John McCain: "Senator, job well done." - Obama rocks the house in his acceptance speech

Senator McCain was in Ohio as Obama spoke, but after a series of negative convention week commercials, his campaign aired a one-night advertisement that complimented Obama and noted the speech occurred on the anniversary of King's famous address. Hey, this campaign showed just a hint of gracia, for the first time in a long time...

"Senator Obama, this is truly a good day for America. Too often the achievements of our opponents go unnoticed. So I wanted to stop and say, 'Congratulations,'" McCain says in the ad. "How perfect that your nomination would come on this historic day. Tomorrow, we'll be back at it. But tonight Senator, job well done."

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The worst wedding ever: the nightmare marriage of Maria del Pozzo della Cisterna to Amadeo, the Duke of Aosta and son of the King of Italy

I've been to some strange weddings over the years, but none matches what happened at the Princess Maria del Pozzo della Cisterna's marriage to Amadeo, duke of Aosta (and son of the king of Italy) on May 30th, 1867. On the day of Princess Maria and Duke Amadeo's wedding:

• Her page (e.g., wardrobe mistress) hanged herself.


• The gatekeeper of the palace where the wedding took place, slit his throat (possibly because he was in love with the page?). Slitting your own throat cannot be a cakewalk. But the gatekeeper did it, successfully.


• The Colonel who led the wedding procession, collapsed with a "sun stroke," or heat exhaustion, and died.


• After the marriage ceremony, the station manager was crushed beneath the wheels of the honeymoon train as it was leaving.


• One of the king's advisers fell off his horse and died immediately.


• The best man, presumably after witnessing all of this f**ked up stuff, shot himself.


• Not long after the marriage ceremony, The Princess discovered her new husband was a degenerate philanderer with an eye for the gals. When she complained to his dad, the King of Italy, the King told her to pound sand.

Three years after this series of tragic events, Amadeo was elected the King of Spain. But Spain was so factionalized that he was unable to muster popular support, and his rule was punctuated by violent uprisings by and among the various warring political factions. He abdicated the Spanish throne in 1873 and went back to Italy. Maria della Cisterna died three years later, nine years after their disastrous wedding.
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The last playground ditty: "On top of spaghetti"

Interestingly, the last playground rhyme I can remember is probably the most violent one. And it's always the teachers and principals who get the harshest treatment. I can't say I'm proud we sang these songs, but that's life; we did. And of all the people I went to school with, I don't recall any of them committing an act of violence (except the occasional knuckle-head fight in a bar or in the alley). Like I said earlier, I think these songs now would be cause for suspension or even expulsion. Back then, the songs were sick fantasies. Today, they could well be scripts or dress-rehearsals. . .

[to the tune of "On Top Of Old Smokey"]

On top of spaghetti, all covered in blood,
I shot my poor teacher with a 40 foot stud.

I shot her with glory, i shot her with pride,
I couldn't have missed her she was 40 feet wide.

I went to her funeral, I went to her grave,
Some people threw flowers, I threw a grenade.

I opened her coffin--she wasn't quite dead,
So I took a bazooka and blew off her head!
---o0o---

Barack's dispatch on "The Speech" by Michelle Obama & the speech video

Barack sent an email to the faithful, or at least those of us who have signed up, about his wife's excellent speech last night. Interestingly, my wife Keelin thought Michelle's speech paled in comparison to Senator Clinton's the next night (I am just about to watch it, in case you thought this was some sort of Frenchified Real Time Blogging®). I'm not so sure...although Hillary is fully capable of hitting it out of the park for Obama. I think she probably will. Whatever you think of Hillary and The Clintons in general, I think you know in your heart of hearts she will come out slugging and she will come out hard-core and absolutely for Barack Obama. Let's face it...there are very few core values Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama do not share. Tonight's the night for her to convince that curmudgeonly, recalcitrant, and intractable 30% of her supporters that can't get behind nominee Obama that they would not only be betraying Clinton herself, but the Democratic Party, and everything they fought for as Obama supports as well. Hold tight; let's see.

Obama's email:

Jack -

I am so lucky to be married to the woman who delivered that speech last night.

Michelle was electrifying, inspiring, and absolutely magnificent. I get a lot of credit for the speech I gave at the 2004 convention -- but I think she may have me beat.

You have to see it to believe it.

And make sure to forward this email to your friends and family -- they'll want to see it too.

You really don't want to miss this.

And I'm not just saying that because she's my wife -- I truly believe it was the best speech of the campaign so far.

Barack

Here is the video of the speech, in case you missed it:


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Senator John McSame: The Double-talk express video & The Real McCain video

The great thing about John McCain is that you don't really have to rant, or write anything at all. You just let him do the work for you. Check out these video compilations of The Senator talking. . .

Florida man, angry at Michell Obama speech has an armed standoff with SWAT Team

A New Port Richey, FLA man who was angered by Michelle Obama's speech at the DNC in Denver was arrested after a six-hour standoff with SWAT team members.

A Sheriff's office spokesman--Kevin Doll--said the man will undergo a psychological evaluation.



The standoff started after the man ran out of his RV, yelling and firing a gun.

The SWAT team fired riot gas into the man's home, but he stayed in the house until about 5 a.m. Tuesday. I thought the speech was quite good, myself.
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Poem: The islands from eight miles high

Beneath a cerulean blue chiseled frieze,
The islands recede into the sea
Or settle down to the sea floor

Like an archipelago of Atlantises.
Islands come and go,
Bobbing up and bobbing down

Like corks lost in the ocean,
Drifitng around the seven seas
And threading through seven continents

And millions of other islands and straits.
They sail along, cresting the waves
Beneath gathering clouds

And flocks of birds
Circumnavigating the globe,
Shuttling from landfall to landfall.
---o0o---

I didn't want to talk about politics today - But Michelle Obama's speech changed that

I was thinking about folklore, aliens, or posting some poetry today. Instead, I wrote down all the childhood rhymes I could remember...and it turned out to be about 15 or so! It felt pretty good ignoring politics. I was feeling sluggish about politics in general, even though I've been a convention junkie since 1968. And then I listened to, and watched, Michelle Obama's speech tonight. Content: 100%; Tone: 100%; Inspiration: 100%. Was her speech the pivot of the entire Obama campaign? I don't know, but it felt like it was. And I wonder how he tops this magnificent oratory. Whoever wrote this speech, Barack, it's probably time to give them a serious bump. I came into this as a Michelle Obama doubter. I've watched her and read about her. Tonight she absolutely and forever convinced me she is the real deal.
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Playground rhymes from my youth: Popeye the sailor man

I'm Popeye, the Sailor Man
I live in a Garbage Can.
I eat all the worms
And I spit out the Germs
I'm Popeye, the Sailor Man.

I'm Popeye, the Sailor Man
I live in a frying pan
I turn up the heat
And I burn up my feet

I'm Popeye, the Sailor Man
I live in a frying pan
I turn up the gas
And burn off my ass
I'm Popeye, the Sailor Man

I'm Popeye, the Sailor Man
I like me spinach and eggs
I like to go swimmin'
With bow-legged women
And swim between their legs!
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Short playground rhymes from my youth in the early 1960's

Everybody's doing it, doing it, doing it.
Picking their nose and chewing it, chewing it, chewing it.
______________________

Jingle bells,
Batman smells,
Robin laid an egg.
The Batmobile lost a wheel
And Joker took ballet.
______________________

Engine Engine Number Nine
Going down Chicago line
If the train falls off the track
Do you want your money back?
______________________

Whistle while you work.
Hitler is a jerk.
Mussolini bit his weenie.
Now it doesn't work.
______________________

Whistle while you work
Hitler is a jerk
Rosellini bit his weenie
And now it will not squirt.

[Albert Rosellini is now 98 years old, and at least a couple of years ago was still practicing law in Seattle! He was governor of Washington State in my formative years from, 1957-1965.]
______________________

Tra la la boom de-ay
There was no school today.
Our teacher passed away,
She died of tooth decay!
Tra-la-la Boom de ay!
I took your pants away...
______________________
Tra-la-la Boom de ay!
Baffaro passed away
We threw him in the bay
And watched him float away.

[Peter Baffaro was the longtime principal of Kent Elementary, Kent, Washington]
______________________

Liar,Liar!
Pants are on fire!
[Reply]
I don't care,
I don't care!
I can buy another pair!
______________________

Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream
Throw the teacher overboard and listen to her scream!
______________________

School's out, school's out,
The teacher let the monkeys out.
One went in, and one went out,
And one fell in the sauerkraut.

[At around the time I heard, and sang this ditty, Kent, Wash. was one of the largest sauerkraut producing regions in the country. I remember taking several tours of the Libby Sauerkraut plant. And they weren't alone...there were others. Not many Germans or Eastern Europens lived in Kent, so I have to assume it was because Kent was a prime cabbage-growing area.]
______________________

It's Howdy Doody time
It ain't worth a dime
We'll turn to Channel Nine
And watch Frankenstein
______________________

Lincoln, Lincoln, I've been thinking,
What the hell have you been drinking?
Taste like beer smells like wine.
Oh my God it's Turpentine.
______________________
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Post-Columbine/Virginia Tech - 1960's playground rhymes from Kent, Wash. - Mine eyes have seen the glory

I suppose, in a post-Columbine/Virginia Tech. world, our song would, in all likelihood, get you expelled. We sang this at Kent Elementary in the early 1960's.



Mine eyes have seen the glory
Of the burning of the school
We have tortured all the teachers,
We have broken every rule
We have barbecued the principal,
And destroyed the PTA,
Our school keeps burning on.
Glory, glory hallelujah.
Teacher hit me with a ruler.
I met her at the door with a loaded .44
Now she won't be teaching anymore!
---o0o---

Playground rhymes from my youth: Johnny had a steamboat

I remember this ditty from Kent Elementary, now a suburb of Seattle, from the early 1960's. As it turns out, there are variants (some quite different) from regions all around the country.


Johnnie had a steamboat, johnnie had a bell,
Johnnie pulled the wrong cord and blew it all to
Hello operator, give me number nine,
If you disconnect me, I'll kick you in the
Behind the 'fridgerator, there's a piece of glass,
Johnnie slipped on it, and it went up his
Ask me no more questions, tell me no more lies,
If you ever get hit with a bucket of s**t
Just be sure to close your eyes.
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