Fair enough, Dave, here I am. If you would bother to check my posting history you would find that my support of the peace process goes back longer than you have been on Mudcat. That post is but one that I could point out. But that doesn't mean that I am willing to whitewash the actions of the UK government.

If you are happy about the peace process, then you owe a debt of gratitude to Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness and the rest of the Sinn Fein leadership. They have continued to insist on pursuing the political solution in the face of ongoing provocation. And it is instructive to note that the Orange/Loyalists are the ones refusing to disarm, not the Irish Republicans.

Frank, while religion is certainly a part of the troubles from the beginning, it is very important to understand that religion was introduced by the forces of the Crown, and reintroduced by the Capitalists in Ulster as a weapon to separate a people from themselves. When the workers in the Ulster shipyards and the Railways realized they had more in common than different, the Orange card was played. Religion has been used as a tool by those with an interest in keeping the conflict alive. But it is money that drives this, and focusing on the religious aspect just means that we are allowing ourselves to be used by the puppeteers.

But all that is a moot point. The day of the gun is over. For those of us in the States, and for those in the UK, we need to stay back and let this government of the people survive and prosper. The children of Ireland, ALL the children of Ireland, deserve no less.

All the best,

Mick