Tuesday, March 26, 2013

For Toejam

If you've been visiting this blog for a while, you've probably noticed a regular commentator who goes by Toejam. He's a Yank who lives in Ireland, and as such he has kindly taken the time on occasion to correct some of my mistaken impressions of the Irish people. So when I saw the following article I immediately thought of him.

Irish Town Passes Motion to Allow Drinking and Driving
The Irish town of Kilgarvan passed a motion this winter calling for some members of its community to be allowed to drink and drive.

Proposed by local pub owner and politician Danny Healy-Rae, the motion calls for the minister of justice to allow police to decide whether to "issue permits" for people who live in country areas to be able to have two or three drinks before they drive home, The New York Times reported. Healy-Rae told the Times he thinks the measure will help preserve pub culture, lower the risk of suicide and attack isolation in the small town.

...Healy-Rae says it isn’t supposed to apply to everyone, mainly "elderly people who live in very remote places."

"What is the alternative for them where no public or other transport is available? Staying at home lonely, staring at the four walls?”
Toejam, aren't you one of the beneficiaries of this change? An elderly person who lives in a remote place, staring at the four walls...?

Toejam sharing a pint with his close Irish buddy Barry O'Bama.

6 comments:

jeff said...

You may have cut him deeply with the "Irish Buddy" and Obammer thing. Good thing TJ is across the the big water.

Toejam said...

No CTT, I use to go to the pubs 40 years ago as a visitor. It was a hoot then when I was only spending a few weeks here. But I haven't been in one in years. Too many odd-balls and inbreds hanging out in there. I'll stay in the house and drink my wine.

The guy who proposed this idiocy is a ral nut-case. But since he hands out "favors" to the folks in his area he gets voted into office constantly.



Not for long jeff.

I realized my error right after my Irish "girlfriend" at the time told me she was "with child". So, being an honorable dude from New Jersey I married her. Our daughter just turned 18 and now, legally & morally I'm off the hook. Got my "short-time" calendar marking off the days till I'm headed back to the good ole USA. Bought me a small place in western North Carolina where I'll be permanently encamped come September.

Funny how you can miss your home country, even with its current warts and all. Once I step off the freedom bird I doubt I'll be headed back to this lunatic asylum.

Reading the local paper yesterday I saw an article where a newspaper was fined the equivalent of $1,400 for publishing a picture of an accused (was found guilty) criminal who held up several convenience stores. The picture showed him leaving the court in handcuffs, but the case was not yet concluded. In Ireland it's verboten to publish a non-convicted person in handcuffs so the judge immediately slapped the fine on the news paper. The article hasn't appeared on line yet so I can't send CTT the website.

jeffli6 said...

TJ - Well done on gettin' the kid of age, that kind of thing is lost on some people.
Glad to have you back on some good old U.S.of A. soil.

CenTexTim said...

What Jeff said +1.

Well done, Toejam, and welcome back to the land of the Big PX.

Toejam said...

Late breaking Irish news: Looks like the government will lower the current 18 year old minimum voting age to 16 soon.

Hell, I have an 18 year old and know how clueless they are, image a wet-behind-the-ears 16 year old voting :(

Got my short-time calendar working!!

CenTexTim said...

16-year-olds aren't even ready to drive, much less vote.

18-year-olds aren't much better.