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opinion/analysis
Tuesday October 30, 2007 16:54
by paul o toole
pauljotoole at eircom dot net
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Comments (7 of 7)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7"The Gardai in Shannon police station got their hair cut for UNICEF some months back-but they will not search planes -ironically most of UNICEF money is now going to Iraqi children. "
Those fiends! Helping children around the world! Time for an indignant demo, wot?
If you could point out where the 'whinging' was that would be helpful. As far as I'm concerned, pointing out facts that the police in Shannon will get their hair cut for a UN fundraiser for the United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund-UNICEF- who spend most of that fund on Iraqi children is hypocritical, given that 80% of the perpetrators pass under their nose on a daily basis through Shannon airport, a mile from the police station they opperate from.
If they really had the slightest interest in the welfare of Iraqi or Afghani children they would look closley at their job description to uphold the Irish constitution and act within the law, and not ignore it as they have done since 18th March 2003.
Yes they are fiends, and a disgrace to their profession and the name Garda Siochana.
Mabey the haircuts were to appease their concience, it's like putting plasters on dead children when they have it in their grasp to prevent the attrocities happening in the first place. You are right, it is time for a demo, but I fail to see what is 'indignant' about highlighting Irish politicians complicity in war crimes.....Are you a cop?, a politician?, or are you invested in Petrel resources?...or are you a socio-path?. Or is there another excuse for describing a demo at Shannon as an indignant affair.
"given that 80% of the perpetrators pass under their nose on a daily basis through Shannon airport, a mile from the police station they opperate from."
A cursory glance at the papers will tell you that Iraqi children are suffering injuries and malnutrition mainly due to inter ethnic/religious/factional conflicts NOT due to bombs dropped by US/UK forces. Withdrawing troops as it looks like is going to happen would, most probably, escalate the violence, leading to more children suffering and in need of Unicef aid. But by this time Unicef and other's like them, won't even be able to set foot in Iraq.
"A cursory glance at the papers will tell you that Iraqi children are suffering injuries and malnutrition mainly due to inter ethnic/religious/factional conflicts NOT due to bombs dropped by US/UK forces."
Really? Was it local conflicts that blew up the water infrastructure, that bombed hospitals? That enforced sanctions?
Is it not the case that it is LOCAL Iraqis who are trying to feed their neighbours, share electrcity, while the US Marines kick the door in on another raid?
" Withdrawing troops as it looks like is going to happen would, most probably, escalate the violence, leading to more children suffering and in need of Unicef aid. But by this time Unicef and other's like them, won't even be able to set foot in Iraq. "
That's scaremongering, and uninformed scaremongering at that. Most Iraqis want the US and UK troops out. It's the same US and UK that is formenting division amongst Iraqis, by arming one side of the faction, while supporting the other politically. Divide and conquer.
The occupations is feeding Halliburton, Bechtel, Blackwater, not Iraqi kids.
And the troops coming through Shannon keep that system in place.
The local Gardai - the ones who had their hair cut for charity - are not the people who made the decision not to search certain US aircraft passing-through Shannon. I would imagine that the decision was made at government-level. The Gardai in matters such as these are subject to the direction of the Minister for Justice.
This is something all the contributors to this discussion are well aware of unless they are are unbelievably naive.
So why all the criticism of the Gardai for their charity?
It couldn't possibly be because of the visceral hatred of the Gardai which expresses itself 'ad nauseam' in the Indymedia pages?
If you cant see the blatant hypocracy, I for one cant help that. Thousands of our boys in blue show up at protests. The army comes out at protests. Special branch show up with firearms. The busses get stopped and searched for chrisstsake- and 'offensive weapons' (placards/posters) are removed under the 'offenses against the state act'.....all this pretence of acting within the law.....
I diddnt say it was a bad thing that the cops in Shannon got their haircut for UNICEF to help kids, which they allow to be injured and killed by not preventing the criminal activity in the first place, I was simply pointing out the hypocracy of An Gardai Suiochana's position.
If you are going to make unfounded accusations of 'visceral hatred' of the gardai in these pages of indymedia, id love to see it.
But , yes they are unfit to call themselves ''The Guardians Of The Peace'' while they allow genocide to take place.
This is not hatred, just fact. You are not obliged to accept it, but dont attack it with falsehoods.
"The Gardai in matters such as these are subject to the direction of the Minister for Justice.
This is something all the contributors to this discussion are well aware of unless they are are unbelievably naive."
It's not being naive. The Minister for Justice, is not supposed to interfere in operational matters of the Gardai, and should not give them directions to IGNORE the law of the land.
In fact, under section 9(2) of the offences against the state act, 1939 it is illegal to incite or encourage any person employed in any capacity by the State to refuse, neglect, or omit to perform his duty.
IF the Gardai decide to ignore the law because it suits some politicians, then they deserve to be criticised. It's not an anti-Garda bias. They earn the criticism by ignoring huge crimes while cracking down on peaceful protestors, perjuring themselves in the courts, using assault, criminal damage etc.
raising a few euros for UNICEF, will undoubtedly be welcomed by UNICEF but it does not make up for complicity in actions that kill a lot more kids than will benefit from those haircuts.