dwg,
Interesting spin on the Orange and the Green. I guess you know the song by the Irish Rovers (70's I think) called the Orange and the Green which describes your situation humourously... i.e. fights at family get-to-togethers and remaining neutral by hitting both sides. Yah...fun,fun.

Forrest was in awe of Bronwyn. He was shocked at how badly he was hurt by the fact that his little bit of bait laying had not resulted in her sharing any pleasure from the recent literary sword-crossing. Shocked, too, that she for a moment considered anything other than being flattered by the suggestion that she could qualify for membership of the diatribe. She could sure lay in a mean free kick!

Forrest knew Bronwyn was a member of the Cysterhood of the Coup de Grace, or to be more correct the Cysterhood of the Conventional Order for the Promulgation of True Literacy and Articulate Expression, one forever inaccessible to Forrest. Now, with her demand to not see the 'n' word in print, she was revealing a more authoritarian side to her persona. Perhaps, far from just being a member of the Order, she was its Mother Superior!

It seemed Bronwyn just didn't understand Forrest. A Wiki article refering to the 'real' Forrest Gump (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Bedford_Forrest ), if only she would read it, might soften her heart. It says, in part:

"In the 1994 motion picture Forrest Gump, the eponymous Tom Hanks character stated that he was named after his ancestor General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Due to the character's low IQ, he did not know of the [Ku Klux] Klan as a racist group, but rather a "club" that rode horses and "dressed up as ghosts". He then continued to explain he was called that to remind himself that people can do things that "just don't make no sense.""

Bronwyn had nonetheless imparted wisdom to Forrest in saying that, although a herself a member, she had no suggestions for a perjorative name for members of the anglo-celtic sub-tribe: Forrest suddenly realized why that was; the anglo-celts renowned magnanimity was their undoing - they had given out all the really good perjoratives to others, leaving none for themselves. Not that Forrest really had any penchant for perjoratives: he in fact never used them except when baiting his own tribe.

my uncle has researched the family history on my father's side and
apparently my ancestor copped 10 years transportation to Tasmania in
1849 and remained ...

"THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL, DUBLIN
SATURDAY, MAY 5, 1849
_______________________
RECORDER’S COURT - Yesterday
The Recorder sat yesterday for the trial of prisoners.
A young man named James M’Keon was indicted for having on the
night of the 19 of February th stolen a sum of 41l. odd from Mr Philip
Dowling, baker and seedsman, of 44, North King-street. The Hon.
Mr Plunket, Q.C., prosecuted for the Crown. On the night in
question, being Saturday, the premises of Mr Dowling were locked
up as usual, and the money deposited in a desk. On Sunday morning,
the 11th February, Constable 150 D saw the door of the seed-shop
which is in Church-street, open, and on entering it he saw the
prisoner there, who, in reply to some questions, said he was up for
the purpose of letting in some bakers who were going to work. This
was not considered satisfactory by the constable, who asked to see
Mr Dowling, when the prisoner said he would call him, and he went
to the rear of the premises for that purpose. Shortly after Police constable
55 D came up, and went to look for the prisoner, but he
had got over the wall, and made his escape. He left a pair of boots
in the yard, and these were identified by a person named M’Elroy,
who is in Mr Dowling’s employment, as belonging to the prisoner.
He got away at the time, and was not heard of afterwards until he
was arrested in Chester on the 10th March by Craven, one of the
Dublin detectives, who got the sum of 31l., a watch, and a suit of
clothes with him."

[more ...]

[cont.]

"Mr Philip Dowling, of North King-street, stated that the prisoner
was about his premises for three weeks before the robbery; the
prisoner frequently carried the cash from the bread-room to the
cashier; the premises were broken open on the night of the robbery;
he saw all safe shut up at twelve o’clock, and between three and four
in the morning he was called up and found the place open.
In reply to the prisoner, the witness said he knew nothing about
him except that he had heard from Mr. Burke, who highly
recommended him.

The prisoner called a Mrs Kennedy, but she knew nothing about
him except that he lodged with her for some time, and that he kept
regular hours.

Michael Rourke was examined to the same effect; he never saw
any money with the prisoner.

The prisoner, in accounting for the possession of the money, said
he earned the money on the public works in the country, and if he
had an opportunity he could prove the assertion.

The Recorder then summed up the evidence and the
jury found a verdict of guilty.

The Recorder sentenced him to ten years transportation, as the
crime was an aggravated one.

The prisoner said — I am better pleased at that than any other
sentence, because my character is now gone, and my means also.
The Recorder — There is no one believes you. Mr Dowling has
got a portion of his means of which you deprived him."

Yeah, Examinator, The Irish Rovers(70's) come on all this bragging about memory, what it pick on me poor ole memory(have a laugh, it will be better than what you are doing now, Why? because your reading this post.)
Over from the animal thread, With this heritage thing The Elder that gave me the words of wisdom to take through life from there on said a lot of things that has made me question myself in a lot of ways.
The words where all five of the Elders said in relation to "I don't know who I am, & from where I come" has me questioning things that many of the others have said over the years.
The (dare I say) Older women that I met when I was young & with my Mum before they took me from her, to the ones in between all the way to like I've said Elders.
I have had a life that I would wish on nobody BUT since I have walked that life someone or all should look at what can be said of what is wrong, because when it comes to right I wouldn't know BUT I sure can let someone know what is wrong.
So do the opposite of wrong & one must be getting somewhere near right?
Thanks, have a good life from Dave

Dear Forrest,

Now, you're just stirring!

Stop baiting Bronny.

Dear Whistler,

What an amazing story - Thank you!
The detail of it is brilliant -
and certainly captures that period
so well.

Dear Dave,

As my mum used to say:

"Tough times don't last - tough people do!"

You've survived. That's the main thing!