Category Archives: Europe

Guns – I love them

Posted by bourbonhound on

A bunch of morons in LA gave up their guns for cash. Around the USA we see this from time to time. A city/county will have a “Cash for Gun” day. They use propaganda to convince law-abiding citizens to give up their legally bought weapons. Sadly, most of these “Cash for Gun” days are successful. Guns do not murder people. Stupid losers murder people.

I have come to realize that most anti-gun people know nothing at all about guns. They have never seen one up close, have no clue on how to load or fire one and couldn’t tell you the difference between a .38 special or a SKS. All of a sudden however, they become experts on guns and gun laws. I actually got in a debate with my friend Emily this past Sunday. Like most anti-gun people, she said things that were beyond inaccurate about guns and knew nothing about guns. Those are very common traits among anti-gun people.

Most school shootings are done by kids that are underage. This means that the weapons they carry are bought illegally or have been stolen. How often have legal gun owners walked into a school and shot it up? Look at Sandy Hook which just happened. The punk was carrying two handguns. He was only 20 which means he was carrying the guns illegally. The other gun was not his which meant it was stolen. Not shocking that a criminal was breaking the law. His mother, who did own the guns legally, was not the crazy gunman. Shocking that a law-abiding citizen was not the killer.

My friend Emily, like most anti-gun people stated that only law enforcement officials should be allowed to carry guns. That is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard about guns. My uncle George is retired from the US Army. He was a Green Beret (specials forces). Are you telling me that my uncle George has no right to carry a gun and defend himself, his family and his home? My uncle George, like all vets, has proven his loyalty and love for this nation. They have earned every right known to man and then some. How dare anyone insult a vet by telling them they can’t own weapons.

My dad is almost 80. He has owned guns since age 5 or 6. When my dad was in better health, he hunted. You know how many banks my dad robbed, women he raped at gunpoint, people he’s taken hostage, schools he shot up, cars he hijacked or people he’s murdered? The number is less than one. That’s correct. My dad has never committed a crime with a gun. You know why? He’s not a criminal. He’s not crazy. He’s a law-abiding citizen. Also, my dad is a vet. I think my dad has more than earned his right to carry any type of gun he wants. Who is Emily, some stupid congressman or loser to tell my dad he has no right to carry a gun?

I am 31. I grew up around shotguns and rifles. By the time I was 5 or 6, my dad would allow me to help clean his guns. I learned at an early age that guns were not bad. I learned that guns protect people and are used for hunting (food in our case). I own a few myself. I carry a handgun for self-defense. I have never fired the gun in public. Hopefully I will never have to fire the gun. However, if someone tries to car-jack me, attacks me or breaks in my home, I will fire without a second thought. You know how many crimes I’ve committed with my guns? None. Shocking that between me and my dad, not one crime has been committed with our firearms. Yet only law enforcement should own guns.

Gun laws do not stop crime. The US has passed more and more gun laws since the Clinton days. Has crime went down? Of course not. England has some of the strictest gun laws on earth and yet, their crime has increased heavily in the past decade. Switzerland has probably the most laid back laws when it comes to guns and yet, they are one of the most crime free nations on earth. So, more gun laws in the US equals more crime. More gun laws in England equals more crime. Less gun laws in Switzerland equals less crime. Man, those anti-gun people sure know facts when dealing with guns, lol.

Laws are a good thing. I respect most current gun laws. More laws will not stop crime, ask England. Taking away guns will not stop crime. Ask the state of Illinois. If law-abiding citizens can’t own firearms, who will have guns other than law enforcement? Simple, criminals. If I can’t own a firearm, how do I protect myself from a criminal? I rest my case. There is no need for a debate. Anti-gun people know nothing about guns and they should keep their mouths shut when dealing with guns and gun laws. If you went to a dentist, would you allow him to perform open-heart surgery on you? He’s a doctor just like the surgeon is. I’m guessing not. Here’s my point – why do anti-gun people who know nothing about guns all of a sudden become experts on guns? My point exactly.

The IRA – The Real “Saints” of Ireland

Posted by bourbonhound on

Info taken from here

Northern Ireland came into existence with the British Government of Ireland Act (1920) which divided Ireland into two areas: the Irish Free State, made up of the 26 southern counties, and Northern Ireland – comprising of the counties of Antrim, Down, Armagh, Londonderry, Tyrone and Fermanagh. Roman Catholics, who made up around one-third of the population of Northern Ireland, were largely opposed to the partition.

On 19 July 1997, the IRA declared a cease-fire, effective July 20. At the end of August, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland announced her finding that the cease-fire was being observed, allowing Sinn Fein, the political party closely identified with the IRA, entry into negotiations on Northern Ireland’s political future. The July 20 cease-fire ended a 17-month terrorism campaign and led to the opening of inclusive political talks in September. Following the cease-fire there was a marked decrease–although not a total cessation–of sectarian violence. Police believe that paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland were responsible for 22 deaths, 251 shootings, and 78 bombings during 1997. Both republican and loyalist paramilitary groups continued to engage in vigilante “punishment” attacks, although there was a decrease in the number of such incidents even before the July cease-fire. Despite the lowering of the overall unemployment rate in Northern Ireland in December 1997 to 7.8 per cent, the unemployment rate for Catholic men in Northern Ireland remained twice that for Protestant men. Sinn F�in is the oldest political party in Ireland, named from the Irish Gaelic expression for “We Ourselves”. Since being founded in 1905 it has worked for the right of Irish people as a whole to attain national self-determination, and has elected representatives in every major Irish town and city.

Description

Formed in 1969 as the clandestine armed wing of the political movement Sinn Fein, the IRA is devoted both to removing British forces from Northern Ireland and to unifying Ireland. The IRA conducted attacks until its cease-fire in 1997 and agreed to disarm as a part of the 1998 Belfast Agreement, which established the basis for peace in Northern Ireland. Dissension within the IRA over support for the Northern Ireland peace process resulted in the formation of two more radical splinter groups: Continuity IRA (CIRA), and the Real IRA (RIRA) in mid to late 1990s. The IRA, sometimes referred to as the PIRA to distinguish it from RIRA and CIRA, is organized into small, tightly-knit cells under the leadership of the Army Council.

Activities

Traditional IRA activities have included bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, punishment beatings, extortion, smuggling, and robberies. Before the cease-fire in 1997, the group had conducted bombing campaigns on various targets in Northern Ireland and Great Britain, including senior British Government officials, civilians, police, and British military targets. The group�s refusal in late 2004 to allow photographic documentation of its decommissioning process was an obstacle to progress in implementing the Belfast Agreement and stalled talks. The group previously had disposed of light, medium, and heavy weapons, ammunition, and explosives in three rounds of decommissioning. However, the IRA is believed to retain the ability to conduct paramilitary operations. The group�s extensive criminal activities reportedly provide the IRA and the political party Sinn Fein with millions of dollars each year; the IRA was implicated in two significant robberies in 2004, one involving almost $50 million.

Strength

Several hundred members, plus several thousand sympathizers�despite the defection of some members to RIRA and CIRA.

Local/Area of Operation

Northern Ireland, Irish Republic, Great Britain, Europe.

External Aid

In the past, has received aid from a variety of groups and countries and considerable training and arms from Libya and the PLO. Is suspected of receiving funds, arms, and other terrorist-related materiel from sympathizers in the United States. Similarities in operations suggest links to ETA and the FARC. In August 2002, three suspected IRA members were arrested in Colombia on charges of assisting the FARC to improve its explosives capabilities.

Song lyrics to Go On Home British Soldiers –

Go on home British Soldiers Go on home
Have you got no fucking homes of your own
For 800 years we’ve fought you without fear
And we will fight you for 800 more

If you stay British Soldiers If you stay
You’ll never ever beat the IRA
For the 14 men in Derry
Are the last that you will bury
So take a tip And leave us bloody be

So Go on home British Soldiers Go on home
Have you got no fucking homes of your own
For 800 years we’ve fought you without fear
And we will fight you for 800 more

We’re not British, we’re not Saxon we’re not English
We’re Irish and proud we are to be
So fuck your Union Jack We want our country back
We want to see old Ireland free once more

So Go on home British Soldiers Go on home
Have you got no fucking homes of your own
For 800 years we’ve fought you without fear
And we will fight you for 800 more

We’ll fight them British Soldiers for the cause
We’ll never bow to Soldiers because
Throughout our history We were born to be free
So get out British bastards leave us be

So Go on home British Soldiers Go on home
Have you got no fucking homes of your own
For 800 years we’ve fought you without fear
And we will fight you for 800 more

Go on home British Soldiers Go on home
Have you got no fucking homes of your own
For 800 years we’ve fought you without fear
And we will fight you for 800 more

Irish History – Leprechauns

Posted by bourbonhound on

http://www.yourirish.com/folklore/the-leprechauns/

You may end up being the luckiest person alive if you ever manage to catch a Leprechaun but there again it could bring more than enough trouble for what its worth.

A Leprechaun is a smart, devious little thing and who’ll do anything to escape capture even if it means turning you into a frog.  They are the exception in the Faerie realm as they are the only Faerie that has a trade other than cattle trading. They are shoe-makers.

Who Are The Leprechauns of Ireland?

As part of Irish mythology and folklore the Leprechauns are part of our faerie folk, called by some as the “wee folk”. As a cousin of the clurichaun they are known to inhabited Ireland well before the arrival of the Celts.

Small enough for one to sit comfortable on your shoulder they are very smartly dressed in small suites with waist coats, hats and buckled shoes.

As mischievous and intelligent folk they are general harmless to the general population in Ireland, although they are known to play the odd trick on farmers and local population of villages and towns.

It is said that every Leprechaun has a pot of gold, hidden deep in the Irish countryside. To protect the leprechaun’s pot of gold the Irish fairies gave them magical powers to use if ever captured by a human or an animal. Such magic an Irish leprechaun would perform to escape capture would be to grant three wishes or to vanish into thin air!

Leprechauns are also very keen musicians who play tin whistles, the fiddle and even the Irish Harp and various other Irish traditional instruments. They are known to have wild music sessions at night which in Ireland are known as Ceili’s with hundreds of Irish leprechauns gathering to dance, sing and drink.

The leprechaun is fond of drinking Poteen, moonshine, but must not be mistaken by their Irish cousins the cluricauns who are drunken creatures who love to cause chaos around Ireland at night time, a headache for us humans.

William Butler Yeats once said,

because of their love of dancing they (the Fae) will constantly need shoes

He goes on to tell the story of a woman who had been spirited away by the Faeries and had been returned seven years later minus her toes. She had danced them off!!!

The famous 1959 movie Darby O’Gill and the little people show us a great example of who the Leprechauns are and how we vision them. We’ve found a great clip of this movie that you can watch below, click on the play button to start watching.

Catching a Leprechaun

Its no easy task to catch a leprechaun as they remain very well hidden from us humans. We’ve publish a quick guide on how to catch a leprechaun, worth reading if you ever have the chance to come to Ireland.

Irish History fun #1 – Hurling

Posted by bourbonhound on

Taken from here

Hurling (Irish: Iománaíocht/Iomáint) is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years,[1] and is thought to be the world’s fastest field team game in terms of game play.[1][2][3] One of Ireland’s native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, number of players, and much terminology. There is a similar game for women called camogie (camógaíocht). It shares a common Gaelic root with the sport of shinty (camanachd) which is played predominantly in Scotland.

The object of the game is for players to use a wooden stick called a hurley (in Irish a camán, pronounced /ˈkæmən/) to hit a small ball called a sliotar (play /ˈʃlɪtər/) between the opponents’ goalposts either over the crossbar for one point, or under the crossbar into a net guarded by a goalkeeper for one goal, which is equivalent to three points. The sliotar can be caught in the hand and carried for not more than four steps, struck in the air, or struck on the ground with the hurley. It can be kicked or slapped with an open hand (the hand pass) for short-range passing. A player who wants to carry the ball for more than four steps has to bounce or balance the sliotar on the end of the stick and the ball can only be handled twice while in his possession.

Baiting people is allowed although body-checking or shoulder-charging is illegal. No protective padding is worn by players. A plastic protective helmet with faceguard is mandatory for all age groups, including senior level, as of 2010. The game has been described as “a bastion of humility”, with player names absent from jerseys and a player’s number decided by his position on the field.[1]

Hurling is played throughout the world, and is popular among members of the Irish diaspora in the United Kingdom, North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina. In Ireland, it is a fixture of life.[1] It has featured regularly in both film and literature. In 2007, Forbes magazine described the media attention and population multiplication of Thurles town ahead of one of the game’s annual provincial hurling finals as being “the rough equivalent of 30 million Americans watching a regional lacrosse game.”[1] American soldiers have also expressed their love of the game’s warrior ethos.[4][5]

  • A team comprises 15 players, or “hurlers.”
  • The hurley is generally 79–100 cm (31–40 inches) in length
  • The goalkeeper’s hurley usually has a bas (the flattened, curved end) twice the size of other players’ hurleys to provide some advantage against the fast moving sliotar.
  • The ball, known as a sliotar, has a cork center and a leather cover; it is between 69 and 72 mm in diameter, and weighs between 110 and 120 g
  • A good strike with a hurley can propel the ball up to and over 150 km/h (93 mph) in speed and 110 metres (361 ft) in distance.
  • A ball hit over the bar is worth one point. A ball that is hit under the bar is called a goal and is worth three points.
  • As of 2010 all players must wear a helmet, and may wear other protection such as shinguards and/or a special kind of glove called an ashguard.

Hurling is played on a pitch 135 – 145 m long and 80 – 90 m wide. The goals at each end of the field are formed by two posts, which are usually 6 m high, set 6.4 m apart, and connected 2.44 m above the ground by a crossbar. A net extending in back of the goal is attached to the crossbar and lower goal posts. The same pitch is used for Gaelic football; the GAA, which organises both sports, decided this to facilitate dual usage. Lines are marked at 13 m, 20 m, 65 m and 45 m in gaelic football from each end-line. Shorter pitches and smaller goals are used by under-13s and younger.

More info on Hurling can be found here.

Thanks to India

Posted by bourbonhound on

Since creating this site I have always been able to see how people find my site. It tells me what keywords, type of search or link they click to get here. Now I can see what country they are from. They just added this feature a few days ago. Most of my readers are from good ole’ America, mainly the United States with a few visitors from Canada. I also have a decent fan-base from Europe.

I was shocked to see that 16 hits came from India this past week. That basically equals out to less than 1% of my readers. Since there are nearly a billion people in India, I should expect more readers. From now on I will dedicate articles to the great people of India. India is a great nation. Most scholars believe “pale ale” beer came from there. Also, when I call Sprint customer service I normally get a man named “Bob” who speaks with an Indian accent.

(The cow is “holy” in India,)

(Anytime I call Sprint about customer service, I get her or her brother “Bob”)

Why does the Media Stereotype Irish (Irish Americans) so much?

Posted by bourbonhound on

I am sick of black people and Mexicans crying about stereotypes. White people (besides us Irish) please, shut the hell up about jokes being made about you. Nobody seems to care about all the racist stereotypes I see daily about those of Irish descent.

That’s right, Peter is Irish-American. He clearly has to be lazy and a drunk.

Really, out of all the people they could have interviewed, they just had to find a red-headed Irish kid?

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Irish “car bomb”? The drink couldn’t be called “lucky pot of gold” now could it?

The last movie about Ireland was about a Leprechaun that just happens to drink whiskey.