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A letter from AOH President Seamus Boyle to Senator John McCain Regarding a Joke about the Irish

September 23 2008

Dear Senator McCain,

Thank you for meeting with us on Monday September 22 in Scranton Pennsylvania to discuss our issues concerning the Irish American community. You did address the seven issues which we had given to you on a previous occasion and we were generally satisfied with your answers and your ideas to implement action on our behalf should you be elected in November. It was a great meeting but when you began your speech with a joke about the Irish, I and many of our fellow Irish Americans in the Ancient Order of Hibernians, were shocked. It was really an insult to a whole nationality to be stereotyped as drunks. The Irish are a jovial people who enjoy life, work hard, help the needy, support our community and our country yet get depicted as drunkards and partiers. As you stated in your speech yesterday the Irish have a great education and work ethic. Senator, I was not the only one offended and I received numerous complaints from a variety of people throughout Pennsylvania and other parts of the country. On behalf of these people, the Ancient Order of Hibernians and myself and my family, I wish you would refrain from demeaning the Irish or any other ethnic group by telling such jokes in the future. I think an apology is in order to those millions of Irish in the United States who were offended by your joke.

Sincerely,

Seamus Boyle
National President
Ancient Order of Hibernians in America

http://www.aoh.com/pages/presidents_letters/2008/pl_092308.html

Comments

  1. Chamay0 for ObamaSeptember 27, 2008 at 11:55 PM

    I think it is totally disgraceful that McCain has to joke about any ethnic group. It is insulting and totally unnecessary.

    This is part of the reason I feel McCain is out of touch. Now is not the time for insulting anyone. Times are way too hard and this economic pinch transcends ethnic groups.

    It also makes me aware that McCain seems to have very little respect for people in the lower to middle class category in general. To me, with McCain, it is more about peoples financial status vs. the struggle of the American people.

    ReplyDelete

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