Gentlemen,

I agree that many of my countrymen have a skewed idealistic view of the troubles. What troubles me most is their view of the war as a glorious battle for a free, united Ireland. War is never glorious, and I speak from the perspective of a person who was in the US military from 1969 to 1975. I remember being at a party a few years ago, when a young man who "supports the Republican cause" was bragging loudly that we had "shot down a Brit helicopter" as if he had been there. He caught me at a bad moment. I remember grabbing him and asking him what the hell he knew about killing. I remember asking him if he had ever looked into the eyes of a man that he was in the process of killing, and feeling the little shudder a body lets off as it gives up its soul. I also chastised him to remember that for every "Brit" killed, some mother cries for her lost son, some sister cries for her dead brother, perhaps some child will never know the love of its father. It is when we allow the commanders to dehumanize our enemy that war becomes glorious, instead of the most terrible job that sometimes MUST be done.

Iason, if you took offense at my comments, please accept my apologies. It is just that I have seen to many of my Irish American friends with this glorified view of the troubles. I believe strongly in one Ireland, free and undivided. I have supported the armed struggle in the past, and I believe you should be able to tell from the above paragraph that I have not done so blind to the terrible cost. I have supported it primarily with political action. My comments, in fact, were meant to say to Irish Americans that if you really support the Irish people, you will support their wishes to give this process a fair chance, and conversely will do nothing to support tearing it down.

Pete M., thanks for your kind comments. While I don't necessarily disagree with some of your facts with regard to the manipulation of events on both sides, the base line remains. You indicated that the Catholics were discriminated against in the sixties. The fact is that the Catholics have been discriminated against since the time of Cromwell and before. The underlying problem in the North is that the "unwelcome stranger" put a stranglehold on the resources and employment over three hundred years ago and have yet to let it go. Your analogy to the problems of the African-American is right on the money. I do not believe that we would be at the gateway to peace were it not for the IRA forcing the world to look at the problems with a critical eye. I will never allow the assertion that "England and her policies on the Irish question are not the root of the problem" to go unchallenged. Any attempt to shift culpability to the IRA is simply an attempt to shift the premise of the debate and is not born out by historical fact.

I intend to remain supportive of the wishes of the Irish people on this matter.

Mick