Letters to the Editor

Daft Ban Slows Progress

Niall O’Dowd nailed the U.S. fundraising ban on Gerry Adams in the editorial “Perils of Megaphone Diplomacy” in last week’s issue.

The ban was, indeed, a “daft move.” The Irish National Caucus, making its very first criticism of President Bush, branded the ban a “deceitful betrayal… a stab in the back.”

But maybe the real problem with the ban is that it has trivialized the whole Northern Ireland policing issue (the single most important issue of all), reducing it to a matter of dollars and cents.

If, as appears, President Bush imposed the ban to put pressure on Adams to join the Police Board, the only pressure that will be put on Adams is pressure from his own people not to give in, or be seen to give in, to such “daft” punitive measures.

Thus, instead of speeding Sinn Fein’s acceptance of the new police service, the PSNI, the Bush administration has maybe only succeeded in slowing it down. Talk about the law of unintended consequences!

I have publicly praised Mitchell Reiss, special envoy for Northern Ireland, many times. But this daft decision has trivialized the very issue in which he has invested so much time.

And when vital issues are trivialized, Northern Ireland is the loser, as history amply demonstrates.

Father Sean McManus, President, Irish National Caucus, Washington, D.C.

Don’t Leave the Church

I would like to comment on Mary Anne Carroll Ryan’s letter in last week’s issue which concerned her decision to leave the Catholic church.

It is sad to see people decide to leave the church because of faulty reasoning. For instance, when we pledge allegiance to the United States of America, we are doing so because of the ideals stated in the Bill of Rights and the Constitution.

Presidents, senators or congressmen may be convicted of violating these ideals, but we don’t leave the country. The reason for this is that the ideals transcend the officials and remain untarnished.

We for our part are pledged to the ideals and not to ideal officials. If we do not separate the two, right reasoning breaks down.

This reasoning holds true in the case of the Catholic church in the current crisis over the sex scandals. The ideals of our faith and moral doctrines remain unchanged and untarnished despite the horrible violations by some priests and bishops. Our faith lies in the ideals, not in ideal priests and bishops.

There is no reason to leave the church. We must stay, help fix the problem and avoid a self-serving ego-centered reaction.

In all institutions there is a mix of good and bad. In life we more often have to choose the path of “both/and” instead of “either/or.”

I hope that Ms. Carroll Ryan reverts to the Faith of our Fathers.

John Rogers, Voorhees, New Jersey

Scooter’s Charge

With regard to the story “Irish Fitzgeralds Fond of Famous Kin” in the issue dated November 9-16, I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby was not indicted for revealing a CIA agent’s identity, as the story said.

He was indicted on obstruction of justice, false statement and perjury charges.

Tiete Franp, New York, New York

Ban No Surprise

I’m trying to understand why the Irish Voice finds it so remarkable that the Bush administration refused to give Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams a visa to fundraise in the United States.

Does anyone really believe that Mr. Bush supports Sinn Fein, or wishes to see this party make significant gains in Ireland? Isn’t it obvious from the support this administration gives to autocratic governments, from the lies it told to justify an illegal and unnecessary war in Iraq, and from the lies it continues to tell in order to justify this terrible war, that Mr. Bush and friends do not believe in people’s movements, or democracy, or liberation struggles?

It is absurd to think that the resident in the White House would look kindly upon men and women who fought against the only real ally the U.S. has in Iraq. Want to know why Gerry can’t come to the good old USA, then call Tony Blair. I’m sure he knows the answer.

Fred A. Wilcox, Ithaca, New York

Don’t Forget D.C.

The article “Shannon Stopover Gone by ‘08” in last week’s issue contains both good and not-so-good news.

Good news: “In November 2006 Irish airlines will gain three new destinations in the U.S.”

Not-so-good news. Unfortunately for would-be travelers to Ireland from among the 4.9 million residents in my neck of the woods, “Observers have stated that San Francisco, Houston and Miami may well be the three chosen.”

Considering both the size of the population and the presence of the Irish Embassy in Washington, D.C., I’m astonished that the nation’s capital is not regarded by “observers” as a leading candidate for one of the three new destinations.

James V. Dolson, Springfield, Virginia

Give SF More Money

After the State Department refused Gerry Adams a visa that would have allowed him to fundraise, I was tempted to write to Ambassador Mitchell Reiss expressing my outrage and reiterating the long litany of things that Adams has done to promote peace with justice in British occupied Ireland.

I decided to let others more qualified (and certainly more temperate) state the case. After attending the Friends of Sinn Fein dinner in New York and seeing so many old friends who were staying the course and continuing to support the cause of Irish freedom, and learning that the fundraising had jumped to a new level without Gerry in attendance, I was thinking once again of writing the State Department to point this out but realized that my motivation for doing so would be less then pure.

It would be to gloat and to complain about being frustrated in my selfish desires for the pleasure of having a few words with Adams and shaking his hand once again. So in a rare act of prudence, I stayed my pen and left the task to others.

However, after reading the Irish newspapers my boiling point was reached. The British security forces have notified 400 Irish Nationalists that the details of their personal lives (addresses, dates of birth, license plates, work addresses, etc.) were in the hands of Loyalist paramilitaries and had been for the last year, the result of leaks from those same security forces!

Let me repeat. Four hundred Nationalists were in danger of assassination for one year, the police knew it and did not even notify them.

And this is the police force the administration is a attempting to pressurize Sinn Fein into endorsing? A political police force capable for allowing its citizens to be potential targets for mad dog gunmen?

The State Department’s official policy is that the largest Nationalist party in Northern Ireland must sign on to participating in this sort of security arrangement? I only hope that this policy is an accommodation to someone (Tony Blair, Bertie Ahern). Otherwise, the inmates are truly running the asylum.

Incidentally, rather then raging as I am wont to do, I decided instead to do what really needs doing. I’m looking over my own resources and finding the funds to send Sinn Fein an additional bit of money. I am urging all Republicans to do the same.

If our State department can act in such a disgraceful manner, it is the best I can do in rebuttal.

Richard Butler, Sunnyside, New York