Madam, - Sinn Féin TD Arthur Morgan has a delightful if duplicious way with words. His reference (February 18th) to the killers of Garda Jerry McCabe as "prisoners convicted of involvement in the tragic events that led to the death of Garda McCabe" was stomach-churning sophistry.
The killers of Garda McCabe, who was deliberately and mercilessly gunned down, were convicted of his manslaughter after a murder charge was withdrawn when State witnesses indicated their unwillingness to give evidence.
Whatever the arguments for and against their release, let us not accept weasel words to mask the barbarity of the cold-blooded killing of a good man. -Yours, etc..,
SEAN WARD, Sutton Park, Dublin 13.
Madam - Perhaps you might consider publishing a dissembling letter from a Sinn Féin TD every day. Having read it each morning one could be fairly sure of not encountering anything so abominable for the rest of the day.
In response to Sean Ward's legitimate question about Sinn Féin TDs being happy to be pictured with the killer of Detective Jerry McCabe, Arthur Morgan TD argues that the real question should be "why are the killers convicted of involvement in the tragic events that led to the death of Garda McCabe" are still in jail (February 18th).
Such offensive mangling of words is typical of Sinn Féin as they attempt to gather support from voters who have short memories of the activities of Sinn Féin and the IRA. For the benefit of your readers it should be clarified that far from being merely convicted of "involvement in the tragic events" these people were convicted of the actual manslaughter of Garda McCabe.
This public servant was shot to death without warning as he sat in his car guarding the pension payments of ordinary decent people. Sinn Féin would obviously prefer if the full facts of this and other foul deeds were forgotten so that they could benefit from just the right amount of a whiff of sulphur. - Yours, etc.,
PAUL CARROLL, Churchfield, Clane, Co Kildare.