Jaysus, never has the BS appelation been more appropriate.

Good Lord, Conrad, nobody's saying they can't wear their bloody goddamned sashes. But why exactly is it necessary to carry on Bogside with these these virulent, barbaric, fundamentalist demonstrations of anti-Catholic hate?

Less fun as no one gets terrorized if you prance about singing "Kick the Pope" in a Presbyterian (and I use the term loosely) neighborhood?

Personally, I'm not especially fond of the more trenchant songs of either the Rebel or the Orange tradition, but I'm right behind you Conrad on the preservation of the Orange folk tradition, the bad, the good, and the marvelous ("The Old Orange Flute" comes to mind). I'd never gainsay you on that issue, as I've never encountered anyone with such encyclopedic knowledge of the tradition.

But why this?

Proddy Yank who has lost almost all sympathy for his Orange "cousins,"

Chris