Intelligencer

Clinton Wants Irish Event

The William Jefferson Clinton presidential conference will be held at Hofstra University on Long Island on November 10, 11 and 12 this year.

It will be the 11th presidential conference hosted by the college, which is one of the largest private universities in the state. Hofstra has developed an international reputation in the realm of presidential politics and their impact on the world.

Hundreds of scholars, as well of scores of Clinton administration officials, will turn up for the policy wonk-out on what exactly the legacy of the two-term president will be. (Interesting polls currently show Clinton’s approval ratings at 70%, higher than he ever enjoyed in office.)

The former president will deliver a keynote address himself on Thursday, November 10, and it is interesting to note that he made one special request after reading the proposed program about the discussion on Northern Ireland.

Clinton requested that the Irish panel, chaired by Dr. Maureen Murphy and featuring contributors such as Congressman Peter King, this newspaper’s founder, Niall O’Dowd, and numerous academics, should be moved up to the day that he is present so that he could attend.

His request is yet another indication of how seriously the former president takes his role in bringing peace to Northern Ireland and the outstanding success that his policy there was.

Remember that when he came into office in 1993 the British in particular pilloried him for showing even the slightest interest in the issue. It is to Clinton’s eternal credit that he defied them and played such a huge part in one of the great successes in international diplomacy of his administration.

For more information on the event, which is open to the public, call Hofstra at 516-463-6600 or visit their website www.hofstra.edu.

Fordham’s Double Standard

Interesting that Fordham University blocked Irish law lecturer Ivana Bacik from an appearance because of her efforts to make abortion legal in Ireland — see news story up front.

Even though Bacik’s planned lecture at Fordham had nothing to do with abortion, it appears the powers that be ensured that her invitation was mysteriously canceled.

It smacks of hypocrisy, given the fact that Fordham has welcomed the current mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, also pro-abortion, with open arms. Indeed, they have also allowed Senator Hillary Clinton, also an abortion advocate, to speak at the university.

Why the double standards, then, especially given the fact that Bacik was not speaking on anything remotely to do with abortion? It appears that when it comes to visiting Irish lecturers the bar is raised by Fordham.

So does that mean there will be a litmus test for every speaker from Ireland?

Sinn Fein Fundraising

With the big Sinn Fein fundraiser set for Thursday, November 10 in New York, featuring party president Gerry Adams, it is a race against time for the organization to get their fundraising status back in the weeks remaining.

The word is that Sinn Fein will make an all out effort to secure permission to fundraise before the dinner at the Sheraton, which is annually their single biggest fundraising event.

In their favor is the fact that by that time the first report by the International Monitoring Commission (IMC) will have been made public. Every indication to date is that it will be a positive one.

With elections in the Irish Republic coming up and perhaps new Assembly elections in the North in the foreseeable future, there is no question that the party will make a big play to get their funding re-established over here. It is hard to see how they could be denied if the IMC reports favorably.

Irish for Katrina

We would like to note the effort that the AOH put into helping victims of Hurricane Katrina a few weeks back. National President Ned McGinley rightly pointed out that the AOH in New Orleans is among the most active branches in the country, and the membership there have made a major effort to help.

We here in New York and on the East Coast and elsewhere across the U.S. can play our part. A fundraiser for the Hibernian Disaster Relief Fund (HDRE) for Katrina and Rita, sponsored by the AOH/LAOH National Boards, will be held on Thursday October 13 from 6-8 p.m. at O’Neill’s on Third Avenue between 45th and 46th Streets in Manhattan. The fundraiser is for the relief of members of the AOH and the Ladies AOH in New Orleans as well as Catholic Charities.

The HDRE will support the charities that were formerly assisted by the New Orleans AOH/LAOH. “The Hibernians supported soup kitchens and food banks for those in need as well as supporting Catholic Schools, many of which also served the needy. The divisions will not be able to be as generous as their more than 300 members slop mud and pump water from their own homes in the wake of Katrina and Rita,” said McGinley.

Tickets are $50, which includes food and drink.