Depending upon your politics (if any) re Ireland itself

If you like, I could send you a link where you can buy a copy of a rare picture of Michael Collins' own personal top squad of the Disciples, complete with names. It took a lot of digging and pure luck for me to uncover their identities, but I did and then sent it to the seller of the photo copies for nothing, all to enrich the historical value of the piece. It hung in our house in America - I'm only second gen native born here - and we kids knew the one who was our ancestor, of course, but none of the others. That sort of thing was still kept pretty quiet back then, (especially by those who'd escaped John Bull's clutches and fled under assumed identities) although my grandfather and great-grandfather certainly knew, and I suspect my father did too. So yes, we came from illegal immigrants, something I delighted in aggravating my desperately conformist, faux-elitist sister with after our father died. If she could reach out and slap me right now for blabbing, she would.

BTW, I don't have any website of my own, so I'm not pumping you for money. That picture can now be found also on an MI5 historical website, though I'm not sure when or where they got it. But I think after several generations have passed, there's no danger to any descendants. If they're still in Free Ireland with Sinn Fein's militant arm, they've already earned their own stripes anyway. The Ulster Project, for instance, has done much to eradicate or at least alleviate traditional divisions.

I was once engaged to a Ramstein

He was 6'8" so when I wanted to really argue with him, we'd head over to the stairway and I'd stand on about the third step up so as to look him in the eye. He was still hard to make listen, though. Not intentionally, but with his background and height he'd simply grown up w/o much experience in that skill.

Although it might've foretold our eventual doom, one funny thing happened when I got a new JRT female puppy and he happened to be over at my place, playing with her. When he got down on his hands and knees on the floor, I warned him w/o success until she jumped up and bit him hard on the nose. Playful but it drew a spot of blood. He got mad and went home. Things were never quite the same between us after that, and within a month we'd split. Broke my heart at the time, but since then I've come to see we were doomed from the start. His family didn't care for my rather modest background and fiery politics. He tried to ignore that, but sooner than later it would've been impossible to continue.

That said, I don't have a problem with most tall people. My diminutive stature tends to bring out a protective rather than abusive feeling in them if they're decent to start with. That brings its own set of lesser problems but nothing to cause more than a slight ripple. For instance when they see me leaving the store with a 40-lb bag of dog food slung over my shoulder, they figure out I'm not quite helpless. They might say something like, "Is that you under there, ****?" And they tease, but it's friendly.

Welcome, new friend.

Notice how carefully I typed that last word. Sometimes if you remove the 'r', that's what we might seem like to trolls who come looking for a battle. But all who support President Obama enjoy clear skies. And the BOG welcomes - indeed, needs you.

You are also free to take yourself outside if all you can do is throw shit.

True, so true

But Kucinich is such a force of nature, so fiery that I almost think of him as an OT prophet. What a wonderful man.

That's what he will always be to me, 'Mr. President'

Our paths are never going to cross directly at all, and I'll never enjoy the familiarity to address him as less. In fact, it bugs people here in RedNeckLand that I always refer to him as President Obama. They resent the respect I feel and show for him, knowing I have far less for them. I try to treat them as well as circumstance and temper allow, but they still know...

I have my personal quota of shortcomings

But one of them is NOT the hubris to think I could do his job. At least not in the same league! But I do read people fairly well, and I've trusted few as I do President Obama.

That isn't to say I couldn't do the job better than a Republican. Different scenario entirely. At least I'd have sense enough to liberalize everywhere possible. Hell, either of my dogs could outdo the best(?) in the GOP. At least Molly Maguire and Brigid wouldn't be greedy, hateful, lying SOBs.

Now, my chows Joy and Freedom would've made a great team of advisors if I were President. My solution to each and every problem would be to give them permission to bite every Republican who came near the WH.

Pretty good plan, don't you think? Works for me.

Yeah, he's got my back

But I still need to buy a special thumb drive to hold my bursting collection of pictures.

I really think the world of Joe Biden

And I'm glad he's VP. But what you're talking about is one reason I'd get down on my knees and crawl over hot coals to elect Hlllary in 2016 - because dear, beloved Joe is a long-odds to win. With enough support, Hillary can almost certainly get us there.

In time honored Milton Berle fashion, I'm gonna steal that.