Dabhoch an Breállan

As Others See Us

First there were the Scots,
Who kept the Sabbath,
And everything else they could lay their hands on…

Then there were the Welsh,
Who prayed on their knees,
And on their neighbors…

And there were the Irish,
Who never really knew what they wanted,
But were willing to fight for it anyway…

And lastly, there were the English,
Who always considered themselves a self-made nation,
Thereby relieving the Almighty of a terrible responsibility.

(I don't know who the author of the above is - it came to me from a family friend - what follows is my own addition)

Now there are the Americans,
Who keep their hands in everyone else’s business,
Who pray wherever they want (except in public schools),
Who are willing to fight for little or no reason at all,
And who, in spite of being a self-made nation,
Assign responsibility to the Almighty for nearly everything.