While spring-cleaning today I came across an article that I had cut out of "Daily Ireland"(sadly now no more) dated May 10 2005. It told the story of Native American Indian Leonard Peltier who was accused and convicted of murder in 1976. Most people believe that he did not get a fair trial and that he was in fact framed for political reasons. There followed a huge International campaign for his release and I remember signing a petition back in 2005.
I was curious to know if he had been freed so I Googled Leonard Peltier and was shocked and horrified to find out that he was still a prisoner in USP Canaan, Pennsylvania. The Daily Ireland article stated that he was nearly 30 years in prison - it is now 33 years, and he was recently moved to a different jail where he was assaulted. This is a cruel and inhumane incarceration of an innocent man and the sooner he is released the sooner America can start earning some respect in the world again. Hopefully Obama will do something as soon as possible to set this man free.
Visit his official website at - www.leonardpeltier.org and also his Wikipedia entry.
Write to this innocent man in jail. Write to Obama. Write to the American Ambassador. Write to Ted Kennedy and other American politicians. Don't waste a stamp writing to our Ministers Dermot Ahern or Mícheal Martin because they are useless.
Do everything you can help Leonard Peltier and tell more people about him.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Men at War
Went for a drink in a late bar in BÁC 7. Sipping my pint I noticed 3 barstaff, male, all glued to the TV - Setanta Sports...think it was called UFC (Ultimate Fight ...). It's a particularly vicious "sport", which involves boxing, wrestling and kicking. Opponents wear boxing gloves but are barefoot.
In the ring, 2 men, fighting... bigger man winning... smaller man trying to hang on...bleeding, blood everywhere... hand-prints of blood on the fighting ring floor. Bell goes at the end of a round and losing man is cleaned up and psyched up to go back out and fight again...
He doe's - and is battered into bloody submission!
Then I observe a woman waiting to get served at the Bar. She is looking at the TV, and her face says - "OMG". She looks horrified. There are 4 more customers, all male - glued to the TV, grinning... happy... enjoying... egging on the combatants...
Then it came to me - all the wars, all the suffering, guns, bombs, Gaza, etc.
It's just men!
In the ring, 2 men, fighting... bigger man winning... smaller man trying to hang on...bleeding, blood everywhere... hand-prints of blood on the fighting ring floor. Bell goes at the end of a round and losing man is cleaned up and psyched up to go back out and fight again...
He doe's - and is battered into bloody submission!
Then I observe a woman waiting to get served at the Bar. She is looking at the TV, and her face says - "OMG". She looks horrified. There are 4 more customers, all male - glued to the TV, grinning... happy... enjoying... egging on the combatants...
Then it came to me - all the wars, all the suffering, guns, bombs, Gaza, etc.
It's just men!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Financial Crisis - What Crisis?
It's January, it's wet, it's cold, it's stormy.... I'm GRUMPY
As the financial crisis deepens and the State's coffers empty there IS light at the end of the tunnel for our beleaguered Government!
Because they literally have a license to print money.
Here's how it works.
I recently got a letter from the Garda Traffic Corps telling me that I had broken the speed limit in my car and that I had to pay a fine of €80 (along with penalty points on my driving license). The offence took place on the dual carriage, 3 and 4 lane Dublin Airport road, at the lead-in to the M1 motorway - which has a speed limit of 120 kph. Only this stretch of 3 and 4 lane dual road has a speed limit of 80kph. So a lot of people THINK they are on the start of the Motorway and after leaving the frustrating gridlock of the city behind at Whitehall "put the boot down". OK, it IS signposted as 80kph, but nonetheless a lot of people are caught out. How many?
500 PER DAY TO BE EXACT.
I know this because I met a man who knows one of the Gardai who operates a speed camera on this road. This Garda goes to the airport road every day, sits in an unmarked car with his camera and stays there long enough to "capture" 500 cars. (It's also known as "shooting fish in a barrel"). I estimate that he catches 10 cars every minute at a busy time of day, so therefore in less than an hour he will reach his target. It's as easy as taking candy from a child.
Do the maths.
That's €40,000 per day. Let's give our hard-working, crime-fighting, Police officer a day off every week. In 6 days he will still rake in €240,000 - that a quarter of a million to you or me, give or take a few coins. In a month it's a cool €1 Million. Multiply this scenario by ten... by twenty cameras and you can see that it's a nice little earner.
OK, so where does this money go? Road improvements, road safety, crime prevention? Don't be silly. It goes into the Governments coffers to help balance the books because our leaders have blown our wealth and we are officially skint.
Our Gardai are therefore being used to collect taxes for the State, instead of fighting real crime which is what they are supposed to be doing. But maybe tax collection is more important that 2 men being executed in a car in Summerhill?
P.S. In England I am told that the Police position a "dummy" Police car on busy roads to frighten people into slowing down. This is also known as road safety!
As the financial crisis deepens and the State's coffers empty there IS light at the end of the tunnel for our beleaguered Government!
Because they literally have a license to print money.
Here's how it works.
I recently got a letter from the Garda Traffic Corps telling me that I had broken the speed limit in my car and that I had to pay a fine of €80 (along with penalty points on my driving license). The offence took place on the dual carriage, 3 and 4 lane Dublin Airport road, at the lead-in to the M1 motorway - which has a speed limit of 120 kph. Only this stretch of 3 and 4 lane dual road has a speed limit of 80kph. So a lot of people THINK they are on the start of the Motorway and after leaving the frustrating gridlock of the city behind at Whitehall "put the boot down". OK, it IS signposted as 80kph, but nonetheless a lot of people are caught out. How many?
500 PER DAY TO BE EXACT.
I know this because I met a man who knows one of the Gardai who operates a speed camera on this road. This Garda goes to the airport road every day, sits in an unmarked car with his camera and stays there long enough to "capture" 500 cars. (It's also known as "shooting fish in a barrel"). I estimate that he catches 10 cars every minute at a busy time of day, so therefore in less than an hour he will reach his target. It's as easy as taking candy from a child.
Do the maths.
That's €40,000 per day. Let's give our hard-working, crime-fighting, Police officer a day off every week. In 6 days he will still rake in €240,000 - that a quarter of a million to you or me, give or take a few coins. In a month it's a cool €1 Million. Multiply this scenario by ten... by twenty cameras and you can see that it's a nice little earner.
OK, so where does this money go? Road improvements, road safety, crime prevention? Don't be silly. It goes into the Governments coffers to help balance the books because our leaders have blown our wealth and we are officially skint.
Our Gardai are therefore being used to collect taxes for the State, instead of fighting real crime which is what they are supposed to be doing. But maybe tax collection is more important that 2 men being executed in a car in Summerhill?
P.S. In England I am told that the Police position a "dummy" Police car on busy roads to frighten people into slowing down. This is also known as road safety!
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