Don’t you dare say they’re just chopped...

Don’t you dare say they’re just chopped liver: Have you noticed the signs at the Der Wienerschnitzel outlets around town? It’s nice to see that amid all the negative publicity surrounding the baseball strike, someone is paying tribute to the replacement players. The signs say: “Dodger Dogs.”

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Maybe he’s no space cadet after all: Readers Daniel J. B. Mitchell and Val Rodriguez caught Robert Dornan in a verbal gaffe that may derail his presidential bid. Until now, we thought the Garden Grove congressman was a shoo-in for the Republican nomination, too.

Dornan made the blunder while disputing the assertion of one Democrat that the Republicans wanted to spend an additional $40 billion on missile defense.

“Where are you getting this $40 billion (figure)?” Dornan asked. “Off the planet Glatu Barato Niktu?”

Well, as any fan of “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” (1951) will tell you, the phrase uttered in the classic sci-fi movie is “Klaatu barada nikto.” And it’s not a planet. It’s an alien phrase, which roughly translates: “We did not come to your planet to raise your taxes.”

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A different kind of snow removal: After reading the washing instructions for a garment she just bought, Helen Bleecker of Marina del Rey wonders whether she’s going to have to move to a city like Chicago or New York to find the required cleaning material.

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Who says they don’t write great lyrics anymore? Another L.A. street has been immortalized in verse. Grammy winner, “All I Wanna Do,” sung (to use the word loosely) by Sheryl Crow, contains the moving phrase:

“All I wanna do is have some fun / Until the sun comes up over Santa Monica Boulevard.”

We go along with Grammy’s host Paul Reiser who said that if he’d written the song, the lyric would have been something like: “All I wanna do on Santa Monica Boulevard is make a left turn.”

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We beg your pardon! No need to, actually. The sign on San Pedro Street is no insult but the name of a Downtown landmark company.

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Last glimpse of freedom: The Vincent Thomas Bridge, which connects San Pedro and Terminal Island, may be illuminated by lights if the City Council agrees to shell out $200,000 or so.

Area City Councilman Rudy Svorinich Jr. says the 6,060-foot-long span could serve as the city’s “welcoming monument,” much as the Golden Gate does. A noble goal, but there’s one problem.

Everyone coming into San Francisco sees the Golden Gate. But the Vincent Thomas is not exactly located at a busy port of entry. Except, perhaps, for those coming to serve time at the federal prison on Terminal Island.

miscelLAny Some restaurants are known for their table adornments. Johnny’s in Culver City has miniature jukeboxes. Larry Parker’s in Beverly Hills has individual telephones. Ship’s restaurants have toasters in every booth. And, now, comes Ziggy G’s deli in West Hollywood, which has a free fax machine for business types who can’t leave their work behind. Then, there are those of us whose motto is: “All I Wanna Do Is Eat.”