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Idiots prove useful for Sinn Fein
Sunday Independent ^ | Dec 30, 2001 | Eoghan Harris

Posted on 12/30/2001 7:57:57 AM PST by Happygal

Irish liberals who like to indulge in alittle light anti-Americanism need to get a life, writes Eoghan Harris

LISTEN up, Irish liberals. The national question has taken a new form as the international question. The people who supported Sinn Féin now support the enemies of America. Soon you will find that sitting on the fence and indulging in a little light anti-Americanism is not an adequate moral answer to what should be done about the bin Ladens of the world. Soon you will have to choose between (to borrow a title from Karl Popper) the Open Society and its Enemies.

For all his faults, at least Niall O'Dowd can face facts. Last week he finally chose between Gerry Adams and George Bush. Admittedly he did so with an absence of transparency.

As Niall O'Dowd is a long time admirer of Gerry Adams, his failure to name Sinn Féin as major source of anti-Americanism laid him open to charges of opportunistic hypocrisy. But what mattered to me was that he was forced down from the fence in the first place.

Sadly, some revisionists are so busy booing O'Dowd for trying to have it both ways, that they fail to perceive the positive side of his opportunism. The Irish Times letters page, that indispensable guide to bien-pensant bourgeois Ireland, is full of bits of bleating bad politics from liberals. Among the most astounding are the letters expressing outrage at America changing strategic alliances as circumstances change.

Irish liberals should get a life. Clearly they have never had one. If they had ever experienced playground, political party or office politics, they would know that we change our allies as circumstances changes. Now I realise that being a liberal means that logic, not life, rules. But even if it's too late for some Irish liberals to get a life, they can get a good substitute by reading Edmund Burke.

Burke regards each and every experience as specific and separate and not bound by iron laws or politically correct precepts. The past is a moral resource, not aprecedent.

Just because Sinn Féin never gave up guns in the past doesn't mean they can't be made do it this time. Just because America was wrong about Vietnam doesn't mean America was wrong about Afghanistan. Just because bombing didn't work before doesn't mean it won't work now.

By Burkean standards, O'Dowd must be given his due for learning a lesson, even if it was a limited one and even if he dodged adding Sinn Féin to the list of anti-American forces. At least he knew he had to take sides. Not so, the deluded Irish liberals who think they can sit out this war, selecting pieces of high moral ground from which they can watch the wars as safe spectators.

In contrast to this creepy crowd of liberal voyeurs, O'Dowd at least knows what's going down. We can only conclude from his actions that Americans, including Irish-Americans, are very angry about anti-Americanism in Ireland. And by publicly and correctly charging the Irish media with anti-Americanism, O'Dowd has put himself on a collision course with his friends in Sinn Féin whose anti-Americanism is one of their main attractions for the Irish media.

And it's not only the broadcasters. Among the broadsheets, only the Sunday Independent has been steadfast in support of America. Last week's front page is a case in point. Last week the eye of a somnolent Sinn Féin spindoctor might have drifted down to a holly-clad picture of Hugh Leonard dressed as Santa Claus, panned across to The Adoration of the Shepherds by Georges De La Tour and jumped out of its socket at Jerome Reilly's story 'US Fury at SF in Cuba'.

Backing up the news story which ran and ran on RTE three trusted commentators, John A Murphy, Ronan Fanning and George Dempsey, showed us how the trip had aroused American anger at many levels. But while I was completely convinced by their analysis, I could not agree with the implication that Adams had made an inadvertent mistake.

Adams seldom makes a big media mistake. And he and his advisors would have known that cuddling Castro would anger Americans. So why did he go to

Cuba? Why curry favour with a feeble Fidel Castro who has no clout, and anger a fighting fit George Bush who has a clout like a Christian Brother?

After a week mulling over that mystery, I think I have ground that general question (why did he do it?) down to three smaller but more specific questions. Does Sinn Féin no longer care about winning friends in Washington? Does it no longer need American dollars? And if not, why not?

Applying simple logic produces some answers. First, Sinn Féin no longer needs friends in Washington. Bill Clinton and Jean Kennedy Smith have been (to borrow Lenin's phrase about liberals) "useful idiots". Also, as America does not trust Democrats to wage war, the Bush Republicans who see through Sinn Féin will be around for a long time. So what about the dollars? Sinn Fén makes a minimum million dollars annually from Irish Americans. A lot of that will dry up, judging by the jaundiced letters I'm getting from former American supporters. But American dollars are a small dollop set against racketeering and robberies in Ireland which net the IRA an annual income close to $10m per annum.

So what's Sinn Féin's strategy? Simple. They're bringing it all back home. Irish ambivalence will allow them to go on financing the struggle for state power in Ireland. Irish anti-Americanism is providing them with a solid platform in the Republic. And the Irish media are in their metaphorical pocket. So it's not surprising that Sinn Féin sees Irish liberals who oppose the Afghan war as so many useful idiots. So do I.


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To: kellynla;Incorrigible
FYI Gerry Adams was not in Cuba praising Castro. He was there showing his appreciation that Cuba supported the Irish hunger strikers in 1981.

Well I live on this island, and I was aware of the Hunger Strike/Castro reasoning spouted by Adams for the Cuba trip.

Still doesn't make his visit palatable! Sorry, it's doesn't wash! In fact most people in the south found the visit dumb in the extreme, from a man who rarely makes a media cock-up!

BTW Incorrigble, thanks for the kind words earlier in the thread. If I get Stateside, expect to buy me copious pints *L* Happy New Year to you and yours :-)

21 posted on 12/30/2001 10:26:51 AM PST by Happygal
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To: kellynla;Happygal
From: Adams hails Cuban support of Irish republican efforts

He [Adams] said that, ``unlike Soviet bloc countries like Romania, where it was dreadful, what you see here is some of the best education systems in the world, which is free. One of the best health services in the world, which is free. And the abolition of illiteracy.''

Looks like praise to me

I have plenty of knowledge of Ireland having close relatives and friends on both sides of the border.

I'm not saying it's a picnic for Catholics up the North.  Yet there's a reason many Catholic professionals live and work there.  They make better money doing so and most likely have relatives there as well.  The people who call themselves Catholic and Christian while drug dealing and knee capping are the never-do-wells that would have no power if the good, honest people of Ireland (north and south) had a Constitutional 2nd Amendment like the US.

Here's another from the Irish Independent: US fury at SF in Cuba - Adams visit is 'irrevocably damaging'

While the BBC is infinitely better than US national and international news sources, I get my news from the best source on earth, FreeRepublic.com.

22 posted on 12/30/2001 10:56:16 AM PST by Incorrigible
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To: Happygal
This may be relevant it may not be. When I lived in N. Ireland I took a job as a welder in a community not far from the border. There was one Protestant lad there and in the end he and I did not get on well with one another. It came down to a physical face off and the owner sacked him.

After he was gone the other guys were a bit more open with their sentiments. I welcomed this because it was "first hand experience". It was at least a biased way to "crack the code" in Northern Ireland. The people don't run around talking about it you see. But they're all one color and look the same to an outsider so it leads one to wonder, 'how do they sort each other out as Catholics or Prods?'. They do it by name or neighborhood if names fail. My accent always told them right away what to divulge to me before we ever got out of the starting block.

It turned out their opinion of the Prod not liking me (and it had been a remarked on phenomenom at this small place) was- He hadn't liked me because I was an American and we (Americans) more or less support "the cause" with our money. The Prod was a wanker though, not a victim and he was well known to have his ties to the UDF so before anyone gets the idea that he got fired unfairly, he wasn't a nice guy.

One day the foremen and I were having a conversation and he said in effect that he approved of what Mugabe was doing in Zimbabwe. "Those Whites have no business there", he said. It made me realize... He had never been there and I had. But he drew his conclusions from his Republican ideology. The Brits invaded his land and it was ok to resort to ugliness to oppose them- therefore, given a similar situation in Africa he must align himself with Mugabe and his minions.

I posted on some thread long ago just after 9/11 that many leftist ideologues have woken up and realized that they are aligned with bin Laden and the terrorists. We saw on television Arafat slapping a vein to donate blood- he was terrified- perhaps he of all people realized the "game is up". Gerry Adams is second in this line. Just as this article says- we may be forgiven for waking up to a new circumstance and realizing "things have changed". But there will be no historical mercy for those that watched events unfold but did not change their ways.

23 posted on 12/30/2001 11:43:09 AM PST by Prodigal Son
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To: Happygal
Here's a press release from the Shinners website:

Sinn Féin Chief Whip Alex Maskey MLA has accused SDLP Chairperson Alex Attwood of 'juvenile posturing' in his criticisms of Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams' trip to Cuba.

Mr Maskey said:

"Alex Atwood's criticism of Gerry Adams and Gerry Kelly visiting Cuba and meeting Fidel Castro is nothing more than juvenile posturing.

"In Europe, his sister parties and the Irish government have backed the ending of America's blockade against the people of Cuba. So he is clearly out of step with broad humanitarian concerns that exists throughout Europe.

"He attacks Sinn Féin for meeting Fidel Castro while his party is meeting the UDA. We ourselves have offered to talk to Loyalists on a number of occasions and the process of talking is vital to understanding and resolving all political conflicts.

"To jump on the band wagon in a blatant case of politicking is to do a great disservice to the principle of engagement that is central to the Good Friday Agreement that was negotiated by all of the parties here, including by members of his own party."

24 posted on 12/30/2001 1:21:21 PM PST by Norn Iron
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To: Incorrigible
Republican and loyalist terrorists are still flexing their muscles with little criticism from Blair and Ahern:

Hundreds more exiled by Ulster death threats

More than 700 people have been forced to flee from their homes in Northern Ireland because of paramilitary death threats in the past year, an increase of more than 50 per cent on 2000.

25 posted on 12/30/2001 1:36:53 PM PST by Norn Iron
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To: Norn Iron
Terrorism in all forms should be defeated!!!

Yeah, romantically, historically I'd love a united Ireland. But not thru' violence, terrorism or anything associated with it. I think...that's the view of the populice in the Republic :-)

BTW...Norn Iron Happy New Year, I ALWAYS enjoy yer perspective on things over here :-)

26 posted on 12/30/2001 3:55:02 PM PST by Happygal
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To: Happygal
Thanks very much, Happygal. All the best to you and yours. Let's hope 2002 has fewer bad news headlines.

Here's a second attempt to get the hyperlink to connect!

Hundreds more exiled by Ulster death threats

27 posted on 12/31/2001 12:53:52 AM PST by Norn Iron
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To: Incorrigible; alloysteel; Dan from Michigan;kellynla;aculeus;cleburne
First, my Irish papers and credentials are quite in order.

Were I in Ireland, I simply would not be a member of Sinn Fein, whose ties to the IRA appear to me to grow more tenuous. That's because Sinn Fein acknowledges that many voters realize what an impediment to progress those ties can be. Irish voters who cast their ballot for parties other than Sinn Fein are no less patriotic than anyone else.

IMHO, if more American IRA sympathizers and/or supporters made themselves aware of the various IRA factions' Marxist, Islamic Terrorist, and Criminal ties, it would perhaps temper their enthusiasm for the organization, if not the cause.

Of course the BBC, MI5, MI6, and the entire British Government put out a great deal of mis-and-dis-information about their adversaries in the IRA in all its various factions. But you can't blame them for shooting back with the ammunition so handily provided.

I hope Ulster will join the Republic, when there are enough votes to do that by an overwhelming plebiscite. In the meantime, those in the Republic will continue working on their remarkable economic advances of the last decade to make a vote for union as attractive to everyone in the North as possible. It is also possible that Ulster will become a jointly administered autonmous territory as a half-way step. The IRA and the UDF take turns manning the barricades to this process.

BTW, the violence-prone Presbyterians concentrated in the North are a problem in and of themselves, and mirror in their organizations, many of the deficits of the IRA. The Church of Ireland (once the "official state religion," which of course operates on both sides of the border) is an Anglican church, and thus somehow reviled as "papist," by the Bible- beating-store-front bunko-artists, like Ian Paisley and many far worse. The other Protestants of the Republic and in Ulster, who belong to so-called 'non-conforming sects'(Baptists, Quakers, Bretheren, etc.) are also peaceable.

When it comes to the practice of religion and politics south of the border, The Republic of Ireland is one of the MOST tolerant places on the planet. Dissent does not mean disloyalty there. Neither should it on this site.

28 posted on 12/31/2001 11:22:16 AM PST by Francohio
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To: Francohio
FYI--

-Index of Terrorism articles--

29 posted on 12/31/2001 11:38:24 AM PST by backhoe
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To: backhoe
US targets Northern Ireland dissidents
30 posted on 01/01/2002 1:11:17 AM PST by Norn Iron
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To: Francohio
Paisley leads the Free Presbyterian Church and it makes up about 2% of the population of Northern Ireland.

The Presbyterian Church in Ireland [22%] and the other smaller Presbyterian Churches are no more 'violence prone' than the Catholic Church [40%] or the Church of Ireland [15%].

Religious labels are often used for people who are only nominally church members and for those who are members of no church. Such inappropriate labelling only confuses the issues involved in the struggle for territorial sovereignty.

31 posted on 01/01/2002 1:22:38 AM PST by Norn Iron
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To: Francohio
Were I in Ireland, I simply would not be a member of Sinn Fein, whose ties to the IRA appear to me to grow more tenuous.

Bunkum. Sinn Fein and IRA are simply two labels for different functions of one movement. Adams and McGuinness are top figures in each.

32 posted on 01/01/2002 1:26:24 AM PST by Norn Iron
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To: backhoe; Francohio
Latest US moves on some Northern Ireland terrorists
33 posted on 01/01/2002 1:31:55 AM PST by Norn Iron
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To: Norn Iron
Links copied & saved- thanks!
34 posted on 01/01/2002 1:42:32 AM PST by backhoe
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To: Happygal
Spot on in my opinion too.
35 posted on 01/02/2002 12:04:06 AM PST by Hugh Akston
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To: kellynla; francohio;
I am Irish-American and Catholic.

About the only thing incorrect I see in what francohio said is when he said they lack ideology.

They are Marxist.

36 posted on 01/02/2002 12:09:05 AM PST by Hugh Akston
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To: Incorrigible
That said, it's quite possible to be pro-Irish and anti-IRA.
Yep.
37 posted on 01/02/2002 12:12:09 AM PST by Hugh Akston
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To: Hugh Akston
The following website may shed some light on a few things concerning Sinn Fein's ambitions and current attitudes in the republic.

See the section called "The New Departure?", under FRIENDS LIKE THESE and ask yourselves why the Irish tolerate so much b.s.?

    http://www.geocities.com/irelandvus911/
38 posted on 05/30/2003 12:47:27 PM PDT by omoo (omoo)
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