VTMBH Article: Body
Last week, when the U.S. House International Relations Committee convened its hearing The IRA in Colombia: The Global Links of International Terrorism they helped facilitate an exercise in subterfuge and deception that spans two hemispheres. The contrived and clumsy attempts to tie the three Irish nationals arrested in Colombia last August to a global network of terrorism and the drug trade was apparent to even the causal observer.
The agenda of the Colombian government is clear. In recent months they have collapsed the peace process in their country and seized the territory they had ceded to the FARC rebels. They are now seeking a green light and blank check from the United States in their war with the rebels. Because the Bush administration has drawn a distinction between nationalistic or territorial disputes and global terrorist networks, Colombia is trying to portray the civil war in Colombia as the festering breeding grounds of global terrorism. They are trying to use the presence of three Irish nationals in rebel territory to justify their claims.
Most disturbing of all, however, are those representatives in Congress willing and even assisting in this endeavor.
Colombias role is the transparent part of the scenario. Less clear, much less clear, are the roles played by British intelligence and anti-Sinn Fein elements within the U.S. Congress and administration. It became known some time ago that British representatives were pushing for a Congressional hearing on the Colombia incident. And of course there remain committed anti-Irish Republican elements in the halls of Congress. For example, Cass Ballinger, the 75-year-old Southern fundamentalist, is cut of the same cloth as Jesse Helms, the senator from his home state of North Carolina, who thankfully is retiring. We can only hope that Ballinger will do the same in short order.
Irish republicanism could not be defeated in war. Now, every attempt is being made by the enemies of Irish independence and justice for Ireland to defeat republicanism in peace. These attempts will fail. Irish republicans are prepared and are poised to deliver the long-sought prize of freedom and independence to their nation. Justice, equality and reconciliation will truly only manifest themselves once Ireland is whole.
Much was lost the many years of war, many sacrifices made, but much has been learned. The perseverance and valor of the IRA and Sinn Fein will see them through a bit of dirty politics and British obstruction.
The agenda of the Colombian government is clear. In recent months they have collapsed the peace process in their country and seized the territory they had ceded to the FARC rebels. They are now seeking a green light and blank check from the United States in their war with the rebels. Because the Bush administration has drawn a distinction between nationalistic or territorial disputes and global terrorist networks, Colombia is trying to portray the civil war in Colombia as the festering breeding grounds of global terrorism. They are trying to use the presence of three Irish nationals in rebel territory to justify their claims.
Most disturbing of all, however, are those representatives in Congress willing and even assisting in this endeavor.
Colombias role is the transparent part of the scenario. Less clear, much less clear, are the roles played by British intelligence and anti-Sinn Fein elements within the U.S. Congress and administration. It became known some time ago that British representatives were pushing for a Congressional hearing on the Colombia incident. And of course there remain committed anti-Irish Republican elements in the halls of Congress. For example, Cass Ballinger, the 75-year-old Southern fundamentalist, is cut of the same cloth as Jesse Helms, the senator from his home state of North Carolina, who thankfully is retiring. We can only hope that Ballinger will do the same in short order.
Irish republicanism could not be defeated in war. Now, every attempt is being made by the enemies of Irish independence and justice for Ireland to defeat republicanism in peace. These attempts will fail. Irish republicans are prepared and are poised to deliver the long-sought prize of freedom and independence to their nation. Justice, equality and reconciliation will truly only manifest themselves once Ireland is whole.
Much was lost the many years of war, many sacrifices made, but much has been learned. The perseverance and valor of the IRA and Sinn Fein will see them through a bit of dirty politics and British obstruction.