Especially the ones in New Jersey, it would appear:
Although in some circles he is considered a major supporter of terrorism in Northern Ireland, Gerry Adams was feted like a celebrity in New Jersey on Friday.From workers at the start of his trip from New York's Penn Station to the highest public official in the Garden State, Adam's life and work inspired reverence from his supporters in the United States.
Adams, the president of Sinn Fein, the political group fighting to free Northern Ireland from British rule, was mobbed like a rock star at Drumthwacket on Friday. Hundreds of young and old Irish-Americans pressed around Adams to get an autograph, take his picture, and sing his praises - sometimes literally - as many politicians took the opportunity to sing Irish folk songs for Adams, who has also been elected to the parliament representing Catholics in Ulster County.
"We tend not to talk in religious tones,'' said Mary Lou Powner of Brick Township, "But people who follow Irish politics want to kiss Gerry's ring."
The admiration for Adams in New Jersey is so great that Governor McGreevey - who proudly claims his Irish heritage and has traveled to Ireland several times - used the governor's mansion to help Adams pressure his opponents back home to restart a stalled peace process.
"We understand there will never be peace in Ireland without justice,'' McGreevey told a crowd of well-wishers. "Gerry Adams and Sinn Fein embrace that hope."
Adams, who has been branded the leader of a terrorist organization by his opponents in Northern Ireland and Great Britain, was in New Jersey as part of a five-day swing through the United States and Canada to raise money for his cause. He plans to use his support from Irish-Americans to promote peace in Northern Ireland., while his opponents see his reception at the governor's mansion as an outrage.
"America is engaged in a war against terrorism, yet the leader of the political wing of a terrorist organization is being feted in the governor's mansion in New Jersey. That's utter hypocrisy," John Deasy, a pro-Republican Irish Parliament deputy and a former U.S. congressional aide told Investor's Business Daily on Friday.
Adams bristles at allegations he supports terrorism, a charge that prevented him from visiting this country until 1994, when then-President Bill Clinton first granted him a visa. "I have not been connected to violence," Adams said in an interview as he rode NJ Transit on his trip to Drumthwacket. "I know it's something that's been trotted out repeatedly. What we want is a peaceful, democratic society in Ireland." ....
rest of story from 11/9/02.