pure poetry!

The Carlow Nationalist: The imminent arrival of US president Barack Obama has prompted 96-year-old PJ Furey to let his creative juices flow ….he has written a poem in tribute to the US president, honouring his historic visit to Ireland…

Arise you friendly Irish folk, And give a rousing cheer,
For the President of America, And his wife are coming here.

They arrive in Dublin City, On the twenty-third of May,
And thousands will be greeting them, On this historic day.

Then Barack gives a timely speech, And clearly lets us see,
He is the man for creed and clan, For peace and liberty.

And so to Offaly they go, To give a special call,
To visit their ancestor’s place, In dear old Moneygall.

And the people of the village, So faithful and so true,
Will proudly greet them when they call, With a Céad Míle Fáilte too.

They will thank the noble couple, And their good friends one and all,
And wish everyone fond memories, Of their time in Moneygall.

Now young and old in Erin’s isle, Wish Barack and Michelle,
Success in all they undertake, And a very long life as well!

😉

comical….

AMERICABlog: So the same person who complained about the stimulus yet kept his state afloat because of the stimulus money is now asking for federal tax dollars to help with wildfires. If Perry had his way, there would be even less federal tax dollars. Where does he think this money is going to come from? It always seems to be the states that complain the most about taxes who are always grumbling for more tax dollars. It’s not that their requests are unreasonable, but when they make it their mission to attack the system and then come forward with hands out, then there’s a big issue. What a complete fraud:

“Texas Gov. Rick Perry sought additional federal help in battling wildfires across his drought-parched state as a woodland blaze gutted at least six homes on Sunday and threatened hundreds more in Austin, the state capital….  Some 220 homes in all have been lost, according to a letter released on Sunday from Perry to President Barack Obama requesting a federal disaster declaration.”

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LA Times

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TexasLiberal: Texas Governor Rick Perry wants President Barack Obama to declare parts of Texas as disaster areas because of ongoing wildfires …This call for help from Washington is being made by a Governor who has engaged in treasonous speculation about secession, and who is pushing savage budget cuts on the most vulnerable Texans.

Why do people suffering the impact of wildfires merit quick help, while many in Texas nursing homes or many Texans who are sick due to no fault of their own merit only sharp cuts?

Of course, it is really no surprise that Rick Perry wants help from Washington. According to a map prepared by former Texas State Comptroller of Public Accounts Susan Combs, Texas took almost $28 billion dollars in federal stimulus money.

…I’d also like to know when the Tea Party volunteer fire companies and the Tea Party disaster relief teams will be rushing to assist people impacted by the fire? Where are county Republican parties in Texas organizing teams of citizen-volunteers to help out our fellow Texans so that they will not have to turn to government?

…Are we going to allow socialized fire companies of public employees team up with Washington to do the job that everyday Texas citizens should be doing?

People who have been harmed by the fires should be helped. However, since many of our political leaders in Texas would rather people die than use the Rainy Day fund or raise the taxes needed to meet the legitimate needs of Texans, it is fair to comment when these same officials declare that some Texans are indeed worthy of help from government.

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Thanks for this news, CEB

flat stanley & the president: they go back a long way, you know

A “Flat Stanley” is photographed as the Marine One helicopter, with President Obama aboard, takes off from the White House, Feb. 17

Hartford Courant (October, 2008): ….An envelope addressed to Aron Mondschein, 7, had been delivered to Solomon Schechter Day School … it was from Barack Obama, senator from Illinois and Democratic presidential candidate.

…A little more than a month earlier, teacher Joyce Ben-KiKi had Aron and his classmates each send letters to a famous person as part of a language arts lesson. Ben-KiKi wrapped the exercise around well-known children’s book character “Flat Stanley”…

“I told them not to expect a letter back,” Ben-KiKi said. “I told them these people are very busy and most likely will not write back.”

The list of recipients was impressive: Yankee third basemen Alex Rodriguez; Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Olympic gold medalist Mark Spitz; Republican presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. John McCain.

Obama was the only one to write back…his three-page letter to Aron described Flat Stanley’s visit with him and his staff in Washington, D.C. It chronicled their busy day together, which included coffee with constituents, a Senate committee meeting and a trip to the gym. It also had historical facts about the U.S. Capitol, details of Obama’s job and a confession from Obama.

“Sometimes I get a little nervous before talking in front of a crowd, but Flat Stanley helped me practice the speech,” Obama wrote. “He made me recite it in front of him and then even gave me some advice so the speech would go smoothly. Flat Stanley is really a great coach.”

Online Athens (December 2009): Colham Ferry Elementary School fourth-grader Culley Cook, seen with Principal Jackie Carson, shows off a recently received signed letter from President Obama. The letter was sent as part of a school reading project … Culley decided to correspond with the President … the reply noted that Flat Stanley attended meetings with the President, toured the East Wing and met first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha. The President’s letter encouraged Culley to continue reading and learning new things.

First Coast News (November 2008): ….Samantha Lyman and Melba Joslin’s Kindergarten class at S.P. Livingston Elementary School mailed out 30 Flat Stanleys to people around the world. The day before the election, they received one reply: from Barack Obama.

….The presidential hopeful returned the Flat Stanley they sent him. Drawn on the back of the paper: a picture of the senator himself; a drawing Lyman speculates might have been done by one of Obama’s young daughters.

Also included, a signed letter to the children, detailing Flat Stanley’s visit to Chicago, his adventures on the campaign trail, and time spent reading and coloring with Sasha and Malia Obama.

…”I’m going to frame it and leave it here in the classroom. It really is a piece of history. Even if he doesn’t become president, it’s still a big deal,” Lyman said.

The class also mailed a Flat Stanley to Senator John McCain, and they’re hoping to receive a reply.

BBC (December, 2010): When eight-year-old Robert was told to write to someone in another country as part of a school project he chose American President Barack Obama. So imagine how amazed he was when the President wrote back!

Robert sent President Obama a paper cut-out of a character in a book he was reading called Flat Stanley. The President wrote back to say that he had received the cut-out and that Flat Stanley had “worked hard, listened carefully and had a lot of fun”!

The President said: “Thank you for sending Flat Stanley to the White House. I am pleased to report that he worked hard, listened carefully, and had a lot of fun. Flat Stanley was engaging, interested and showed up at the White House each morning with a pencil in hand, ready to learn. It was a pleasure having him here.”

Everyone at Robert’s school in Renfrewshire, Scotland, was really impressed. Some of his mates have even started calling him Obama now.

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There are dozens of similar stories – I’m guessing the White House mail room is packed with Flat Stanleys. Only 326 of them are mine 😳