Madam, - I wish to take issue with Michael Shannon (July 3rd), who extols the use of the Irish Defence Forces during the Bush visit.
Michael is a retired colonel of the Irish Defence Forces, as well as being chairperson of the Irish Peace Institute.
He should be well aware that the use of tanks and armoured vehicles is highly inappropriate for crowd control purposes, and that their use is questionable even for anti-terrorist security.
This was demonstrated on June 26th when one of the Mowag armoured vehicles was inexplicably surrounded by demonstrators at Shannon, painted with a few peace slogans and then released.
The Peace Institute has adopted a blinkered approach to peace. While it has done some very good work in the context of peace within Ireland, it has chosen to remain completely silent and inactive, not only on the conflict in Palestine and the US-led wars against Afghanistan and Iraq, but especially on Ireland's involvement in the Iraq war resulting from US military use of Shannon airport.
Our neighbours in Northern Ireland are now enjoying a significant measure of peace, yet, I seem to recall that the Good Samaritan parable sought to teach us that our neighbour is all mankind.
Michael Shannon tells us that the Irish soldiers at Shannon, were about their constitutional responsibility.
Yet they were preventing Irish citizens, including this one, from exercising their fundamental right to assemble peaceably and without arms, under Article 40, 6, 1, (ii), of the Constitution, while at the same time failing to uphold Articles 28 (The State shall not participate in any war save with the assent of Dáil Éireann) and Article 29, Paras. 1,2,3 (upholding peace, justice, morality, international law etc.) of the Constitution.
The use of oppressive security measures at Shannon was intended to, and succeeded in, preventing or dissuading thousands of Irish citizens from attending the peaceful peace protests at Shannon.
Promoting peace at home in Ireland while ignoring Ireland's ill-gotten financial gains as a result of supporting wars against our foreign neighbours has become something of a national cancer.
It has become the truth we dare not speak, in the national interest. I dare to speak, Madam. - Yours, etc.,
EDWARD HORGAN, Comdt. (retired), Castletroy, Co Limerick.