Wednesday night we were guests of our friends, Marian and Ken Herbert for dinner and a birthday celebration of Brother Bill's 70th birthday. The Herbert boys are a close knit group and Bill's birthday was cause for celebration. Jim, another sibling who lives in Orange County couldn't make the celebration but I am sure he was there in spirit for that seems to be the Herbert way. It is good to see families who share a strong family commitment. Bill and his wife, Diane, are avid RV'ers and we were treated to many of their "on the road" adventures and experiences, which are varied and vast. It was a great evening, even if one of the group was acknowledging the unwelcome event of the big 70. Alas, there is no escaping the "ticking of the clock".

During the evening we were entertained by an e mail from a friend of the Herbert's that I thought was pretty good in spite of being just a little "over the wall" in a couple of places, but then aren't we all? This is a friend of the Herberts from way back. I have never met the author, who is a retired neurosurgeon with a photographic memory and acclaimed a genius by his good friends who have known him from their childhood.

I understand that day by day, a new verse flows via the "web" and I hope that I will be permitted more postings.

Here it is -- with credit to R. A. Watts, M.D.

Some of you may want to remove the first verse as
it is a little over the top.
Reg
Ode to Saddam

Oh, what a beautiful war!
When it is over please bring us some more.
The Iraqi soldiers are on the dead run.
The next one we want is your son, Kim Il-Sung!
Chorus:
Singing Saddam, we don’t want to know you.
Saddam, we just want to show you.
Saddam, our bombs they will blow you
All the way to Kingdom Come,
Where the Devil is waiting for you.

Saddam is a tyrant who rules in Iraq.
If you go out with him you are not coming back.
He puts folks through shredders and in acid pools.
And he’s raised up his sons to be even more cruel.
Chorus.

Saddam is pure evil, there’s no doubting that.
He set fire to Kuwait, now he’s burning Iraq.
He told old Dan Rather he wouldn’t set fires,
But he’s proven to be a most consummate liar.
Chorus:

The French are adept at protecting Saddam.
They don’t want to shoot or to blast or to bomb.
They want the inspectors to run to and fro
While Saddam hides his weapons where they will not
show.
Chorus:

The Russians decided to follow the French.
Their actions have caused an incredible stench.
The UN is useless and that’s plain to see.
They bow to the French and they say “mais oui,oui!”
Chorus:

Inspections won’t work, we knew that from the start.
Saddam is quite clever, but he has no heart.
He knows where to hide things where they won’t be
found,
While his terrified scientists won’t make a sound.
Chorus:

”We don’t have those weapons.” Iraqis implore.
“Those sanctions are hurting, you must give us more.”
Saddam tries to play us for idiots and fools
While he hides them in hospitals, Mosques and in
schools.
Chorus:

Our troops bombed his palace, his compound and house.
But we don’t know for sure if we’ve gotten the louse.
The friends who surround him are possibly dead.
But we will not know that ‘till we gaze on their
heads.
Chorus:

Saddam hates Osamma, Osamma hates him.
But they have allied to commit grievous sins.
They hide in Tikrit and in Kandahar too.
But, our bombs they will send them both straight down
the loo.
Chorus:

Perfidious soldiers in civilian clothes
Come up to our troops in a welcoming pose,
Pretend to surrender and then in a flash
Pull rifles and rockets from under their sash.
Chorus:

Saddam’s Fedahyeen have his soldiers quite scared.
Their vicious atrocities now have been aired.
They kidnap the families and if troops don’t fight
Will lop off their heads in the poor soldiers’ sight.
Alternate chorus:
Singing he kills Iraqi civilians.
He’d knock them off by the millions!
Threatens their wives and their children
Just to force his troops to fight.
He has no use for human rights.

Saddam says he trusts the Republican guard.
When we get to Baghdad they’ll hit us real hard.
He said they would put up a wonderful fight,
But they ran off like rabbits when we came in sight.
Chorus:

If Iraqis will help us get rid of this ass
I’m sure that their troubles quite quickly will pass.
And once that poor country is rid of this creep
Iraqis once more will be able to sleep.
Chorus:

And to the Iraqis we’ll sing this glad song.
We’ll soon set you free and will right many wrongs
So to Alec Baldwin and B. Streisand too,
Why don’t you shut up, for you haven’t a clue!
Chorus:

You’ll join Adolph Hitler, Joe Stalin as well,
You’ll all be confined to the hottest of Hell.
Kin Jung-ill will be there and so will Old Mao
tse-Tung,
And that horrible dictator named Kim Il-Sung.

Singing Saddam we’re glad you’re departed.
Saddam just look what you started.
Saddam you’re so evil hearted
We’re pleased to see that your rule is through,
And feel Hell is just too good for you!



I have found the severity of the wind here to be a definite detriment to my prior preconceived idea that the desert was a place of clear, hot, dry and inviting air. Not so! It has been very windy, enough so that lawn chairs have been dislocated, lawn carpet rolled up and our automatic awnings (which have a mind of their own and automatically roll up whenever the wind gusts at 18 mph) rolled up. We have given up trying to have them out at all. In spite of living at the desert for several months in an "earlier" life and visiting frequently during the ensuing years, I simply do not remember enduring extended windy days such as we have experienced on our recent trips. Perhaps it is the overall weather that Southern California is being treated to at this time.

Today we started out for Joshua Tree National Monument but alas, a swing through Indio, Palm Desert and into Palm Springs left that an unfulfilled plan. We decided the day was not long enough to cover everything we wanted to do.

We will return home on Monday and will be there until Easter Sunday when we will depart on a trip to Las Vegas. We plan to return home via Death Valley. May 9 we leave for Florida and will spend a week in Key West and some time in Sarasota. One might say no grass grows under our feet.


Have a good day!