I do.

This original song features Bakersfield's own Michael C., who helped me take another original song, Black Santa to #21 on the top 30 mp3 charts last Christmas.  It is connected to my DONATE 2 DOWNLOAD program, one of the simplest programs whereby you get something good for giving.  The rules are as follows: If you've made a recent donation to an
organization providing for the needs of the homeless, feel free to download this song for free:

Homeless 4 the Holidays
Dr. BLT ft. Michael C.
words and music by Dr. BLT (c)2006
http://www.drblt.net/music/...

For more information on making a donation, visit this link:
http://people.bakersfield.c...


Homeless 4 the Holidays
Performed by Dr. BLT and Michael C.
words and music by Dr. BLT (c)2006

‘twas the night before Christmas
and all through the street
the people were searchin’
for somethin’ to eat
their stockings were torn
and their bodies were worn
tired, and sickly
unkempt and forlorn
a man called St. Nicholas--dealin’ cocaine
it was all the street doctor could offer for pain
the anguish I saw their their faces that night
told a tale of incredible horror and fright

homeless 4 the holidays
they’ve got no place to go
homeless 4 the holidays
we’ve got to find homeless people
a place to call home

‘twas the night before Christmas
the children were ill
their father in prison
their mother on pills
from unppers and downers to cross-tops and reds
and Donner and Blitzen were just pimps that she fed
their uncle on crack, and their auntie was dead
why?
It was somethin’ she shouldn’t have said

homeless 4 the holidays
they’ve got no place to go
homeless 4 the holidays
we’ve got to find homeless people
a place to call home

‘twas the night before New Years
and where was Dick Clark
when a crippled man cringed from a shot in the dark
when bullets are all that ring in the New Year
what happens to tidings of comfort and cheer

homeless 4 the holidays
they’ve got no place to go
homeless 4 the holidays
we’ve got to find homeless people
a place to call home

twas the night before Christmas
the very next year
the voice of Dr. T and Michael C. brought a cheer
they listened to music
and they opened their hearts
opened their homes
made a brand new start
come beggars and children
come sick and come poor
another homeless Christmas
you won’t have to endure

homeless 4 the holidays
they’ve got no place to go
homeless 4 the holidays
we’ve got to find homeless people
a place to call home

I've decided that what has been referred to as the "war against Christmas," a characterization I have since abandoned for it's inherently incendiary nature, has become a little too bloody.  So I've laying down my weapon in the so-called war, and becoming a Christmas Tree Hugger.  Yes, I've re-invented myself yet again, in an effort to fuse conservative and liberal values.  After listening to the song, I'd like you folks out there in the Bakersfield blogosphere and beyond to let me know if my integration has been a success.

Just to give you an update, there's presently a debate going on as to whether this song is a liberal satire, or whether the sentiments expressed in the song are "for real."  I don't decide these things.  I just write the songs, put them out there, and let you be the judge.

Well, so far this Christmas, me and my Merry melodies have brought me more jeers than cheers.  Now there's a blog site where the powers that be have gone to great lenghths to mock me and my music.  Along with me and my music, Christmas itself has become their hapless victim.  So I urge you, fellow Bakersfield bloggers and blog visitors, if you're a fan of my music and/or a fan of Christmas, come to my defense, or to the defense of Christmas in the comments section at this site:

http://www.baboonpalace.com...

Of course, by posting this site, I also run the risk of having some of you join in the jeers.  But that's why my trust of you comes in.  Either way, please come to the defense of Christmas. 

I'm sure that by now you've heard that, while other retailers are bringing Christmas back, Best Buy is digging in their heels and sticking to their anit-Christmas bias, officially banning the use of "Merry Christmas," it all of its ads, in favor of the more politically correct, "Happy Holidays." 

Well, if any of you who object would like to have a voice, here's some information on how to do that:

http://www.afa.net/petition...

And if you like my new song, feel free to download it here, and/or pass it on to the powers that be at Best Buy:

Best Buy Inn
Dr. BLT and the Merry Gentlemen
words and music by Dr. BLT (c) 2006
http://www.drblt.net/music/...

Where you want to shop this Christmas is your choice, but I say that, at least until the Christmas holiday season is over, "Best say, 'Bye, bye! to Best Buy," and its anti-Christmas wishes. 

Song credits:
lead and back-up vocals: Dr. BLT
drums: Pat Frase
percussion: Walter Stormont
lead guitar: Reggie Langendorfer
rythym guitar: Dr. BLT and Reggie Langendorfer

lyrics:

Best Buy Inn
words and music by Bruce L. Thiessen, aka Dr. BLT (c) 2006

history repeats itself
where baby Jesus has 'bin shelved
like Santa Claus
and his tiny elves
I won't shop there myself

the Best Buy Inn
is closed my friend
to baby Jesus
and his kin
the shepherds and
the three wisemen
they cannot get in
at the Best Buy Inn

if you're walkin'
down the isle
and you flash
that Christmas smile
you'll be banned
just like the babe
it ain't my kinda place

the Best Buy Inn
is closed my friend
to baby Jesus
and his kin
the shepherds and
the three wisemen
they cannot get in
at the Best Buy Inn

just like it was
in the old days
just like it was
in days of yore
no place could be found
in Bethlehem
just like the
Best Buy Inn

the Best Buy Inn
is closed my friend
to baby Jesus
and his kin
the shepherds and
the three wisemen
they cannot get in
at the Best Buy Inn

I didn't even bother to remember his name because at the time, I thought it was a big hoax.  But apparently Chapman University, in Suisun, California had done their homework and determined that his story was legitimate.  He was a special guest presenter at a staff meeting---a photographer who told a story of retrieving a blood-soaked rose from the limo that transported John F. Kennedy on the day he was assassinated.   He admitted that it was a morbid thing to retrieve, and that it may be kind of gross, but chalked his decision up to his then youth.  After showing pictures he took of roses in the limo, allegedly taken just minutes after the assassination had taken place, he actually passed around that blood-drenched rose and I did notice what appeared to be dried-up blood.   I touched the rose, blood and all with the tip of my index finger.  It felt like dried-up blood.  This may also seem morbid to you, but I chalk it up to forensic curiousity.  Is there anybody out there who has heard of this photographer or has witnessed one of his presentations?  I want to know whether he is legit, or if he is trying to sell off a hoax as the real deal.  Have I actually had direct contact with the blood, and therefore, the DNA of JFK?

I was too young to speak, let alone to capture the significance and profound sense of shock that gripped the world immediately following the news of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. 

I do recall seeing the flag-draped coffin being carried solemnly by pallbearers on the funeral as my parents watched silently on their television screen.  As an adult, I tried to recapture the event, and this song was born.  Perhaps you were there, or you were old enough to capture the significance of that dark day.  If so, share it with the rest of us as we approach the anniversary of the assassination of JFK. 







The Day it Rained on Our Parade
Words and music by Bruce L. Thiessen, aka Dr. BLT © 2006

November 22nd, 1963
Shock waves radiated
Round the world
Across the sea
Like some cataclysmic moment
Mesmerized as time stood still
Dealy Plaza
Dallas Texas
Deadly bullet
Cloaked in terrors chill

Filled with youth, sophistication
Sparkling teeth, and sailors eyes
Stiff-legged march to the Cathedral
Muffled drums to still our cries
Everyone can still remember
Where they heard the news
Happy songs turned melancholy
Every gypsy minstrel
Sang the Dallas blues

That was the day
The day it rained on our parade
The day the bullet pierced the presidential motorcade
Our teardrops watered flowers
On the ground where he was laid
That was the day
The day it rained
Rained on our parade

And Jackie clutched his head
Upon her chest and cried this prayer
My God, this did not happen
Dear God this is insane
And all the world grew stood paralyzed
And helpless in the Texas rain

While so many other politicians and community leaders across the United States are caving in to political correctness as it concerns Christmas, Arnold is not likely to cross that line anytime soon.  Just a couple of years ago, he officially reassigned the the name "Christmas Tree," to what had become California's State "Holiday" tree under the Davis administration.  What do you think?  Will Arnold's recent shift to the left begin to manifest itself in the form of political correctness as it pertains to the Christmas season? 

What about you?  Have you caved in to political correctness?  It's not too late to return to common sense.  Go ahead, take the risk.  If you know somebody to be a practicing Jew or Muslim who is not down with Christmas, then what I'm about to say is probably not such good advice.  I'm not suggesting we do away with seasonal sensitivity altogether. 
But otherwise: Wish somebody a Merry Christmas and see if you get a "Bah Humbug!" in return.  I predict that 9 times out of 10, you'll get a big smile, and a resounding, heart-felt, "Merry Christmas!" in return. 

BTW, I'd like to thank "Arnold" for the heartwarming introduction to my tune, Arnold's Christmas Tree. 

We're all familiar with the stereotype of the bleeding heart liberal.  But seeking to heal victims as a way of vicariously healing oneself knows no political boundary, or any other boundary for that matter.  Co-dependents, as they are often called (though the concept is simplistic, and, as such, problematic), though possibly more abundant in medical and mental health fields, can be found in virtually every walk of life----including white as well as blue collar occupations.  Personal and romantic relationships, including marraige, are often built on the ineffably weak foundation of co-dependency. 

It's all about whether or not the world, and, more specifically, the parenting you received, provided you with the necessary tools to establish a strong and unambiguous sense of identity.  If co-dependency was the basis upon which your parental figures functioned (or rather, "dysfunctioned," then it is very likely that, without taking clear and decisive steps to re-establish your identity, you will rely upon the script that has been handed to you. 

The idea that individuals can funtion on their own---that they can be entirely self-sufficient, is a myth.  However, when meeting co-dependent needs trumps a healthy sense of reciprocity,

Psychologists, and other mental health professionals, I'm not letting you off the hook simply because I am one of you.  If you overly identify with the "victim" in your patient and seek to gratify your own co-dependent needs through your patient, you cannot be effective.  I cannot say that I have "arrived," in my own journey, so the advice I give is also the advice I receive.  

Find yourself.  Whatever it takes is what you must do.  You won't find yourself in trying to be somebody else.  You won't find yourself in trying to save somebody else.  So, if you must seek to save others, make sure you are saved first.

U Hurt, Therefore I Am: produced by/instrumental arrangement by Gary La Duke
I just wrote the song and sing lead vocals on this one.

This just in:

You may have heard the rumors, and I'm here to confirm them.  I recently had the exciting opportunity to interview the band from which the Beatles were born: The Quarrymen.  I bet there are even a few Beatles historians that were not aware that this band is still together, long after the Beatles broke up.  But they once performed with the Beatles and were good friends of John, Paul, George and Paul.  They will share their memories with all of you.

Stay tuned to my blog n roll site for more information. 

Some people consider it pseudoscience, a complex hoax designed by the conservative Christians to smuggle the Bible into the classroom.  Some people, on the other hand, believe it to be a viable theory that is worthy of classroom consideration.  Quite frankly, I don't care what "some people" think.  I want to know why you think on the subject.  Does Intelligent Design make sense as a theory?  Is there room of Intelligent Design in the classroom? 

You know the blog n roll routine.  After listening to the song, and reflecting on the lyrics contained therein, and after reading what I have entered right here on this blog space, make a comment.  Say it respectfully, say it in the spirit of intelligent debate and dialogue.  But by all means, speak your mind, before somebody else speaks on behalf of your mind.

BTW, the song featured here, Handful of Dirt is from the Daniel Sisco CD:
Daniel Sisco Sings Dr. BLT's Handful of Tunes.

For more information, visit:
http://www.drblt.net

I'm also at myspace.com and Phantom Tollbooth, to name just a couple.
http://www.tollbooth.org

It seems like history is repeating itself again.  Well, sort of.  If Best Buy were an Inn, and Bakersfield were Bethlehem of yore, would Mary, Joseph, and the Christ Child be turned away, along with the shepherds, the wisemen and the three kings?  It seems to me that there are no wise men to be found at Best Buy this year, and there will be no Christmas cheer.  It has been stolen by the Grinch and replaced by a politically correct holiday greeting.  What are your feelings and opinions about this?  Voice them here, before the grinch tries to silence them.  Also, BTW, what do you think of my modern form of folk protest rock I call "poke"?

For more information:

http://www.netscape.com/vie...





lyrics:

Best Buy Inn
words and music by Bruce L. Thiessen, aka Dr. BLT (c) 2006

history repeats itself
where baby Jesus has 'bin shelved
like Santa Claus
and his tiny elves
I won't shop there myself

the Best Buy Inn
is closed my friend
to baby Jesus
and his kin
the shepherds and
the three wisemen
they cannot get in
at the Best Buy Inn

if you're walkin'
down the isle
and you flash
that Christmas smile
you'll be banned
just like the babe
it ain't my kinda place

the Best Buy Inn
is closed my friend
to baby Jesus
and his kin
the shepherds and
the three wisemen
they cannot get in
at the Best Buy Inn

just like it was
in the old days
just like it was
in days of yore
no place could be found
in Bethlehem
just like the
Best Buy Inn

the Best Buy Inn
is closed my friend
to baby Jesus
and his kin
the shepherds and
the three wisemen
they cannot get in
at the Best Buy Inn

Elton John recently spoke out against religion, specifically religion of the organized variety, which he says promotes hatred of gays, divisive rancor, and war.  Lately, he's been blaming the church for all of the evils in the world.   In the process, I'm sure many religious folks want Elton John to be Elton, gone, or at least, Elton, gonged.  

His sentiments remind me of my own---at  a time I was so caught up in abiding by the structure of my religious upbringing that I forgot about the life and the love associated with its origins.  I recall driving down the freeway, listening to R.E.M.'s Losing My Religion, and saying to myself something to the effect, "That's right, why don't you lose your religion?---After all---all it brings you is a host of inhabitions, a residual sense of guilt, and a burdensome bondage to hackneyed traditions."   It was a sentiment I put into a song---Lose Your Religion: my answer, if you will, to R.E.M.'s classic, sung in this rendition by Daniel Sisco.  By the same token, I believe that Elton John is misguided to suggest that religion, per se, is the root of all evil. 

As we approach the Christmas season, we are reminded that this religion we call Christianity started from humble beginnings, involving the King of Kings being willing to be born in a mere stable as a helpless infant to liberate the hearts of men and women in bondage to their own mortal natures.  If you listen to Handel's Messaiah, you will understand the freedom and joy that comes from such a faith---born of humble beginnings. 

It is not religion, per se, that breeds division, rancor, and self-righteousness, but the perversion and abuse of religion.  So, you see, I understand Elton John's sentiments, but I believe he runs the risk of throwing baby Jesus out with the bathwater.  I know many pastors and many congregations filled with the love of Christ and the spirit of the living God.  Though they may have different beliefs concerning homosexuality than those held by Sir Elton John, most do not hate gays, and do not think of themselves as spiritually superior.   But churchgoers, and church leaders, as mortals, are subject to the forces of pride, self-righteousness, and even hatred. 

Shall we then join Elton John's cacophonous chorus, and call for the death of religion---is that the fate you want for the Faith of our Fathers?  I think not.  Perhaps in many circles, religion is dead.  Let's pray for its resurrection.  There is no enduring hope to be found in political solutions.  We need a worldwide spiritual renewal.   True religion, born of humility, love and grace, is our hope, and our redemption, not our nemesis.

Have you ever met somebody, judged them on the basis of their attire and general appearance to be of a particular political persuasion, and then, after speaking with them, found their views to be just the opposite of what you might have expected?  Have you ever assumed someone with vastly different political views to those of your own to be stupid, arrogant, self-righteous, vile, immoral, or worse, and, after getting to know them discovered them to be just the opposite?  If you've had these, and similar experiences, share them here at the Blog n Roll Jukebox, a place where stereotypes are broken down on a daily basis.

conservative punk website:
http://www.conservativepunk...

It was inevitable.  The bubble of extremist liberal groupthink in the world of rock was about to burst.  Ted Nugent, Pat Boone, and what remains of the Ramones, were growing weary of being the only pro-Americans to walk the face of the rock n roll planet.  Now a brand new generation of rock patriots are boldly going where no man has gone before: in the face of Green Day, and their mega-selling-Grammy-award-winning slap in the face of Americans: American Idiot.  Yes, this album rocks, but it rocks at the expense of American citizens, especially the ones who are proud to be Americans.  Let's face it, America got slapped by a British supergroup, and, not only turned the other cheek, but praised the slapping hand that bit the hand that feeds them.  I'll get off my soap box now, allow you to check out the links, and then, you can get on your soap box.  Please don't step aside.  Take a side.  But be prepared to defend it.

Spin's Coverage of Killers Criticism of Green Day
http://www.spin.com/feature...

My Phantom Tollbooth article on "...the Growing Tide of Anti-American Sentiment among Rock Stars:
http://www.tollbooth.org/20...

It's great to have a day off, but does anybody still remember why Veterans Day exists?  We may be in the midst of an unpopular war, but that should not in any way diminish the value of those who have served this country with honor and distinction. 

Recently, the much of the country was in the mood to drive out the Republicans and bring on the Dems, in droves.  But no change in leadership would be possible by such a shift in public sentiment in a country bereft of freedom, liberty and free speech.  We have the vets to thank for protecting our liberties.  I wrote this song in their honor.  Daniel Sisco sings it in their honor.  Thanks to the vets, I am free, as a songwriter, to write whatever I want to write.  You are free to sing along too, or not, because of these same vets.  If you choose not to, then please show your gratitude in whatever manner fits your style.   Please don't ever forget our vets, or freedom may some day forget you.

There is no American Dream.  There are as many American Dreams as there are American dreamers.  But where are all the dreamers these days? It seems like the United States has become a haven of naysayers.   The cyanide of cynicism is the daily diet of the average American citizen.  The problems of the world are growing bigger every day.  We need greater visions and bigger dreams. 

Children are born into this world with a vast capacity to dream.  They are wide-eyed with wonder, but so many times we silence their wonder thunder.  Instead of fostering an environment in which children are free and eager to explore their dreams, parents often crush the dreams of children through excessive, harsh, and most-often destructive criticism.  Society, and the cyanide of cynicism that it freely distributes, continues where parents left off.  A determined dreamer can ward off these deleterious elements, but it is often an uphill battle ending in defeat.

Great role models dare to dream.  And they dare to share their dreams.  No, some dreams don't come true.  Dreams can lead to devastating, disappointing outcomes. 
But to dream is to live and to stop dreaming is to stop living. 

We must continually fight against the death force Freud labeled as "thanatos," and we must continually fight to protect, preserve and to engender the life force Freud labeled as "eros."  Eros is a dream maker, thanatos is a dream breaker.  And with the breaking of dreams comes the breaking of hearts, and the crushing of the creative spirit.  Where have all the dreamers gone?  They have gone to sleep, as a way of avoiding a society where dreams are deemed the great nemesis.

It's hard to believe that just a couple of years ago, Saddam was captured, compliments of the U.S. of A.  That was quite a a Christmas gift in '04, and just before the election.  Now, it's two years later.  It's almost Christmas again, and it's election time.  And, just before the election, the verdict is in: Saddam will be Hung!  Will this be an issue in today's election.  If so, how and to what degree with the verdict affect the vote?  You decide.  You put the "roll" in "blog n roll!"

As America heads to the polls, many are fueled by anger and disillusion.  Many who were once proud of the Red, White and Blue now hang their head in shame and/or clench their fists in anger? 

Will our level of patriotism ever rise to the level immediately following 9/11?  It is clear that the world is becoming increasingly resentful towards America and Americans?  Does America hate itself?  What Land is This?  What have we become?  Are we a nation, jaded?  Have glory days turned to sorry days?  Have our colors faded, or are we no longer capable of seeing any color at all?  Has everything turned black and white, left and right? 

I hope you'll all give a warm welcome to Monique Stanfield of the band, All About Me, as she appears for the first time on my blog n roll stage.  She is featured on my new twist on an a folk classic.  First, it was Greensleaves, then it was What Child is This? and now, without further ado, I give you What Land is This?