AT this time of year many of us are busy getting prepared for Christmas -- buying gifts for loved ones, planning the dinner menu, baking cookies, looking forward to being with our families and friends, etc.
At present there are nearly 100 Irish Republican political prisoners being held in British and Irish prisons on both sides of Britain's border in Ireland and in England. They cannot share any of these Christmas joys with their families.
There are no dinners at home feasting on favorite home-cooked holiday dishes. There’s no family midnight Mass or opening presents Christmas mornings.
These prisoners have spouses, children, parents and siblings from whom they are separated at Christmas. Their families need the support of others who care about the sacrifices these young men have made for their country.
That is why I support the annual Cabhair Christmas Swim, which will again be held this year on Christmas morning at the Grand Canal in Inchicore, Dublin.
Cabhair supports dependants and family members of Republican political prisoners. For more information please see www.irishfreedom.net.
Every single dollar will help brighten someone’s Christmas.
Jane Enright
Woodside, New York
Thursday, December 16, 2010
What About the Unions?
IN these trying times all the airwaves and newspapers are alive with the sounds and writings of pseudo economic gurus exposing all the villains for our economic malaise and fears.
A good example of this was James V. Burke's letter "GOP Out of Touch" in last week's issue.
He advises us to listen to a speech by Calypso songster Harry Belafonte, who never met a Communist dictator or Bolshevist economic system he didn’t like -- i.e. Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez are his personal friends.
Their mantra is that corporate fascism is the root of all economic evil. I love these one dimensional proclamations. They remind me of Karl Marx's cure for all the world's evils -- the elimination of private property ownership.
These one sentence panaceas are short, swift and uncomplicated. They leave, unfortunately, an impression of good results to follow quickly if instituted.
History, of course, shows otherwise.
Mr. Burke and Mr. Belafonte mistake their own personal negative emotions toward corporate America as the righteous anger in all Americans who are awaiting the arrival of a Castro-like figure who will set things right with benign dictatorial rule. It is the stuff of the airy fairy dream world.
Speaking of identifying societal and economic villains reminds me of something I read recently and I now quote:
"New Jersey Press Media has examined the personal impact of the state's dysfunctional property tax system. The weeklong series showed how the growing tax burden is hurting tens of thousands of homeowners who face tax lien foreclosures, major property tax hikes and inaccurate assessments."
Not to my surprise, there was no mention of horrible fascist corporations causing this. No, instead it was the horrible fascist public sector unions that, having bought off the politicians with their members’ union dues got what they demanded at contract time -- unsustainable salaries, pensions, health care coverage and work rules fit for fascist corporate executives
What's the big deal? Just raise the property taxes to accommodate this extravagance.
After all, the unions are representing the noble aspirations of the working man. Who could be against that?
I won't be seeking to enlarge my knowledge on economic systems suitable for America from Harry Belafonte anytime soon, just as I won't be asking for advice on moral probity for my daughter from Lady Gaga.
John Rogers
Voorhees, New Jersey
A good example of this was James V. Burke's letter "GOP Out of Touch" in last week's issue.
He advises us to listen to a speech by Calypso songster Harry Belafonte, who never met a Communist dictator or Bolshevist economic system he didn’t like -- i.e. Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez are his personal friends.
Their mantra is that corporate fascism is the root of all economic evil. I love these one dimensional proclamations. They remind me of Karl Marx's cure for all the world's evils -- the elimination of private property ownership.
These one sentence panaceas are short, swift and uncomplicated. They leave, unfortunately, an impression of good results to follow quickly if instituted.
History, of course, shows otherwise.
Mr. Burke and Mr. Belafonte mistake their own personal negative emotions toward corporate America as the righteous anger in all Americans who are awaiting the arrival of a Castro-like figure who will set things right with benign dictatorial rule. It is the stuff of the airy fairy dream world.
Speaking of identifying societal and economic villains reminds me of something I read recently and I now quote:
"New Jersey Press Media has examined the personal impact of the state's dysfunctional property tax system. The weeklong series showed how the growing tax burden is hurting tens of thousands of homeowners who face tax lien foreclosures, major property tax hikes and inaccurate assessments."
Not to my surprise, there was no mention of horrible fascist corporations causing this. No, instead it was the horrible fascist public sector unions that, having bought off the politicians with their members’ union dues got what they demanded at contract time -- unsustainable salaries, pensions, health care coverage and work rules fit for fascist corporate executives
What's the big deal? Just raise the property taxes to accommodate this extravagance.
After all, the unions are representing the noble aspirations of the working man. Who could be against that?
I won't be seeking to enlarge my knowledge on economic systems suitable for America from Harry Belafonte anytime soon, just as I won't be asking for advice on moral probity for my daughter from Lady Gaga.
John Rogers
Voorhees, New Jersey
Divorce Is Evil
IT is no secret that divorce is an assault on faith and family, but shouldn’t the social ramifications of divorce be brought to light too? For “if one member suffer anything, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored all the members share its joy.” (1 Cor, 12:26).
Speak about family destruction and abandonment of our youth in a dehumanizing culture and no one seems to care. Personal matters become political ones. Impoverishment, exile, rootlessness, family members scattered far and wide, alcohol and drugs, crisis-making, poor health and extreme loneliness go unheeded.
The general populace in the world is not aware of the great harm that can inflict itself on vulnerable families that are being tossed about by forces over which they have no control, and the end result is the total annihilation of the family nucleus that is so important for the continuation of the freedom of the entire human race that is now under attack.
Exaggerated as this may sound, my very own family and others I am acquainted with are enduring this terrible decimation here and now.
The reason for this appears to be that we have not found a way to make better known the difficult situations that bring innocent people to the point of no return. Consequently, after decades of silence, people have grown accustomed to the calamity.
Broken families are no longer seen as the aberration. Families smashed by divorce have become the norm on any street.
Unemployment is what gets attention. Unemployment is what people see and hear about.
And jobs, the word goes around, are the cure for unemployment. More jobs, they say, have to be created.
The trouble with this, however, is that jobs, jobs alone, are no cure for the assault on the family. Worse still, if family destruction is reduced to a matter of unemployment, would job earnings then subsidize the wholesale workings of the divorce machine?
What is needed is family restoration. With the family nucleus long annihilated, we have suffered enough.
Children of divorce, pawns of professional politics, have suffered enough. Mothers and children, brothers and sisters, manipulated miles and miles apart have suffered enough.
Forthright communication and restoration of faith and family are needed to allow families under attack to plan and provide for our own as other families do. We are not dead yet.
If society is ever to find a way out of the all-out ruin, if the family is ever again to be the heart and soul of the society, shouldn’t broken families be restored to our Judeo-Christian traditions? For “was it not the weak things of the world that God chose to confound the strong?” (1 Cor, 1:27).
Rita Moore Daly
Garnerville, New York
Speak about family destruction and abandonment of our youth in a dehumanizing culture and no one seems to care. Personal matters become political ones. Impoverishment, exile, rootlessness, family members scattered far and wide, alcohol and drugs, crisis-making, poor health and extreme loneliness go unheeded.
The general populace in the world is not aware of the great harm that can inflict itself on vulnerable families that are being tossed about by forces over which they have no control, and the end result is the total annihilation of the family nucleus that is so important for the continuation of the freedom of the entire human race that is now under attack.
Exaggerated as this may sound, my very own family and others I am acquainted with are enduring this terrible decimation here and now.
The reason for this appears to be that we have not found a way to make better known the difficult situations that bring innocent people to the point of no return. Consequently, after decades of silence, people have grown accustomed to the calamity.
Broken families are no longer seen as the aberration. Families smashed by divorce have become the norm on any street.
Unemployment is what gets attention. Unemployment is what people see and hear about.
And jobs, the word goes around, are the cure for unemployment. More jobs, they say, have to be created.
The trouble with this, however, is that jobs, jobs alone, are no cure for the assault on the family. Worse still, if family destruction is reduced to a matter of unemployment, would job earnings then subsidize the wholesale workings of the divorce machine?
What is needed is family restoration. With the family nucleus long annihilated, we have suffered enough.
Children of divorce, pawns of professional politics, have suffered enough. Mothers and children, brothers and sisters, manipulated miles and miles apart have suffered enough.
Forthright communication and restoration of faith and family are needed to allow families under attack to plan and provide for our own as other families do. We are not dead yet.
If society is ever to find a way out of the all-out ruin, if the family is ever again to be the heart and soul of the society, shouldn’t broken families be restored to our Judeo-Christian traditions? For “was it not the weak things of the world that God chose to confound the strong?” (1 Cor, 1:27).
Rita Moore Daly
Garnerville, New York
Happy Granny
I JUST wanted you to know how much I enjoy Mike Farragher’s “Narrowback's Corner” in the Irish Voice.
We read the Irish Voice from cover to cover each week and have for a number of years. My husband and I have made nine trips to Ireland and loved everyone and made a number of good friends.
My great grandparents came from Ballymena, Co. Antrim in 1857. They were Scots that had been dumped over there when the English needed the land their crofts were on in the 1600s.
Of course they were Presbyterians, thus the beginnings of the troubles. But they were there for 200 years and picked up much of the culture that still pops up in the family today.
I loved the tribute that Mike gave to his grandmother in a recent column. All us grannies are a pushover for a sweet grandson.
Barb Breternitz
Dove Creek, Colorado
We read the Irish Voice from cover to cover each week and have for a number of years. My husband and I have made nine trips to Ireland and loved everyone and made a number of good friends.
My great grandparents came from Ballymena, Co. Antrim in 1857. They were Scots that had been dumped over there when the English needed the land their crofts were on in the 1600s.
Of course they were Presbyterians, thus the beginnings of the troubles. But they were there for 200 years and picked up much of the culture that still pops up in the family today.
I loved the tribute that Mike gave to his grandmother in a recent column. All us grannies are a pushover for a sweet grandson.
Barb Breternitz
Dove Creek, Colorado
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Karma Catches Up
EARLY Irish sagas teach us that bad judgments of rulers result in disasters such as bad weather, economic ruin, famines and crop failure.
The decision of Fianna Fail and the National Roads Authority to desecrate Tara’s immediate landscape, the Gabhra Valley, in July 2007 was a bad judgment. The M3 opened this year.
We have lost our sovereignty. What did we unleash? Need I see more?
Dr. Muireann Ní Bhrolcháin
Co. Kildare, Ireland
The decision of Fianna Fail and the National Roads Authority to desecrate Tara’s immediate landscape, the Gabhra Valley, in July 2007 was a bad judgment. The M3 opened this year.
We have lost our sovereignty. What did we unleash? Need I see more?
Dr. Muireann Ní Bhrolcháin
Co. Kildare, Ireland
The Tiger Tamer
IN what has been a very depressing time for the Irish people, it once again took a sports star to get them out of their doldrums as the week closed out.
With the economy in a shambles and triple and quadruple murders on the same day, I honestly can't remember anything like it since The Troubles at their peak back in the early 1970s.
On Sunday evening, Graeme McDowell came from four shots back to defeat Tiger Woods in his own backyard to cap a magnificent six month spell for the Irishman.
McDowell’s final three holes were out of this world, and the best by far under enormous pressure I've ever seen from any golfer, with monster putts to keep him in contention.
He ruined the NBC announcers’ planned celebrations as they were already showing the TV audience how many days had elapsed since Tiger's last win, and they were practically speechless when McDowell pulled victory from the jaws of almost certain defeat and put an end to Tiger's final chance of victory this year.
Lee Westwood may be number one on the computer rankings right now, but there's no doubt in my mind that Ulsterman McDowell is number one on the golf course.
In June he became the first Irishman in history to win a U.S. Open, followed up with the winning putt at the Ryder Cup in Wales, and now ends the year in dramatic fashion by defeating the greatest golfer ever in a playoff, with a never-say-die attitude and nerves of steel to match.
At least it should give Ireland's media something positive to report on for a change, before the budget from hell which is due out this week.
Sean McPhillips
College Point, New York
With the economy in a shambles and triple and quadruple murders on the same day, I honestly can't remember anything like it since The Troubles at their peak back in the early 1970s.
On Sunday evening, Graeme McDowell came from four shots back to defeat Tiger Woods in his own backyard to cap a magnificent six month spell for the Irishman.
McDowell’s final three holes were out of this world, and the best by far under enormous pressure I've ever seen from any golfer, with monster putts to keep him in contention.
He ruined the NBC announcers’ planned celebrations as they were already showing the TV audience how many days had elapsed since Tiger's last win, and they were practically speechless when McDowell pulled victory from the jaws of almost certain defeat and put an end to Tiger's final chance of victory this year.
Lee Westwood may be number one on the computer rankings right now, but there's no doubt in my mind that Ulsterman McDowell is number one on the golf course.
In June he became the first Irishman in history to win a U.S. Open, followed up with the winning putt at the Ryder Cup in Wales, and now ends the year in dramatic fashion by defeating the greatest golfer ever in a playoff, with a never-say-die attitude and nerves of steel to match.
At least it should give Ireland's media something positive to report on for a change, before the budget from hell which is due out this week.
Sean McPhillips
College Point, New York
GOP Out of Touch
CORPORATE "feudalism" threatens to destroy our democracy. One of our greatest presidents, Abraham Lincoln, predicted the coming of the corporate Robber Barons in the 1880s with these prophetic words in 1864:
"I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. . . . Corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed."
On October 2, at out One Nation Working Together rally for jobs, justice and education at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington (which drew 250,000 people from all over the country), singer/activist Harry Belafonte echoed Lincoln's fear of corporate tyranny.
Belafonte talked about the new corporate fascism we now have in the world, where workers everywhere become disposable and where the only aim is corporate profits and a mad "race to the bottom" -- i.e., to slave labor countries like Vietnam and Bangladesh (where workers are exploited for 25 cents an hour) and Cambodia (where workers make 22 cents an hour).
And while 26 million Americans now are either unemployed or underemployed, the criminal bankers on Wall Street continue to give themselves billions of dollars in bonuses.
After Belafonte's great speech, my friends and I realized that America is fast becoming a 21st century corporate feudal society.
With the huge gap between the wealth of the rich and the poor and the shrinking middle class, we now have the "lords" who use their wealth to promote their own ends with the "vassals" (read "members of Congress") and the serfs who will work for anything to keep their families alive.
The corporate executives who do business with China and other cheap labor countries at the expense of U.S. jobs and manufacturing are thieves and traitors.
Corporate executives who take advantage of cheap foreign labor and factories overseas seem to forget that when they bring the product back into the country, the people they need to buy it can't afford to because their jobs were sent overseas.
These executives understand the severe economic damage this outsourcing does to American workers, but they primarily are concerned with corporate profits, not the economic interest and future of our nation. With the outsourcing of over 40 million jobs since 1980, these corporate executives are guilty of economic treason.
Big business and the banks do not want to hire more. They are doing just fine with outsourcing and derivatives, and more labor costs equal less profit for them.
Meanwhile, the GOP's "Pledge to America" (which should be called "Pledge to Corporations") offers more of the same toxic stuff (i.e., more tax cuts for the rich, repeal of health care, more deregulation) that got America into the worst economic recession since the 1930s.
The GOP has shown itself to be completely out of touch with the lives of ordinary people. Why anyone would support these corporate shills is beyond me.
Unfortunately, our country is filled with non-thinkers (as well as millions of fools who are willfully brainwashed everyday by Fox News and the corporate media) who happily will vote against their own best interests. They will remain willfully ignorant and proud of it.
James V. Burke
Sayreville, New Jersey
"I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. . . . Corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed."
On October 2, at out One Nation Working Together rally for jobs, justice and education at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington (which drew 250,000 people from all over the country), singer/activist Harry Belafonte echoed Lincoln's fear of corporate tyranny.
Belafonte talked about the new corporate fascism we now have in the world, where workers everywhere become disposable and where the only aim is corporate profits and a mad "race to the bottom" -- i.e., to slave labor countries like Vietnam and Bangladesh (where workers are exploited for 25 cents an hour) and Cambodia (where workers make 22 cents an hour).
And while 26 million Americans now are either unemployed or underemployed, the criminal bankers on Wall Street continue to give themselves billions of dollars in bonuses.
After Belafonte's great speech, my friends and I realized that America is fast becoming a 21st century corporate feudal society.
With the huge gap between the wealth of the rich and the poor and the shrinking middle class, we now have the "lords" who use their wealth to promote their own ends with the "vassals" (read "members of Congress") and the serfs who will work for anything to keep their families alive.
The corporate executives who do business with China and other cheap labor countries at the expense of U.S. jobs and manufacturing are thieves and traitors.
Corporate executives who take advantage of cheap foreign labor and factories overseas seem to forget that when they bring the product back into the country, the people they need to buy it can't afford to because their jobs were sent overseas.
These executives understand the severe economic damage this outsourcing does to American workers, but they primarily are concerned with corporate profits, not the economic interest and future of our nation. With the outsourcing of over 40 million jobs since 1980, these corporate executives are guilty of economic treason.
Big business and the banks do not want to hire more. They are doing just fine with outsourcing and derivatives, and more labor costs equal less profit for them.
Meanwhile, the GOP's "Pledge to America" (which should be called "Pledge to Corporations") offers more of the same toxic stuff (i.e., more tax cuts for the rich, repeal of health care, more deregulation) that got America into the worst economic recession since the 1930s.
The GOP has shown itself to be completely out of touch with the lives of ordinary people. Why anyone would support these corporate shills is beyond me.
Unfortunately, our country is filled with non-thinkers (as well as millions of fools who are willfully brainwashed everyday by Fox News and the corporate media) who happily will vote against their own best interests. They will remain willfully ignorant and proud of it.
James V. Burke
Sayreville, New Jersey
IMF Horror Show
I URGE every Irish man and woman to read page 18 of the 40 page PDF file drafted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF)/EU masters.
It states under iii Structural Reforms: “Transfer of responsibility for water services provision from local authorities to a water authority, as appropriate with a view to start charging in 2012/2013.”
What this really means is that ordinary Irish citizens will have to pay for water beginning in 2012. The transference of water from local control to an “authority” will pave the way for privatization of water, probably to a U.K. or French private corporation.
Irish people will be under the control of foreign shareholders in accessing their own water!
Another “reform” will be gas and electricity, again with the long-term view of forcing the Irish people to sell off the ESB, Irish Gas Board, etc.
No longer will Irish people have control over their natural resources. Instead some behemoth in another country will control the distribution and price of precious and necessary resources.
These are real reasons the IMF and EU want to further push debt on Ireland.
Page 20 recommends lowering tax credits and increasing property tax, further squeezing the middle classes.
These are just some of the menu items on the IMF’s list of “reforms.” A more “flexible” labor market is also sought, a euphemism for ensuring people work harder for less.
The end result is a creation of a dependent population on IMF handouts, a compliant government that represents and shields the very people that wrecked the economy, and an increase in the number of serfs in the economy.
By gutting social services and increasing the retirement age, Irish government officials via the IMF will ensure that older people pay more and work longer. These were the very people who through sacrifice and effort created the “Celtic Tiger.”
As I have written in several letters to this paper, Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Brian Cowen was the finance minister at the dawning of the Celtic Tiger. He needs to be impeached for financial treason and large numbers of protesters need to block his entrance from Dáil Éireann immediately!
A.P. Ó Máille
New York, New York
It states under iii Structural Reforms: “Transfer of responsibility for water services provision from local authorities to a water authority, as appropriate with a view to start charging in 2012/2013.”
What this really means is that ordinary Irish citizens will have to pay for water beginning in 2012. The transference of water from local control to an “authority” will pave the way for privatization of water, probably to a U.K. or French private corporation.
Irish people will be under the control of foreign shareholders in accessing their own water!
Another “reform” will be gas and electricity, again with the long-term view of forcing the Irish people to sell off the ESB, Irish Gas Board, etc.
No longer will Irish people have control over their natural resources. Instead some behemoth in another country will control the distribution and price of precious and necessary resources.
These are real reasons the IMF and EU want to further push debt on Ireland.
Page 20 recommends lowering tax credits and increasing property tax, further squeezing the middle classes.
These are just some of the menu items on the IMF’s list of “reforms.” A more “flexible” labor market is also sought, a euphemism for ensuring people work harder for less.
The end result is a creation of a dependent population on IMF handouts, a compliant government that represents and shields the very people that wrecked the economy, and an increase in the number of serfs in the economy.
By gutting social services and increasing the retirement age, Irish government officials via the IMF will ensure that older people pay more and work longer. These were the very people who through sacrifice and effort created the “Celtic Tiger.”
As I have written in several letters to this paper, Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Brian Cowen was the finance minister at the dawning of the Celtic Tiger. He needs to be impeached for financial treason and large numbers of protesters need to block his entrance from Dáil Éireann immediately!
A.P. Ó Máille
New York, New York
Thursday, December 2, 2010
CEOs for Government
I COMPLIMENT you on your coverage of the Irish banking and financial crisis in last week’s issue. John Spain in particular has been spot on these past few months predicting what was going to happen.
Reading his columns was like watching a bad movie that you already knew the ending to. You wanted to hit the pause button so many times and re-write the script, but the incompetent leaders in both the government and banking sector made that impossible.
Spain wrote a few weeks back that the government is basically run by former schoolteachers and inexperienced locals who have no idea how to operate a business. I think the next government that comes into power must include people who have thorough economic backgrounds – a former CEO of a major corporation, for example.
This will likely never happen, but it should. I have been watching the likes of Fine Gael party leader Enda Kenny in action, and he definitely does not inspire a great deal of confidence. What experience does he have in dealing with a crisis of the magnitude that Ireland is facing?
And Sinn Fein? What exactly is their economic policy? I shudder to think.
I hope that the next Irish leaders at least have the good sense to enlist some very experienced business thinkers to help get them out of the mess that they are in, because they will not be able to do it on their own.
There are many Irish American business experts who no doubt would love to lend a helping hand. The Irish government should call on their skills, and know that they would do the right thing for the country.
I know times are hard in Ireland, but I for one will continue to make my annual trips with my family, and will continue to enjoy the best of the country. It was much cheaper this summer for our Irish holidays, we noticed, and maybe next year a vacation will be even more reasonably priced.
That’s a good thing. Things had gotten out of hand in Ireland, price wise, so maybe now merchants will learn some hard lessons. I look forward to seeing if that’s the case next summer.
In the meantime, good luck to all the Irish. Your history tells that you’ve overcome worse than this current crisis, and you’ll persevere once again.
Vincent Kelly
Providence, Rhode Island
Reading his columns was like watching a bad movie that you already knew the ending to. You wanted to hit the pause button so many times and re-write the script, but the incompetent leaders in both the government and banking sector made that impossible.
Spain wrote a few weeks back that the government is basically run by former schoolteachers and inexperienced locals who have no idea how to operate a business. I think the next government that comes into power must include people who have thorough economic backgrounds – a former CEO of a major corporation, for example.
This will likely never happen, but it should. I have been watching the likes of Fine Gael party leader Enda Kenny in action, and he definitely does not inspire a great deal of confidence. What experience does he have in dealing with a crisis of the magnitude that Ireland is facing?
And Sinn Fein? What exactly is their economic policy? I shudder to think.
I hope that the next Irish leaders at least have the good sense to enlist some very experienced business thinkers to help get them out of the mess that they are in, because they will not be able to do it on their own.
There are many Irish American business experts who no doubt would love to lend a helping hand. The Irish government should call on their skills, and know that they would do the right thing for the country.
I know times are hard in Ireland, but I for one will continue to make my annual trips with my family, and will continue to enjoy the best of the country. It was much cheaper this summer for our Irish holidays, we noticed, and maybe next year a vacation will be even more reasonably priced.
That’s a good thing. Things had gotten out of hand in Ireland, price wise, so maybe now merchants will learn some hard lessons. I look forward to seeing if that’s the case next summer.
In the meantime, good luck to all the Irish. Your history tells that you’ve overcome worse than this current crisis, and you’ll persevere once again.
Vincent Kelly
Providence, Rhode Island
All for Nothing
I AM writing regarding Kathleen Kemmey’s letter “Sinn Fein Lies” (November 17-23), and also the recent Irish Voice articles on Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams going to Louth to contest the upcoming elections in the Republic, so that he can be on the political front in Dublin.
It is an amazing transformation from leader of Sinn Fein, to one being led by a government of insecure liars who have done not one thing to help out the people who put them into office to begin with.
By someone saying that the Orange Order doesn’t exist is a lie. As for the Sinn Fein guests who spoke in New York on November 5, making such a statement is truly a lot of propaganda. I wonder if these guests were connected to the U.S. Justice Department instead of the Friends of Sinn Fein?
The violence in the six counties that occurred on July 12, 2010 was brought about by the Orange Order, who wanted to march through the Nationalist, Catholic neighborhoods. They speak of “peace” with other governments, like the U.S., the great British ally, and rub it into the Nationalist and Catholics’ face, all in the name of “peace.”
And when the people who are taught and know the truth rise up against this type of atrocity, all hell breaks loose.
It’s all about good cop, bad cop, and making the IRA look bad. Plus, when one of your own calls you a traitor and a dissident, it truly makes you look bad.
When politicians sleep with the enemy for greed, then turn around and straight out lie to the party supporters, it is no wonder that all of the party’s efforts on both sides of the pond have been for naught.
Lorcan McCoy
Terre Haute, Indiana
It is an amazing transformation from leader of Sinn Fein, to one being led by a government of insecure liars who have done not one thing to help out the people who put them into office to begin with.
By someone saying that the Orange Order doesn’t exist is a lie. As for the Sinn Fein guests who spoke in New York on November 5, making such a statement is truly a lot of propaganda. I wonder if these guests were connected to the U.S. Justice Department instead of the Friends of Sinn Fein?
The violence in the six counties that occurred on July 12, 2010 was brought about by the Orange Order, who wanted to march through the Nationalist, Catholic neighborhoods. They speak of “peace” with other governments, like the U.S., the great British ally, and rub it into the Nationalist and Catholics’ face, all in the name of “peace.”
And when the people who are taught and know the truth rise up against this type of atrocity, all hell breaks loose.
It’s all about good cop, bad cop, and making the IRA look bad. Plus, when one of your own calls you a traitor and a dissident, it truly makes you look bad.
When politicians sleep with the enemy for greed, then turn around and straight out lie to the party supporters, it is no wonder that all of the party’s efforts on both sides of the pond have been for naught.
Lorcan McCoy
Terre Haute, Indiana
Keep it Local
IN his letter in last week’s issue, Thomas Gaffney stated that Gerry Adams should stay up North where he lives, and not run in the upcoming election in the Irish Republic.
The extension of that logic would be that Mr. Gaffney should keep his opinion in Hartford, Connecticut where he lives.
Bobby Schauder
Flushing, New York
The extension of that logic would be that Mr. Gaffney should keep his opinion in Hartford, Connecticut where he lives.
Bobby Schauder
Flushing, New York
Shame on Us!
THE Irish Voice response from senior editor Debbie McGoldrick about Christina Walsh and her family in the issue of November 17-23 was weak.
Sure you have the right to publish news of interest to the Irish community, but you didn't have to splatter the whole Walsh family over the front page. I'm very disappointed in you, like a lot of others.
No doubt it will sell papers in Woodlawn, but I thought the Irish Voice would have more sensitivity than to blast the Walsh family's pain on the front page! How would anyone on your editorial board feel if this was about one of his/her family?
Report it yes, but not like a tabloid! Shame on you, Irish Voice!
Catherine Hart
Scarsdale, New York
Sure you have the right to publish news of interest to the Irish community, but you didn't have to splatter the whole Walsh family over the front page. I'm very disappointed in you, like a lot of others.
No doubt it will sell papers in Woodlawn, but I thought the Irish Voice would have more sensitivity than to blast the Walsh family's pain on the front page! How would anyone on your editorial board feel if this was about one of his/her family?
Report it yes, but not like a tabloid! Shame on you, Irish Voice!
Catherine Hart
Scarsdale, New York
New Cup of Tea
THE race for the House seat in Illinois’ 8th Congressional District gives an answer to the midterm election. It’s a Republican leaning district. But three term Congresswoman Melissa Bean was considered to be a shoo-in.
The 8th District is a mixed suburban and rural district that sprawls over three counties 30 to 60 miles northwest of downtown Chicago. To add to her incumbency, Bean had the support of the entire Chicago area media, plenty of money and a strong rapport with the area’s business community.
By contrast her Republican opponent, Joe Walsh, was labeled as a Tea Party extremist. He had no support from the Republican Party, no media support, little money and no name recognition. His strength was a core of Tea Party activists who mounted an arduous grassroots campaign for him.
After two weeks, Walsh won by a scant 291 vote margin out of nearly 196,000 votes cast. It was the closest Congressional race in the nation and one of the election’s biggest upsets.
So, what went wrong for Melissa Bean?
First, Bean didn’t commit on the health care bill until the night of the vote when she finally joined the Democratic majority. Also, while others held town hall meetings on health care during the summer of 2009, Bean refused to do so.
Then, she finally held a meeting in a busy supermarket. Not only was it inconvenient for the store’s shoppers, but Bean didn’t even show up for her own meeting because of a family member’s illness.
Second, instead of campaigning on her record as a three term incumbent, Bean launched a campaign of attack ads against Walsh. Not only did Bean’s ads upset voters who might have supported her, they gave Walsh the media attention that he so desperately needed. In addition to giving him a name and a face, these ads also defined Walsh’s positions and thereby helped to define his candidacy.
Third, Bean at first refused to debate Walsh, and then agreed to one debate. But this debate was held well after Bean’s attack ads had already made Walsh known. So instead of Bean’s supporters being at the debate, Walsh’s Tea Party activists were predominant.
In conceding, Bean was very gracious, and I hope she stays politically active. But in the meantime, I hope she becomes smarter about politics and campaigning.
At least, I hope she’s learned that holding a meeting in a busy supermarket doesn’t exactly do the trick.
Dave Schulz
Hawthorn Woods, Illinois
The 8th District is a mixed suburban and rural district that sprawls over three counties 30 to 60 miles northwest of downtown Chicago. To add to her incumbency, Bean had the support of the entire Chicago area media, plenty of money and a strong rapport with the area’s business community.
By contrast her Republican opponent, Joe Walsh, was labeled as a Tea Party extremist. He had no support from the Republican Party, no media support, little money and no name recognition. His strength was a core of Tea Party activists who mounted an arduous grassroots campaign for him.
After two weeks, Walsh won by a scant 291 vote margin out of nearly 196,000 votes cast. It was the closest Congressional race in the nation and one of the election’s biggest upsets.
So, what went wrong for Melissa Bean?
First, Bean didn’t commit on the health care bill until the night of the vote when she finally joined the Democratic majority. Also, while others held town hall meetings on health care during the summer of 2009, Bean refused to do so.
Then, she finally held a meeting in a busy supermarket. Not only was it inconvenient for the store’s shoppers, but Bean didn’t even show up for her own meeting because of a family member’s illness.
Second, instead of campaigning on her record as a three term incumbent, Bean launched a campaign of attack ads against Walsh. Not only did Bean’s ads upset voters who might have supported her, they gave Walsh the media attention that he so desperately needed. In addition to giving him a name and a face, these ads also defined Walsh’s positions and thereby helped to define his candidacy.
Third, Bean at first refused to debate Walsh, and then agreed to one debate. But this debate was held well after Bean’s attack ads had already made Walsh known. So instead of Bean’s supporters being at the debate, Walsh’s Tea Party activists were predominant.
In conceding, Bean was very gracious, and I hope she stays politically active. But in the meantime, I hope she becomes smarter about politics and campaigning.
At least, I hope she’s learned that holding a meeting in a busy supermarket doesn’t exactly do the trick.
Dave Schulz
Hawthorn Woods, Illinois
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)