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It's a hearty top o' the morning for the city from the White House today. The AP reports that indeed, First Lady Michelle Obama has ordered the fountains on the north and south lawns of the White House dyed green in celebration of St. Patrick's Day.
Chicago natives will be quick to tell you how their city dyes its entire river green for the Irish holiday. Washington, however, doesn't have the same kind of Irish roots and community as Chicago, and hasn't traditionally done more than hold its well attended annual St. Patrick's Day parade.
A spokesperson for the first lady says that this is the first time the water in the White House fountains has been dyed. The fountains will stay green until the presumably harmless dye fades away.
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oh, DC had irish roots. before the great swampoodle massacre of '07.
ah, the poor laddies, lying dead in the street in pools of their own puke and piss.
oh, we won't forget...not anytime soon...
Nice historic revisionism you got going on there. Two tasered midgets in a paddy wagon hardly constitutes "a massacre." Cetainly nothing compared to the Defenestration of Foggy Bottom. All those poor gum-snapping, hair tree, business students tossed onto the sidewalk and through the roofs of their BWMs and Jettas. What's the lives of a few illegal Irish leprechaun immigrants compared to the fruit of Wall Street's womb? Where will the next generation of AIG mid-level managers come from? Who will f**k the next Arthur Anderson straight into the dirt?
Massacre indeed!
colby king might argue with you on that one...
I think the Catholic Church has too much influence in the United States and religulous exercises in excess like this "holiday" should be banned!
It is only a holiday at bars and restaurants and only a feast day in the US Catholic Church. Only in Ireland is it an official holiday and a holy day of obligation. But since everybody is Irish today, it’s off to church and then to the bar; and if you are lucky, its one in the same.
You tell everybody. Listen to me, Hatcher. You've gotta tell them! The dye is people! We've gotta stop them somehow!
Our rivers are already green! Thank god for combined sewer and storm drains. Take that, Chicago.
Want2bkate likes this!
Today is the day where the city C.H.U.D.s walk amongst the locals unnoticed.
It is, as long as they have a green t-shirt on they go unnoticed. It is a scary day out there. Amateur night squared. Be safe all ye pasty drunk people passed out on the metro one day a year.
Hey Chicago, our river (Anacostia) is green 365, and with more bodies!
Amazing, the snakes have left my apartment!
I'm just glad Michelle supports the green movement.
What IMGOPH said, except serious. There were a ton of Irish in DC before white flight cast them to the suburban winds. Greeks too. About the only old "white ethnic" group in DC that has stayed somewhat cohesive is the Jewish community that decamped for Bethesda.
What DC never really had much of is Italians, and that's why we can't get no good pizza round here.
reid: i've read that there was a decent italian community in the mt. vernon square area back in the day. i don't think a.v. italiano was part of that necessarily, but it was centered around there. i don't have time to look it up right now, but i believe marie and the historical photos guy in the intowner have written about it.
DC's "Little Italy" was the block surrounding the church near Judiciary Square Metro. Much of it was demolished to make the office buildings. These immigrants were predominately stonemasons who helped in the construction of the National Cathedral, and later some of the Federal buildings downtown. When that dried up, they all left. There's a great interview with Joe Mangialardo (of the G Man sandwich fame) where he talks about growing up Italian in DC.
thanks monkey, that's solid...
This is not about the Irish in the White House. This is about Chicago in the White House. First, Barack and the snow. Second, Michelle and the green fountains for St. Patty's day.
now if only they'd bring us late night bars and good pizza
Anyone else think this reminds them of "You Can't Do That on Television?"
I don't know
I was hoping Michelle was a roughneck and it was a money gusher ("blow out"). Some green gold to get us out of these money woes. The toolpusher said let's trip pipe and fill the Fed.
Correction: Chicago dyes their river green the week BEFORE St. Patrick's Day, even when St. Patty's Day already lands on a *Saturday*. Parade a week before too. Uh, what? I went to Chicago 2 years ago for St. Patty's and discovered all the celebratory cool stuff happened the Saturday BEFORE. Last I checked, the holiday wasn't on March 12th.