Is Catholic Church getting bad rap on pedophiles? Misguided forgiveness at heart of church scandal says expert

A leading Catholic lay figure I know who is a deeply compassionate and caring man gives a different read on the church crisis in Ireland than you will read anywhere else.

His points are thought provoking.

Essentially, he says the reason the matter of child abuse got out of hand can be found at the very kernel of the meaning of being a Catholic priest.

"The entire philosophy is based on forgiveness, whether it is confession or in daily life" he says." They are thought first and foremost in the seminary that Jesus forgave even the most dreadful of sins."

He argues that when fellow priests and bishops were faced with men who had abused children, their initial response was to forgive, as they had been trained to do all their church lives.

He says, categorically, that it was the wrong response, However, he says the fact that they knew the guilty men, that the men probably pleaded for forgiveness, that, as in any body of men attracted to the same mission, they felt deeply about them, then forgiveness seemed a viable and often best option.

He is not denying that was not the motive of many who feared the damage for the church first and foremost not the victims.

But he believes many who allowed the priests back into practice were motivated by the aspect of the church's teachings, most stressed by the teaching of Jesus, the ability to forgive.

However, he believes it may come down to the American church to save the Irish one, which essentially created the American church from their own history of priests emigrating here.

Several bishops from America, including Egan in New York and O'Malley in Boston have been called in to staunch the tide.

The heart of it my friend says must be the American principle of no more cover ups, but he says it is vital that the aspect of forgiveness not be overlooked as a factor in the massive scandal that has ensued.

"I think many were not bad men, but misguided, who had the aspect of forgiveness as their main reason for allowing bad priests to continue. I do not believe they covered up in order to endanger children but they believed the offending priest could be made to see the error of his ways and change his life."

There you have it, interesting and thought provoking as I said.

There are good priests and bishops in Ireland today - Naming three men who have made a major difference

A truly pastoral church is what is needed in Ireland today, one responsive to the wishes of the people rather than a bureaucracy in Rome at the Vatican.

The church in Ireland has long been divided between the Celtic and Roman affiliations.

The Celtic church adherents stress the pastoral nature of the church, the need to be at one with their flock and deal with the problems that arise on the pastoral level. It is locally based and grounded.

That is the traditional message of the Irish church as first expressed by St. Patrick who brought the faith to Ireland.

Current Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin recognized that reality soon after coming back from Ireland to Rome and focused on the core message of regaining the faith of those who had been abused and those appalled by that.

He took over from the dense philosopher Desmond Connell who was all at sea with the pastoral role and allowed the evildoers to run amok.

The Vatican did all in it power to cover up its scandals under Connell but Martin was having none of it.

He was a very determined Irishman. standing with the most vulnerable against the powerful, including many of his own colleagues.

He understands that what the average parishioner thinks, rather than what a Vatican Curia member wants to cover up is far more important in Ireland today with the church on its knees.

The former Bishop of Killaoe in Clare, Willie Walsh was a similar figure, one who came down from the ivory tower and who confessed openly to doubts about his faith but who strove at all times to be human and caring.

Another one, Father Iggy O'Donovan, is one of the finest priests I have known.

He officiated at my mother's funeral mass and is a long time friend of my family.

He loves to call a spade a spade as he did when recently speaking to the Drogheda Independent.

When the issue of seal of the confessional came up Iggy was typically direct.

‘ There was a huge issue made of a report that priests may now have to report things told in the confession box but everyone seems to have ignored the obvious, people hardly go to confession anymore,’ he stated.

‘ Who will be impacted by this proposed rule, very few, believe me,’ he continued.

As to the ramifications of the report from Cloyne into the church's malfeasance Iggy calls a spade a spade

He feels the latest report into the Church and its handling of abuse is more serious than all the rest.

‘I don’t think it’s finished yet and I speak for myself when I wonder am I part of an inept and incompetent institution.

‘People have been saying to me how can all this have happened and I know it will hit mass numbers more.’

"However, the damning part is that the Church did not keep to its own guidelines, never mind the State.

‘Did we forget that abusing a child is wrong, no matter about guidelines?’

‘All that seems like another world when you read the likes of the Cloyne Report,’ he stated

‘There was blind loyalty to the institution and the need to avoid a scandal at all costs. The irony is that all that caused an even bigger scandal and the hierarchy now has an incredible lack of street credibility’.

His belief is that the Church is on borrowed time.

‘You could say it’s a bit like Fianna Fail (Formerly Ireland's main political party almost wiped out in last election over scandals) . It’s a culmination of things that led to a backlash. I fear the Church will be hit by one report too many.

‘My feeling is sadness, most of all for those that suffered. The cover ups were the biggest sins of all.’

Iggy knows what the Watergate conspirators knew and the Vatican can never seem to learn-- its the cover up stupid.

If the church in Ireland had more men like Donovan, Martin and Walsh it would all look very different.

Time to end the diversity visa lottery program as scammers feast on it like vultures

Republicans have sent a bill to the House floor looking to end the diversity visa program which allows 50,000 immigrants a year to enter the country through a lottery system.

I hope it passes and in the US Senate too.

The diversity visas, known as the Schumer visas after Senator Charles Schumer, originally started out as a visa system to help more Irish come legally to America after they were frozen out by the 1965 immigration act.

Nowadays only about 200 Irish a year win the lottery and the rest come from countries with far large populations who have far more candidates entered.

I believe the Diversity Visa days should be numbered.

Just this week an employee in my own office, here on a one year working visa, thought she'd won when a cleverly forged e mail, purporting to be from the State Department, claimed she was a winner.

Sending the check to process the visa was, of course, the next step.

She's a pretty sophisticated woman and she figured it out.

However, I can only imagine the tragic joy of thousands from far less sophisticated parts of the world, when they find out they think they have won the visa lottery from such vultures only to later find out they had not.

They will send thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of dollars to such scammers, money none can afford

Year round now there are scam artists all over the world targeting people desperately hoping to come to America. This has become a major industry now and it is time to wipe it out.

The visas should be reallocated to a points system where those most needed in the US could be able to gain admittance and where scamming cannot occur.

Senator Schumer meant well and the visa worked for years, but now there is such a flood of illegal activity surrounding it that it is time to call a halt.

The Diversity Visa no longer works.

An Irish leader, at last, who speaks truth to the Vatican on covering up sex abuse of children

The stars have capsized in Ireland and Britain this week. In Britain the Wicked Witch, alias Rupert Murdoch, is dead and the populace is waking up to a new reality.

In Ireland the Prime Minister Enda Kenny gave the most courageous speech arguably in the country's history when he confronted the Vatican with the fallout from their benighted policy of covering up child sexual abuse.

This is a country remember, where until relatively recently the "special position of the Catholic Church" was enshrined in the constitution.

The speech titled 'This is a Republic not the Vatican" by The Irish Times castigated the Vatican for deciding that Ireland's civil laws did not extend to them.

The Bishop of Cloyne, John Magee, secretary to three popes, refused to carry out a root and branch investigation of the Cloyne pedophilia ring present in his church, despite new regulations in place by the Irish church itself to follow new and much stricter guidelines.

The Vatican described the Irish church document as 'a discussion document' and Magee essentially followed the Vatican diktat of see no evil inhis Cork diocese. He appointed an underling who quickly armed himself with a whitewash brush to investigate the abuses .

Kenny lit into the enablers of abuse with a courage and commitment never before seen in an Irish leader, in a country where until recently the threat of the belt of a crosier kept the politicians and people in their place .

"Cloyne’s revelations are heart-breaking. It describes how many victims continued to live in the small towns and parishes in which they were reared and in which they were abused. Their abuser often still in the area and still held in high regard by their families and the community. The abusers continued to officiate at family weddings and funerals. In one case, the abuser even officiated at the victim’s own wedding." Kenny stated

"As a practising Catholic, I don’t say any of this easily," he went on

"Growing up, many of us in here learned we were part of a pilgrim church. Today, that church needs to be a penitent church. A church, truly and deeply penitent for the horrors it perpetrated, hid and denied. In the name of God. But for the good of the institution. When I say ..., through our Government’s action to put children first, those who have been abused can take some small comfort in knowing that they belong to a nation,...where humanity, power, rights, responsibility are enshrined and enacted – always, always for their good. Where the law – their law – as citizens of this country, will always supersede canon laws that have neither legitimacy nor place in the affairs of this country.

"This report tells us a tale of a frankly brazen disregard for protecting children. If we do not respond swiftly and appropriately as a State, we will have to prepare ourselves for more reports like this."

Kenny spoke truth to power and he deserves enormous credit for it .

He feels it deeply where children are concerned. His words ring out as the ultimate chastisement to the Vatican who appear to regard children, not as flesh and blood but some bargaining chip in a complicated law suit they must reluctantly deal with.

Kenny stated "As Taoiseach, I want to do all I can to protect the sacred space of childhood and to restore its innocence, especially our young teenagers, whom I believe to be children, because regardless of our current economic crisis, the children of this country are, and always will be, our most precious possession of all.

Kenny concluded :"Safeguarding their integrity and innocence must be a national priority. This is why I undertook to create a Cabinet ministry for children and youth affairs. The legislation Children First proposes to give our children maximum protection and security without intruding on the hectic, magical business of being a child."

Now that is leadership .

As for Magee he is hiding out somewhere in America, perhaps with good reason. Under the 2006 Criminal Justice act he may well be arrested for endangering children.

That, Dear Reader, is what the country needs to see.

Media should leave Michele Bachmann alone, focus on policy not personality

Michele Bachmann gets migraine headaches -- should this disqualify her from running for the White House?

That seems to be the gist of today's New York Times article which examined migraines in deep detail and appears to indicate that Bachmann may have a problem.

To which I say bullbleep.

Migraines are manageable and her career so far clearly indicates they have not stopped her forward march.

Since she jumped into the race there has been a pretty concerted effort to paint Bachmann as a nut job, one unfit for the Oval Office.

As her poll numbers jump so do the odd stories.

Last week she was being castigated for calling police when she received a possibly threatening e mail.

Even her Democratic colleagues had to side with her on that one.

Given the world we live in, any sense of a threat to a public official many of whom are exposed to crowds on a regular basis, should be taken seriously.

Remember Gabby Gifford? These politicians appear in front of crowds all the time and need to be protected.

Consider what happened to Rupert Murdoch yesterday when a nut smeared him with a shaving cream pie. It could have been a gun and the allegedly tight security was nowhere to be seen.

Then there was the story that her husband ran a counseling service that claimed it could talk gays into being straight. But when an undercover operative underwent such counselling at the clinic, no such effort was made.

Again no real story.

I don't agree with Bachmann's views on most things, but I do feel it is time that the media wised up and began focusing on policy not made up stories that do them no credit.

Michele Bachmann has risen very swiftly in the polls and it is only right that her record be examined.

But let's keep it to policies, not personalities.

Bishop Magee did Vatican bidding by covering up Cloyne pedophile priests - VIDEO

Former Bishop John Magee

At the heart of the Bishop of Cloyne affair is a dark reality that is truly shocking.

Bishop John Magee was carrying out Vatican orders when he delegated the responsibility for the pedophile priests in his diocese to an underling and allowed him to overlook the worst abusers.

One wonders what pressing tasks the Bishop had that were so urgent that he could turnover such a critical and vital task to an underling.

Now we know why -so the Vatican fingerprints would not be on it.

The Vatican has long refused to sign off on the strict code of conduct put together by the Irish church after the sordid revelations about the past emerged. The key one was to report all suspected pedophiles to police.

As a Vatican man, through and through, Magee was following Vatican orders.

The Cloyne cover-up began into events that happened after the worst of the previous excesses were in the public domain and the Irish church had issued new firm guidelines which included giving any information to police.
__________________
READ MORE:
Papal nuncio 'very distressed' over Ireland's Cloynes report

Bishop of Cloyne apologizes from American hideaway


Irish Priests face five years in jail if they fail to report child abuse
__________________
Magee is a Vatican creation, however, secretary to three popes and a man on his way to the top of the irish church until some internal scandal derailed him and sent him to Cloyne instead. He was still taking their orders however.

We can guess what his own scandal was after he attempted to kiss a 17-year old seminary student and said he dreamed about him, a fact included in the Murphy report

But he clearly never forgot his Vatican roots. It is a place where the current Pope has much to answer for on this issue, where Cardinal Law of Boston, a notorious enabler of pedophiles was promoted, where Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin, the most courageous cleric standing in the face of this pedophile scandal, has been ignored and belittled.

The Irish government called in the Papal Nuncio in Ireland yesterday and demanded a Vatican response saying it was 'absolutely unacceptable' that the Vatican had intervened in Ireland and discouraged priests from reporting crimes against innocent children.

Foreign Minister Gilmore said what happened in Ireland was 'a totally inappropriate, unjustified, unacceptable intervention'.

'This is modern Ireland and this was a recent occasion of abuse of children and this was a recent intervention by Vatican authorities,' he said.

Once Irish governments would have quaked at the very presence of the Papal Nuncio, but no more.

Now the chairman of the Fine Gael party Charlie Flanagan, son of the most devout Catholic legislator in Irish history, Oliver Flanagan, called for the Papal Nuncio to be expelled

The nuncio's response was a polite buzz off, regretting the scandal but promising little.

Like the House of Bourbon the Vatican has learned nothing and remembered nothing.

Magee, now happily vacationing somewhere in America knows he has served his true lord and masters and to hell with the little children.

It is beyond cynicism and belief.

Dissident IRA making major new push for support in USA--- Hoping Orange week riots will help them in America

Dissident IRA groups are seeking a foothold once again in America and are making a major push according to reliable sources.

In recent months they have focused on Irish American civil rights activists, many of whom have attended at nationalists events aimed at stopping Orange marchers going through their neighborhoods.

For the first time there is real concern in Republican circles in the US that the dissidents are getting some traction.

They are also focusing on Northern nationalists who now live in America

"We have no doubt they are making major efforts at present. we are well aware of it," said a Republican source. 'They have had people on the ground."

"They want the rioting to continue, arrests to happen, to create sympathy in America for them," said another source referring to recent riots in the North.

As a result the dissidents have stepped up the pressure in nationalist areas in Northern Ireland, aimed at setting off confrontations and focusing on getting irish American sympathy for their cause.

Senior republicans are suddenly fearful that they may be succeeding as the images of Orange marches through nationalist neighborhoods were flashed worldwide this week.

Riots by young people in nationalist areas of the North were widespread over the Orange marching season.

It is believed that dissident groups were behind many of the standoffs.

In many cases they came in from outside.

"They are trying to portray Sinn Fein as being part of the establishment, part of the state that is arresting these young nationalists and putting them away." said the source. "They want to portray this in civil rights terms, young people being arrested and abused by the state."

Since the peace process began the dissidents have had very little luck in getting any support from America.

But two separate sources now confirm that they are making a renewed push for Irish American sympathy in America.

Rupert Murdoch's men hacked into Gerry Adams' phone too - Adams visa conversation published in London Sunday Times

The Guardian’s latest revelation that The Sunday Times among other Murdoch publications, hacked into phone calls as well leads me to believe I took part in one of those conversations.

In January 1994 complete details of a conversation I had with Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams were reported some of it verbatim in the London Sunday Times owned by Murdoch.

Clearly someone was hacking or wiretapping the phone of Gerry Adams.

Was it you Rupert?

It was a fraught time. The decision on whether the Clinton administration would give Gerry Adams a visa to come to America was just about to be decided.

The British media was in an uproar. A New York Times editorial that previous day recommending a visa had sent them into a tizzy

I knew we were very close to getting it after years of effort.

As the person negotiating between the White House and Adams on the nature of the visa or whether it would be be granted I was in the thick of it.

I wrote about this in my memoir ‘An Irish Voice’ as did journalist Conor O’Clery in his book ‘Daring Diplomacy.”

I felt sure at the time it was British intelligence who were listening in now I’m not so sure it wasn’t one of Murdoch’s minions.

Certainly the fact that it ended up in The Sunday Times is proof that the two were pretty much in collusion with each other whowever was doing the tapping.

They tried to disguise the conversation when they published it by saying it was between Adams and White House National Security official Nancy Soderberg.

But that was impossible, the White House was refusing to deal directly with Adams at the time which was why I was involved.

They detailed a very strange conversation. Adams was on the cusp of winning the visa but then came an incident right out of MI5s dirty tricks book.

A San Diego British store reported receiving a bomb threat from the ‘American IRA’ if Adams did not get the visa.

It was a complete head fake by the dirty tricks boys an attempt to have the visa decision turned on its head at the last moment.

Amazingly it almost succeeded. I was told my task was to convince Gerry Adams to apologize for the incident and denounce this American IRA group.

It is an example of what pressure people were under in The White House that this particular hoax got as far as it did.

I was told in no uncertain terms that the visa was there for Adams but he just had to deny and condemn this incident.

Adding to the drama Senator Edward Kennedy called at the same time and told me I had only to convince him and that the visa was certain to go ahead. No doubt that was recorded too.

So it was I found myself gingerly dialing Adams in his West Belfast home at about 2-00 in the morning his time.

He was surprisingly good natured and not at all surprised that the British were up to some games as usual.

But apologizing for a nonexistent IRA unit in San Diego was a hard hurdle to get past.

We spoke at length and he eventually agreed to issue a statement.

In the pre-internet age I had to rush to my office to my fax machine and get his statement, then fax it out to the media.

It was a surreal scene, trying to convince newspapers to take a report about a fake event that they knew nothing about.

Eventually my colleague Conor O’Clery of The Irish Times came to my rescue and gave me the number of a wire service reporter who would carry it.

That saved the day and the Adams denunciation of the ‘bombing’ was carried to the satisfaction of The White House.

A few hours later the White House issued the Adams visa, one of the turning points in the peace process.

And the Sunday Times man listening in on the line or patched in by M15 got his verbatim non-scoop a few days later.

Irish presidential election thrown wide open by unpopular Fine Gael pick of Gay Mitchell

Fine Gael have picked the least popular candidate from their ranks to run for president of Ireland in Gay Mitchell pictured center above with Prime Minister Enda Kenny after his election.

His selection throws the race for president of Ireland wide open again.

It was Fine Gael's to lose and they may just have.

The bookmaker's immediate reaction was to make Labor's Michael D. Higgins favorite at 7/4 with David Norris second favorite at 15/8 and Gay Mitchell only third choice at 9/4.

They are the party in power and by far the most popular but they have picked a man who will forever be known as ' the evil of two lessers.'

That is how a political opponent memorably described him when comparing Gay Mitchell and his late brother Jim when both were active in politics.

The party leadership knew this and tried with might and main to stop him but they failed miserably.

They imported a candidate,Pat Cox, who just recently joined the party and was a former European Parliament president.

However Cox never caught on with the party faithful.

How unpopular is Mitchell? Well I beat him in a national opinion poll when I was exactly one day in the race during my short-lived candidacy last month, as did every other candidate.

Here is how the Sunday Independent reported on the Prime Minister's reaction to Mitchell's victory.

"TAOISEACH Enda Kenny slumped and could barely contain his disappointment at the moment Gay Mitchell was announced as Fine Gael's Presidential nominee at a special party convention yesterday.

"Mr Kenny's preferred candidate, Pat Cox, was eliminated after the first count after receiving less than 25 per cent of the vote. Mr Mitchell comfortably won on the second count, 55 per cent to 45 per cent, ahead of Mairead McGuinness, at the convention held at the Regency Hotel, Dublin. The result was announced shortly after 5pm, somewhat earlier than had been anticipated.

"A clearly unimpressed Mr Kenny spoke sternly to Mr Mitchell after a press conference, during which Mr Mitchell revealed he was to take a week's holidays.

Making clear his displeasure to Mr Mitchell in front of reporters, Mr Kenny said: "Take your holidays and enjoy it because, believe you me, when you come back you better be ready for one hell of a campaign."

That says it all ----The problem with Mitchell is not that he is not an astute politician -- he certainly is.

Rather he is too associated with the black arts, a consummate in-fighter who won the nomination by running a clever campaign aimed at his party grassroots and blackening his opponents as blow ins.

He portrayed his two opponents as Johnny come latelies to the party, which they were and he won as a result.

But the president of Ireland is not a job that people want political fixers in.

They want someone with the style of a Mary Robinson or Mary McAleese who can help the country focus on the vision thing as President Bush once described it.

Mitchell could no doubt get your plumbing fixed but he won't inspire anybody.

Which is why Labor Party candidate Micheal D Higgins is likely the favorite now to win.

He has that vision and intellect, his major drawback is his age at 71.

David Norris, the gay independent candidate, will also be happy at the Fine Gael outcome feeling it improves his chances.

It will be a fascinating election.

Murdoch scandal is Britain's Watergate and the mighty will fall

The hacking scandal in Britain will be that country's Watergate I predict, a spreading scandal and cancer that will eat away at the heart of the Britihs political, law enforcement and media establishment.

It may well take down Rupert Murdoch, described as the most power man in Britain since Winston Churchhill and the Prime Minister David Cameron as well.

The Murdoch question comes down to ala Watergate what did he know and when did he know it?

Did he know police officers were being bribed, did he know that phones of crime victims were being hacked?

We know his son knew that cops were being paid off-- it is not a huge stretch to imagine the father knew too.

Like Watergate the core of the problem will be the cover-up. It now appears that hundreds of thousands of files were deleted by News International in connection with past enquiries into hacking and police being paid off for tips.

Who was being copied on those files?

It also apears that Prime Minister Cameron ignored several warnings that the man he appointed his chief press sofficer, Andrew Coulson, had taken part in much more illegal activities than he had ever admitted.

Guardian editor Alan Rushbridger warned Cameron about Coulson and told him much worse was to come about phone hacking than had been revealed.

Cameron stupidly ignored the advice.

He may pay dearly. Not only was Coulson his press officer he was a close friend who introduced him to the inner circle of Murdoch's media world.They all became fast friends.

With News International head Rebekah Brooks saying that much worse it due to come out over the next few months, it is hard to see this scandal stopping any time soon.

It will inevitably land at Murdoch's door. Because his son has already admitted that he provided money to bribe British police officers he will be a definite casualty of this, as will Brooks who clearly knows where the bodies are buried.

Once Brooks is arrested she will face an obvious choice to either go to jail or take down those above her who knew.

The question she will be asked will be clear .

What did Rupert know and when did he know it?

Where have we heard that before?

The answer I believe will be that Rupert knew all about about what his newspapers were up to.

Watch this space.

I emailed a friend who work sat The Guardian last night. He promised much more to come.

This will get very interesting

Rupert Murdoch deeply damaged by death of News of the World

The death of a newspaper at any time is an event full of tragedy for all those concerned but in the case of The News of the World it is hard to feel any sympathy.

The newspaper simply crossed the line between tabloid journalism and criminal behavior and it had to go.

Known universally as 'The News of the Screws' for its focus on sex scandals and the like, it was a classic Murdoch newspaper, full of tits and tattle masquerading as the conscience of British society.

It was an immensely powerful vehicle for Murdoch. Margaret Thatcher was the first British Prime Minister to pay homage and all others who followed her subsequently did.

David Cameron's press officer until the scandal broke was a former News of the World editor, Andrew Coulson

It was a powerful but the criminal activities it involved itself in are truly astonishing.

It was known that it had hacked the phones of celebrities which no one took all that seriously as it turned out.

But dogged journalism by The Guardian uncovered far more dark secrets.

The paper had hacked into the cell phone of a missing young girl and caused the parents untold anguish when they deleted messages which led the parents to think their murdered daughter was still alive.

They also hacked into the phones of families of 7/7 victims, killed in the Al Qaeda massacre on London trains.

They also pursued a policeman who was investigating a murder involving a close associate of the newspaper.

God knows what else they got up to. A former journalist with them admitted such hacking had taken place in Ireland too.

Putting the paper out of business seemed the only logical step and who knows what other tabloid newspapers were up too.

This is a scandal that will run and run, a clear indication that Murdoch, drunk with power, had allowed his editors free rein to a ridiculous extent and didn't care as long as they boosted sales.

Not since William Randolph Hearst caused the Spanish American war in 1898 has a greater press scandal ensued.

Now he is getting his answer in a very real way and his empire is surely threatened and his own reputation is suddenly in tatters.

Irish divided in their attitudes to emigrants---- Just send the money the message from some

Noreen Bowden has worked on Irish emigrant issues for 20 years and headed up the Irish Emigrant Advice Network at one point for several years .

She understands better than most the ambivalence in Ireland towards emigrants and those who leave the country.

She has just written a thought provoking piece for Journal.ie on this very subject. It makes compelling reading.

Partly it was brought up by my brief run for Irish president where the Irish Times op ed page and several other newspapers questioned whether I had the right to run as an American and Irish dual citizen.

Bowden writes that all is fine as long as emigrants and the Diaspora are sending back money and helping with investment but becoming part of the system or having actual input is not a part of the bargain as far as the Irish are concerned.

She states "When times are tough,... we hear the calls to embrace our renewed status as an emigrant nation. The loudest of these voices tend to belong to those who feel no urge to move themselves’

She notes that "In the 1980s, Brian Lenihan Snr’s “We can’t all live on a small island” seemed to sum up governmental complacency. During the current crisis, it was former Tánaiste Mary Coughlan who highlighted the government’s non-response to rising emigration figures: she claimed young people were emigrating because “they want to enjoy themselves. That’s what young people are entitled to do.”

She is making a point I fully understand.

Talk of emigration being good neatly sidesteps involuntary emigration which is a critical issue right now in Ireland,It is fine for those who want to go abroad, but what about the 50 per cent of young people who are afraid they will have to emigrate just to get a job?

Bowden points out that the Irish leaders like to have their cake and eat it too when it comes to emigrants and the Diaspora.

She writes; "It may have been Mary Robinson who started the celebration of the diaspora in Ireland in the 1990s, but her embrace was soon followed by the phenomenon of diaspora engagement for economic purposes. Irish policy-makers realised we were on to something."

She notes that "The Irish establishment has responded enthusiastically. Former Taoiseach Brian Cowen eagerly talked up the diaspora as a “huge and willing resource” when he launched the Smart Economy strategy in 2010. Enda Kenny was thinking similarly when he announced the initiative in which diaspora members would be paid for job creation. During the crisis, the notion that the diaspora could save us from our financial fate has loomed large. There seems to be no limit to what we can ask of our loyal foot soldiers abroad."

However, Bowden points out that when it came to having an emigrant possibly running for president it became a very different take.

The mentality among some was that ‘He’s not one of us’ she writes.

"There were plenty of voices pointing out that O’Dowd isn’t really one of us any more.

She notes that "The Irish Times ran an unintentionally comical article from the Northern Ireland-born, New York-resident Walter Ellis, who plaintively opined that O’Dowd “would not get my vote”. No surprise there, as Ellis is as disenfranchised as O’Dowd. Irish Times editors thoughtfully appended to the article the text of the US oath of allegiance taken by immigrants when they became US citizens. They did not add that the Irish government does not recognise such oaths as a renunciation of Irish citizenship."

Bowden concludes that " Once you go, your money, your contacts, and your expertise are welcome. Your presence in the political system is not."

That is an interesting finding and one that will hit home with emigrants everywhere. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

July 4th the Declaration of Independence and the revolution that began all revolutions

July 4th, Independence Day, that we celebrate today, transformed the world forever.

The divine right of kings, the old order, foundered never to return in the same strength.

We take it for granted today that the values in the declaration are those all the world would want to share but back then it was an earth-shattering document.

The notion of a republic by the people was still alien to the western world.

Indeed many of the signatories of the Declaration I'm sure did not fully understand what they were putting in motion.

In Sean O'Casey's words Jefferson et al "were the young gaffers who would capsize the stars"

Capsize them they did when we saw the millions in Tahrir Square in Cairo that is what they were seeking, when the millions gathered in Bejiing in Tiananmen Square in 1989 that is what they were looking for, the simple declaration that all men were created equal.

What America bequeathed the world was the revolution to begin all revolutions.

Its provenance is still with us today from the freedom fighters in Libya to the people of southern Sudan who recently voted for their independence.

Yeats wrote despairingly about 'rough beasts slouching to Bethlehem to be born' when predicting fascism, but not all the rough beasts turned out to be dictators and strong men.

Instead something beautiful was born on July 4th 1776 with the Declaration of Independence under the rockets red glare.

We are living in its afterglow ever since.

Rory McIlroy an example of how Republicans can succeed in 2012 says top GOP strategist

Rory McIlroy as a poster boy for the Republican race for president in 2012?

That is exactly what top Republican strategist Matthew Dowd is advocating in National Journal this week.

Dowd writes "Before Rory McIlroy’s triumph fades in our memories, it’s worth considering the lessons the young Irishman’s U.S. Open victory offers for the 2012 presidential race.

"As he headed into the U.S. Open weekend, McIlroy explained that his strategy was to set an overall goal, do his best, play things out in small segments on the course (in his mind, three holes or so at a time), and not pay much attention to the leaderboard. This strategy served him well since he was able to hold the Open trophy after setting tournament scoring records.

"His approach could be a model for Republicans who want to take on President Obama in the 2012 general election. Setting a goal and then playing it out day by day is also great advice for living our lives."

Seems like Rory is taking on magical powers when it comes to the US media and political pundits!

Dowd does not stop there however even bringing McIlroy's mother into the campaign;


"Take the race in small segments as McIlroy did, and know that doing well in those segments adds up to achieving the overall goal.

"The nomination process for Republicans will be determined by many factors. But the election candidate who approaches the contest as McIlroy did is likely to end up playing in the final twosome in the fall of 2012 against President Obama. In the process, the election candidates should stay grounded and not take themselves too seriously.

" As McIlroy’s mom reportedly said to him over and over again growing up, and as I heard in my Irish household many, many times: “Get over yourself.”

There you have it ---McIlroy for 2012!

Irish journalist who broke Dominque Strauss Khan revelations on maid --- Jim Dwyer of The NY Times has a reputation for just the facts

Delighted to see that Jim Dwyer of The New York Times has broken the biggest story of the year, the true story behind the accuser of Dominique Strauss Khan.

Jim is a long time friend, a former Pulitzer Prize winner who goes where other journalists fear to go.

His piece today is a classic example of his sniffer dog ability to check the real truth out.His parents came over from Galway and Kerry respectively and Jim was actually schooled in Ireland for a time.

We texted for quite a while after the story broke and he typically put the scoop down to his 'longevity' in the business.

He now writes the About New York column for The New York Times and no one has better sources in this naked city of 16 million as he has just proven. I've worked a few stories with him over the years and he is absolutely forensic in his pursuit of the facts.

On 9/11 he co-wrote with Kevin Flynn a truly remarkable book about what actually happened called '102 minutes, which gave a gripping moment by moment blow by blow of what was happening inside the Twin Towers as the minutes ticked down after the jets crashed into them.

His Pulitzer was awarded in part because of his stories on Northern Ireland. He came over with me on that never to be forgotten period just when the IRA were calling the August 1994 ceasefire and he got the American exclusive on it.

Now he has set the world back on its heels again with the sensational revelation that the maid had likely made up a previous rape charge, had a boyfriend who was a major drug dealer and had put $100,000 in her bank account recently and that she had huge inconsistencies in her story.

Just an ordinary day's work for Jim I know, who wouldn't even go on the Today show to discuss it. Unlike the modern breed of tabloid tell all, get my face on TV, he wants the facts to speak for themselves.