Ducks and Drakes

international | rights, freedoms and repression | opinion/analysis Thursday September 20, 2007 22:09 by Kevin T. Walsh - Social Justice Ethics

The Circus continues....

The circus continues in relation to Bertie's cash lodgements and handouts - I will return to this in a minute....

But first I would like to point out the cutbacks in Sligo Hospital as reported today and as Drumm, the new God to Health said 'there are new limits now'.

Dark days ahead sadly....but I will get back to this too.

Sinn Fein's Deputy Aengus O'Snodaigh called last week for the abolition of the Special Branch - I suppose people might say that this is nothing new, after all, the Sinners down the years have been calling for the sworn adversaries, the secretive political police, in the Special Detective Unit - SDU, to be abolished.

Bunter O'Snodaigh's suggestion is quite radical - it was made in a submission about the long term future of the force which ironically he was asked to do by Commissioner Noel Conroy, in relation to the Garda Policing Plan of 2008. Conroy did advise TD's from various parties to submit a road map on the future of policing. This will be published soon.

Do we really need the size of the Special Branch, as it stands in its present format - No, we don't. The SDU is anarchranoism - the biggest detective unit in the Garda. In the time of the IRA conflict, it was needed but now with IRA having put their weapons beyond use, it is costing the taxpayer millions of pounds every year.

Now let us get to the topic that the Irish are running away from, especially our Government. Make no mistake about it there is an extreme threat today in this country from Al Quida and Jihad. It is now time for the Irish Government to put together all resources to protect the Irish citizens from threats or attacks on this island.

The SDU is a private Club. Members who join usually remain members for life. Those who jump out to move up the career ladder often return to the comaraderie of the SDU at higher rank. It is policed by two shades of politics, Fianna Fail, and Fine Gael. When Pat Byrne was promoted as Commissioner, a few years ago, he was a high flying brancher. Many high ranking uniformed officers feeling they had been passed over again, muttered about the Special Branch brotherhood, that Byrne came from. Now he is involved in Racecourses.

Perhaps somebody out there could explain to be what favours are?

Getting back to Health cutbacks, people now from Sligo, like the people from Waterford, will have to travel to Dublin to see Neurologists and other specialists. Cutbacks accroding to this idiot Drumm, when he and his cronies, are getting large bonuses of between Euros50,000-100,000 each, sitting on their fat behinds and putting further pain onto the Irish people in a health system that is already in tatters. Larkin would be ashamed - where is our sense of Outrage? I say to the new Leader of the Labour party, Gilmore - Wake Up and get back to what Labour means - People first, not profit.

Our poor Taoiseach........Bertie is in court today just for taking a few bob during his years as Finance Minister - sleeping rough (sleeping bag) in Drumcondra - I think Fr. McVerry found him a hostel for a few nights on the Navan Road. Ahern does not deserve this. The nation is aware that he may be a little shady i.e. anyone who enters the tent comes out a millionaire. It is going since the time of Haughey, Burke, Lawlor, Redmond, P. Flynn, Dunlop, and probably thousands more. Why are paying millions of Euros to barristers to tell us what we really know ourselves.

I was in Ringsend today - my friend Paddy Joe Pidgeon, a famous breeder of ducks, drakes and goats, returned to his family home in Ringsend and found his drakes had gone away i.e. apart from their heads and little webed feet....the bodies gone. He phoned the Gardai in Irishtown.....who arrived at his house with State Pathologist Maura Cassidy - She said it was the work of a serial killer. Later a Garda found a note with cash in one of the drakes mouth. It totally covered the cost of all dead. It is alleged the note read - I Mickey, your friend and neighbour, the Muslim have taken your birds for Ramadan week. It is my culture and as Ireland is now my country too, I reiterate the words of my other Muslim friend on Liveline last week - the Gardai are racist, the protection for the saftey of animals people are also racist and after 20 minutes of non stop talking of the crazy Muslim he went further and accused Duffy of not giving him time to speak.

I believe the Irish people are now one of the most tolerant races in the world and I thank our Taoiseach Bertie Ahern for showing up the example of tolerance and forgiveness. He is exemplary - he has shown his forgiveness to Miriam for throwing him out years ago; he has shown forgiveness to Celia for 'shafting' him and now he is asking the people of Ireland to forgive him for taking a bag of cash from Wall, the Mayo culchie. I tonight forgive Bertie and I know thousands will follow - he is a decent, honest working, north-sider, who enjoys a Pint of Bass at his Local, and then goes home to an empty bed. God Bless you Bertie.

All I can add to this is that Our Taoiseach who was re-elected by the people of Ireland, has a pledge to carry out........he must mind his clutch of ducks and drakes, his people, of the Island of Ireland.....A tall order, I would say....

Margaret Mead (1901-1978) US antropologist, outspoken on issues of women's rights, birth control and environment.

'Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it's thing that ever has'.
(Remember Colm Keane's book 'The Job's Crisis).

A thought!
Feet and Knees, Emiliano Zapata (1879-1919) Mexican Revolutionary
'Better die on your feet than live on your knees.

To the Tribunal Lawyers - a thought

Florynce Kennedy (1916-2001). US lawyer, feminist and civil rights activist

'Don't agonise, organise'