McCain's Corner

8 Nov 2001 Vote in Oxford MS, or you put the lime in the coconut

2011-11-08T17:10:00.000-06:00

Just got back from voting and for reason only known to a very few this song came to me. Amazing turn out by the way, throngs of citizens out. Something must have the folk stirred up. Suspect someone might get a political whupping by tomorrow. I will make sure I will leave the TV off tonight as the thought of the Talking Heads going on and on about nothing while they wait on the results is a torture I am not braced enough to endure.

Guy Fawkes In Mississippi

2011-11-05T10:10:00.000-05:00

Guy Fawkes is remembered as, 'the only man ever to enter Parliament with honest intentions,' which very probably is true. No longer hung and burned in effigy, rather now, he is celebrated as a Man of All Time. So lift a class tonight laddies and lassies for the Guy.... A sidebar, that is how the word 'guy' came into English.

Odd that the 'occupy' movement likes to use him as a symbol, as he stood for the precise opposite of what they stand for. I suspect most of them do not have a clue what Guy Fawkes did, or tried to do.

The Deed is Done

2011-09-27T10:03:00.001-05:00

Have been busy with my book Finding the McCains. It is done for better or worse. First letter out to a publisher this week. Keeping my fingers and toes crossed. I needs the paycheque. Nice to have the book finished, now on to the next writing project, a short history of the Laggan Redshanks.

The book is part memoir and part history. The memoir chronicles my 40 year odyssey to find our McCain family in Ireland and then a sort history of the family from mid Argyll circa early 1400s right up to the Mississippi McCains, including John McCain's presidential bid, in 2008. The book is not a genealogy, just an account of why and how I found our cousins in Ireland and then the curious tale of a Highland Scottish family that were involved with important events in the 1500s surrounding Mary Queen of Scots, the Earl of Argyll and the famous Iníon Dubh. And how we went from that to Mississippi. Including is the famous Austin Rock's eerie encounters at Loughcrew and more.

Why Are We Pushing Multiculturalism On France, Russia, The World?

2011-09-16T10:02:00.000-05:00

Why Are We Pushing Multiculturalism On France, Russia, The World?

McCain on Rick Perry

2011-09-07T09:44:00.003-05:00

I am a political Independent and one that has a deep interest in politics. I have been watching the Republican candidates for the White House with some interest. On the straight politics of it, I like Ron Paul a lot. He is from the Libertarian wing of the Republican Party and while I have some libertarian views, I am not a libertarian per se. Since Governor Perry's entry into the race I have taken some interest in his candidacy.

Ruger 380 with laser sight

Governor Perry's Republican opponents are making much use of the fact that the governor was at one time a Democrat. That was circa 1989 or so. I do not see this as an issue. It is just part of Southern politics, hell's bells, we all used to be Democrat in the South. It is our history. Many prominent Republicans used to be Democrats down this way. Then the Democratic party adopted a very Marxist dogma, including sleeping with the Unions and the migration began away from the Donkey Boys. Ronald Regan was also in the Democratic Party at one time, so again, I see no foul here.

What I do like about Perry is the coyote shooting episode. I am sure most know the story; he was jogging with his daughter's dog going with him. A coyote came out of the brush came toward him and the dog, Perry pulled is laser sighted Ruger 380 and dispatched the coyote with one shot. For those of you not familiar with coyotes, they are a type of wolf, very common in the South and found all over the USA.

Anyroad, it appears to me he has a pair and has gumption. So, he will get my fair consideration. The Establishment media (which includes Fox you all) do not particularly like him, which is a good sign. The Ugly sisters, ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, etc., are all rabidly pro progressive. Fox News is rabidly pro Neo Con. Progressives and Neo Cons are two sides of the very same coin. I tend to discount those media entities.

So, as of now, Ron Paul and Rick Perry have this McCain's interest.

The Aliens Are Coming Says Nasa

2011-08-24T16:38:00.000-05:00

Nasa says I should worship Al Gore for fear of vengeance from 'green' aliens from planet Beta B. I would like to know is there a bottom to the pit of emotional diarrhea that progressives spew. Think we need the Southern lads with crew cuts, cigars, and slide rules in their pockets, put back in charge; we would already have a Moon and Mars colony if they had been left to run things. Beta Boys run amok throughout the Federal government and now infest Nasa.

If By Whiskey

2011-07-28T19:19:00.000-05:00

'If you mean whiskey, the devil's brew, the poison scourge, the bloody monster that defiles innocence, dethrones reason, destroys the home, creates misery and poverty, yea, literally takes the bread from the mouths of little children; if you mean that evil drink that topples Christian men and women from the pinnacles of righteous and gracious living into the bottomless pit of degradation, shame, despair, helplessness, and hopelessness, then, my friend, I am opposed to it with every fiber of my being.

However, if by whiskey you mean the lubricant of conversation, the philosophic juice, the elixir of life, the liquid that is consumed when good fellows get together, that puts a song in their hearts and the warm glow of contentment in their eyes; if you mean Christmas cheer, the stimulating sip that puts a little spring in the step of an elderly gentleman on a frosty morning; if you mean that drink that enables man to magnify his joy, and to forget life's great tragedies and heartbreaks and sorrow; if you mean that drink the sale of which pours into Texas treasuries untold millions of dollars each year, that provides tender care for our little crippled children, our blind, our deaf, our dumb, our pitifully aged and infirm, to build the finest highways, hospitals, universities, and community colleges in this nation, then my friend, I am absolutely, unequivocally in favor of it.

This is my position, and as always, I refuse to compromise on matters of principle.'

if-by-whiskey, a 1952 speech by Mississippi politician Noah S. "Soggy" Sweat, Jr.

Summer in the Hill Country

2011-07-15T12:33:00.000-05:00

North Mississippi Hill Country Counties (in dark green)

It is insanely hot in the hill country right now. I tend to hibernate when the heat and humidity reaches this level. Because of the heat, the traffic at the bird bath in the back yard is heavy and the all the creatures queue up for a drink. Deer, red wasps, squirrels, all sorts of birds, and others, I have observed out there of late. I do the all a kindness by putting in clean water each morning.

The Mississippi Hill Country is the end of the Appalachian Mountains in geography. The original settlers were primarily Scots-Irish. A few settled very early in the late 1700s, however, when Andrew Jackson removed the Choctaw and Chickasaw Indians in the 1830s, Scots-Irish from north Alabama and Tennessee flooded into the area. That is when the McCains settled in the Hill Country. The soil here is not rich like it is in the Delta and rather than large plantations, smaller farms were the norm. One of the legacies of the Scots-Irish was music and Old Time music at a very high level is still played here. Elvis Presley was of Scots-Irish ancestry and part of that legacy.

Rabbit Back On The Menu Boys

2011-07-06T11:38:00.001-05:00

I think it was Annie Dillard who described Mother Nature as 'the big chomp.' Her point was Mother Nature is brutal and death is everywhere. It is not a bunch of tree huggers and Indians playing love flutes, with rainbows over head; it is war, creatures trying to eat other creatures. It is Man that brings order and protects beauty. Anyroad, this is not about that, this post is about my cat Piscín, one of my Manx lads. He bagged Big Game today; Rabbit is back on the menu boys. He shared it with his brother too; for a cat, he is a gentleman (when it suits him, i.e. he was full).

Piscín and his kill this morning

Daphne Du Maurier, The Birds

2011-07-06T11:17:00.000-05:00

I do not often read fiction. My reading of late is mostly primary sources from the 16th Century written in Lallans and semi-English. Interesting, but not to everyone's tastes. But, I read a novella by Daphne du Maurier over the last two days, her The Birds.

Most people think, of course, of the 1963 film version directed by Alfred Hitchock, which was based on the 1952 novella by Daphne du Maurier. The book is much different and much better. Not only did I enjoy it thoroughly I really gained an appreciation for du Maurier's writing style, which is concise and pithy. Very few write fiction that well these days, one wonders if it is becoming a lost art. The skill of narrative, of telling the tale. She was a mistress of the craft.

The story in the novella is set in the West Country on the coast after WW II. Gone are all the sub plots and romance interests that Hitchcock put into his film. A humble cottager with his wife and two children confront the world of nature on the attack. The novella is very chilling and the terror is more pure. The feeling of isolation in the middle of societal collapse more profound. A damn good read, I recommend it very highly.

Mississippi Kites

2011-07-05T12:21:00.001-05:00

Mississippi Kite

I see a pair Mississippi Kites on my property often this days; amazing birds, very beautiful with incredible flying abilities. I watched one fold his wings and dive for prey yesterday. It was impressive. The kites here in north Mississippi nest in woodland. I often see them flying to wood edges and patrolling my large front lawn.

I am told they eat a lot of large insects, but also take amphibians, reptiles, bats and host of other small mammals. They must take squirrels as I notice the many grey squirrels around my house make themselves very scare when the kites are on the wing.

Last year I had a pair of Peregrine falcons around, have not seen them this year though.

Josie

2011-06-30T22:14:00.001-05:00

Hiatus

2011-06-30T07:41:00.001-05:00

I have not been posting much of late, been on hiatus, the main reason being I am on a writing tear, trying to finish up my book Finding the McCains. The writing is done a matter now of putting in some end notes and proof reading. It is a memoir not a history or God forbid a genealogy, but several chapters get very deep into mid Argyll history circa 1500s and I went ahead and added notes on those.

Summer is already HOT here, not much of a Spring. It certainly makes me think upon those summers in my life I've spent in Ireland or the UK. I could use one of them now.

I should post more as I have several topics that interest me. The insanity of the US government is one and the current crop of politicians running for president another. The debt situation, both in the USA and Europe also of interest to me. I suspect things will be getting more interesting for us. I also know too many sheep out there for any real reforms to take place. Only the Black Swan brings about true change.

Jim Roger's Brutally Honest Views

2011-06-15T08:52:00.001-05:00

Jim Rogers, a Southerner from Alabama, is rarely off the mark. He moved his family to Singapore a few years ago as he saw the handwriting on the wall. He is an investor and author and is chairman of Rogers Holdings and Beeland Interests, Inc.

Sergio Mendes + Brasil 66 - MAS QUE NADA - In Stereo!

2011-06-02T18:42:00.001-05:00

One of my favs from the 60s, Brazil 66 with Mas Que Nada

Bosa Nova, more of....

2011-06-02T18:16:00.001-05:00

Is this mic on? Here is some more Brazilian jazz, i.e. Bosa Nova lads and lassies. The very talented Tom Jobim.

The Last Nail, Dr Ron Paul Floor Speech May 25 2011

2011-06-02T17:51:00.001-05:00

I know many people have 'normalcy bias' syndrome going on. However, listen to Ron Paul's talk on the House floor. He's telling you the naked truth of it. Are we sheep or people?

A Certain Sadness

2011-06-02T13:42:00.000-05:00

More from Astrud Gilberto. Taking a lunch break here is the now very HOT wooded hills of north Mississippi. What wine goes with peanut butter on whole grain? Chilean red I suppose.

Astrud Gilberto - Manha De Carnabal

2011-06-01T19:25:00.000-05:00

More from Astrud Gilberto. In another time and another place. Pour the wine and let's listen to the poetry.

The Real Girl From Ipanema

2011-06-01T13:58:00.000-05:00

A follow up to my music post; here are two photographs of the real girl from Ipanema. The first how she looks today and the bottom one as she looked in the early 1960s. She was 15 years old when the song was penned about her by Antonio Jobim (music) and Vinicius de Moraes (lyrics). She was born 7 July 1945. So you see, it does pay off to eat well and exercise.

Astrud Gilberto

2011-06-01T13:44:00.000-05:00

Yes, I do entirely enjoy Astrud Gilberto and have done so since circa 1965 and my hormones juiced me up. She is still grand, still looks splendid. Here's one of her classics from the 60s. Enjoy lads and lassies.

Loss Of UK Banking Independence

2011-06-01T12:13:00.000-05:00

The Worm turns, even more. Interesting shenanigans going on in Mother Europe; the European bureaucrats are tightening the screws on the UK via monetary policy. They want a through submissive effeminate Britain and need control of the UK banks. They damn well may get it. Link to The Telegraph article on the latest word below...

UK Bank Regulation Article

Fred's Comments on Our Feminised Society.

2011-05-31T21:50:00.001-05:00

Excellent essay by Fred on the dismal state of our feminised society in the West. Well worth the five minutes or less it will take you to read it.

Link below:

A Polity of Castrati

Marmots in Oxford Mississippi

2011-05-25T18:00:00.004-05:00

I borrowed this off an educational website. And why you ask? Because Oxford is being overrun with Marmots. I see these creatures everywhere. Sighted one just two houses down a day ago. So.... here they are, Marmots.

Burrow Dwellers: Marmots typically live in burrows, and hibernate there through the winter. Most marmots are highly social, and use loud whistles to communicate with one another, especially when alarmed. Many historians suggest that marmots, rather than rats, were the primary carriers of the Bubonic plague during several historic outbreaks.

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The Groundhog (Marmota monax), also known as the Woodchuck, or the Whistlepig (particularly in the Southern United States), is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. Most marmots live in rocky and mountainous areas, but the Woodchuck is a lowland creature. It is widely distributed in North America; for example, it is found in Alaska, Alabama, and Georgia. In the west it is found only in Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia and northern Washington. In the United States and Canada, there is a Groundhog Day celebration that gives the groundhog some added popularity.

Weights and Measures: Groundhogs are typically 40 to 65 cm long (including a 15 cm tail) and weigh 2 to 4 kg. In areas with fewer natural predators and large quantities of alfalfa, they can grow to 32 inches (80 cm) and 30 lb (14 kg). They can live up to six years in the wild, and ten years in captivity.

Growing Numbers: The groundhog is one of a small number of species that have grown greatly in numbers since the arrival of European settlers in North America, since the clearing of forests provided it with much suitable habitat. It prefers open country and the edges of woodland. As a consequence, it is a familiar animal to many people in the United States and Canada.

Excellent burrowers: Groundhogs are excellent burrowers, using burrows for sleeping, rearing young, and hibernating. The burrows generally have two exits, and the groundhog rarely ventures far from one of them for safety. While preferring to flee from would-be predators, the groundhog is known to viciously defend its burrow when invaded by predators such as skunks, foxes, weasels or domestic dogs. It can inflict quite a bit of damage with its two large incisors and front claws, especially when the predator is at a disadvantage inside the burrow.

Breeding: Usually groundhogs breed in their second year, but a small percentage may breed as yearlings. The breeding season extends from early March to middle or late April, following hibernation. A mated pair will remain in the same den throughout the 28-32 day gestation period. As birth of the young approaches in April or May, the male will leave the den. One litter is produced annually, usually containing 2-6 blind, naked and helpless young. Young groundhogs are weaned and ready to seek their own dens at five to six weeks of age.

Edward Hardwicke Passes Away

2011-05-17T13:21:00.000-05:00

Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke

A very good actor passed away today, Edward Hardwicke. Fans of Sherlock Holmes shall remember his portrayal of Doctor John Watson. He will be missed.

LINK TO Story: Edward Hardwicke

McCain Speaks on Bin Laden's Death

2011-05-03T21:52:00.002-05:00

My thoughts on Bin Laden's Death.

US IS BEING BROKEN UP DELIBERATELY - Pat BUCHANAN

2011-04-25T09:25:00.000-05:00

The Future is now. Hold on, it is coming.

No Ale For William and Kate

2011-04-23T14:53:00.000-05:00

Prince William and Kate Middleton have banned guests from drinking beer at their wedding reception. I do not find this shocking, but rather expected. It says a lot about the nature of the British Monarchy.

I had the entire misfortune to watch some twenty minutes of Prince Charles' Harmony: A New Way of Looking at our World. It was like passing by a particularly bad car wreck, you know you should, but you turn your head to see the gore and broken things. He wants to hump Gaia or something near to that. He mumbled for eons about nothing; a real Al Gore moment.

A thought, a new line is needed; suggest James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Abercorn, or perhaps Torquhil Campbell, the 13th Duke of Argyll. A Norman and a Gael to choose from, very fitting. Both of these men are bona fide, actually have worked and had jobs, farmed, etc., and probably could use a chain saw if they had to. I expect they would have the wisdom to allow some real ale to be served at official royal functions, even a prestigious wedding.

William Buckley on Ayn Rand & Atlas Shrugged

2011-04-23T14:16:00.001-05:00

Well, I general do not go to movies anymore. In fact, more than generally, I absolutely do not. Something to do with the filth factor, bed bugs, the fact they will let anyone in those dimly lit dens, along with the fact that Hollywood is insane, have all joined to make the experience insufferable. Add to the above the fact that the young people running theatres have no idea of what a volume control is. I digress.... so I will not be going to see Atlas Shrugged. I am almost impressed with the amount of banter going on about the film.

Here is my contribution to the topic. An interview with William F Buckley in which he offers insight into Atlas Shrugged.

Ancestors

2011-04-13T19:55:00.000-05:00

The past is never dead. It's not even past.

William Faulkner

As the world swirls around me, the words of William Faulkner come to mind. They are very true yet so few people seem to realise it. Here in my native South I hear conversations going on around me that could have happened 150 years ago. Interesting times and getting more interesting by the moment.

Getting Real, again

2011-04-11T07:25:00.002-05:00

(I read this article from Chronicles Magazine this morning with my coffee, loved it so much, I post it. It accurately sums up what the lads think down at McCain's Corner)

Getting Real, again

by Thomas Fleming

April 5th, 2011 •

THEY’RE BACK!
No, not the demons that terrorized the Freeling family in Poltergeist II. I am referring to the far more menacing demons who are already wasting the TV lives of sports fans and Idol watchers, the presidential candidates. Barack Obama has already thrown his hat into the ring–though considering his intelligence and manners, it must be a ballcap–and, whether or not Mme Clinton decides to mix it up with the leader of her party and the entire free world, the Republicans are lining up to see who gets to knock the clown off his stool.

Before you read any further, I should warn you. This column is not addressed to party members or children who do not gag or giggle when they hear an expression like “President Michelle Bachman” (giggle), “President Mitt Romney” (gag), or “President Newt Gingrich” (gag and giggle). Admittedly, citizens suffering under the least effective and most illiterate President in our nation’s history are justified in clutching at straws. I’d probably vote for even Sarah Palin, if she is the only alternative to Mr. Obama.

There must be a better way of finding leaders than a democratic election process that guarantees us, consistently, the worst of the worst. Let us say, for the sake of argument, that you are unwilling to install a military dictatorship or acknowledge Archduke Karl as the legitimate Holy Roman Emperor and successor to Ferdinand and Isabella and their grandson Charles V, ruler of New Spain. Even without a military coup or royal descent, is there some better way of picking our quadrennial dictators?

Why not try a lottery? The ancient Athenians, a far wiser people than we have ever been, knew that democratic elections are always bought by the rich or well-connected. For that reason, they chose their nine archontes by lot. I’ll go into the details later, if anyone wishes to, but in the middle of the fifth century, basically, a pool of candidates was put forward by the tribes, somewhat artificial voting districts, after they had been properly vetted to eliminate the mental defectives, losers, and criminal types who typically seek office. The nine archontes were then chosen by lot.

In the vastly larger United States, we could turn selection of candidates over to the states. There would have to be requirements of course, to prevent someone like John McCain or Bill Clinton from emerging by accident. I think we should disqualify anyone who has received welfare or worked for the government, committed a felony or run for office. Because politicians are parasites who suck the blood of the working classes–I mean physicians and storekeepers, not money-grubbing union workers–we should also make them pay for the privilege. Every candidate should have to put up, say, a billion dollars. If each state contributed a candidate, that would amount to a tidy sum. (I am happy to consider higher payments.)

“Oh, what a terrible idea,” exclaims Pollyanna. “That would mean only the very rich or a pawn of the very rich could become President!” Yes, just like now. The difference would be they would really have to pay to play–or rather pay to steal.

I anticipate your objections. Didn’t the archontes lose power and dignity for being chosen by lot? Indeed, they did. Since nature abhors a vacuum, the elected board of generals became more powerful. The generalship–along with his popular influence in the assembly–was the basis of Pericles’ power. But think. As creepy as our senior officers seem to be, is there any one of the chiefs who have not been less stupid degraded than the past several presidents?
But why go into the details? Virtually any system–monarchy, dictatorship, the oligarchy of the rich–would be better than a system that guarantees the election of an Obama.
“But your system could never be implemented.”

Ah, but that is the point. No real change can be made to a system that manufactures presidents out of human garbage. ”Then do elections matter at all?” Not really. If we lived a thousand years and had to worry about the long term consequences of our follies, perhaps elections would matter. I’lll be dead before long and so will you, and it will take your children 30-40 years of adult life to reach the same conclusion, by which time it will be too late.

“What a terrible thought.”

Why is the truth so terrible? Do you think people who lived through the reign of Caligula or Nero or Elizabeth I did not have enough to do, rearing children, planting and harvesting, singing and praying? It is, of course, worse in a democracy that nourishes the delusion that everyone has a voice worth listening to. Probably you don’t, and even if you did, it would not matter because Bill Gates and Warren Buffet have much louder voices.

Years ago, readers either laughed or got angry, when I described democracy as a system by which the prisoners in a concentration camp get to vote for the guards who will torture and kill them. I wonder how many are still laughing.

About the Author

Thomas Fleming is the editor of Chronicles: A Magazine of American Culture and president of The Rockford Institute. He is the author of several books, including The Morality of Everyday Life.

The Sky Did Not Fall

2011-04-10T09:55:00.000-05:00

I've been news-fasting for the last few days. The annoying hum and din of the talking heads was beginning to irritate in the extreme. A sidebar, but, why are do all the women on Fox News dress like hookers? And could they possibly get their war paint any more garish?

I see the Sky has not fallen. I assume the Republicans caved again, as they always do. Does modern medicine perform testicle transplants? If so the Republican National Committee should investigate as they sorely need some masculinity. Be rough finding donors true, but if enough money changed paws I expect you might find some wino that would sell you one of his.

In the South the Republicans are known as the Stupid Party and the Democrats are known as the Evil Party. Or to paraphrase Huey P Long.... one wants to eat you from the top down and the other from the bottom up.

Think I'll wear a polo shirt to mass this morn. I feel casual.

The Cluttered Desk

2011-04-07T07:54:00.002-05:00

Albert Einstein was once criticized for his messy desk by someone saying, "A cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind." To which he replied, "And what is the sign of an empty desk?"

The desk of William F. Buckley (above)

the desk of Albert Einstein

the desk of Obama.

The photos above give me great hope, as mine is the cluttered desk.

DO NOT GO GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT

2011-04-06T18:28:00.000-05:00

DO NOT GO GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Dylan Thomas

The Boswell Sisters - Mood indigo (1933).wmv

2011-03-26T20:33:00.000-05:00

another Boswell Sisters classic. Enjoy.

The Boswell Sisters - Heebie Jeebies (1932)

2011-03-26T19:57:00.001-05:00

Another version done a few years later. They're cooking with gas y'all.

Heebie Jeebies-Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five

2011-03-26T19:51:00.001-05:00

My Man playing his version of this wonderful tune.

London Protests March 2011

2011-03-26T10:23:00.002-05:00

Ernesto Che Guevara was a psychopath and mass-murderer. He was a brutal evil man. That observation a precursor to my rant; I was watching the mobs protesting in London today. The protest in reaction to the British government's spending cutbacks. These protesters want their loot you see, it is about simple greed. The UK government steals money from producing citizens and gives it to non producing citizens. The government does gives the stolen loot out to gain political favour and keep the less talented sufficient docile and content so they do not make trouble. It is piracy, theft, what ever term you would like to put on it. It is what governments tend to do the best.

Governments in the West have set up systems based on parasites and the host. Eventually the host will die. It is as an old dog covered with parasitic creatures, such as ticks, chiggers, redbugs, etc.,slowly, but surely, the old dog will die.

The ticks, that is the protesters in London, carry banners of Che Guevara. They are 'iconic.' The hero of the protesters then is a dead psychopath and mass-murderer. A man that delighted in murder and destruction; that enjoyed the feel of a trigger under his finger and the pop of the gun when he blew some innocent person's brains out.

Che is their hero you see. This tells you what sort of people they are. They are the parasites. They are the ones that want the government to do their dirty work. Che represent extreme greed and death. And, he is the perfect icon for them. Today work-shy anarchists sport his image.

In his will, Guevara praised the “extremely useful hatred that turns men into effective, violent, merciless and cold killing machines”. Hatred cuts two ways he discovered when his enemies caught him and did unto him as he had done unto so many others.

‘Che’ died pathetically bleating: “Don’t shoot – I’m Che! I’m worth more to you alive than dead!”

How American children are taught to hate Humanity

2011-03-22T21:36:00.000-05:00

Ann McElhinney is spot on target with this, very recommend presentation.

Jesse Jackson Jr. Fix Unemployment by Changing Constitution So Every Ki...

2011-03-12T15:12:00.001-06:00

Jesse Jackson outlines a Marxist agenda for a new America. How sweet is that? This guy was elected to our Congress. It is a 'right' to have a house and Ipod eh? The apple does not fall far from the tree.

This May Be Our Problem

2011-03-11T12:12:00.002-06:00

The Russian Leader.

The American First Lady...

Anything goes by cole porter

2011-03-08T21:24:00.001-06:00

Cole Porter sums up my opinion of politics for today... and it is obvious, but I say it anyroad, Porter was a genius.

Dixie

2011-03-03T21:14:00.000-06:00

This is a very good version of Dixie, but the Evil Empire keeps pulling it off of youtube. I found it again tonight, so I post.

Nullification: The Jeffersonian Brake on Government – Tenth Amendment Center

2011-03-01T07:21:00.001-06:00

Nullification: The Jeffersonian Brake on Government – Tenth Amendment Center

Nullification is the only solution to the problems of the USA Federal Government. Eventually, the States will have to reclaim their power and limit the Federal government to those functions actually set down in the Constitution by our Founding Fathers. This is clear to me now. The above link to a short essay by Thomas Woods on Nullification.

National Anthem Of The Confederate States Of America

2011-02-24T08:32:00.003-06:00

Watching the world turn I've been motivated to make a political statement this morning.

Warrior

2011-02-21T08:27:00.004-06:00

I'd love to give credit to the artist that did this illustration, but alas, I do not know his name. Very nice representation of a European warrior however, so I post it. I think we live in a time where we need warriors. I was drawn to it, because of the rampant lion on the warrior's shield. The McCain family icon is the white rampant lion. The rampant lion appears on most of the family icons from people from Argyll, especially around mid Argyll, which was the old kingdom of Dál Riada.

Wisconsin Protests

2011-02-18T15:40:00.001-06:00

I thought about making a comment or three on the 'protests' in Wisconsin... but then this political cartoonist did it so much better than I could have.

The Conspiracy

2011-02-18T07:36:00.000-06:00

St Bruno's Flake

2011-02-13T19:46:00.003-06:00

For the love of Mercy itself, I need someone out there to mail me a case of St Bruno's Flake. Surely someone has coins and the sense of decency to make this event happen. It has been years now since I've enjoyed a bowl full. Hard as deuce to get here. 5 x 50g tins would be every so lovely, and allow me to finish several writing projects.

Super Bowl Half Time Disaster

2011-02-07T13:21:00.002-06:00

Well, I have not been watching much TV of late. In part, because the big TV in the den is kaput. Some sort of power serge it seems did the beast in. So, I've been news fasting again. I only get the news in fits and starts. Here it is the day after the nation's pagan rite, i.e. the Super Bowl, and all I can glean from the event is the half time entertainment and the singing of the national anthem, were complete disasters.

I had a touch of insomnia last night, and as is my custom, I listen to the radio via the headphones. All I could hear were the voices saying some birds called the Black Eyed Peas were to music what Jimmy Carter is to presidents. They were awful and worse. I do admit I've never heard of them, but I do have a 16 year old son, and he did suggest they were awful and suggested they should get Muse. Next there was some woman, or some post modern type female named Aguilar, that not only butchered the national anthem, but forgot part of the lyrics. I know the type, they do vocal gymnastics, i.e. sing all around the note, but never quite hit it right. Singing is a dying art in many circles.

Very glad I did not watch the game now. The last few pro games I watched were not pretty, more like some urban brawl. I still like football, but go to a high school game if you want to see the sport played as meant to be played.

William F Buckley

2011-01-31T18:30:00.004-06:00

I have reached that age where I miss people that have passed. Tonight I was sitting at my desk sipping a cup of hot tea just brewed and I was thinking how much I miss William F Buckley's wit, humour, and wisdom. In honour of the old fellow, I offer a quote from him below:

Cultivate the essential virtues:

high purpose,

intelligence, decency, humility,

fear of the Lord,

and the passion for freedom.

William F. Buckley

The Rebel Yell Lives: Part I - Rediscovering History

2011-01-27T08:18:00.001-06:00

Very interesting piece of history in the video media below. Now I will point out, they could have asked me. I heard the bona fide Rebel Yell as a boy growing up in the 1950s from men who had learned it from their fathers, and they from theirs, etc. My father would do the Rebel Yell when he got up in the morning when we were staying in our cabin in the Ouachita Mountains, just to get the day going with energy. By the way the Yell's origin in found among the Gaelic war cries practiced in Ireland and Scotland and transported to the New World by the Diaspora.

Stardust Louis Armstrong

2011-01-14T19:01:00.000-06:00

Alasdair White Scottish West Highland Fiddle

2011-01-13T17:45:00.000-06:00

I'm ask from time to time, 'how's it done son? Well, listen and learn lads and lassie, as our man here will certainly show. Enjoy children.

10 Inches of Snow In Oxford Mississippi

2011-01-11T18:19:00.001-06:00

Thought you all, especially my friends in Ireland, N Ireland, and Scotland, would enjoy this one. Oxford is a special place, please enjoy this video of our recent snow.

THE BEATLES MICHELLE

2011-01-10T17:46:00.000-06:00

Oxford, Mississippi, Snow of 9 & 10 January

2011-01-10T09:47:00.004-06:00

the wood beside my house

this is looking out from the McCain Compound... up the road that leads to my house. We had 8 inches of snow out this way.

Plumbing With Dynamite

2011-01-05T08:03:00.001-06:00

Life in the South; here we have a true story about what happens when dynamite is used to facilitate a plumbing project. By Jimmy Ferris of Spur Texas

Auld Lang Syne (with lyrics)

2010-12-31T18:07:00.000-06:00

The Kilt In Ireland

2010-12-31T17:02:00.002-06:00

(this a copy of my post on the Ulster Heritage Magazine blog)

Is the kilt Irish…. was the kilt ever worn in Ireland? The answer to this question is a very simple yes, of course, but even simple answers need some explanation. The kilt comes in two forms, the filleadh beag and the filleadh mór. The wearing of kilts came into fashion in the Hebrides and Highlands of Scotland sometime during the late 1500s. Prior to the popularsation of the kilt most Isles and Highlanders dressed identical to the native Irish in a léine and short jacket.

Liam Neeson portraying Rob Roy wearing the large kilt, of filleadh mór

Why the kilt came into fashion can only be speculated on, perhaps it was the changing climate, which was growing colder in the late 1500s and the full kilt offered warmth, or perhaps it was improved small looms that could produce more woolen cloth, or perhaps just a fashion trend indigenous to the Gaels of Scotland. For whatever reason, the kilt became popular and fashionable among Gaels in certain parts of Scotland and would be brought to Ireland by Scottish Gaels that settled there in the late 1500s.

The filleadh mór is comprised of a very long piece of material called a plaid, which is belted in the middle. The upper part could be arranged in various ways depending upon the temperature of the day. The part below the belt was folded in the back to make pleats and came down to the knees.

There is a pseudo history about the creation of the smaller kilt, the filleadh beag, which is the form of kilt still very much in use today. At some point prior to 1690s, Gaelic tailors began to cut the filleadh mór in half. It was an organic fashion development within the Scottish Gaelic community. The upper part became a separate plaid and the lower part had the folds sown into it. This way the lower half, the kilt, could be worn separately from the plaid.

Sean Connery wearing the small kilt, or filleadh beag

A false story has long circulated about the creation of the small kilt that maintained two English tailors invented this form in 1727. However, in Gaelic oral history it was known that the small kilt predates this time. The English creation myth persisted in some circles until writer Clifford Smyth produced an illustration of the small kilt in use in 1690 and put an end to the pseudo history of the small kilt.

18th Century illustration on how to wear the kilt

In Ireland the full kilt and small kilt were worn in those areas settled by Highland and Hebridean Gaels. There are eyewitness descriptions of the kilt being worn as early as the 1590s in Ulster. Originally it was worn in the Redshank communities in east Donegal, northwest Tyrone, and north Antrim. Its popularity has waxed and waned over the years, but more and more the small kilt can be seen in Ireland worn at weddings and parties, by hill walkers, and sportsmen. This growing popularity of this very old Gaelic garment is natural and part of the heritage of Ulster.

(c) Barry R McCain 2010

More County Antrim Winter

2010-12-30T16:02:00.004-06:00

Two more photos from Nevin Taggart, a friend of mine who lives just outside Bushmills, in north County Antrim. I have been to north Antrim several times now. My McCain family lived there just before they emigrated from Ireland to Colonial America in 1718. I still have kinfolk there that I have visited, it is a very nice place.

Winter In Ireland

2010-12-30T15:46:00.005-06:00

There is also great beauty in the very cold winter this year. Here are a few photos from north County Antrim, Ireland. Enjoy lads and lassies. The trick is to be in your own home with a glass of cheer and a warm fire, and several good friends near. Merry Christmas.

The last photo is of Nevin Taggart, who took the photos above.

Cold Winter What?

2010-12-30T15:29:00.005-06:00

Kings Cross basin, a frozen Regents Canal in London

Britain and Ireland are having their second coldest winter since records began to be kept in 1659. That is cold lads and lassies. It very well may be the coldest winter in the last 1,000 years if more cold weather arrives, and it shall. You have to go back to the winter of 1683-84 to find a colder winter time.

So 2011 could end up being the coldest winter of the last millennium. Brian Gaze, of The Weather Outlook, said: “It’s very unusual to have a sub-zero month.” Just a tad of an understatement.

And, there are still Know-Nothings (the type that invented the internet) that would have us to believe this is just a symptom of Global Warming. Perhaps it is time to wake up.

In the Bleak Midwinter

2010-12-29T12:51:00.000-06:00

Remember Lads and Lassies, 25 December is the beginning of Christmas, it continues on to the night of 5 January. The Twelfth Day of Christmas is 5 January,with the celebrations of Christmas traditionally ending on Twelfth Night and is followed by the Feast of the Epiphany on 6 January.Keep the Old Christmas. Turn off your TVs, pour a glass of cheer, sing, and make merry. Rejoice, it is Christmas Time.

Oxford Mississippi White Christmas

2010-12-25T09:10:00.004-06:00

My two Manx Cats, Piscín and Pangúr, woke me up around 4 o'clock this morning, saying, 'Papa, you need to come look at this.' And, what was it? But a White Christmas. Very lovely. This photo taken this morning. Lovely white snow.

please come home for christmas - CHARLES BROWN

2010-12-23T22:10:00.000-06:00

A Song from my Louisiana past and my Mississippi present. Enjoy, a sublime Christmas tune.

NPR's Low-Life Liberal Nina Totenberg Apologizes for Saying 'Christmas P...

2010-12-22T16:37:00.001-06:00

Yes, Liberals make most normal people cringe, this is true, Be That Said, Nina Totenberg raises the bar on Liberal Know-Nothingism. God Help us all with idiots like her running PBS.

Father Christmas

2010-12-16T16:01:00.002-06:00

I will post more on Father Christmas, i.e. Santa Claus, in the next few days as time allows. Prior to the, oh I don't know, circa 1880s or so, Santa Claus was Father Christmas, or the Spirit of Christmas, and wore green, not red. He had trappings of the old pagan god, An Dagda, complete with holly (the sacred red and green) and the magic cauldron (the horn of plenty). You will see the real Father Christmas in any good version of Dicken's A Christmas Carol.

Kist o Wurds Link

2010-12-16T08:59:00.003-06:00

Here is the link to the BBC Northern Ireland Kist o Wurds page on their main website.

Kist o Wurds

My interview will be available to listen to for six more days. It piece of the small pipe player is also excellent, I really enjoyed it. Kist o Wurds is an excellent program, all the episodes are available to listen to via computer, great way to discover this part of Irish history.

SENATOR McCAIN SPEAKS ON THE OMNIBUS APPROPRIATIONS ACT 12-14-10

2010-12-15T08:49:00.001-06:00

Cousin John hits the nail squarely on the head. Well said.

Barry R McCain's BBC Interview

2010-12-15T08:33:00.003-06:00

William Roulston (left) and Barry R McCain

Dr William Roulston interviews me on the BBC Northern Ireland program, A Kist o Wurds. The interview details and how to hear it both on computer and the radio broadcast schedule are found at this link: BBC Northern Ireland

Many thanks to the BBC setting up this interview. They had to rent a studio on the Ole Miss Campus to do the interview.

The BBC Interview

2010-12-14T19:08:00.004-06:00

Here I am in the very cold wooded hills of north Mississippi and I just listened to myself on the BBC Northern Ireland. A couple of things cross my mind. First, damn I'm good, but also the extreme talents and professionalism of the BBC N Ireland team. It was very nice working with them. Also, Dr William Roulston, was a very good interviewer. He is the top historian in Ireland in the field of family history and genealogy. Great fellow, very competent and intelligent, etc.,

I'll post a link tomorrow lads and lassies.

The Beatles I Saw Her Standing There

2010-12-10T19:41:00.000-06:00

enya adeste fideles

2010-12-09T20:18:00.000-06:00

Good King Wenceslas York Minster 1995

2010-12-08T19:12:00.000-06:00

Junk - Paul McCartney

2010-12-07T17:04:00.000-06:00

God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen

2010-12-06T21:23:00.000-06:00

The Beatles - Help

2010-11-30T20:06:00.000-06:00

The TSA is out of control

2010-11-18T15:44:00.000-06:00

Napolitano: The Ball's In My Court Now - HUMAN EVENTS

2010-11-18T10:46:00.000-06:00

Ann offers timely insight into airport security. A good read.

Napolitano: The Ball's In My Court Now - HUMAN EVENTS

Tea Party’s Winning Hand

2010-11-17T06:52:00.000-06:00

By Patrick J. Buchanan

Other than being the highest-profile Republican victims of Tea Party candidates, what do Lisa Murkowski, Mike Castle, Charlie Crist and Arlen Specter have in common?

Other than being tea party insurgents who routed establishment Republicans in high-profile primaries, what do Joe Miller, Marco Rubio, Christine O’Donnell, Pat Toomey, Sharron Angle in Nevada, Ken Buck in Colorado and Mike Lee in Utah have in common?

The answer, writes Tim Carney of The Washington Examiner, is that all the former are pro-choice on abortion, all the latter pro-life.

Tea Party types and pro-life conservatives seem to be twins separated at birth. Carney continues: “Almost without fail the strongest advocates of limited government in Congress are pro-life and vice versa. Think of (Jim) DeMint and (Tom) Coburn in the Senate and Ron Paul and Jeff Flake in the House. They top the scorecards of the National Taxpayers’ Union and also have perfect scores from National Right to Life.”

Carney’s point: While all Tea Party insurgents and Tea Party-backed candidates seemed to agree on the economic issues — deficits, debt, taxes, Obamacare — they also seem united on other issues. Looking at the down-ballot battles in 2010, being pro-life is just one of them.

Three Iowa Supreme Court judges who ruled that the state constitution requires recognition of same-sex marriages were denied retention, and Gov. Terry Branstad campaigned for giving Iowans a referendum to decide if they wish to outlaw it.

Tea Party types and Iowa conservatives were not only opposed to the idea of men marrying men, they detest the idea of judicial dictatorship.

In Arizona, Ward Connerly’s anti-affirmative action initiative, which prohibits race, gender and ethnic preferences, won with 60 percent of the vote. Michigan, California and Washington have already adopted the Connerly amendment.

Tea Partiers also united to back the Arizona law that requires cops to determine the immigration status of any whom, in a routine police encounter, they suspect of being an illegal alien.

Passage of the law last April brought crazed comparisons with Nazi Germany. Opponents tended to go mute, however, when they learned that 70 percent of America stood with Arizona. GOP candidates for governor subsequently ran on pledges to adopt similar statutes.

In Oklahoma, a proposition to prohibit use of Shariah law in state courts passed with 70 percent. Shariah law is the basis of law in many Muslim countries, as the Bible was once the basis of much law in America.

What do these overlooked stories of Election Day 2010 teach?

Far more than the Beltway Right, the Tea Party is in tune with the heart of America — not only on taxes, spending and Obamacare, but on social, cultural and moral issues. National Republicans may stay out of these bloody battles, but they hold great potential for bringing out voters and driving wedges through Obama’s national base.

Consider. Establishment Republicans recoil from the issue of gay marriage. But, in 2008, while McCain was winning 5 percent of the African-American vote in California, blacks in California, urged on by pastors and preachers, voted 70 percent to outlaw same-sex marriage.

The pro-life position is also a far more popular cause among black and Hispanic Americans than is the Republican Party.

Oklahoma’s prohibition against any use of Shariah law should be seen as a cry from the heart of America that we are and wish to remain a Western nation, a predominantly Christian country, and we wish to be ruled by our Constitution and laws enacted pursuant to it.

The national outpouring of support for Arizona after that state came under attack for its law requiring suspected illegal aliens to show ID demonstrates how explosive the immigration-amnesty issue is. Republicans should not run away from it, for our elites are further out of touch with the people on this issue than any other.

As for the Connerly amendment abolishing affirmative action, if the GOP wishes to win in 2012, the party will put this measure on every possible state ballot, especially crucial states like Pennsylvania and Ohio.

What this panoply of issues testifies to is the true identity of the Tea Party. These folks are not single-issue voters, and they are not motivated by pocketbook issues alone.

They have seen the America they grew up in virtually vanish.

Look at how far we have traveled.

We seem no longer able to balance our budgets, win our wars or secure our borders. Compared to what our culture was, it is a running sewer today. Working-class wages and middle-class incomes seem to have been stagnant for decades. Factories and jobs continue to hemorrhage to Asia. Company towns become ghost towns. Made in China has replaced Made in America. And as one drives through cities and suburbs, one encounters vast concentrations of people who speak some language other than our own.

The Tea Party people are rising up to take their country back, and that’s why they’re not going away.

Rebellion and Schism

2010-11-16T17:43:00.001-06:00

Interesting and accurate summary of the Catholic Church in the USA today.

Jeeves Speaks Irish.

2010-11-16T07:00:00.004-06:00

Bheul, tá Gaeilge ag Jeeves anois.

Interesting story below about actor Stephen Fry appearing on Ros Na Rún, which is a Irish language soap opera. I loathe the show myself, but watch it on occasion to practice my Gaelic. I love speaking Gaelic, hard to sum up exactly why. It is the McCain family's original language certainly. That has a lot to do with it. My McCains spoke a eastern dialect of Gaelic, Argyll Gaelic. Today I work mostly with Donegal dialect Gaelic, which has similarities to Argyll Gaelic. Speaking it has made my life interesting. Stephen Fry is best known for his role as Jeeves, in the PG Wodehouse, Jeeves and Wooster series.

The quintessential British actor, Stephen Fry, is learning Irish - so he can take a part in the Irish language soap, Ros na Rún.

The actor and broadcaster will be coming to Galway early next month with a BBC film crew to shoot a new series on minority languages. Mr Fry has a special interest in Irish literature and is a scholar on James Joyce and Oscar Wilde. His new series takes him all over the world to document how minority languages are faring in the modern world. He has recently presented Stephen Fry’s America and is the regular host of Qi, has a huge interest in language and especially minority languages.

It is believed that Mr Fry was completely taken with the idea of an Irish language soap and was thrilled when he was not only invited onto the set, located in Spiddal village, but to take a part as ‘a special extra’. Scripwriters have written a small speaking part for the Englishman and from this week, Mr Fry will be learning his Irish script though he will be touching up on his accent when he actually gets to Galway.

The filming of the programme will take place on December 6 and possibly December 7 and will involve a game of golf - in Irish of course - at the Connemara Islands golf club in Eanach Mheain, a visit to Ros a’ Mhíl harbour where he gets a boat to Spiddal Pier before heading to the Ros na Rún set. TG4 broadcaster, Páidí Ó Lionaird, who is the contact in Galway for the visit, said: They wanted to film something different and it is important that they see us banking, shopping, eating and drinking as Gaeilge and going onto a set of an Irish language soap was very appealing to Stephen Fry.

The Connacht Sentinal - Bernie Ní Fhlatharta
16 Samhain 2010

www.galwaynews.ie

The Beatles - I Feel Fine (Live)

2010-11-15T11:27:00.000-06:00

The Murderers of Christianity

2010-11-10T09:32:00.000-06:00

The Murderers of Christianity

Fred Astaire-I've Got Beginner's Luck

2010-11-09T17:25:00.000-06:00

New Madrid Fault Says Hello

2010-11-08T12:02:00.004-06:00

New Madrid Fault Areas of Influence

The New Madrid fault line gave us a wee hello yesterday. A magnitude 2.8 earthquake located in southeast Missouri happened yesterday, at 07:11:37 PM (CST). Several years ago, I actually felt my first earthquake. No, not on a visit to California, it was here in Oxford, Mississippi. It is interesting as I knew instantly what it was, even though I had never been in an earthquake before.

Barry's BBC Interview

2010-11-05T17:19:00.005-05:00

The BBC did an interview with me today; we did 45 minutes of tape which will be edited down to 25 minutes. I was in a studio on the Ole Miss Campus, they at the BBC studios in Belfast. It was very enjoyable. The name of the show is the Kist O' Wurds program, which focuses on the Ulster Scots community in Ulster. I will post the broadcast time when I find it out.

Focus of the interview was my upcoming book, Finding the McCains, my work with the Ulster Heritage Project, and the Redshanks communities in east Donegal.

A perfect fall day here in Oxford, Mississippi. I am preparing to go to a high school play off game, between Lafayette and North Pontotoc. It will be a excellent game. High school football is more fun to watch for me, than college or pro. Go Commodores...!

White Throated Sparrow

2010-10-25T08:01:00.006-05:00

Here in the wooded hills of north Mississippi the White Throated Sparrows have returned. For all you Latin speakers, that is the Zonotrichia albicollis. It is my favourte bird. Not sure exactly why it is. It has the most unique song, which I enjoy hearing. They are very easy to bait, if you can mimic their song they will come up and check you out.

During the Autumn, Winter and Spring you can find them in hedgerows and thickets. You will know they are there by plaintive song. When evening comes and they gather to roost in dense thickets, their silvery flocking call is almost as evocative as their song. I associate them with falling leaves and the coming of Winter. They will visit a feeder, but often they are hard to spot and usually you will know they are around you by their song only. A very groovy bird. I noticed a few of them last week and it is very nice to see them back.

Mid Argyll Kinship Group

2010-10-22T09:27:00.004-05:00

The Mid Argyll Kinship Group is a group of families that originate in the mid-Argyll district of the Highlands of Scotland. This is the area from Dunadd north to Loch Awe. The main parishes are Kilmichael Glassary and Kilmartin. This kinship group was discovered during the DNA testing done in the McCain Family DNA Project. It is a collection of families from this region that share the same paternal DNA. The families to date in the group include, MacArthur (Mac Artur), MacCain (Mac Eáin), MacLea (Mac an Leagha), MacDonald (Mac Dónaill), MacAlpin (Mac Ailpín), Duncan (Mac Donnchadh), Henry (Mac Eanruig) and a few more that I will mention later.

These surnames are not 'clan' surnames, but rather simple Gaelic patronymic surnames taken circa mid 1400s and the 1500s. There is considerable evidence however, that these families are linked to the Mac Lochlainn family of Dunadd. I will be using this blog to post updates on the research being done of the Mid Argyll Kinship Group. The Mac Lochlainn of Dunadd family received a charter to lands in Mid Argyll in 1434. Ailean Mac Eáin Mhic Lochlainn received a grant to lands there in that year from his cousin, Eáin Mac Lochlainn, Lord of Strathlachlan, in Cowal.

This research is based on both Y chromosome DNA testing and primary sources. In the research I have not attempted to reconcile the deeper ancestry of the Mac Lochlainn of Dunadd family with the late Medieval genealogies which link this kinship group to a mythical founder named Anrothan Ó Neill. It is very likely, in my opinion, that the mythical founder was a socio-political construction, for the purposes of enhancing the status of Clann Mhic Lochlainn, and is not a literal genealogy.

The Mid Argyll Kinship Group's paternal DNA results show no genetic links to a paternal line from northern Ireland, nor to the celebrated Niall of the Nine Hostages haplogroup. On the contrary, the base paternal DNA of the group shows them to be indigenous to Argyll and no links outside of the area have appeared yet.

One of the key historical figures in the group is Donnchadh Mór Mac Eáin, of Dunamuck, Kilmichael Glassary. His burial stone is located in the village of Kilmichael Glassary. He was active from circa 1440s to 1500 AD.

One of the families in the group is my McCain family of course. This is also Senator John McCain's family, his my 8th cousin, and also the McCain family of New Brunswick, the McKeen family of New England and Nova Scotia. In my upcoming book, Finding the McCains, I do go into some detail about the family in the primary sources in Argyll. The Teoc McCains (Senator McCain's branch) had a very interesting oral history about connections to events surrounding Mary Queen of Scots, which turned about to have considerable circumstantial evidence to support their lore. I will be posting more on that in future as well.

Gaelic family history and lore is an acquired taste to be sure, that is for those outside our ethnicity, but perhaps others might find the story of this old Gaelic family of some interest, I hope so.

I will be posting updates on the research as time allows.

Your Music for 20 October 2010

2010-10-20T09:40:00.000-05:00

Finding the McCains October 2010

2010-10-20T06:47:00.006-05:00

loch Ederline and the upper end of Kilmichael Glen
this is the home of the McCains in Scotland

Well I am back. I've been away from blogging for a while. I have been writing a book. I have, in fact, spent much of the last two months in the 16th Century working out the nuances and mechanics of my dear old eggs (my McCain ancestors) in a place called Kilmichael Glassary. This is where they lived for several thousand years. It is in mid Argyll, in the heart of the Highlands of Scotland, between Dunadd and Loch Awe for those of you who are skilled in map lore.

I was tracking their locations there using two tools, 1) DNA testing and 2) primary sources from that district. Remarkably, or it is remarkable to me anyroad, I found them in several records. Their lives were consumed with the aspirations of the Caimbeul families, notably, the Earls of Argyll, which lived quite close to the McCains. The McCains functioned as tactsmen, captains, and physicians, to the Earl's family, which is the reason they migrated to Donegal in the 1500s as well.

Anyroad, that is where I have been. I hope to bludgeon out this book by the end of October. It is called, Finding the McCains. It is a memoir of my long odyssey to locate the McCain family still living in Ireland and the discover their true history and origins. This I did. It will be a wandering tale, with bits of straight history, interwoven with tales of my trips to Ireland and Northern Ireland over the years. I have been very lucky, I have had some amazing experiences, met amazing people there. Best of all, I did find the McCains there and have been over several times to visit with them. Nothing like sitting down for a glass with your own kith and kin.

Bach, J.S. - "Air" Orchestral Suite N° 3 in D Major_BWV 1068

2010-09-12T21:18:00.000-05:00

The Westerner: Mexican drug wars fester along US border

2010-09-08T07:10:00.000-05:00

The Westerner: Mexican drug wars fester along US border

The Highwaymen - Highwayman

2010-09-03T07:33:00.000-05:00

545 People are Responsible for this Mess

2010-08-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

Charley Reese has been a journalist for 49 years.

545 PEOPLE--By Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them..

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does.

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits..... The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? Nancy Pelosi. She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red ..

If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ , it's because they want them in IRAQ

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

They, and they alone, have the power..

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.

Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees..

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.

What you do with this article now that you have read it......... Is up to you.
This might be funny if it weren't so darned true.
Be sure to read all the way to the end:

Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table,
At which he's fed.

Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.
Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for peanuts
Anyway!

Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.

Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think..

Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries
Tax his tears.

Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass.

Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won't be done
Till he has no dough.

When he screams and hollers;
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He's good and sore.
Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he's laid...

Put these words
Upon his tomb,
Taxes drove me
to my doom...'

When he's gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax..

LIST OF JUST SOME TAXES:
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Sales Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service FeeTax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax
STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY? Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, & our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What in the hell happened? Can you spell 'politicians?'

May in Oxford Mississippi

2010-05-13T18:30:00.003-05:00

Well, it was uncomfortably warm and humid in Oxford, Mississippi, today. My cats, Piscín and Pangúr, looked like melted licorice on the concrete. That time of year in the Deep South, you know, Faulkner and others rambled on about it, our summers. They are HOT and HUMID. Not good, but there you go, what are you going to do about it? Best to lay in a supply of beer, wine, and selective uisge beatha (that's whiskey for you people out around Pontotoc)... and make the best of it.

The world is weird today isn't it? Greece, that wacko Mexican from Austin, TX, making 'kill the white man' films, terrorists in New York, Volcanoes in Iceland; lads and lassies, that is some seriously weird stuff going down.

This is Him, The Big Guy

But, my tomatoes, squash, and cucumbers are doing fine... the blasted deer have not found them yet that is. Love is still the most important thing in life... now all of you, go to church this Sunday, you owe it to the Big Guy. He's not half bad.

Narnia- Puddleglums Heroic Speech

2010-05-12T18:45:00.001-05:00

Perhaps my favourite scene from any book or movie. This is Puddleglum's speech from The Silver Chair. This is CS Lewis at his best and it mirrors our world so exactly.

The 13th Day

2010-05-11T19:41:00.000-05:00

Summer Tanagers in North Mississippi

2010-05-11T10:42:00.002-05:00

well lads and lassies, wonderful news, there is a Summer Tanager family nesting on our land. Strikingly pretty birds, the male is bright red and the female a sort of greenish yellow. I've seen then for over a month now, always together, in the bird path, on the ground among the sunflower seeds I put out.