Each year as April 20th rolls by, I have a lot on my mind. Lots of weird stuff happened on this day - Hitler was born, my mom was born, Columbine - ok, sorry mom, I am wrong to group your sweet maternal nature with infamy - haha, but for me, the weirdest thing that happened on April 20th, took place in 1979 in a creepy swamp with a former US president, Jimmy Carter, our only president who is on record as saying he saw a U.F.O. Huh? - here's the official report - I am not saying whether it was true or not, heck - lots of aliens are crossing our borders every day from what I hear in the news.
You see, what took place on April 20th, 1979 doesn't involve aliens - but a rare killer rabbit variety, and the time travel of a nuclear submarine - the U.S.S. Jimmy Carter. It was some sort of ***Leporine Conspiracy Theory! (see below for more "ine" type of words). You see, we never really got the whole story, but a picture is worth a 1000 words, though photoshop has done a lot to reduce that to maybe, a few hundred.
the link above, and this one here is a bigger version of the original snapshot taken by Anne Ominous in 1979.
Notice the lilliputian size of the sailors on the bridge of the sub, and how the official story from the Carter library, and this one here - leaves out the important facts surrounding the case, as bizarre as seeing a U.F.O. in an official report, and then going on to become President. Eye Popping. or Poopeyeing perhaps.
When I first blogged about this story in 2005 - I actually found some of these killer rabbits in my garden on April 20th. And in more synchronous weirdness, my mom - who was born on April 20th, always tried to raise the little bunnies she found in her garden. We would get an eyedropper, some carot juice and feed the little guys till they got bigger. Then the rabbits would be released at Doctor's Park in Milwaukee, in hopes of them finding a nice home away from mom's flowers. Later I wondered... if one of there grew up to be THE killer rabbit that attacked our President on April 20th, 1979. Being pretty conservative, I knew it would have made my mom happy if this were the case. Come on now - no one was hurt.
Anyway... in 2005, LikeTelevision declared that from here on out April 20th would forever be remembered as our National Rabbit Day. Here’s some media clips you might wanna watch to celebrate our Leporine Laugh Fest. Giant Jack Rabbit - Granny thinks a kangeroo is a Texas sized rabbit - and she wants to have it for dinner (vittles - which in this case, is Hillbilly for Hasenpfeffer). Check out Betty in Blunderland - as Betty Boop chases the White Rabbit in a whacko Wonderland fantasy. (huh - go ask Alice, I think she’ll know). Or if you want politically incorrect Hasenpfeffer - whew - here ya go. At most times, we keep this cartoon hidden, as it is really offensive - but for this blog post, it has been resurrected from the dead. (if toads are your thing, check this). Speaking of politically incorrect - part three of Jean Renoir’s Rules of the Game offers a brutal old school Europe rabbit hunt. The film - created by the famous painter’s son (Auguste Renoir is the painter… Jean Renoir, director) is all about LOVE - and it is not about rabbits, though they have some bit parts. (and their parts are blown to bits too). And of course - there is more stuff to watch for National Rabbit Day - but make sure you check out Doggone Tired, a Tex Avery classic cartoon you might have missed.
***For those not well versed in the *.ine type animal stuff.... here's a few to whet your whistle.
feline | cat
canine | dog
equine | horse
bovine | cow
porcine | pig
ovine | sheep
avian | bird
ursine | bear
lupine | wolf
murine | mouse
vulpine | fox
aquiline | eagle
anserine | goose
asinine | ass
cervine | deer
elephantine | elephant
leoline | lion
leporine | rabbit
limacine | slug
pavonine | peacock
phocine | seal
serpentine | serpent (i always think of Alan Arkin as Shelly Korpett, D.D.S from The In-Laws whenever i hear that word - Serpentine!).
Coming up next... some killer music!
