Red Hand Rednecks™?

This is an interesting story from the BBC website on the McCain/Palin republican Presidential election candidates, who the author claims have : "...white Southern Scots-Irish values - redneck values..." He goes on to say "...The essentials of redneck culture were brought to America by what we call the Scots Irish, after first being shipped to the Ulster Plantation, where our, uh, remarkable cultural legacy can still be seen every 12 July in Ireland. Ultimately, the Scots Irish have had more of an effect on the American ethos than any other immigrant group..." And after all, McCain's election compaign has included the "No Surrender Tour", and he has an ancestor (Captain John Young from Armagh) who apparently fought with William of Orange at the Boyne. There's a recent thread on Slugger all about it (with all the usual tit-for-tat chitterin' reader postings too).

So as usual, everything that matters has an Ulster connection. To wrap up, here's another McCain who was in Ulster a few months ago, talking about his family heritage and politics.

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™ (I made that name up, so it's mine. The trademarked Ulster-Scots-American giftware range is currently in production)