Instructions to listen online:  Type in browser www.wedo810.com  Click on Program Guide and Scroll down to Echoes of Erin and select.  A page of program numbers appears (highest number is most current) (June 10 should be  #1264) Click, Download, Play

To listen to past shows click on the program number.  National and international guests as well as the news from Ireland and great Irish music are available 24/7.

May 4, 2012

Mr. Jake Sullivan, Director of Policy & Planning

U. S. Department of State, 2201 C Street NW, Washington, D. C. 20520

Dear Mr. Sullivan:

Thank you for the opportunity to share our views with you on a number of issues.  This letter is a follow-up to our previous correspondence about the subpoenas issued to Boston College by Attorney General Holder pursuant to the U.S.-U.K. Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT).

We are concerned that you may not fully appreciate the priority we attach to the subpoena issue.  You may find it helpful to review the submissions made recently at a hearing of the Helsinki Commission (CSCE) conducted by Chairman, Representative Christopher Smith. The material was prepared and extensively documented by the Committee on the Administration of Justice, Relatives for Justice and the Pat Finucane Center.  The reports leave no doubt that the United Kingdom is indifferent to provisions of the 1998 Belfast Agreement and cleverly uses every means at its disposal to obstruct the search for truth and justice.

There are three principal reasons for our concern.  First, we are not persuaded that there are any grounds for the Department of State to delay a decision to oppose this misuse of the MLAT.  The Treaty and its ratifying documents are clear on justifications for withholding requested information. The Northern Irish police, even as presently constituted are the most discredited police force in Europe. The systematic re-hiring of pensioned officers from the old regime to distract and misdirect the work of the Historical Enquiries Team (HET) and the Police Ombudsman undermines the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement and American values.  One need only review the number of sealed reports into the police forces corruption with death squads and know the number of times the UK has derogated from its obligations under the European Convention of Human Rights to understand the obligation of the Secretary of State to inform our nations’ chief law enforcement officer of this record before he responds to this request. More specifically, the misuse of the MLAT to engage in an “investigation” that has clear political motivation cannot be ignored. The focus on a killing in 1972, after the Northern Irish police and British military intelligence services deliberately ignored the killing in 1972 and for decades thereafter for reasons now well understood, confirms the political motivation driving the issuance of subpoenas in the lead-up to an election in Ireland.

Secondly, Prime Minister David Cameron cavalierly dismissed the Weston Park Agreement with regard to the assassination of human rights lawyer Patrick Finucane.  He did so with an admission of collusion in that murder by the very same police force that now seeks records from Boston College.  Unfortunately the present United States Administration has chosen to ignore this murder. The murder of a second lawyer, Rosemary Nelson, was the subject of another inquiry into suspected collusion after an initial investigation by Canadian jurist Judge Cory.  A complicity of silence and worse, cooperation, with the same police force that engaged in collusion of murder of defense lawyers and now wants to trawl through confidential oral history records would badly stain the State Department and the Administration.  We support human rights advocates and journalists around the world, most recently in China.  Are not Irish lawyers worthy of the same respect and recognition especially when there is public admission of security forces collusion in their murders?

Thirdly, prior to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, the U.S. policy toward the conflict in N.I. could be charitably described as ranging from indifference to Diplock courts, internment and the Hunger Strikes to a policy of collaboration with the United Kingdom with N.I. gun sales and turning a blind eye to the fact that it was the only democracy in the world to see 5 elected officials assassinated, again with collusion of the security forces.  President Clinton saw that the way forward out of the violence and injustice was dialogue and, without waiting for any court decision, decided to let America hear from the victims of British misrule by issuing a visa to Gerry Adams, then an elected Member of Parliament. Since then American support for the Irish peace process has been bi-partisan, broad based and committed to not only the letter of the Agreement but to the healing power of truth and justice.

If these politically inspired requests for records were to be granted, they could undermine the peace process. The could also be viewed as collateral support of British efforts to cover-up the role of security forces in the killings of hundreds of Catholics and to absolve those same forces from accountability to the rule of law.

We are unclear about the intimation of interfering in the affairs of another country.  We are asking that the United States live up to ITS obligations under the Treaty.  It is already clear that Britain doesn’t take their responsibilities seriously otherwise it would not have rubberstamped the records requests in the first instance.

It is our hope these issues have been raised within the “consultation process” referred to by the Department of Justice.  If so, we believe these MLAT requests would have to be denied.  If they have not been raised, they should be addressed forthrightly and without further delay.

If you have any questions, or have need of more information or documentation, please do not hesitate to contact us.  We look forward to the response of Secretary Clinton at her earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

Seamus Boyle, National President, Ancient Order of Hibernians 215-820-1547

Robert Dunne, Esquire, President, Brehon Law Society, 212-278-1565

Thomas J. Burke Jr., Esquire, National President, Irish American Unity Conference, 303-478-8473

Ref.: AOH letter to Secretary Clinton-Oct. 24, 2011 IAUC letter to Secretary Clinton-Oct. 12, 2011 Brehon Law Society to Secretary Clinton-Oct. 26, 2011

IRISH AMERICAN GROUPS APPEAL TO CLINTON;  FOLLOWS STATE DEPARTMENT SESSION

 Denver, Philadelphia & NYC May 4, 2012

The State Department recently hosted a free ranging discussion of issues of concern to Irish American groups and today three of those groups responded with an urgent appeal for Secretary of State Clinton.   National President of the Irish American Unity Conference Thomas J. Burke Jr. stated:  “We urge Madame Secretary to review the compelling documentation recently submitted to the Helsinki Commission by the Committee on the Administration of Justice, Relatives for Justice and the Pat Finucane Center and ask if  by corrupting the work of the Historical Enquiries Team & the Police Ombudsman, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (formerly  the Royal Ulster Constabulary)  is not violating both the letter and spirit of the Belfast Agreement. “

Seamus Boyle, National President of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the nations’ oldest and largest Irish American group, urged the Department not to use an old crutch that they cannot interfere in the internal affairs of another country.  “After decades of that stance and Britain’s endless interference in Ireland including the infamous Dublin-Monaghan bombing, President Clinton tore out that page from the diplomatic playbook. All we seek is for the U. S. to fulfill its own responsibilities under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty and not rubber stamp a scurrilous request such as this.”

“Prime Minister Cameron” stated Robert Dunne, President of the Brehon Law Society, “recently admitted that the same security force making this Treaty request for Boston College records colluded in the killing of lawyer and human rights advocate Patrick Finucane.  Surely if the U.S. can give voice to the human rights advocacy of Chen Guangcheng, we can seek accountability and sanction of those who butchered Pat Finucane in front of his family!”

The release of the letter to the Department of State included an appeal for Americans across this nation to contact British consulates protesting the subpoenas of Attorney General Holder.

For further information please contact Seamus Boyle at (215) 820-1547), Thomas Burke Jr. at (303) 478-8473 or Jim Cullen at (212) 278-1565

British Embassies/Consulates in USA

Peter Westmacott, Ambassador 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20008 (1)(202) 588 6500 (1)(202) 588 7800

Phil Budden, Consulate-General One Broadway, 15th Floor, Cambridge, MA 02142 (1)(617) 245 4500 british.boston@fco.gov.uk british.consulate@boston.mail.fco.gov.uk

Andrew Millar, Consulate-General, Wells Fargo Plaza, 19th Floor 1000 Louisiana Suite 1900, Houston, Texas 77002  (1) (713) 659 6270 bcq.houston@fco.gov.uk or janice.peterson@fco.gov.uk

Danny Lopez, Consulate-General 845 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022  212 745 0200 enquiries@britainusa.com consular_visa@fco.gov.ukpublic.enquiries@newyork.mail.fco.gov.uk

Beverley Jane Simpson, Consulate-General, Suite 1030, World Trade Centre Tower 1675 Broadway, Denver, CO 80202 (1)(303) 592 5200 Kevin.Lynch@britcondenver.com

Dean Churm, Consul, Sun Trust Center 200 South Orange Avenue, Suite 2110, Orlando FL 32801 (1) (407) 254-1540 AskOrlando@fco.gov.uk  askflorida@fco.gov.uk

James J. Coleman, Jr., Honorary Consulate, 321 St. Charles Avenue, 10th Floor, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130 (504) 524 4180 jjcjr@imtt.com

Oliver St. Claire Franklin, Honorary Consulate, 1818 Market Street, 33rd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215) 557 7665

Mark A. Nordenburg, Honorary Consulate, University of Pittsburgh, 107 Cathedral of Learning, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 (412) 624 4200 mark.nordenberg@britainusa.com

William F. Black, Honorary Consulate, 7825 Fay Avenue, Suite 200, La Jolla, CA 92037 (858) 459 8231

Nicholas Stasevich, Honorary Consulate, 150 West Jefferson, Suite 900, Detroit, MI 48226 (1)(313) 225 7000 stasevic@butzel.com

Sandra Morgan, Honorary Consulate, Morganmatters 1268 W 112th St, Cleveland, OH 44102  (1)(216) 228 2515 morganmatters@yahoo.com

Annabelle Malins, Consulate-General, Georgia Pacific Center 133 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 3400, Atlanta, GA 30303 (1)(404) 954-7700 BritishConsulateGeneral.Atlanta@fco.gov.uk

Robert Chatterton Dickson, Consulate-General, 625 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 2200, Chicago, IL 60611  (1)(312) 970 3800 Caroline.Cracraft@fco.uk.gov

Dame Barbara Hay, Consulate-General, 11766 Wilshire Boulevard, Ste. 1200, Los Angeles, California 90025-6538 (310) 481 0031 pppa@britishconsulatela.com

Priya Guha, Consulate-General, 1 Sansome Street, Suite 850, San Francisco, CA 94104 (1) (415) 617 1300 emma.stevenson@fco.gov.uk

Kevin McGurgan, Consulate-General, Brickell Bay Office Tower, 1001 Brickell Bay Drive, Suite 2800 Miami, Florida 33131  (1)(305) 400-6400 iami@fco.gov.uk

Robert Cremin, Honorary Consul, 900 Fourth Avenue, Suite 3100, Seattle, WA 98164 (1)(206)622 9255

J. Scott Brown, Honorary Consul, P.O. Box 26723, Shawnee Mission, KS 66225 (913) 469 9786 britconkswmo@hotmail.com

Michael Teden, Honorary Consul, 330 South Tryon Street, Suite 400, Charlotte, NC 28202  (1) (704) 383 4359 mdteden@bellsouth.net

Donald “Hank” Marshall, Honorary Consul, Camelback Esplanade 2425 East Camelback Road, Suite 1020, Phoenix AZ 85016 (602) 515 1029

Andy MacRitchie, Honorary Consul, Pacificorp 825 NE Multnomah, 20th Floor, Portland, OR 97232  (503) 227 5669 iainlevie@dwt.com

Frank Joklik, Honorary Consul, Eagle Gate Tower 60 East South Temple, Suite 2100  Salt Lake City, Utah 84111 (801) 297 6922 ljourney@mkgold.com

John Butler, Honorary Consul, c/o Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce 211 Commerce Street, Nashville, TN 37201 (615) 743 3061 jbutler@nashvillechamber.com

Mr. Philip Bainbridge, Honorary Consul, 300 North Meridian Street. Suite 2700 Indianapolis, IN 46204-1782 (1)(317) 237 8339 pebainbr@bakerd.com

William R McGrann, Honorary Consul, 800 Nicollet Mall, Suite 2600, Minneapolis, MN 55402-7035  (1)(612) 338 2525 wrm@mcgrannshea.com

Michael Bright, Honorary Consul, 123 East Doty Street, Suite 205,Madison, WI 53703 (1)(608) 257-6544 mbright@bright-consulting.com

Hunter Hunt, Honorary Consul, 2911 Turtle Creek Road, Suite 940, Dallas, TX 75219  (1)(214) 521-4090 bc1@airmail.net

Andrew Morrison, Honorary Consul, 254 Spencer Lane, San Antonio, TX 78201  (1)(210) 738-1704

Rodger A. Randle, Honorary Consul, University of Oklahoma Tulsa, 4502 East 41st Street Tulsa, OK 74135 (1)(918) 660-3495 randle@ou.edu

SUGGESTED SCRIPT FOR PROTEST CALLS TO BRITISH CONSULATES OVER DEMAND FOR BOSTON COLLEGE RECORDS

HELLO, MY NAME IS __________________ AND I LIVE IN_______________________.  MAY I SPEAK WITH SOMEONE TO WHOM I MIGHT REGISTER A PROTEST?  [PAUSE WHILE RECEPTIONIST CONNECTS]  I WISH TO PROTEST THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT’S DEMAND FOR RECORDS HELD IN THE IRISH ARCHIVES OF BOSTON COLLEGE.  THE RECORDS ARE PART OF AN ORAL HISTORY PROJECT CONDUCTED UNDER A CONFIDENTIALLY AGREEMENT.  THIS REQUEST FOR THESE RECORDS ON BEHALF OF THE ROYAL ULSTER CONSTABULARY IS AN ABUSE OF THE MUTUAL LEGAL ASSISTANCE TREATY (MLAT) WITH THE U. S.  THIS ACTION ALONG WITH THE FAILURE TO CONDUCT A PUBLIC INQUIRY IN TO THE ASASSINATION OF PATRICK FINUCANE, THE SLOWDOWN AND CORRUPTION OF THE HISTORICAL ENQUIRIES TEAM (HET) INVESTIGATING THE MURDERS OF CATHOLICS, AND THE REFUSAL TO DISCLOSE INFORMATION REQUESTED BY IRELAND ON THE DUBLIN/MONAGHAN BOMBINGS ALL POINT TO A SYSTEMATIC EFFORT TO UNDERMINE THE IRISH PEACE PROCESS.   PLEASE WITHDRAW THIS REQUEST.  THANK YOU. 

BREHON LAW SOCIETY

IRISH AMERICAN UNITY CONFERENCE

OPPOSITION TO BOSTON COLLEGE SUBPOENA GROWS; HOLDER RIPPED FOR RESPONSE

 Philadelphia, PA,  New York, NY  and Denver, CO:   April 26, 2012

The coalition of Irish American groups spearheading the drive against Attorney General Holder’s subpoena of records in Boston College Irish archives has released their response to his inaction and indecision.  “Our nation’s chief law enforcement officer,” stated Seamus Boyle, National President of the AOH, “has a duty…a legal obligation pursuant to the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT)…to oppose any request from a country that is working night and day to corrupt  the Irish  peace process.”  Boyle pointed out that the record of Congressman Christopher Smith’s most recent hearing is replete with documentation of British efforts to undermine the rule of law and deny justice to the victims of their misrule.

Jim Cullen of the Brehon Law Society noted:  “Mr. Holder has chosen to ignore our request and, indeed, the requests of other Members of Congress including the Chairman of Senate Foreign Relations, by alleging he is constrained from acting due to litigation before the federal Court of Appeals, 1^st Circuit.  We know of no legal reason restraining  him from withdrawing his subpoena, and there are ample policy reasons for  doing so spelled out in MLAT documents.”

President Thomas J. Burke Jr., National President of the IAUC welcomed the support of  Senators and Representatives who have joined our appeal including Representatives Sires (D-NJ) and Murphy (R-PA) and Senators Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Lugar (R-IN).  Continued Burke: “Our impression  is that the litigation is being used by the State Department as a  rationalization for inaction and inappropriate deference of important policy considerations to the Department of Justice‘s narrow focus on legal technicalities.”

The coalition members  also announced a  nationwide Contact a Consulate (British) campaign in addition to their  appeals to Members of Congress for letters of support.

For more info contact Seamus Boyle at 215-820-1547, Tom Burke at 303-478-8473 or Jim Cullen at 212-278-1565

Coalition letter to Attorney General Holder follows:

ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS

BREHON LAW SOCIETY

IRISH AMERICAN UNITY CONFERENCE

April 23, 2012

Honorable Eric H.  Holder Jr., Attorney General

Dear Attorney General Holder:

This is a follow-up to our letters of October 20^th of last year and January 26^th of this year which you replied to through Ms.  Mary Ellen Warlow, Director of your Office of International Affairs, on December 8^th and March 7^th respectively.

The letters were unresponsive to our request.  We join again in asking for your withdrawal of the subpoena which you issued to Boston College pursuant to a request from the United Kingdom. Your letter noted your obligations to the United Kingdom pursuant to the Mutual legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT).  We have asked that you first consider your obligations as the chief law enforcement officer of the United States.   The actions we submitted for your consideration are, we believe, your primary   obligation   to the United States pursuant to the MLAT.

The Treaty obligations that must be fulfilled on your part are three-fold and are included in the ratification documents.  The Attorney General is to determine whether the request is for a legitimate prosecution of a crime, most notably, money laundering drug crimes cited frequently in the Senate colloquy on the Treaty.  Even the judgment of a former Chief Constable of the  RUC , that a prosecution would be unlikely for the crime for which documents were requested did not persuade you that the request was suspicious and, in fact, politically motivated.  In your capacity you are to determine if fulfilling the request would undermine the values that support the American justice system.  Mr. Holder, Northern Ireland’s legal system is to law what military music is to music.  Juryless courts which the NYC Bar Association urged be abandoned in the 1990’s remain  in place and are  proving useful in the imprisonment of political prisoners Gerry  McGough, a  former candidate for office, and Marian Price, a political dissident whose views annoy the British.   Moreover, the most casual observer of the conflict in Ireland quickly learns that the police force in the North was lawless and corrupt beyond measure and remains so to this day.  So evident is this lawlessness that the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Cameron, publicly admitted that there was collusion between the murderers of solicitor Patrick Finucane and the same police who now beg this favor of you.  What message is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States sending to the rest of the world if it does the bidding of a police force who murders officers of the court Patrick Finucane?    Solicitor Rosemary Nelson was murdered by the same hidden hand just months after testifying before Congressman Christopher Smith about the death threats to her from members of the police force in Lurgan, Northern Ireland.  Your lightening-like issuance of not one but two subpoenas to such a contemptible police force is unthinkable and unconscionable.   Finally, you are obligated to assess whether the fulfillment of the request would impair or conflict with important public policy of the United States.   The United States has played a pivotal role in crafting and protecting the Irish peace process which resulted in the international treaty of 1998 and evolves precariously today.  The threats to the peace process are manifest in the British failure to fulfill key justice provisions of the Belfast Agreement and its various codicils.  They have chosen to ignore provisions dealing with the assassination of Patrick Finucane, the mass murder of the Dublin-Monaghan bombings and are doing what they  can to bury the  legacy of the Royal Ulster Constabulary in murdering   hundreds of innocent Catholics.  If you had consulted with the Department of State in these matters, as Ms. Warlow’s letter suggests, you no doubt were made aware of all the potential ways this request not only makes a mockery of the 1998 peace pact but serves to embolden its dissidents.  We would certainly appreciate a copy of such a consultation with the Department of State or a summary of it.

Ms. Warlow ends her letter suggesting further comment would be inappropriate as the matter is subject of litigation before the Court.  The litigation does raise important points with respect to the individuals seeking to be heard and the Attorney General’s obligations.  But, as noted previously, we believe your  primary obligations are much broader than those raised in the litigation.  On the hand, the actions of United States Attorney General Carmen Ortiz in sending an ex parte communication to the Court of Appeals panel is an extraordinary attempt to influence the panel after arguments were finished.  It is such actions by the Attorney General and NOT those requested by our organizations which are inappropriate and prejudicial!!!

We would appreciate the favor of any early reply to this request.  If you have any question regarding the issues raised, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,

Seamus Boyle,                                Thomas J. Burke Jr.,                           Robert Dunne,

National President                        National President                               President,

Ancient Order of Hibernians      Irish American Unity Conference     Brehon Law Society

215-820-1547                                 303-478-8473                                       212-278-1565

Here’s an article that appeared in this week’s edition of the Irish Echo

PROGRESS IN NORTHERN IRELAND?

The approach of St Patrick’s Day was for me, as Public Relations Director of the National Board of the AOH, a time of anxiety.   There were the   attempts to hijack the religious and heritage themes of the parades to promote some political correctness.  Then there were the   greeting cards and Saint Patrick’s Day paraphernalia mocking all things Irish.   However the greatest concern …certainly before the Clinton era… was the   “shamrock shenanigans” unfolding in Washington.  A bowl of shamrocks would be bestowed by the Irish President, pints would be lifted, platitudinous statements would be issued and a conflict that cost over 3000 lives drew condemnation of violence with   little reference to justice and the rule of law.  Today it seems the bad old days have returned.  Barely 15 years since the 1998 Irish peace pact was signed, the British are ignoring the law, obstructing justice and inhibiting peace.  The only thing missing is the outrage. 

For fifty years after WW II, the British held a choke hold on the Department of State and the U. S. position on the six county conflict.  But they had a willing partner in the Irish government whose elite diplomatic staff rarely ventured beyond the cocktail circuit and the tourism portfolio.  In 1978 as Taoiseach Lynch prepared for a U. S. visit the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs described the concerned and activist Irish-American community this way in a briefing memo:  “They cling closely to familiar myths of British repression which provides them with a history, an identity and a cause.”  Bloody Sunday, Dublin Monaghan bombings, internment, RUC lawlessness…were, according  to the dandy’s of the Irish diplomatic corps,   all ‘myths’ of British repression. How bad was this mindset?   Talking once with Angela Carter, of the Keshcarrigan Bookshop in NYC, she spoke of trying to interest the Consulate staff in doing more to promote the Irish language here.  “We must not be seen doing anything to help the enemy” was the response; a veiled reference to Sinn Fein’s promotion of the national language of Ireland. 

For years House Speaker O’Neil would dismiss the pleas of many Americans concerned about the garrison rule of the British because the Irish government would rarely speak and take little action on the abuses and lawlessness. “What do you want me to do, be more Irish than the Irish government?” would be his derisive reply.   Speaker Foley, who never met a royal he didn’t like, once claimed at a hearing that “there was no such thing as British oppression.” Breathtaking but unfortunately true.  Irish National Caucus spokesman Fr. Sean McManus gives a fair accounting of all this in his book My American Struggle for Justice in Northern Ireland.  Given the spineless Speaker’s, British  lobbying and Ireland’s silence  throughout the 70’s and 80’s, the voices of  Members of Congress like Ben Gilman, Ham Fish,  Don Payne, Eliot Engel, Joe Kennedy,  and Chris Smith on behalf of the victim of British oppression  were all the more remarkable.    

St Patrick’s Day 2012 might well have been a turning point for Her Majesty’s Government plans for Ireland.  Who would have thought it would have taken only 14 years from the Good Friday Agreement to restore a White House officially indifferent to UK violation of the terms and spirit of the Pact.   Consider these developments:

1. President Obama and Prime Minister Cameron meet March 14^th and not a word is mentioned of holding those accountable for the Bloody Sunday murders or the failure of the UK to disclose the British Army role in the Dublin-Monaghan bombings. 
2. In Irish Heritage month, Secretary of State Clinton’s pleas help release 1000 political prisoners in Myanamar but not a word is uttered for two political prisoners in N. I.  Gerry McGeough and Marian Price.
3. The U. S. says nothing when the British announce there will be no public inquiry into their murdering of human rights lawyer Patrick Finucane as promised.  At least when   Egypt arrested a pro-democracy activist, Secretary of State Rice showed displeasure by canceling a planned trip to Egypt.   The Obama administration remains mute to this day on the Finucane slaying!!
4. The powers of N. I. Police Ombudsman Office,  established as part of the Agreement to review police action, are  being curtailed by the British and 300 ex-police officers, richly pensioned off,  have been re-hired  to accelerate the  cover up of police lawlessness and corruption.  They call it ‘records management.’ 
5. The Irish Tanaiste (Foreign Minister) Eamon Gilmore returns from the St Patrick’s Day festivities in America to publicly express concern that Josef Kony, the Ugandan mass murderer remains at large and urges the International Criminal Court to act upon the 33 counts of crimes against humanity against him.  Ironically 33 is the number  of deaths from the Dublin-Monaghan bombings but not one word was uttered in America  by any Irish government official demanding the  British Army be held accountable for the  conflict’s largest loss of life. 

Not alone is the U. S. silent on the core conflict issues but it now collaborates in the bias and political chicanery of the British.  Appeasement of the British encouraged a spiteful former MI-5 operative to use a US-UK a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty to request records from Boston College’s Irish Oral History project.  The treaty was intended to aid prosecution of money laundering by drug cartels but the British believe it is better used to investigate 40 year old crimes particularly if there is a chance it can give a political black eye to Sinn Fein.  By contrast, Britain’s efforts to exculpate every British soldier and police officer from criminal culpability of their killing of Catholics continues unabated.   Does the fact that British banks hold a large portion of Irish debt explain why Ireland has not used the MLAT to demand records of the British Ministry of Defense relating to the 1974 Dublin-Monaghan massacre? 

Some will think unwarranted our concern for these developments on the Irish peace process.    Dr. Paul Nolan author of the recently released N. I.  Peace Monitoring Report fears for the future.  There are, he notes, 26 more ‘peace’ walls than when the Belfast Agreement was signed.  Housing and schools are still seriously segregated.  A high percentage of Catholic police recruits drop out.  He believes we may now be enjoying simply a pause in the conflict, a sort of “generational” truce in Ireland.    Director of Public Prosecutions, Barra McGrory, and others have called for a mechanism to deal with the past.  But if Britain continues its corruption of the GFA we need not worry about a mechanism for dealing with the past.  Ireland’s silence and U. S. indifference will insure that the past is merely repeated. 

For immediate release 4/4/2012

Sinn Féin call for an independant assessment of how HET investigations have and are being carried out

Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly said the report from the University of Ulster into the HET confirmed what the party had said from the outset about the lack of independance in the HET investigations.The Sinn Féin Policing Spokesperson and member of the Policing Board said:

“The crucial part in this report by Dr Lundy is that she does not believe the HET is independent, that interviews with British soldiers were not impartial, effective or transparent. That the HET is investigating the deaths of people at the hands of the British Army differently from other killings is unacceptable

“Sinn Féin supports people’s right to engage with the HET and accepts that some families have come away from the HET process with a degree of comfort.

“Any deaths during the conflict need to be investigated with the same vigour regardless of who carried out the killing or the standing of the person killed.  Sinn Féin is calling for an independant assessment of how HET investigations have been and are being carried out.” CRÍOCH/END

http://www.irishcentral.com/story/news/periscope/rory-staunton-a-beautiful-boy-leaves-this-earth-the-hardest-column-i-will-ever-have-to-write-146068255.html?showAll=y