Forgive Me Father...For I have Sinned.

McCourt may have kissed this stone one to many times.

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt isn't the type of book you read at Christmas.  In this haunting memoir, McCourt relives his childhood in a Limericak slum where his siblings die from disease, his father drinks away all of the family's money and insists that each child swear he will die for Ireland.  Meanwhile, Frank's mother is chronically pregnant, depressed and unable to care for her young children.  As early as age three, McCourt must watch his younger brother Malachy.

Life in Ireland has never been easy and during the depression life was even harder.  While many who knew McCourt during his childhood, think Angela's Ashes is full of Blarney (lies), the book has the best confession I've ever read.  Frank has just received his first communion and his ecstatic grandmother wants to make him breakfast.  Frank, however, wants nothing to do with this and wants to join his friends at the "Collection."  What follows is hysterical and it doesn't matter if McCourt is full of it.  As long as the story is good, I'll take his blarney  Thank you Simon and Schuster for the except.  Laugh and enjoy!

The food churned in my stomach. I gagged. I ran to her backyard and threw it all up. Out she came.
Look at what he did. Thrun up his First Communion breakfast. Thrun up the body and blood of Jesus. I have God in me backyard. What am I goin' to do? I'll take him to the Jesuits for they know the sins of the Pope himself.
She dragged me through the streets of Limerick. She told the neighbors and passing strangers about God in her backyard. She pushed me into the confession box.
In the name of the Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost. Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It's a day since my last confession.
A day? And what sins have you committed in a day, my child?
I overslept. I nearly missed my First Communion. My grandmother said I have standing up, North of Ireland, Presbyterian hair. I threw up my First Communion breakfast. Now Grandma says she has God in her backyard and what should she do.
The priest is like the First Confession priest. He has the heavy breathing and the choking sounds.
Ah...ah...tell your grandmother to wash God away with a little water and for your penance say one Hail Mary and one Our Father. Say a prayer for me and God bless you, my child.
Grandma and Mam were waiting close to the confession box. Grandma said, Were you telling jokes to that priest in the confession box? If 'tis a thing I ever find out you were telling jokes to Jesuits I'll tear the bloody kidneys outa you. Now what did he say about God in my backyard?
He said wash Him away with a little water, Grandma.
Holy water or ordinary water?
He didn't say, Grandma.
Well, go back and ask him.
But, Grandma...
She pushed me back into the confessional.
Bless me, Father, for I have sinned, it's a minute since my last confession.
A minute! Are you the boy that was just here?
I am, Father.
What is it now?
My grandma says, Holy water or ordinary water?
Ordinary water, and tell your grandmother not to be bothering me again.
I told her, Ordinary water, Grandma, and he said don't be bothering him again.
Don't be bothering him again. That bloody ignorant bogtrotter

Would You Like a Cup of Tea?

No tea for them!

Tea...it's wonderful for breakfast, noon, night and every hour in between, according to my husband's grandmother.  With her New Brunswick accent and her sharp Irish wit, having tea with her is never boring.  My husband's grandmother believes that no tea cup can go dry and will pour you a refill, even if you protest.  As my husband says, "Yes," means an obscene amount of tea, "No," means a small amount and her death is the only thing that will stop her from making more tea.  So I drink up and heartily listen to tales from her childhood on a small farm in Canada.

Unfortunately, this post isn't about one of her tales, although she would probably interrupt me now and offer me more tea and cookies.  The tea I would be reluctant to sip, however, is from the non-for-profit group Tea Party Patriots.  This group is all over television, internet and radio.  They stage protests across the country and draw thousands of protesters.

More tea?

The Tea Party Patriots named themselves after the Boston Tea Party, where Bostonians dumped 90,000 pounds of tea in protest of the Tea Act of 1773.  Political groups, often use positive historic events or persons as propaganda for their agenda.  Whether it is Gay Rights Movement evoking the image of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's or the Nazi's using the myth of an Arian race during World War II, history is often used to promote political agendas.  While using history as propaganda isn't always bad, people need to be aware of the events or persons being used and the actual beliefs of those promoting the agenda.

The Tea Party Patriots state they are for fiscal responsibility, limited government and free markets, but is seems their main obsession is taxes.  According to their mission statement page, the Constitution was enacted to protect our fiscal and economic rights and government regulations hamper a person's ability to make money.  For the tea partiers it's all about the money and apparently they believe this was the same thing that motivated the Bostonians to dump over one million dollars worth of tea into the harbor.

While monetary considerations were present for many American merchants, since the East India Company could ship its tea directly to the colonies, thus underselling the American merchants.  It wasn't, however, just about money or taxes.  Many American colonists, especially in New England, were of English stock.  They had read the history of the English Civil War, which was waged against a king who levied new taxes, but refused to call Parliament.  Money and taxes wasn't their main concern, instead it was their ancient rights as Englishmen that was being violated.  Taxes, they believed, could only be levied by a Parliament that they had elected.

The Tea Party Patriots are free to use propaganda in their message, every political group does.  Perhaps, though, they should reread their history books and find a more appropriate event for their cause.  Or maybe, just maybe... realize that there is more to life than taxes.

You might also be interested:
These Ain't Your Mama's Puritans!
A Mosque Near Ground Zero
Ode to Christopher Columbus

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Blog O' The Irish: Irish Halloween Book Recommendation..

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