SEAN McDONOUGH,
Madam, - The scale of the peace demonstration on February 15th surprised everyone. Among the crowd were a large contingent from Slí Eile, a Jesuit-sponsored young adult organisation, and The Gardiner Street Gospel Choir, who joined Luka Bloom on the main stage, in Dame Street.
While we respect the fact that not all Jesuits share our opinion (Rite and Reason, February 24th) we believe this popular manifestation for peace is consistent with the analysis of the vast majority of Christians and Jesuits.
This month the secretary of the social justice secretariat at the Jesuit Curia in Rome writes: "We believe, with many others, that the reasons for a pre-emptive strike against Iraq are not convincing, and the effects of a possible war will turn out to be so devastating that it becomes very difficult, if not impossible, to justify a military intervention."
As war is "always a defeat for humanity" (John Paul II), we strongly support all possible efforts to solve this crisis by peaceful means. - Yours, etc.,
ÉAMON STACK, SJ,
Director, Slí Eile,
Upper Gardiner Street,
Dublin 1.
... ...
Madam, - Ruth Dudley Edwards's column of February 20th was not only condescending and patronising; it was also inaccurate by omission. For a serious historian to ignore the historical foundations of modern Iraq beggars belief. Even a cursory glance at Iraq's troubled history will reveal that past British administrations have been anything but honest brokers.
It was British colonialists who backed the Sunni minority in Iraq, which ensured their political ascendency and which has resulted in the Ba'athist domination today. The colonialists, of course, had their own selfish strategic and economic reasons for such anti-democratic practices.
However, Ms Dudley Edwards - who appears to treat historical precedents somewhat subjectively (i.e. ignore what does not suit) - informs us that Tony Blair "has shown courage and vision in coming to terms with a terrifying new world order we ignore at our peril". Many people would argue that Bush and Blair are not "coming to terms with" but creating "a terrifying new world order" - one that will be dominated by Providential Christofascists and unfettered global capitalism.
Ms Dudley Edwards also asserts that the US is "the greatest democracy in the world", which makes one wonder what her definition of democracy is all about.
Is it having the world's largest economy while having 43 million people without any health insurance of any kind? Is it about disenfranchising convicted felons, as they do in most southern states (2 per cent of the US electorate or 4.2 million people, mostly from ethnic minorities, have been disenfranchised in this way)? Is is about executing prisoners who have been proven to be psychologically disturbed?
Is it about "destabilising" Venezuela as the US "destabilised" Chile, or the illegal invasion of Grenada? Is it about rigged elections and a Republican majority in the Supreme Court which legitimated the rigging? This is the reality of US "democracy".
To declare that Bush "is a decent man and no fool who since 9/11 has shown exemplary restraint" is risible when one considers the invasion of Afghanistan and its now increasingly obvious and tragic aftermath.
Given Ms Dudley Edwards's penchant for subjective revisionist history, perhaps the only people in Ireland who can claim to march in her name are those real dinosaurs of Irish politics, the ones who march every July 12th. - Yours, etc.,
SEAN McDONOUGH,
Lennonstown Manor,
Dundalk,
Co Louth.
... ...
Madam, - I must congratulate Ruth Dudley Edwards for her timely opinion piece on why the time is right for the liberation of Iraq.
I have watched the angry responses in these columns to her article, which have bordered on hysteria and insult. What I think upsets marchers most is her opening lines. "You didn't march in my name" - a retort to the marchers' slogan, "not in my name". Rarely in opinion articles do we see the target being hit so accurately.
Long live opinion. - Yours, etc.,
HENRY ROBINSON,
Downpatrick,
Co Down.
... ...
Madam, - Like so many millions of Green "old Europeans", I am not anti-American but certainly I'm against war-mongering Bush and his cohort. Equally, of course, I'm anti-Saddam (and his supporters).
Maybe I'm naïve, but perhaps a solution of the crisis would be for the UN Security Council to deliver an ultimatum to Saddam, demanding that the UN weapons inspectors station themselves permanently in Iraq and that they be joined by a UN peace-keeping force to ensure that all the people of Iraq (notably the Kurds) enjoy a non-persecuted, normal life - enhanced, of course, by the lifting of all sanctions. - Yours, etc.,
DERMOT ASHMORE,
St Jean sur Siagne,
France.
... ...
A chara, - Tony Blair's "moral case for war" is grossly undermined by news that Brig Gordon Kerr, the British military intelligence officer facing possible prosecution for allegedly colluding with loyalist paramilitaries in the murders of Catholics in Ireland, has been sent to the Gulf to head British spying activities in the Middle East as part of preparations for action in Iraq.
This is the third time that Kerr has been promoted since he led the Force Research Unit (FRU), an ultra-secret arm of the British Army's Intelligence Corps which ran agents such as Brian Nelson, who was convicted of conspiracy to murder. He has also been rewarded with both an OBE and the Queen's Gallantry Medal.
The move follows a decision on February 13th by Sir John Stevens, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, to forward papers on Kerr and some 20 other members of the security forces who served in Northern Ireland to the DPP. - Yours, etc.,
Dr SEÁN MARLOW,
Willow Park Road,
Dublin 11.