I RECAL A GYPSIE WOMAN...

I RECALL A GYPSY WOMAN

....Silver spangles in her hair. No elaboration needed on the old Don Williams song. When I think of gypsies I think of colorful characters sipping moonshine and telling fortunes around an open fire. I don't see them as government scrounging, dirty dog fight sponsoring reprobates. I don't know why they are starting to annoy me but they are. You can't walk down a shopping street without encountering one selling roses or begging in a door way. You cant drive through a town without them looking menacingly in your car window offering to wipe a shammy across the front window or sell you a day old paper. I think the main reason they annoy me is that they seem to think they are a protected species. Where else than in Ireland would these people be entitled to claim benefits without a permanent address? They live a nomadic existence we are told. They are like the Amish. Except the Amish help each other, they reject the indulgences of alcohol, television and other time wasting exercises. They espouse the hard work ethic and are a spiritual people. Gypsies arrange dog fights, elect their own monarchy based on the persons ability to beat another person to a pulp and drink, fight and breed in huge numbers.
Where I live they are only ever mentioned in a whisper. If they can't tell you your fortune or play the harp then they should be treated like everyone else. Or as Pikeys.