My Favorite Irish Verse

Yes, I plan to publish this poem every St Patricks Day... until I write a better one.

The Irony of St. Patrick’s Day

Fake Irishmen wearing silly green ties
Calling with bad brogues
For a wee dram of green beer
In bars festooned with shamrocks
Pipes and cartoon leprechauns they
Sing-a-long to a verse of Danny Boy
Like tone deaf drunken goats,
They set the dogs to barking
With their droning tura-lura-lura

Amateurs: they end-up
Puking on their Italian loafers
Waking-up late for work
The next day in a hangover fog

Grandsons of the famines
Endure this minstrel show
With a mirthless grin
We stay to ourselves
Washing shots of Jameson's
Down with a beer
Glad not to be thinking
About the days
When Irish need not apply.

Low Information Politician?

One of the staunchest promoters of the "defense of marriage" act has suddenly come out in favor of  same sex marriage.  Ohio Senator Rob Portman has reversed his former position because he finds out that his son is gay, and suddenly he has developed empathy towards others.  Something like that happened with Dick Cheney too.

It seems we are all just one family member or valued friend from changing our fundamental beliefs.

In the light of such dramatic revelations, how can we be sure of anything that we believe?

Low Information Voter

Rush Limbaugh's latest object of scorn  is the misinformed, uninformed, "low-information voter" (LIV), ie, anyone who disagrees with his peculiar view of the world.

I occasionally listen to Rush on WRKO the only station that has talk in Boston these days.  I don't agree with 90% of his bloviations** - usually a pretzel-like interpretation of current events that ends-up painting Obama as a  supremely devious character surrounded by commies and socialists who hate working people and business owners.  The illogical reigns supreme in Limbaughs rants:  Obama wants to give your hard earned money to lazy loafers, and he is intentionally ruining the system so the government can take over every aspect of your life.  Well, how are the socialists going to give your money to the lazy loafers if there is no tax revenue? And why does he hate Americans? It is just idiotic.

Now, If the criticism was based on a belief that Obama and his administration are just plain incompetent and ruining the country by accident, malfeasance and stupidity, well that is a different accusation.

The big contradiction is revealed when you listen to his callers.  Most of them sound like they live in a remote cave, because they hardly seem aware of any information that they did not hear from Rush, drudge report or that lightweight Sean Hannity.  To me, they exemplify the epitome of low-information voters, cloistered in ignorance and arrogance.




** 10% of the time, I appreciate his subtle self mocking sense of humor. He shows the ability to be a satirist of high order, at times.