People and Politics

Now comes Sarah Palin, heading for New Hampshire for the Labor Day picnic, throwing shapes about running for president.

It's too late Sarah.

The stable door is locked and all the candidates who matter are out in the field.

The Black and Tans were not so bad after all it seems according to a new book.

That will come as disturbing news to millions of Irish Americans including, by his own account, Vice President Joe Biden, who were raised on stories of Black and Tans atrocities in Ireland during the War of Independence.

It's a funny business we're in. The media has gone stark raving bonkers about a storm that to date, as far as I can see has killed fewer people than a bad weekend of traffic accidents.

In the Bahamas when it was category three Irene as far as I can see killed no-one and destroyed all of 100 homes according to the BBC.

Make no mistake this is not Hurricane Katrina, a category 3 hurricane which slammed into New Orleans and destroyed the city.

Irish undocumented should breathe a sigh of relief with the Obama administration decision not to deport non-criminal aliens.

117 Irish were deported in 2009 the last year that figures are available for. It is not known how many of those were non-criminal aliens, but my hunch it would that the vast majority would be.

Spurned lovers and jealous work acquaintances were the two top factors behind Irish deportations I understand.
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READ MORE: 
Five Irish immigration reform leaders meet with the White House

An earthquake aftershock was felt here at our office in New York City about a half hour ago.

Apparently an earthquake hit Richmond Virginia, registering 5.9 on the Richter scale and the shocks were felt all the way to New York.

Several of us here in Irishcentral's office felt a shaking but I personally thought it was some construction work.

The New York Times is reporting that Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance will likely not prosecute Dominique Strauss-Kahn in the sexual assault charge against him for attacking Nafissatou Diallo a maid at the Sofitel in New York City.

Nobody in their right mind disputes that there was a sexual encounter with the maid but her background of lying and subsequent actions such as allegedly telling a male friend that she was going to gets lots of mullah certainly damaged her case.

It also proves why sexual assault is one of the toughest crimes to prove. If it comes down to he said/she said juries are reluctant to definitively take sides.

President Michele Bachmann? Better get used to it.

After the Iowa straw vote the Minnesota congresswoman is not going away you know -- all the way through the nominating process next year.

Watching the Republican debate last night I came away with an even clearer sense that Mitt Romney will be the Republican candidate if the party has any sense.

He remained cool, calm and collected while Michelle Bachman and Tim Pawlenty entered into a Minnesota slug fest that would have suited their former governor and ex-wrestler Jesse Venture better.

Rick Perry has been memorably described as 'Bush without the brains" but the Texas governor is already a formidable candidate for the republican nomination.

Though he has not announced, Perry, 61, is already joint favorite , with Mitt Romney to take the GOP nomination with Paddy Power the leading Irish bookmaker.

They are both around the 2/1 mark with Michele Bachmann next at 7/1.

Tara Driscoll the Irish American teacher in New York who is accused of raping her 16-year old student is guilty of stupidity not rape.

The boy was within months of being the legal age in New York of 17 and would have been legal age in dozens of states.

I also firmly believe there is a difference between a 33-year-old female and a 33-year-old male carrying out that same act.

Standard and Poor's may have downgraded US long term debt for the first time in history but it is the Euro which is in immediate danger of collapsing.

The news that short sellers are now focusing on Italy and Spain after hammering Ireland, Portugal and Greece makes it clear that the one size fits all Euro is not up to the task of creating equal risk and reward across the European Union.

Put simply, Europe will not federalize its debt, there is no United States of Europe and without that concept the Euro cannot survive.

Barack Obama is 50 today and celebrated with a huge party and fundraiser in Chicago last night.

He is an amazing success story, first ever African American president and at a very young age too so much so that it seems certain he will be younger than his 2012 Republican opponent no matter who it is.