The JD's flowing and so was the great JC, stirred it up in me
Having grown up in the West my opinion has dramatically changed over the years.
Its fascinated, horrified and confused me at the same time.
Brought up in 'a mixed marriage' religion was for school, never in the house.
School was RC but none of us ever took to it.
I love the idea of religion and faith and have no negativity for those that believe.
I believe but i find the RC religion hypocritical to me. At the head of it all you have the Vatican state, worth multi-billions (cash/investments/vaults) but people of their faith cannot eat. off on one.
I grew up as part of a crowd of 20 odds and i was the 'token tim' amongst us.
They used to joke that they let me in or they'd get barred from holidaying in Europe.
I watched old firm games (it was in those days Boab
with that lot through their nine.
But to me it was all banter, they were my mates, you took it and gave it.
My first experience with their hatred was after we won a midweek OF game, my 'mate' was at the game, turned up later at my pal's. I answer the door, he pipes up through drink, 'what are you doing here ya fenian bas'. A minute later i had taken my seat and he was picking teeth up at the bottom of the stairwell. That was the first time I was offended, heard it all before, but it was the first time i noticed that someone was fucking serious.
My old bhoy in a pearly moment one day said to me, if your going to sing those Celtic/Rebel songs then know what they stand for. I learned about the Irish cause, why Celtic were formed/why they existed/the nature of our clubs affinity with Ireland.
So when weighing things up, on one side you had supporters that have no real hatred other than their foes. On the other side you had people that thought they were a superior race and hated catholics, particularly of an Irish heritage. But the more educated in the ways of the West, noticed almost everybody, media, politicians avoided the truth by answering eg. 'they're both the same' & 'as bad as each other'. No they fucking aren't and it's offensive and lazy to say otherwise.
In Detroit a cop saw me reading a Dan Brown book on Freemasonry. He was a mason for 40 years, but his words ' i don't know what it is with guys in Scotland, thankfully that Freemasonry is only in Scotland, they are crazy'
I'm reminded of a baseball game in Detroit, a guy in a RFC IL 2012 top clocks me in the bumble bee, my Uncle refuses to shake the guys hand. Later i digs him and he goes into one
'I had to leave my country to support my family, to get a decent job, to get overtime. Your Aunty (Protestant) was shunned by freinds for marrying me. Everywhere i went in my early life, school, work, clubs they treated me like a second class citizen for being a Catholic. When i got to Canada, we went to the local Scottish Club to try and get a bit of support/socialising for your Aunty while i was away working and it was a WASP club, they were worse than the one's back home, so in the nicest possible way son, don't go there, i see that fucking top, the emodiment of it all, a fuckibng breeding ground for those scum, fuck anyone who wears it. This is a guy that i couldn't speak more highly of. It didn't make sense, then.
It all comes back to the central point, it's racism, it's living and breathing in our country. Peoplein a position to tackle it consistently avoid it. Due to the nature of the craft, the people in the highest positions in our land are in their positions through being hand-picked to fill these positions that are the entitlement of the craft. So when everyones boss's boss is a lead swinger, your really left having to take on the establishment.
I used to view this talk as just another conspiracy theory. Then i would read about the Act of Settlement and how its rules still applied in modern times. Blair becomes a Catholic within days of leaving office, he was prohibited in the 20th Century from being one. Cannot be a Catholic member of Royal Family. Over the years, i have been enlightened.
So if the establishment won't tolerate Catholic's, don't expect the peepul to behave any differently. This idea of them having a 'sense of entitlement', it isn't a sense, for long enough it was a fucking fact. Referee's etc, i used to laugh, paranoia, aye right, but now i see it, its there and it's staying.
Our own supporters have our own muppets, but IMO we have cleansed ourselves over the years. We hate Rangers, not because of religion but because of their core values, songs, colours and supporters. We all know many good Rangers fans, but that section of them 'orangemen' they still have that hate for Catholics.
It pisses me off when i hear people talk about sectarianism and the two clubs, it's only one club and it's racism. It's discussed as a problem that has to be eradicated. How can it be eradicated when you allow anti-catholic marches. By allowing it successive governments are legitamising it. You can't tell Billy here is a platform, you and your pals can parade through towns and cities on a March singing those songs, while accompanied by Police, then tell him its a criminal offense to sing it when he's not marching.
If the government really wants to eradicate it, they have to show a pair and take the lead and ban marches. Until that point, they are kidding everyone on and paying lip service to us that are the victims. If there is no appetite from them, it will last as long as there are people living on this island.
Phew this is good weed