IRA Damaged Themselves

The IRA demonized itself when it departed from the role of protector and swooped like buzzards to the role of rulers of the people. The IRA/Sinn Fein organization has shown a disregard for human vales and human life in a manner more brutal the Tans and the B Men, especially because the IRA at one time claimed to carry the mantel of the Gaels of old. I grew up in Murder Triangle and I know too well the truth of the situation in the North.

The IRA/Sinn Fein members are purest examples of the scavengers who pick over the bones of the dead on a battlefield.

Senator Ted Kennedy did the noble thing by freezing Adams out and embracing the McCartneys. Murder most foul should not be held up as positive example of how to behave in public to the people of Ireland.

Those who would castigate the family members of Robert McCartney and praise the killers are truly worthy of membership in the IRA/Sinn Fein fold.

Patrick J. Corr, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

How Did We Elect Bush?

The Terri Schiavo case is yet another example of the fundamentalist Bush brothers trying to impose their combined converted Catholic (Jeb) and born again (George) faiths on us all, and kissing the behinds of the neo conservatives such as the ethically challenged Tom Delay and his cohorts in Congress.

This writer was willing to live with the opening of Alaska’s frontiers for oil “glory,” the debacle that is Iraq, the withholding of prisoners rights in Gitmo and so on, but the Schiavo case compelled me to write and ask the American people once again how they could have put this moron and his henchmen back in power .

Not alone have Bush and the neo cons gone against every court ruling in 15 years, but they gave Ms. Schiavo’s parents false hope, along with dragging her very valiant husband’s character through the mud.

I was amazed at the video diagnosing by non-neurologist and non-practicing doctors who happen to be part of the neo con Congress.

The hypocrisy in the Schiavo case was appalling. Hopefully Ms. Schiavo has met her maker and the people of America will at last wake up to the fact that we have very dangerous people in leadership positions in this great country.

Dessie Coogan, Astoria, New York

Gaelic Language? Duh!

On our second trip to Copan in Honduras we traveled with a young lady who could read the hieroglyphics found on the stele which explained the history of that ancient site and made our visit much more meaningful.

She had a reason to be able to do so, being a doctorial candidate in Mayan Languages. Why anybody else would want to do so is beyond me, which brings me to the story I read last week where students paying $40,000 a year to attend Notre Dame are wasting their time learning the ancient language of the Hibernia. Irish history okay, Irish language duh!

I can’t even see how Gaelic could be considered a hobby. My teeth grate when the Irish Colleen I’m married to tells my grandson to “haska-lan-daris” (thank god for phonics as you could never spell it) on one of those few days in California when we have to shut the door to keep the house warm.

Jerry Hoosier, Cypress, California

Correct Grammar, Please

Niall O’Dowd charged Senator Ted Kennedy in his Periscope column in the March 9-15 issue with making a mistake for failing to meet with Gerry Adams.

However, Niall appears to have made a grammatical mistake himself for failing to have the verb and subject agree in the following sentence. He wrote, “But believing that and actually excluding Sinn Fein from discussion is two different things.” My old sixth class grammar book taught me that a plural subject requires a plural verb.

In bygone days many a knuckle got the edge of the ruler for such a grammatical transgression. However, given the subject matter about which Niall is writing, such an apparent grammatical indiscretion is almost understandable.

Sometimes when writing about Sinn Fein and the IRA, it is difficult to know whether they represent a singular or plural entity. Even a mathematician using a combination of set theory, correlational analysis and probability theory would be hard put to decipher that relationship.

Anyway Niall, you are quite free to disagree with Ted, but you must have the subject and verb agree in the sentence.

Frank Brady, Yonkers, New York

In Praise of Bruton

The appointment of the former Taoiseach (Prime Minister) John Bruton as the European Union’s ambassador to the U.S. is a signal from the EU of its commitment to bridge the gap left in the wake of the commencement of the war in Iraq.

It demonstrates a commitment from Europe to put a relationship that is worth the EU and U.S. billions of dollars per annum back on the agenda, and shows that Europe has put its trust in someone who recently participated in the formulation of a new constitution for the EU.

Bruton brings a wealth of experience to his new position as ambassador to Washington. He is unapologetic when it comes to his belief in the European Ideal and has used his experiences from working with politicians of various political colors throughout his political career.

Like many of his predecessors in the job as taoiseach of Ireland, the art of a negotiator was something he had to learn quickly, and is a skill, which, will be of immense benefit to Europe and the U.S. as they prepare to forge new links in the future.

With President Bush’s second term underway it is clear that the U.S. is equally as anxious to get on with the job of putting the recent EU-U.S. difficulties behind everyone. Bruton’s arrival from a small, English speaking, non-aligned neutral country with huge links to the U.S. and an overwhelming commitment to a progressive, inclusive EU, with his experience of being able to identify political problems and negotiate his way around them, has to bode well for the future.

Councilor Patrick O’Donovan, Limerick, Ireland

God Bless John Paul II

I am so sorry to see the passing of Pope John Paul II. I was in Dublin at the Mass he celebrated at the Phoenix Park, and it’s an event I will never forget.

Even though he was miles away physically, his spirit and his holiness touched me just as if I was having my own private audience with him. John Paul was a champion of all races and cultures, and he connected with the Irish people in a way that I doubt will ever happen again in our lifetimes.

I live and work in New York now, and I’ve passed on my story of being in the presence of greatness to my husband and children umpteen times. Most of us never have that chance, and I’m glad I was still home to cherish every minute of it.

Ireland was a different country when Pope John Paul II visited. It was in many ways a kinder and gentler place, though the problems were many.

Now we’re as materialistic as any other nation in the world, and our social problems are just as bad. Though we didn’t have much money back in 1979, there was something about Ireland, an innocence, maybe, that’s since been lost.

I for one feel touched by the Pope’s visit. I’m sure all other Irish citizens feel the same, no matter how their lives have changed since that magical time. May he rest in peace.

Siobhan Murphy Hogan, New York, New York