Letters to the Editor
maureenodonnell
Published Letters: 578 Editor's Choice: 5
-
Anonymous p.l4 is a genius
[Read the article: Obama's historic run heads south]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I was just taking a leisurely ramble through these posts when, to my amazement, I discovered that you had rumbled the worldwide leprechaun conspiracy. You#ve mentioned all those "sleepers" (Soviet style) that we've planted throughout the English-speaking world, although you failed to mention the Australian Prime Minister, Keating, who preceded that dull fellow Howard. I suspect that you could be one of those dreadful "male chauvinists" because you didn't mention Maureen Dowd of NYT and I've a strong feeling that Joan Walsh of Salon is touched by the magic. There's another lassie who writes in NYT that I also suspect. Her name is Gail Collins but I wouldn't be too gone on her opinions. It takes all sorts, of course.
Now on the question of Senator Obama and your hint about Irish heritage, wouldn't you know it: they're already laying claim to him in Co. Offaly, a county which badly needs a bit of glamour! Your suggestion of O'Bama is spot on. In ancient Gaelic society the "O" signified granchild of, so that the original ancestor would have been Bama. I've just realised that I must sound barmy but you are all so stressed out worrying about the South and the rest of it that I felt like giving you all a break. Naturally enough, we know about John McCain but you can keep Huckabee. Any claims he makes to Irish ancestry are totally false. Sure, isn't the man a teetotaller! I haven't the time to go into all of this and those Homeland Security crowd might not like it but I'll tell you what: Irish people have a great fondness for talk and to think that some of those chancers of Irish heritage are over there in Amerikay getting paid for it, while we do it all the time for free, is enough to make a dog strike his father. to be perfectly honest, we also have a fair share of amadans (pr. omma-dawns) over here so we kind of understand when you lot lose the head and make right eejits of yourselves. Bono is a bit of a pain and he's now over in Switzerland with Gore, pontificating about this, that and the other. I much prefer the Irish soldier (we have them too!) who was being examined by a medical officer and was giving very stupid answers to the doctor's questions. Finally, the exasperated doctor more or less gave up, demanding of the raw recruit: "Man, don't you know the Queen's English?" The dopey soldier responded in surprise "No, sir. Is she?" Ah, but was he just a clown or was he making a subversive and patiotic statement? The "Queen's English" is standard, orthodox English but the leprechauns stole it a long time ago.
-
"Barack is not cautious yet" - Michelle Obama
[Read the article: Bill Clinton looks backward]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]In her VANITY FAIR interview, Michelle Obama appeared to think that lack of caution is a plus in a Presidential candidate. When she added that her husband, Barack Obama, is ready to change the world my instinct was to plead "Oh, not again". The world has had more than enough of the United States riding roughshod over any country it chooses, with the catastrophic consequences so evident today. On the other hand, perhaps Mrs.Obama thinks that the US is "the world", a belief that seems to have many Americans by the scruff of the neck. I have no idea whether Michelle Obama has ever lived anywhere other than Chicago. If her entire life has been lived in the United States, global statements seem very presumptuous but, then, Hillary Clinton's oft-cited sense of entitlement is more than matched by Michelle Obama's in telling readers that if her husband is not elected the Obamas are not hanging around. You don't have to take my word for this as you can read the article yourselves. Above all the din, the harangues, the claims and counter-claims, it seems to me that the Democrats are in a sorry state. "Being cautious" is reprehensible and so the obvious conclusion is that impulsiveness, even recklessness, is admirable. In a lover, maybe, but not in a President. Btw, the "world" is sick and tired of hearing about Bill Clinton's sexual proclivities. If he lived in Saudi Arabia he could have a harem. It's an old story, done to death, and "the world" (at least the European "world") is not mesmerised by the Bill/Monica story as some salacious Americans seem to be.
I love a touch of whimsy and I'm sure you do too as it alleviates the burden of race, religion, gender, age so I dedicate these lines from Edward Lear to all those followers of Michelle and Barack, who believe that they are the bee's knees and the thrush's ankles:
"They dined on mince and slices of quince,
which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon."
-
To iorpheus: Was it Chinese tea or Indian tea?
[Read the article: Bill Clinton looks backward]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]China and India are the booming economies of the East with huge populations. This is significant for your economy. I don't think you should consider a career in clairvoyance, however, as your prediction about Barack Obama in 2012 does not tally with Michelle Obama's assertion that "It's now or never".
Anyway, although I don't get to vote in the U.S election and have no particular talents as a soothsayer, I'm going to bet on the outcome of the Presidential election. We like gambling, particularly on horses, but the "bookies" take bets on most important events. I'm going to bet on John McCain, having considered the shambles the two Democrat contenders have either created or allowed to be created around them. At this early stage, I should get good odds on McCain.