Defending Protestants

Another glorious July 12 has come and gone and the national socialists of Sinn Fein/IRA didn’t disappoint.

In Dunloy the Nationalist fundamentalists prevented the Orange brethren from driving from their hall to a Presbyterian church in the village for a wreath laying ceremony. After the police had cleared the illegal ‘’protest’’ six hours later the brethren finally got through.

Back in Ardoyne it was a long and hot night as bandsmen and supporters were attacked by “peaceful” Catholics. Once again the fascists of Sinn Fein/IRA have shown their fanatical hatred of anything British and Protestant.

Peaceful protest to them means throwing blast bombs, bricks and missiles at defenseless young mothers and elderly pensioners. If Republicans were really tolerant they would just let the parades pass by and then there would be no need for a large police and army presence. Now we all know that they thrive on confrontation.

When the Republican stormtroopers demand Orangemen march in their own neighborhoods only, does that logic apply also to blacks, Asians, Muslims and all other minorities? If you are consistent it does.

Perhaps the Irish Catholic only Patrick’s Day parade in New York City should be moved to Catholic neighborhoods only. No Prods need apply. No sectarian marches on Fifth Avenue.

The world knows how intolerant and bigoted Republicans are. No one is fooled by the weasley words of Sinn Fein/IRA war criminals.

Take the orange off the Tricolor and keep it real. You all never meant to live in peace with Protestants. Nationalists just don’t want a Prod about the place.

Fanatical Nationalists think alike no matter what era they live in. The intolerant hatemongers of Sinn Fein/IRA are the war criminals that the people of Ireland can live without.

No one needs their sectarian hatred. It’s time top speak up for your Protestant neighbors before it is too late.

Jonathan Ellis, Bronx, New York

Third World Corruption

In a recent speech President George W. Bush said, “Nobody wants to give money to a country that is corrupt, where leaders take money and put it in their pocket.”

Why then do we do it? The international community has been propping up a whole plethora of corrupt regimes in Africa for decades. And we wonder why millions remain desperately poor and dependent on aid on this continent?

President Bush seems deeply concerned at the level of corruption which exists in the Third World countries and he has reason to be. In excess of $400 billion was siphoned off by corrupt leaders and their officials in Third World countries last year. And the problem is growing.

Until the international community is prepared to take meaningful action against corrupt leaders, the situation in Third World countries in respect of poverty levels for those at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder will remain disastrous.

Corruption is the single greatest impediment to aid. This I have found to be the case in 28 years of daily involvement in trying to get aid to those in greatest need.

John O’Shea GOAL USA, New York, New York

Gaelic Is Alive, John!

AH, sure John Spain has us all off to the wake for the Irish language, or the Gaeilge teanga. The box open, nails and hammer in his hand, perhaps a spike to drive through it.

But somehow I think there is a bit of Lazarus in the old tongue yet. When I read his column “Gaelic Is Marbh — Dead!” in the June 22-28 issue it was like Gaeilge 101. He had more Gaeilge words than one would see in any other of his columns.

Do you think John is sure that the language is dead? Well, I was impressed by his use of so much Gaeilge in his column.

Spain claims that less than 100,000 speak Gaeilge in Ireland. Now, out of a population of 5,000,000-plus that is around 2%.

In one of his paragraphs there were 30 words, and six were in Gaelic. Hell John, that’s 20% lad! You’re doing a lot better than the rest of the country!

Spain claims English is the dominant language of the world. I ask the question — what English?

I once saw a documentary on Northern Ireland that had English subtitles. Same language, different ways to speak it.

You hear the best English spoken in the world in Dublin. And then again that cockney chatter, just what is that?

Spain said the Irish language is as dead as a Dodo, capital D. Dodo — I thought, is this a Irish word I am not aware of, being that it is capitalized?

No, it was John’s way of showing respect for things others may not find likeable. Only John could take the English language and put it in its top form by capitalizing the word dodo.

Bill Ashe, Corona, California

Stop Insulting Catholics

TheOrange march in Ardoyne made my blood boil. I can’t believe that Protestants, in a time like this, would march for such an unreasonable cause that they know will undoubtedly end up in violence.

As a Catholic I was not only angry but appalled at such behavior. I’m not a radical in my belief, but I do believe that protesting another’s faith, just because you believe yours is right, is not only childish but wrong.

Just seeing that man dress as a nun on Page 3 of last week’s Irish Voice to insult the Catholics made me infuriated. The North’s Protestants believe they can do what they want, stride around in their orange color, protected by the British.

In my last and my first letter to the Irish Voice I tried to keep a neutral mind and prove that Ireland and England were wrong. Now it’s hard for the North to show me it has changed in the past years. If the Catholics in Ireland were to march mocking the Protestants what do you think the outcome would be?

Basically, what the North said in their protest through Catholic areas was that they wanted to test the Catholics, and maybe in turn, the IRA. If they want to play with fire, they will get burned.

Parading around mocking the Catholics is one of the dumbest, ill-thought out ideas the North’s Protestants have had in a long time. Even Gerry Adams tried to keep peace, yet they still mock him and Sinn Fein.

They say they want the IRA to disband and for Adams to take measures to stop violence, but if they continue to do these acts they will never have the peace they seek. I wanted to stay neutral, but I suppose it’s almost impossible to when my faith is a mockery to some idiotic group of people who have too much time on their hands.

If they want violence to stop it should start with the North taking some responsibility for what has happened and probably will happen in the future.

Brendan Muckian-Bates, Valencia, Pennsylvania

Documentary Help

I am writing from Stirling TV Productions in Belfast, where I am researching a documentary series on the social history of the North of Ireland (1900 to the mid-1970s), told using amateur film material. It is to be broadcast on the Irish language TG Cahir.

I wish to ask if any Irish Voice readers are aware of any collections of home cinema (8mm/super-8/9.5mm/16mm) shot in the North of Ireland (i.e., Derry, Donegal, Belfast, Bangor, etc.) and brought to the U.S. during emigration?

The paucity of amateur material here, and the scale of emigration in past decades, leads me to make this enquiry in the hope that there are significant collections in archives, known to be held by private collectors, or perhaps existing among your readership.

Any advice or suggestions would be gratefully received. Please contact me at Stirling Film and TV Productions, 137 University Street, Belfast, BT7 1HP, Northern Ireland, phone 011-44-2890-333848.

Ben Pask, Belfast, Northern Irelandd