Sorry you thought my reference to McDonald's in "Birmingham, Alabam" was something to be taken seriously, Of Troy. Truly sorry.

I used that bit about McDonald's just to be funny, i.e. to create an excuse to 'reveal' the "missing verses".

I know from previous posts that theMilum is from Birmingham, Alambama - see "Blacklisting Christmas" thread. So I thought it would be fun to suggest, in fun, that it was themilum who posted the ditty in Birmingham.

I deliberately truncated the name of the state "Alabam" to give myself away.

I thought themilum would pick up on this first.

Sorry, Of Troy. I was, and am, most grateful to have your valued reply.

I did change my McDonald's ditty because I didn't want to to perpetuate the ill-considered insensitivity it showed to "beggars". [100 years ago, the creators of nursery rhymes, and mothers who rocked babies to sleep with them, did not have the social conscience we have today.]

As for the rest of it, I acknowledged to you, sincerely, in my reply, that my additional verse is not worthy of the original nursery rhyme, and it isn't. But I considered my additional verse, on that account anyway, harmless.

And, as you know, there is a controversy raging about the nutritional value of fast food menus at a time when we have an epidemic of overeating in our society.* So I thought my hit on McDonald's [i.e. watches and fries vs turnips (veggies) and watches] was worth retaining in spite of the fact that it does nothing to recapture the charm of the original nursery rhyme.

That's my reasoning, Of Troy. I have taken the trouble to explain because I value very much the unselfish and brave effort you have made to help bring peace to the Board. I would not want any untimely and very regretable misunderstanding to upset that.

* US Hospital Tries to Evict Mcdonald's
Guardian Newspapers, December 15, 2004

Extract:

"One of America's premier cardiac hospitals is locked in a furious battle with McDonald's after its director sought to evict the fast-food outlet from the clinic's sprawling site.

After a lifetime of cleaning up clogged arteries, Toby Cosgrove, the director of the Cleveland Clinic, was convinced that fast-food restaurants had no place in an institution with a mission to promote healthier lifestyles."

http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/text12-15-2004-63023.asp

I saw this story on U.S. National TV News a week or so ago. That's why I thought it was worth keeping in my ditty. Didn't mean to diss the nursery rhyme.