A Hostage Situation

 When I was reading the dialogue in Nelson DeMille's Cathedral, I couldn't help but think of former state trooper, Michael Proctor.  Proctor was raked over the coals and lost his job because of the language he used when texting friends and colleagues.  I read the same racial slurs, misogynistic language, profanity, and offensive remarks, and abusive names and slurs, used in Cathedral.  That's the way cops talk.

Unfortunately, for Proctor, his texts were read.  The cops in Cathedral are fiction.  But when you're in war and sometimes cops and the bad guys are at war, one has to demonize the other to work themselves up to battle mode.

Basically, the plot is the IRA kidnapping the Archbishop of New York, and three others.  The IRA is holding them inside St. Patrick's Cathedral and threatening to blow the church and everyone in it to smithereens, if their demands aren't met.  What do they want?  They want the IRA prisoners in Ireland released.  

This is a nail biter.  You kind of think that it will never happen, but how to solve the situation, had me stumped.  There's a little mysticism involved.  The leader of this group, Brian, had a mystical experience in Whitehorn Abbey, when he was saved from the police.  Near the end, the cop defusing the bomb, felt her fingers dismantling the bomb when she hadn't a clue how to go about it. Also, Brian, when he was dying (spoiler) saw the same priest from Whitehorn Abbey, visit him. 

The detailed strategy was excellent.  The pace was fast.  The dialogue was realistic.  It's a classic thriller.

St. Patrick's Day in 2021

 "Hello" said he, "hello"? 

....Sure, there wasn't a soul to be seen as old St.Pat took a walk round St.Stephen's Green.
So of he went to O'Connell Street, expecting,
there huge crowds to meet,
No pipes, no drums no children having fun,
Surely the whole country can't be on the run? 

So he transported himself,
or whatever Saints do,
to get from A to B,
" by God " said he, 
I'm heading for Tralee." 

Now when he got to Tralee,
to his dismay, not a Rose nor a shamrock on the streets was displayed.
The pubs were closed, the churches too,
" Sure that's not possible. Have they all gone mad trying something new?" 

It was the same old story wherever he went,
from Co.Cork, to Co.Down, Co.Carlow and all around.
He couldn't understand ,
were the people of the 32 counties all gone underground? 

Then all of a sudden from the corner of his eye,
there was St.Brigid wearing some disguise.
"Brigid," said he I'm over here
it's not Halloween, it's the 17th!!!" 

Brigid yelled back, " O, I know well what day it tis,
and if you want to talk to me, you'll wear one of these.
"Now Patrick" she said, " where have you been,
 haven't you heard about covid19"?

Brigid stood on the other side of a wall,
lookin at St. Patrick with his gob wide open,
trying to make sense of it all. 

She shared with him all the news
of all the suffering and loss,
 and he wasn't amused. 

He said to St.Brigid,
"Tell me,
what can we do,
to help all those friends
who think of me and you"? 

" Well first " she said,
"you can cover your mouth,
wash your hands when you can,
and don't be going out." 

And if you set a good example,
when all this is over,
I might treat you to a drop
to wet the clover.!!!                                                                          by Jazzer.

Leprechaun Day

My granddaughter told me that tomorrow is Leprechaun Day.  I said, "You mean St. Patrick's Day?"  "No, my teacher called it Leprechaun Day."

What's this?  What's this world coming to?  Tomorrow we celebrate St. Patrick's conversion of Ireland to Christianity.  What would Leprechaun Day celebrate?

I think the wee folks are playing a trick on these politically correct teachers who won't say out loud the noun, "saint."  It's called separation of church of state.  Those leprechauns are wily creatures.  Don't trust them.  They make fools out of you.