tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7951396.post4162111198217377689..comments2023-10-15T07:39:14.688-07:00Comments on Smarty Pants Moustache Man: Why the Irish, and Why Saint Patrick's Day?Alfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11203501259969765040noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7951396.post-3231371561984850022009-04-11T08:44:00.000-07:002009-04-11T08:44:00.000-07:00Alf,Don't know whether you want to post this up or...Alf,<BR/><BR/>Don't know whether you want to post this up or not, but here's my 10cents worth. I'm under no illusions about how terribly Catholics were treated in the times before the troubles, and some way into them as well. Case in point, Bloody Sunday- a complete humanitarian tragedy, not a political tool for Sinn Fein to ground swell support for more murder. <BR/><BR/>But I will never support republicanism (or loyalism) for that matter, because killing people for the romantic notion of allegiance to the Queen or Ireland is pathetic. Peoples lives are destroyed by such ideas, and I don't have to tell you (or any other American citizen) about the harm and devastation that terrorism causes. Romantic or not, it destroys lives. People are maimed for life, their parents, children, friends killed and for what- so we can pay taxes to the Queen or the Republic. <BR/><BR/>As for hunger striking, read a book called the Blanketmen (http://tinyurl.com/cz9om4). It tells of how the IRA administration kept the strike going when their demands had been broadly met, for no other reason than to advance the martyrdom- disgusting- those men didn't have to die.<BR/><BR/>The reality is that the republican vs loyalist struggle is no more romantic than 9/11. It's disgusting, brutal and fundamentally wrong. I used to go to school in Omagh, and returning to school after the bomb, to see young people who had been involved with scars, mental and physical, limbs missing etc, demonstrates that it's nothing other than mindless violence. There's no excuse.<BR/><BR/>As for St Pat's, I really enjoy the day, although abstractly, I don't want to celebrate it in NI- that's a throwback from living through the troubles, and not wanting to align myself with one side or the other. Ironically when you go to England, it's celebrated with much more gusto- and in the times I've been living there on the 17th, I've been irish dancing on Guinness celebrating my Irishdom with pride. <BR/><BR/>Anyway, I'm sorry to have rained on your parade, and I'm glad that you let your hair down and enjoyed the day, but just remember that there's not a single person (protestant or catholic or neither) that lived through the troubles who doesn't have a story to tell. I see St Patrick's day as a celebration of all things Irish, except mindless murder (which I am ashamed to say is an integral part of our past).<BR/><BR/>Maybe one day, we could meet up in Dublin for St Pat's- bringing the best of our traditional celebrations together. I did see the photos- your decorations are super impressive!<BR/><BR/>lv, catrine xGShorter https://www.blogger.com/profile/12761988355702210907noreply@blogger.com