The choice to kill is a very personal and very meaningful decision. Only the killer and the killee can know the justice of the act - but the act nearly always has extreme reactions among the survivors close to it. The troubles in NI have created a legacy of those extreme reactions, spurring others to further violence ... as an American born Irish Catholic, my family has been typical in its wish to support Irish Republican sentiments - but I cannot justify the terrorist activity that I have witnessed as an outsider. I know that murder has occurred on both sides (or maybe I should say all sides). I know there is a long complex history in this conflict, and I have worked hard to truly understand it. I will not comment on Bobby Sands actions prior to his incarceration; I am not inclined to support those who choose to participate in murder, and Bobby may or may not have made that choice. But Bobby's enobling choice was to die for a cause in which he believed - that, in my mind is an action that demands my respect. I suspect his cause was just (better treatment for prisoners) and I suspect his action bore fruit.

Like Alison, I pray that the current attempt at a lasting peace will take permanent root.