BP Strives to Destroy All of the South Central US

As much as the National Rifle Association would like to adopt a theme song by its poster boy - Ted Nugent - they remain forever hogtied to a Beatles tune: "Happiness is a Warm Gun", from the white album. In the day, albums were giant slabs of vinyl, and came cased in a 12" square sleeve, a perfect canvas for the great artwork that was a signature of rock & roll.

So the Beatles released their "last" album, a 2-record collection of mostly drivel, with a stone white album cover.

Why? Because they could, and it is forever remembered as "Te White Album".

I have never understood their appeal. None of their songs survived the 70's.

Rolling Stone, in some kind of huge joke, recently called "Hey Jude" the best R&R song of all time.

Bullshit. "Hey Jude" is an interminable dirge, more Gregorian Chant than rock, no backbeat, no fucking beat at all, a perfect loop tape to play in hell.

Try this: listen to as much Beatles as you can without puking, then crank some contemporary Deep Purple. Schlock and Rock.

By the way, the greatest R&R song of all time is "Gimme Shelter". No arguments entertained.

A kestrel flew from a wire today, the sun turning her underside into a glorious golden bronze, just stunning.

Days like today, the sun only 9 miles from the earth, cloudless, the light so brilliant that colors are either mesmerizing (the iridescent blue of an Indigo Bunting) or whited out, like the worst blowing snow on the same bright day. Most are the latter, so when you catch the right angle that lights up a bird, hold on.

The British Petroleum crude oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has continued since April 20. A deep-water blowout remains unchecked, puking crude into the Gulf, millions of gallons each day.

The Gulf is an intricate system, with vast estuaries created in the Mississippi River delta. So far, this area has been more or less "protected" by the massive June rains here in the midwest. As this huge flow subsides, the plume will encroach, dooming, for two, gulf oysters and shrimp. Hope you aren't attached.

But that's not all. A "dry" summer and fall will bring this shit up into the bayous, and they will not recover.

In 1991, the Iraqi army invaded Kuwait on a green light from Donald Rumsfeld, acting for Bush 41. Iraq claimed Kuwait had slant drilled into Iraqi oil reserves. As they withdrew, the Iraqis set fire to nearly 700 oil wells, and mined the area.

Oil Money Bush could not abide this turn, and ordered the retreating Iraqi column destroyed, all 24 miles of it, incinerating perhaps a million Iraqi soldiers.

Point: this annihilation left the Iraq Army completely destroyed, which made them pretty easy pickins in Bush 43's War, and he couldn't even win that.

Counting all the time it took to secure the area, clear out the land mines, get equipment in place, and finally get to work on the wells, Texas studs working for Red Adair (RIP - he created the science), Boots & Coots, and others, got the fires out in nine fucking months.

Serious, what are these Brit pussies doing? This isn't the North Sea. Put a couple of Red's cowboys in the Alvin II and send them down for a look. Should have it capped by Saturday.

A flash of the most brilliant yellow anywhere and I saw a goldfinch in full display. This is color at its most pure, like that indigo bunting, like the singular blue of the Eastern Bluebird, and the heartstopping red of the Northern Cardinal.

The cardinal is our State Bird, and every bit worthy. It is similarly honored by six other states, including Kentucky, Illinois, and Ohio. Our State Tree is the Tulip Poplar, regal, statuesque, and altogether a most appropriate representative. The flowers, found only in the crown, are truly tulip-like, green with the very most pale orange "trumpet".

Our State Flower is a miserable stinky bush, the peony. They aren't even Indiana natives.

My house came with a small flock which I dug up and foisted off. Then I put the Garden Weasel to work.

No difference. Still they come. I've thrown in the towel, and now just wait for a good rain or an ant herd to drive the ugly blooms to the ground.

While we've joined the crowd on a state bird, nobody else favors the peony - for very good reason.

We have several indigenous orchids, hard to find (why they're still here) but around in some numbers, roses wild enough and each with outstanding qualities, and violets. Don't sniff at violets - five states honor them.

Today I saw a large stand of black-eyed susans, good enough for Maryland, and me.

Did you know 41 states have a State Insect? Most are butterflies, honeybees, or ladybugs.

What should ours be? Deer tick? Mosquito? Housefly? Blood-sucking Republican leech? Oh wait. Leeches are annelids, but, like Republicans, they are hermaphrodites, which explains where Republicans come from.

How about a State Reptile/Amphibian? Fully half the states have one or both, and a dozen of those honorees live here. My guess is many states have reptiles and/or amphibians because few people know there's a difference.

Did anybody read where a turtle dove can fly 55mph?