Letters to the Editor
The Irish American Post is eager to hear from its readers and
welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should be no longer than 150 words
and should be signed.
The Irish American Post reserves the right to edit any piece
to conform to space limitations. Letters can be mailed to Editor, The Irish
American Post, 301 N. Water St., Milwaukee, WI 53202 or e-mailed to
letters-to-the-editor@irishamericanpost.com.
Letters do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of
The Irish American Post. |
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ICIRR Praises Bipartisan Immigration Reform
Dear Editor:
The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) proudly
endorses the comprehensive immigration reform bill introduced in Congress
today. The bill reflects the bipartisan consensus that our immigration
system is broken and needs sensible, moderate, comprehensive solutions.
The sponsors of the bill, Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA)
and Reps. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) and Jeff Flake and Jim Kolbe (both R-AZ),
deserve high praise for their efforts to develop and bring this bill forward.
Our immigration system should reflect our nation's values of family,
hard work, and fairness. The McCain-Kennedy-Gutierrez bill would restore
these values by putting into place the basic elements that any real fix
to our immigration system demands:
-
an opportunity for immigrants to earn legal status in the US and ultimately
citizenship;
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measures to cut through backlogs that separate families;
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a safe, orderly process for those seeking to come to the US for work; and
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realistic enforcement strategies that will reestablish the rule of law.
These elements are supported by a wide spectrum of our society, including
faith communities, business, labor, and leaders of both political parties.
Indeed, in a recent poll, 77% of respondents supported reform of our immigration
system along these lines.
The McCain-Kennedy-Gutierrez bill sharply contrasts with the REAL ID
legislation that President Bush signed yesterday. Our nation needs real
immigration reform, not REAL ID or other counterproductive and harmful
proposals.
ICIRR urges President Bush and Congress to support the McCain-Kennedy-Gutierrez
bill. We will be working hard to build further support for this bill, and
by doing so, to honor our history as a nation of immigrants and a nation
of laws.
Tina Hernandez Lasquety
Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
The IAUC Encourages Positive Response To Anticipated
IRA Repudiation Of Violence
Dear Editor:
The Irish American Unity Conference (IAUC) anticipates a positive statement
from the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in response to Gerry Adams' request
for their commitment to purely political and democratic means. In order
to advance the Irish peace process, the IAUC hopes that all parties will
respond favorably to the soon-to-be-released IRA's response.
The Good Friday Agreement, which involved all political parties in Northern
Ireland, the British and Irish governments as well as the United States,
was signed on April 10, 1998. Elections have twice been held under this
agreement.
However, the British government has suspended the elected Assembly and
taken back direct control of Northern Ireland. The key recommendations
of the Patten Commission on policing have not been implemented and the
Northern Ireland Human Rights commission has become dysfunctional. The
IAUC believes that the British and Irish governments should implement these
and all the other provisions of the Good Friday Agreement.
The IRA's anticipated statement repudiating anything but peaceful means
of problem resolution should, in our opinion, mean that all parties should
fully embrace and implement the democratically approved Good Friday Agreement.
The full text of Gerry Adams address to the IRA (04/06/05) can be found
at http://www.sinnfein.ie/news/detail/9106
.
The Irish American Unity Conference is a non- partisan, non-sectarian,
American based human rights organization working for peace and justice
for the people of the six counties in the north of Ireland.
Deanna Turner
Irish American Unity Conference
Irish Republican Socialist Party on London Bombings
In a statement issued by the Irish Republican Socialist Party, Political
Secretary John Martin condemned the attacks on 'soft targets' and hit out
at al-Qaida for such attacks on 'ordinary working people'.
The Political Secretary said: "The IRSP totally condemns the London
bombings. Ordinary working people going about their daily routines were
blown to smithereens by young suicide bombers presumably influenced by
religious fanaticism. These were not legitimate targets. There was no military
or political objectives in the bombing, just slaughter.
"Al-Qaida are not a liberation movement but a fundamentalist loose grouping
of organizations would impose a reactionary and backward philosophy on
all who they would control. Some may justify the attacks by pointing out
the USA-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq and the continuing imperialist
aggression all around the world. While we support the struggle for national
liberation in Iraq and believe that armed struggle there is justified we
do not believe that individual acts of terror such as the London suicide
bombings are the way to liberation.
"The victims were soft targets for al-Qaida, mostly working class people
on their way to work. The victims bore no responsibility for the actions
of the British ruling class or the British government in Iraq. The people
of London like the people of Iraq didn't deserve to be punished for the
crimes of the British or Iraqi ruling class.
"We recognize that none of this would have happened without the imperial
ambitions of the US and Britain in the Middle East. Their using the state
of Israel has nurtured the emergence of groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas
and after all it was the CIA that taught Bin Laden his terrorist skills.
"The London bombs have now given the British ruling classes the opportunities
to introduce even more reactionary security laws and have unleashed a wave
of anti-Muslim racist feelings. The way to resist that is not by young
Muslims in Britain or Ireland seeking refugee in fundamentalism but in
joining together with other young working people to campaign against the
war in Iraq. Clear political action is the best way forward for all who
despise imperialism. There is an alternative to imperialism and it is not
called fundamentalism. It is called socialism."
Danielle Ni Dhighe
North American Co-Coordinator
Irish Republican Socialist Committees of North America |
