Thursday, November 12, 2020

Sláinte Joe and Erin Go

Joe Biden is a man who talks readily, and with pride, about being an Irish-American guy from Scranton, Pennsylvania... this led to a hilarious Biden quip in response to a BBC reporter:

Ah, yes, that's our Bonny Biden Boy! Watching this, I thought to myself, I would sing Fields of Athenry to this man. For those unfamiliar with the song, it's a real tearjerker about a man sentenced to penal transportation to Australia for stealing grain to feed his children: 

 

 

 

It's also a rebel song, about a man who refuses to bow down to an evil, incompetent government during a national crisis:

 

  

 

The last politician I sang Fields of Athenry to turned out to be a big disappointment, but I think Bonny Joe Biden will be responsive to the advice of younger, more progressive colleagues when he assumes the office of the presidency. 

At any rate, the people of Ireland have been proud to claim Joe as a son of the diaspora.  For his part, Joe Biden has stated his continuing support for the Good Friday Agreement, and for using trade deals to ensure that Brexit won't lead to a renewal of conflicts on the Republic of Ireland/Northern Ireland border.  In my neighborhood, there is a sense of relief... earlier this year, there was a slight panic as even pale, blonde soccer moms who might have overstayed their visas were spreading a rumor the ICE was pulling people over at a traffic stop on the nearby highway.  The fact that Biden could be a distant cousin is merely a bonus.

Post title taken from one of Shane MacGowan and the Pogues' most remarkable songs.

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