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PLASTIC PADDIES: NOTES ON ST. PATRICK´S DAY 2004
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The Irish love parades.
That´s about all the Irish (North and South) and Irish-Americans have in common.
Scene: St. Patrick´s Day Parade, Philadelphia
When: 14 March 2004
Where: Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Cast: Leprechauns. Elders dressed in Chesterfield coats and flat caps. Others carrying green plastic canes and open cans of Bud. Still others wearing wire head antennae with plastic ''shamrock'' tips.
Gift carts: Whistles and bows -- and plastic AK-47´s for the kiddies.
Talking points: ''Don´t give me that crap that I´ll be rewarded in Heaven.'' ''The Inquisition wasn´t as harsh as some people say.'' ''Where´s Peggy?''