Posted on 07/25/2005 3:05:43 PM PDT by Murtyo
Defence Minister Willie ODea today cancelled plans for a meeting with United States Joint Chief of Staff General Richard Myers (pictured).
Defence Minister Willie ODea today cancelled plans for a meeting with United States Joint Chief of Staff General Richard Myers.
Anti-war protesters had condemned the generals visit to Dublin but a spokesman for the Department of Defence said the informal meeting would not now go ahead.
The spokesman insisted the engagement, due to be held this afternoon, had been arranged on a casual basis and official talks had not been organised.
The position was that the minister was quite happy to meet General Myers, was he to be in Dublin this afternoon. It was that level of formality, the spokesman said.
If he was there Gen Myers would have dropped in, it was no firmer than that. But the minister is visiting troops in the Midlands and has been delayed.
Mr ODea is visiting army units in Longford and Mullingar as part of his nationwide tour around all barracks. A number of troops from both the barracks are serving with the United Nations peace keeping force in Liberia.
Gen Myers is inspecting Irish troops at Collins Barracks, Kilmainham, and will hold discussions with his counterpart and head of Irelands defence forces Chief of Staff General Jim Sreenan in the Phoenix Park.
The spokesman for the Department of Defence said the primary reason for the visit was general to general, and a meeting with the minister would have been a courtesy call arranged on a casual basis.
But anti-war protesters, who gathered at Defence Forces headquarters in Phoenix Park, said no representative of the Irish State should be meeting with a member of the US military.
This suggests a very high level of collusion between the Irish State and the US military machine, he said.
With the news that troop numbers at Shannon have doubled it suggests that the Irish Government is increasing collusion with the US at a time when the US invasion of Iraq has never been more discredited.
It is deeply concerning and it is an affront to Irish neutrality and shows a very high degree of contempt to the views of the majority of Irish people.
Ireland should help in this war. It's a small country but it should help, and not just non-military help - which it has offered - helping train Iraqi police and build institutions, etc.
You quote a bunch of opinion pieces. I tell you that McDermott, and i'm not diggin him up, he's local to me - representing Seattle, buddies up with Sadam, you dismiss this. Say that it indicates nothing. McDermott gets 75% of the vote, he's not alone. There are about 90 congressmen with similar politics. They're all democrats - DSA. That's 20% of the US House of Representitives. They hold some extreme views, many are implicitly anti-semetic. You dismiss my facts and quote Brendan O'Connor and some fella from Columbia U. Of couse the fact the there have been Jewish Mayors of Ireland main cities doesn't prove there is no Anti-Semitism in Ireland, but it indicates that it's not institutionalized. You select opinions and facts??? to show that Ireland is broadly anti-american, anti-semitic and supportive of fascism. I don't think that you're proven your point. certainly not on fascism or anti-semitism. Ireland in the 1930 and into 1940 was a nation, almost starving, it had 3 million people, it was adopting idiotic economic policies, it was sitting next to the greatest power on earth, that power had just bombed and burned towns and cities all over the country - the power still controlled Irish Ports until the mid 1930s. Thru the 30's in engaged in an "Economic war" against Britain in order that people could regain ownership of their land. It's easy to look back on it 75 years later and condemn Ireland for not taking Britains side after Britain had kicked the tar of of it.
You talk about the Irish Departments of Industry and Commerce. Ireland hasn't had Central govt departments called "industry" or "commerce" in decades - here's a list - http://www.gov.ie/departments/default.as. You've got an opinion about Ireland, it has some truth to it - RTE News is run by some people with serious problems dealing with how the world is - But you seem to deny any of the same traits exist in US Institutions/policy/government/Public, yet they do and they have. I see them in Seattle and NYC and they're present in Georgia and Texas too. I put the Fascist Definition up cause we're talking about fascism, and you're calling people fascist.
Once again--as you do throughout your post--you keep avoiding what I actually say in favor of what you want me to have said so you can bring up these completely irrelevant comments. Please quote where I said Ireland was not a small country (awwwwww) and should help militarily or otherwise. You can't because I never said Ireland wasn't helping enough or some other non-issue; my point was that Ireland is a poor friend and has a history of supporting terror and fascism.
You quote a bunch of opinion pieces.
That's an easy way to avoid the facts I posted. Very cute, but dishonest.
I tell you that McDermott, and i'm not diggin him up, he's local to me - representing Seattle, buddies up with Sadam, you dismiss this. Say that it indicates nothing. McDermott gets 75% of the vote, he's not alone.
You defensively say bringing him up means nothing, and yet you bring him up to prove nothing of consequence to my original point. Keep going on about him, but your pose is quite transparent.
There are about 90 congressmen with similar politics. They're all democrats - DSA. That's 20% of the US House of Representitives. They hold some extreme views, many are implicitly anti-semetic. You dismiss my facts and quote Brendan O'Connor and some fella from Columbia U. Of couse the fact the there have been Jewish Mayors of Ireland main cities doesn't prove there is no Anti-Semitism in Ireland, but it indicates that it's not institutionalized. You select opinions and facts??? to show that Ireland is broadly anti-american, anti-semitic and supportive of fascism. I don't think that you're proven your point.
I have zero interest in your opinion of my point as you haven't disproven anything I've said and what's worse you've swerved into outer space to bring up all kinds of non-issues. I posted facts about WW2 Irish practices in the context of opinion pieces as an indication of the massive amount of data beyond that--you seem to have ignored the articles I posted that are post 9-11 showing the opinions of Irish folks toward America--which I posted to show the anti-Americanism of Irish folks. You blithley ignore that when that's the whole point. But you don't want to face up to that point, so you just sidestep and go on about Seattle, which is completely irrelevent.
certainly not on fascism or anti-semitism. Ireland in the 1930 and into 1940 was a nation, almost starving, it had 3 million people, it was adopting idiotic economic policies, it was sitting next to the greatest power on earth, that power had just bombed and burned towns and cities all over the country - the power still controlled Irish Ports until the mid 1930s. Thru the 30's in engaged in an "Economic war" against Britain in order that people could regain ownership of their land.
That is known as excusing support of Nazism. Oh, right, but Ireland has a good excuse.
What was my original point? Answer: That Ireland has a history of supporting fascism. Your answer: Yes it does, but they have a great excuse! Translation: I was right, and you bounce around to avoid simply admitting that truth because it's uncomfortable for you. Truth hurts.
It's easy to look back on it 75 years later and condemn Ireland for not taking Britains side after Britain had kicked the tar of of it.
There you go again--you're admitting Ireland supported fascism, but you think it's understandable because they had an excuse. Translation: Ireland supported fascism. Thank you for agreeing to the truth, for once.
You talk about the Irish Departments of Industry and Commerce.
When did I do that? Another BS non-issue aka lie.
Ireland hasn't had Central govt departments called "industry" or "commerce" in decades - here's a list - http://www.gov.ie/departments/default.as.
Are you deranged? I quoted various others talking about those departments.
You've got an opinion about Ireland, it has some truth to it - RTE News is run by some people with serious problems dealing with how the world is - But you seem to deny any of the same traits exist in US Institutions/policy/government/Public, yet they do and they have.
I understand why you keep going on and on and on about this silly non-issue, and in that last line you, in fact, are lying again:I called those things you mentioned US's sins. You can lie about my posts, but they're right there for all to see, just like your bizarre spinning.
I see them in Seattle and NYC and they're present in Georgia and Texas too. I put the Fascist Definition up cause we're talking about fascism, and you're calling people fascist.
Nice that you end with yet another lie. I never called Irish people fascist:I said they have a history of supporting fascism. That you cannot understand the difference, and yet think the US's history somehow mitigates this shameful history leaves us with something very interesting--you're talking about Americans who are against this country, and yet you don't condemn Ireland, only America.
How interesting. No wonder you're so up on McDermott.
And no more private e-mails, please, I grow very weary of apologists for these kinds of people.
Do you want to read the link it post 4 and rethink your boycott.
Wow, that's some amazing debating ammo you're unleashing. Thanks for the incredibly glib contribution to the debate!
If you mean the Blueshirts - they weren't fascist.
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