Is That (ATIT).


White House Press Secretary Spins Wife's Tragic Death As A Positive
---o0o---

Video: The "come and get it" demo by The Beatles

Paul Macca gave this song to Badfinger after The Beatles had signed Badfinger to Apple records. They needed a single--a radio-worthy song. The Beatles did this demo of the tune. You wonder how it would have turned out had they actually gone into full production on the tune. As it is, Badfinger performed a totally respectable version, and most casual fans don't even know it was a song intended for and written by The Beatles.


---o0o---

Obama's Speech: Moral equivalence and white guilt

...click Obama to enlarge...

There is a fascinating editorial in today's Washington Post: "The Speech: A Brilliant Fraud." "His defense rests on two central propositions: (a) moral equivalence and (b) white guilt. " Charles Krauthammer makes a pretty interesting case for Barack Obama being just another politician of expediency.

I felt like it was a great speech. But was my white guilt merely played like a Stradivarius? A great speech may not be noble, but accomplishes what it set out to do. The polls seem to indicate Obama got a bump from the speech in certain sectors, while he lost ground with the independents. I don't think we'll know for a while because it's not over yet.

Was this the first sign of the cynical, manipulative politician that had to emerge sooner or later? And how will all the new young and African-American voters view that? Does Obama, as a singularly historic figure, get to play by a different set of rules?
---o0o---

Boston Dynamics' Spooky Gas-powered, Concrete Robot, Big Dog...

It's loud, it looks like a gigantic insect scrambling over the hill, and it lives! This is by far the spookiest thing I've seen this year. "Big Dog" is a robot that can carry 350 pounds, walk through brush, bombed out buildings, and even on ice. This was created by Boston Dynamics on a grant from "The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency." We're so screwed!

Earlier this year I read How To Survive a Robot Uprising: Tips on Defending Yourself Against the Coming Rebellion by Daniel H. Wilson. . .Wilson drops robotics history trivia nuggets and descriptions of current robot research into this scary and funny guide to surviving the inevitable robot apocalypse. And seeing Big Dog, it feels like we're just a little bit closer to that Robot-Homo Sapien meet-up.
---o0o---