Once again, lots of interesting tangents!
To begin with, brother James. The insergency in Ireland has nothing to do with religion, other than the fact the England has used fundimentalist protestants as pauns. I am not a Catholic, though I am completely a Republican (not at all in the American sence mind you). Do read the Bobby Sands thread and understand that Englands interests have nothing to do with democracy and religion, but we are dealing with a monster created in the cold war NATO international geo-policical struggle. Ireland has been colateral damage in the struggle between corporate capitalist nations and a state-corporate collective empire.
Now, Banjer! War of agression??? No, there is no comparison between the US civil war and what has been going on in Ireland, by my estimation. Further to not see the seeds of the federalist anti-federalist struggle being set in terms also associated with the putting off of the issue of slavery at the time of the constitutional convention in the 1790s is to bring less than carefull scolarship to the table. Without a strong federal government - these United States - rather than The United States, would have remained a third rate power, if that, and matters of civil rights would have made us even more of a pariah nation than we are often thought. Federal power is about balencing minority rights against the tyrony of the local majority, and I realize that many are offended by that, just as many are offended by Black rule in South Africa, or Catholics having equal rights in Ireland. But without balence and fairness, the cure can be as bad as the illness. I would urge you to read Herman Melvilles book, Benito Cerano. It is about a revolt on a slave ship, very loosely based on the Amisad event. His point, made before the war, is that Slavery, without rational civilised abolition, will lead to an uprising and unlease horrors on the nation. In fact, this happened. No, the war was not only about slavery, but slavery made the war inevitable, just as the war in Ireland is not about religion, but oppression of Catholics and Nationalists, makes war inevitable unless there are democratic solutions to the deprivations.
Jon, thank you for posting the text of that report.
Let us all agree to urge both sides to return to this flawed agreement, as it is preferable to war. However,to those who see threats in Gerry Addams statements, I would remind you that Irish voters were told by England, accept this agreement or there would be war. As Bernadette Devlin McCalisky said at the time, If we dont intend to start a war, what England is saying is sign this paper or we will kill you.
Again, let us write to both sides and urge progress.
Larry