The problem with folks like GUEST and KeithA is that they take a small snapshot to justify their positions. You won't get an argument out of me about the killing of uninvolved citizenry. What you will get is me questioning what spawned that tactic. When one widens the perspective on the "murderous thugs" we find they are spawned by a British policy that robbed them of their rights, systematically deprived them of jobs, gerrymandered their voting districts so they couldn't even access the political system, terrorised their children, used "shoot to kill" orders, fired on and killed innocents who were using non violent tactics to cause change, etc, etc. Even today, while the "murderous thugs" try to go the way of peace, their children are harassed on the way to school, have balloons full of urine thrown at them, and on and on. Don't take any moral high ground with regard to deplorable action on behalf of your society, Keith. You just look foolish. Instead of trying to make sense of, or render judgements on, this ugly past, why not embrace what it takes to move ahead. The "murderous thugs" have. Why not castigate these loyalist unionist thugs who murder, maim, and do everything they can to destroy the prospect of peace.

In the end result, it won't be the the IRA who brings peace. It will be the folks in the North from the Unionist side, and folks in Great Britain, who tell these "loyalist thugs" that enough is enough. I only hope they hurry. I don't know how much more can be tolerated before the fire ignites.

Mick