The IRA end its armed campaign.

[Skydancer]

So thats one battle in the war on terror won!

Wonder when they will apologise for their murder campaign and when those who funded them will do likewise?

[Hangtime]

when are you guys goona apologize for the genocide carried out on catholics? or, for that matter, Cromwell?

[Scherf]

So, apart from "resolving terror campaigns can provide another opportunity for transatlantic sniping", what are the lessons to be learned?

[eagl]

My personal guess is that the IRA would rather make up with the rest of the UK than be lumped together with a bunch of islamofascist terrorists.  Seriously, nobody in their right mind wants to end up on the receiving end of the GWOT.  Being a target in the Global War on Terror is a badge of pride for the religious nutjob terrorists, but an honest western revolutionary wants no part of that because most of the world sees the typical "terrorist" as an object of pity just as much as a threat to be stamped out.  The IRA has a much different agenda and that agenda would be crippled if people start thinking of them as a bunch of backwards brainwashed religious freaks.

Whether or not you agree with the IRA's position and regardless of what has gone on in the past, the IRA must distance themselves from the rest of the terrorist whackos.  If that means giving up violent forms of protest and pursuing other means to get what they feel is right and just, then that sounds good to me regardless of their motivations.

WMD (weapons of mass disney) have no effect on the IRA, so they're mostly immune to the threat that "western" society poses to the islamofascists, so they'll do just fine without resorting to killing people and blowing up stuff.  The terrorists who rely on a radical anti-everything religious foundation face a formidable challenge and they're not going to give up any of their options because there really is nobody else they could be lumped together with that they'd find so distasteful.

Now if only Israel and the Palestinians could find some sort of solution, then it would be clear that there is only one real violent group of nutjobs on the loose, and everyone including mainstream (legitimate) islamic states would lend a hand wiping them out.

[rshubert]

As the son of an Irish-American mother, and a catholic, I take exception to hang's statement.

There certainly has been prejudice and oppression of Catholics in Northern Ireland, but in recent decades that has been a result of IRA violence and polarization of the community.  Interesting, since most IRA leaders espouse a socialist, ant-religion platform, that most of the world sees the fight as "catholic" against "protestant".  It's not--it is a pure revolutionary power struggle for independance.

And check the facts about our boy Cromwell.  He was in Ireland for less than a year, and didn't kill indiscriminately.  Yes, there were a couple of massacres, but he was no worse than the local leaders.

[Furball]

Wonder if ETA will follow lead?

[Fishu]

Originally posted by Skydancer
Wonder when they will apologise for their murder campaign and when those who funded them will do likewise?

When does the UK apologize their oppression in Ireland?
...and there we go again, when people gets aggressive over the issue whos the one that owes the apology.

How about being happy of the peace, instead?
I'm sure the murdered people would rather choose the peace and good relations, rather than stir it up by requiring an apology in a situation in which both are guilty in a way or another.
Look to the future, not in the past.

[Hangtime]

Originally posted by rshubert
As the son of an Irish-American mother, and a catholic, I take exception to hang's statement.

There certainly has been prejudice and oppression of Catholics in Northern Ireland, but in recent decades that has been a result of IRA violence and polarization of the community.  Interesting, since most IRA leaders espouse a socialist, ant-religion platform, that most of the world sees the fight as "catholic" against "protestant".  It's not--it is a pure revolutionary power struggle for independance.

And check the facts about our boy Cromwell.  He was in Ireland for less than a year, and didn't kill indiscriminately.  Yes, there were a couple of massacres, but he was no worse than the local leaders.

Sorry for any percieved slight. The point being, an apology is no more forthcoming for the british than it is for the irish. Both sides have laid down there arms.. it's over. Asking for an apology is just another insult.

[rpm]

Originally posted by eagl
My personal guess is that the IRA would rather make up with the rest of the UK than be lumped together with a bunch of islamofascist terrorists. The IRA has a much different agenda and that agenda would be crippled if people start thinking of them as a bunch of backwards brainwashed religious freaks.

Whether or not you agree with the IRA's position and regardless of what has gone on in the past, the IRA must distance themselves from the rest of the terrorist whackos.  If that means giving up violent forms of protest and pursuing other means to get what they feel is right and just, then that sounds good to me regardless of their motivations.

Spot on.

[DREDIOCK]

Originally posted by Skydancer
So thats one battle in the war on terror won!

Wonder when they will apologise for their murder campaign and when those who funded them will do likewise?

Im sure my Grandmother & great grandmother would be asking the same thing about the UK government.

[Skydancer]

And thats the rub. whatever you think of Britain and whether or not Ulster is part of it or Ireland. Blowing up innocent women and children is not defensible. If it isn't defensible for muslims to do it it isn't defensible for the IRA either.

Yes I'm happy that that episode is hopefully over.But I'm
sorry  it makes me damned mad that whilst rightly condeming arab or muslim terror, Irish terrorism is condoned and was funded by people in a nation that was supposed to be our ally. That totaly stinks and disgusts me. The very worst kind of hypocracy.

[Maverick]

What was the name of the protestant version of the IRA?  I know that there were in effect 2 groups in conflict (outside of the British Army) both the "orange" and the "green"(?). All I hear about anymore is the IRA.

[FUNKED1]

Originally posted by Skydancer
And thats the rub. whatever you think of Britain and whether or not Ulster is part of it or Ireland. Blowing up innocent women and children is not defensible. If it isn't defensible for muslims to do it it isn't defensible for the IRA either.

Yes I'm happy that that episode is hopefully over.But I'm
sorry  it makes me damned mad that whilst rightly condeming arab or muslim terror, Irish terrorism is condoned and was funded by people in a nation that was supposed to be our ally. That totaly stinks and disgusts me. The very worst kind of hypocracy.

And there it is.  Like every other one of his posts, it's all about blaming the US.  Go troll somewhere else.

[Toad]

The IRA wasn't funded by the US government.

Yes, there were US citizens, particularly those of Irish descent, that gave money and support to the IRA. Much like there are British citizens that support A-Q and the Muslim terrorists that would strike the US. (Richard Reid.)

I think you'll find in retrospect, however, that US government involvement was in the "peacemaker" role.

I'm not going to slam the entire population of GB because there are British citizens that support A-Q and actively try to strike US targets.

But feel free to condemn all US citizens because some support/supported the IRA.

[Holden McGroin]

Originally posted by Skydancer
But I'm sorry  it makes me damned mad that whilst rightly condeming arab or muslim terror, Irish terrorism is condoned and was funded by people in a nation that was supposed to be our ally. That totaly stinks and disgusts me. The very worst kind of hypocracy.

London underground bombings were "condoned and funded by people in a nation that" is your country.  Although I understand it to be a very, very small minority of British subjects who believe in Jihad and I do know that the vast majority of your citizenry was appalled as were the vast majority of Americans. I do hold the view that this minority viewpoint does not speak for the British people.  

I salute the British for keeping their legendary stiff upper lip and I thank those who have finally seen the tactics of terror to be fultile.