Posted on 10/24/2001 7:17:43 AM PDT by Sparticle
The IRA said today it had begun decommissioning its weapons. Here is its statement in full
The IRA is committed to our republican objectives and to the establishment of a united Ireland based on justice, equality and freedom.
In August l994, against a background of lengthy and intensive discussions involving the two governments and others, the leadership of the IRA called a complete cessation of military operations in order to create the dynamic for a peace process. 'Decommissioning' was no part of that. There was no ambiguity about this.
Unfortunately there are those within the British establishment and the leadership of unionism who are fundamentally opposed to change. At every opportunity they have used the issue of arms as an excuse to undermine and frustrate progress.
It is for this reason that decommissioning was introduced to the process by the British government. It has been used since to prevent the changes that a lasting peace requires. In order to overcome this and to encourage the changes necessary for a lasting peace, the leadership of Oglaigh na hEireann (IRA) has taken a number of substantial initiatives.
These include our engagement with the IICD (Independent International Commission on Decommissioning) and the inspection of a number of arms dumps by the two international inspectors, Cyril Ramaphosa and Martti Ahtisaari.
No one should doubt the difficulties these initiatives cause for us, our volunteers and our supporters. The political process is now on the point of collapse. Such a collapse would certainly, and eventually, put the overall peace process in jeopardy.
There is a responsibility upon everyone seriously committed to a just peace to do our best to avoid this. Therefore, in order to save the peace process, we have implemented the scheme agreed with the IICD in August.
Our motivation is clear. This unprecedented move is to save the peace process and to persuade others of our genuine intentions.
I've since paid more attention, and shall do so in the future. I found Irish people to be some of the nicest people in the world, and I just loved my time there, short as it was. I loved the North as well as the Republic. And I still don't know whether to call it Derry or Londonderry.
American 'fenians' have quite viciously supported this nonsense. The Democrat Tammany Hall Americans eg Joe Kennedy are the most prominent of Americnans in this. Most of the Fenian musings are moonshine with wildly exaggerated grievances. In the last century one crazy Fenian group tried to invade Canada from the US.
The Orange side deserves harsh criticism too. It must be remembered that Stormont was dissolved and the British Army came in the 1970's to protect the Catholics. The terrorist element wanted to make sure the British Army became the enemy.It succeeded.
I accept that the British may have treated the Easter Rising harshly but you must remember that the rising was carried out with German arms in the middle of the bloodiest battles of the Western Front. A huge number of Irish were fighting on that front. (45,000 volunteered for the British Army in WW2) I am sure the Americans would have treated similar uprisings in America harshly if they had happened in America sponsored by the Japanese and the Germans.
We must try not to be poisoned by old romaticised hatreds. To seek a united Ireland is permissible but recourse to terror is not, The question, which is a fair one, is can you trust terrorists? Would the Americans?
Bold is OK but Blind?
As if US soldiers would land on Irish soil to kill Irish citizens. Dream on. Those Irish and Irish decendant firefighters and police who died on 9-11 sure will be spinning in their graves.
Can I give you a slightly different perspective. It may or may not be right.
Totally Unarmed Struggle=TUS - NOT TUAS!
TUAS is Tactical Use of Armed Struggle
We saw this very clearly in action during the early 90s. Sinn Fein/IRA continued to bomb targets in London and other cities alongside the negotiations that were going on between London and Dublin civil servants. Republicans were involved in the bombing and the discussions simultaneously.
For example, following the tit-for-tat violence in Belfast in late 1993 Martin and Mitchell met Douglas Hurd in Derry on November 5. Douglas may also have met their loyalist counterparts in Antrim later the same day.
Sir Patrick Mayhew announced in the Commons two weeks later that there had been no meetings between Sinn Fein/IRA and Government officials. Douglas of course was a Government minister.
Moloney's misinterpretation of TUAS may have been based on ignorance or connivance. I don't know which.
TUAS is Tactical Use of Armed Struggle
It's only words
And words are all I have
To take this love away
The hardmen on either side are the gable wall historians.
The London and Dublin establishments are horrified by the shenanigans but don't really know what to do.
It's also called the Maiden City or Stroke City. The latter has nowt to do with your health; it's the symbol in Londonderry/Derry.
The small habitation in the early 1600s was called Derrie - King James' officials used the Scottish language in the documents, not English. It was later named Londonderrie because the London companies had financed and built what later became the walled city we see now.
Partial historians such as Bold Fenian curiously enough use the English form of the name: Derry!
Ambassador Egan was daft enough to go to their terrorist convention in Dublin after 9/11 without clearing the matter with Haass
No doubt Egan got his ass kicked and McGuinness had to eat a lot of American Humble Pie.
You will probably have noted that decommissioning was agreed - maybe even done - before he met Haass to do some ceremonial boot-licking. Haass will need to continue kicking ass until he is satisfied that the Adams family have got the message.
It's let us with a very sorry state of affairs - a bit like the Mafia in the USA or the movie version of the lawless Wild West.
Contributors to the semi-literate Dissenter refer to Martin McGuinness as Her Majesty's Minister of Education!!
Thats funny, I've never seen Al Capone or John Wayne throwing dog shite and blast bombs at little girls going to school.
Brian Keenan, reputedly the IRA's chief of staff "The revolution can never be over...until we have British imperialism where it belongs, in the dustbin of history"
Keenan referred to TUAS on February 25, 2001.
There is nothing very funny about 'crucifixion' or 'mixed grill'. Did the Mafia descend to this level of depravity?
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