| Title: | Celt Notefile |
| Moderator: | TALLIS::DARCY |
| Created: | Wed Feb 19 1986 |
| Last Modified: | Tue Jun 03 1997 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 1632 |
| Total number of notes: | 20523 |
The US yesterday extradited its first American to Britain for
prosecution under its special extradiction treaty with Britain.
The first to go was a a guy by the name of Quinn, an American
who was allegedly shot and killed a British policeman, when
the police came upon a bomb factory for the IRA in England.
Quinn was a third generation Irish-American, who had lived
in the Republic for 10 years during the 70s. Another person
is slated to go next week.
Aside from the crime itself, I find the extradition treaty very
unnerving. We live in a country where Nicaraguan "freedom fighters",
Polish "Solidarity members", Afghan "rebels", Cuban "mercinaries",
Chilean "dictatorship", etc. are given safe haven in the US.
What distinguishes these groups from the IRA? Really now?
They all commit crimes, they all kill people. But yet only one
group is deported for these crimes.
Who picks the group's political attribute on the evening news?
Shall we call them "freedom fighters"? "rebels"? "terrorists"?
| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 329.1 | Here's my ideas on the subject(and beyond) | DPDMAI::OREILLY | My wife and dog are more Irish! | Fri Feb 12 1988 14:52 | 40 |
I don't claim, by any means, to have much knowledge about the
situation, but here's my opinion...
It seems that the "terrorist" label that the IRA has now, whether
earned or labeled by the press, is maybe why they're the only one
out of the group you mentioned that is extradited.
Mr. Reagan's attempts to end the terrorist attacks on Americans
around the world may have something to do with it. Maybe one example:
Britian let the USA use their country as a stop for our jets that
strafed Libya. So, the British lent us a hand there, to help us
stop terrorism by Libya against us, and we're now helping them to stop
what, in the British eyes, is "terrorism" against them.
Unfortunately and amazingly, the USA, even with its very large
population of citizens that have Irish Roots of one level or another,
seems to view the IRA as "terrorists".
As I've learned more and more over the last year about the history
involved, I've gained much more sympathy for the IRA, although I
still don't agree with any kind of violence.
It would be interesting to read the history books of those that are
completely on the side of the British, to see how they justify their
viewpoint.
I would like to see every American that has some Irish heritage in their
past, to learn what I have learned and maybe our Government would
ask Britian some tough questions and not be so cooperative in
"extradition policy".
The whole situation is a very complex one. Because of that, it's
difficult to take a stand completely one way or the other. I would
have to study the situation in great detail from every viewpoint
before I could justify taking a stand.
JO'R
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| 329.2 | From "The irish Emigrant" newsletter ... | STEREO::BURNS | 1988 will be a BANNER year | Tue Feb 23 1988 12:59 | 8 |
- William Quinn, a native of San Francisco, was jailed for life
in London for the murder of a London policeman. Quinn was
extradited from the U.S. in October 1986 after spending a
number of years in prison there while he fought extradition.
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