O’Sullivan Benefit

I AM writing to express my heartfelt thanks and deep appreciation of all the parties involved in the recent fundraising effort at Tara Circle’s Alder Manor on June 17.

I have been astounded and humbled by the generosity and goodness of the Irish and non-Irish American community. They have freely donated so much of their time, skills and financial help to me and my family with the aforementioned benefit, and an ongoing raffle and Internet auction.

In our present age, it is all too easy to be cynical. However, my eyes were opened to the community’s deep faith (many prayers were and are being offered for my continued recovery from cancer), and an innate willingness to unconditionally give of themselves.

In time to come, I can only hope that I will be able to give back to the community some of the support that they have given me lately.

Space constraints will not allow me to thank individuals as I would wish. However, I do wish to mention the Herculean efforts of the Jerry O’Sullivan Benefit Fund Committee, Tara Circle for graciously allowing the use of Alder Manor, the artists who so freely gave of their time and talent, and the members of the community who supported and are supporting the activities of the committee. Bail o Dhia orthu (May God prosper them!)

Jerry O’Sullivan

Yonkers, New York

The Bush Talk and Walk

WHILE reading about the Protestant march attempted down Garvaghy Road in Portadown, I was reminded of all the letters to the editor praising President Clinton for his resolution to the conflict in Northern Ireland. 

The Irish of all people should understand there is no political quick fix to something that has fermented as long as the “Troubles,” and unless England retires from Ireland everything else is just show and tell. 

Of course with the Irish flying their true colors on President Bush’s recent visit they should be concerned about an armed invasion. Bush doesn’t just talk the talk, he has been known to walk the walk. 

Jerry Hoosier 

Cypress, California

Go Ahead, PleaseLeave!

I WAS very touched by the letter from Kathleen Erickson of Brooklyn Park that appeared in last week’s Irish Voice.

Kathleen declared that she was always been proud to be Irish American but now is only proud to be Irish, so much so that she is entertaining thoughts of returning to Ireland, although she states that her ancestors left Ireland and came here during the potato famine.

My heart goes out to her. If she is not proud of being American, I think she should go back to Ireland as quickly as she can. No one should stay in a nation of which they are not proud and have never experienced such hardships as exists in America right now.

Kathleen should not entertain thoughts of “returning,” but act. Just do it Kathleen and please let me know how I can further help you “return.”

John Murphy

Orangeburg, New York

Colombia Three Distortions

IN his letter “Facts on Colombian Rebel,” in last week’s issue, Stephen M. McCabe, of the Long Island Brehon Law Society, distorts or omits the facts of Sinn Fein/IRA involvement with the Colombian narco-terrorists, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

Firstly, the three Sinn Fein/IRA members who were on trial in Colombia were not “acquitted.” They were found guilty of entering Colombia using false/forged passports. Using a forged passport is a very serious offense anywhere, but particularly so in Colombia, where the country is in a state of war. 

The democratically elected government is waging a war against a violent narco-terrorist group who had murdered thousands of innocent Colombians. For that offense alone the three Sinn Fein/IRA members should have received the most severe punishment, a long imprisonment at the very least. 

Their guilt and their offense should not be minimized. The charge against “the three Irish people,” (as Gerry Adams called them) of training FARC has not been finally determined and is on appeal. 

The “Colombia Three” as Sinn Fein/IRA likes to refer to them are not permitted to leave Colombia, until the appeal is heard and a decision given. The case is far from over, and the low paid, inexperienced Colombian government attorneys may yet prevail over the very expensive private Colombian lawyers hired and paid for by Sinn Fein/IRA. 

There was also political pressure put on the Colombian judge by the Irish government and Sinn Fein supporters, including several naive and misguided Americans who went to Colombia as “observers.”

FARC claims on their website that their first enemy is the United States. They have kidnapped and murdered many Americans, including civilian workers as well as members of our government agencies working in Colombia. The United States has several thousand troops in Colombia at the request of the Colombian government, and our troops are a target of FARC.

Let us look at some facts. Two of the three have been found guilty in Ireland of terrorist offenses, and the third, Niall Connolly, is the Sinn Fein/IRA “envoy” to the terrorist state of Cuba. It is believed that he is the Sinn Fein/IRA liaison between that group and FARC. 

The three used very professionally forged passports and took circuitous routes to get to Colombia. They have never given any credible reason for their trip to the war area controlled by FARC. 

At first they claimed to be eco-tourists, but then changed that lie and claimed that they were in Colombia to “observe the peace process.” There are several European and Colombian groups active in the Colombian peace movement, but the three members of Sinn Fein/IRA are unknown to anyone in those groups, and they never made any attempt to contact those groups.

Sinn Fein/IRA have never denied that the men were on an IRA “operation.” The closest they came was to claim that the men were not sent by (get this) “the IRA Army Council,” which is about as equivocal and deceptive as you can get. 

Sinn Fein/IRA are masters of deception and lies and are referred to as “Spin Fein,” because of their skill at spinning the truth. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the case of the “Colombian Three.”

When the three Sinn Fein/IRA members were arrested Gerry Adams denied for many weeks that he even knew “the three Irish people.” Then the lies began to unravel, and Sinn Fein/IRA finally admitted that the three were members and began the campaign to defend them. 

The defense is built on lies and millions (likely illegal proceeds) paid by Sinn Fein/IRA, including large payments to a forensic “expert for hire.”

In December 2001, just a few months after the three members of Sinn Fein/IRA were arrested, Adams visited Cuba and praised Fidel Castro while he condemned our nation, the United States. Cuba is the main supporter of South American terrorists, and in particular FARC. This is where Sinn Fein/IRA “envoy” Niall Connolly fits in.

At their annual convention, Sinn Fein/IRA gives overwhelming support to FARC and other international terrorists groups. Leaders of FARC, Fidel Castro and Yasser Arafat and other terrorists are invited to the that convention every year. 

When there is a mention of these terrorists, the Sinn Fein/IRA members cheer while they hiss and boo at the mention of our country, the United States. The flags of terrorist groups are flown in Sinn Fein/IRA controlled areas of Belfast, and there are strict orders that the American flag cannot be flown. 

It should be noted that our flag and the flag of our allies are prominent in Unionist areas. Sinn Fein/IRA is an enemy of the United States, and it amounts to treason for an American to continue to support them in any way.

Patrick McVeigh

Floral Park, New York