Re-GUEST,Renee's post that included,"Americans don't understand that the people of Ireland live in fear of..."
I am NOT comenting on the rest of her posting as I don't know enough to make a start, but I would like to share something I think is related.

I never understood my Jewish friends as well as the day I sat in an auditorium in Skokie, IL. I was at this cultural center to see an Israeli dance troupe, and suddenly realized I was surrounded by about a thousand targets of violence. I could barely breathe, much less stay in my seat and relax, knowing I was in a building that could explode at any moment, just because it was being attended by a large number of hated people. I don't remember much about the dancing, except tears streaming down my face to see that Israelis dance even when they are terrified. I could barely sit in my seat with the fear flooding through me. They were dancing. Sometimes I just think about that. It tends to enlighten my perspective whenever I do.

So I don't understand what most of you are talking about, and can't pretend to. But from outside it, I pray for all in it, and hope to see that the talking about it has some meaning beyond the scraped-raw feelings.