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Home Page > Blogs > News blogs > Periscope > Not in our name -- Irish Americans deplore Dissident IRA killing --Time to stand up and be counted on slaying of prison officer

Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

Not in our name -- Irish Americans deplore Dissident IRA killing --Time to stand up and be counted on slaying of prison officer

Posted on Saturday, November 03, 2012 at 09:19 AM

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David Black

The murder of prison officer David Black in Lurgan, Armagh by dissident IRA members who ambushed his car, was not done in the name of Irish America.

This community has made clear for years now that it stands with the peace process and not with those who wish to continue to visit death and tragedy on the people there.

We agree with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who said "There is no justification for this outrageous and cowardly act. I offer my sincere condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Officer Black, who had a long and distinguished record of service."

It is a futile cause and a death in vain as it only solidifies the belief among the peace process parties and among Irish Americans that the current progress must continue.

It was never going to be a 100 per cent break with the past and violence but the killing of the prison officer, a Protestant, was yet another example of the lunacy at work in some quarters.

Does the killing of a prison officer or a policeman move the goal of a united Ireland one centimeter closer?

Of course not, quite the opposite. Those who still take up arms despite the wishes of overwhelming majorities in both communities who support the process know that too.

It allows them their stupid delusions of grandeur that they are players in a conflict that has actually ended with the Good Friday peace agreement between all sides.

Nobel Prize winner John Hume referred to his goal as that of an agreed Ireland. As far as we can that has been achieved with a huge helping hand from Irish America and President Clinton and other presidents since.

Whether the future holds a united Ireland or the status quo depends on the future generations who will vote on such issues.

It certainly does not depend on those who will wantonly take life in support of a violent ideal that has now receded into history.

It was heartening to see Northern Ireland’s two leaders, Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness issue a joint statement on the killing, condemning it in the strongest terms.

Such is the only way to proceed in the North. The peace process has now been operational in one form or another since the early 90s. A generation has grown up not knowing violence or the despair of earlier generations.

That is how it should be, persuasion by political means not violence remains the goal of all who wish the peace process well.

We here in America want to reiterate again these killers do not speak for the overwhelming majority of Irish Americans.

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Realist | Dec 01, 2012, 11:59 AM EST

seamus60: You were asked if you condoned the murder of David Black. You have yet to answer this. Again, would you please tell me, in precise legal detail, what was illegal about the Marian Price case or the action taken by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in connection with this? Finally....terms like "themings" and "your kind" are only used by sectarian bigots so spare me your squirming my friend, you knew exactly what you were doing when you employed them. Yet again.....shame on you.

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seamus60 | Nov 12, 2012, 08:57 AM EST

Realist. Themings being people with a differance of opinion to your own.If the law (being abused as it is with Marian Price) was being deployed in the same manner for non political aledgations would you still endorse it as you do. If yes, I wouldn`t want to live in your democrecy. You mentioned earlier about the SOS`s intervention in Marians case. Which one of them interventions was that ?

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seanomelb | Nov 10, 2012, 05:39 PM EST

Get your head out of the glass Phlutie. Unrealist is floating his I love Britain "theme" again

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Realist | Nov 10, 2012, 01:59 PM EST

seamus60: Now who, precisely, do you mean by "themings"?

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seamus60 | Nov 10, 2012, 01:13 PM EST

Realist your kind being , them who believe in everything good for everyone equally, except for themings there.

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seamus60 | Nov 10, 2012, 01:10 PM EST

Realist, I unlike yourself have no difficulty in answering direct questions as I am not trying to ride 2 horses at the same time. You asked me earlier did I condemn the killing , that was a NO. what alternative to that is there ?. I am now however more interested in your agenda, as answering questions definitivly has landed people before the courts.

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PhlutiePhan | Nov 10, 2012, 11:54 AM EST

The goal of the IRA always has been the creation of a socialist Ireland in the image of Cuba and Venezuela and now the U.S. The penultimate goal is the overthrow of Britian itself. Officer Black is only one small piece of the puzzle. I haven't heard Gerry Adams crying in his Guinness over his unfortunate death. The manipulative lad without a doubt condoned this message to those who dare to forget his goals.

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Realist | Nov 09, 2012, 04:15 PM EST

seamus60: By the way....what, precisely, do you mean by "your kind"?

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Realist | Nov 09, 2012, 04:10 PM EST

seamus60: I have asked you a simple straight question, more than once....Do you or do you not condone the murder of David Black? More than once you have declined a straight answer. You clearly do not have the courage of your "traditional Republican" convictions to give that an answer. I call that a lack of backbone....and I still do. What other way is there to see it?

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seamus60 | Nov 09, 2012, 01:30 PM EST

Sorry that should have read granda was an RUC man blown up by the IRA.

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seamus60 | Nov 09, 2012, 01:28 PM EST

Just watched the UTV news that ended with a lovely wee story of a newborn baby. Whose granda was blown up 25 years ago. Scraping the barrell to say the least.

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seamus60 | Nov 09, 2012, 10:35 AM EST

Realist. insults a sign of a looser. I have not been insulting you ,Have I ? You want me a consistant traditional republican to be as 2 faced as yourself. It is you and your kind who have diffuculty marrying your own contridictions in what pass`s for equality. Can`t have it both ways.

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Realist | Nov 09, 2012, 09:39 AM EST

IrelandNorth: "I'm a good deal older than your estimate"? Lol....you surprise me....I thought 12 was generous. "How can native Irish Catholic/nationalist/republicans have "... full and free access to the democratic process ...""? I suggest you ask the SDLP and Sinn Fein, they represent about 99% of voting Nationalists in Northern Ireland. How many people do the masked murderers that you seem to support represent? How many votes did they get at the last election? What's it like to pine after murder and violence? What's it like to be branded a "futile" "traitor to Ireland" with "no strategy whatsoever" by the likes of Martin McGuinness? What's it like to be despised by all decent peace-loving people? What's it like to be left behind (where you belong)?

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IrelandNorth | Nov 09, 2012, 09:03 AM EST

séchóntaebréathan! The call is "Allah[u] Akbar/God is great! Realist! I'm a good deal older than your estimate. PS My reference to British imperialism was back to 1922/1800, ie the start of the whole unionist lie. (I could of course go back to 1169, but we don't have the time.) Riddle me this! How can native Irish Catholic/nationalist/republicans have "... full and free access to the democratic process ..." in a neo-provincial statelet which was specifically constituted to make a minority of a national majority. GordonDuggan! Criticising political violence is untenable unless the 26 county proto-republic statelet is handed back to its rightful annexers, from whom those 1916 terrorists stole it back from. Lives are lost becausae live a lie.

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Realist | Nov 09, 2012, 06:30 AM EST

seamus60: Cold comfort....I dare say Mrs Black and her children would far rather have her husband and father back than any pension or mortgage payment....but you don't seem to care about that....he was legitimate target to you. You will not condemn his murder. What does that make you?

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