Shannon Airport Protesters in Court

by grainne mulderrig - UN Association Tue Apr 29, 2003 23:40 orahreid at hotmail dot com

To: Tim Donovan, UN Association 29 April, 2003

Dear Tim,

Please contact me at your earliest convenience. Mary Kelly's hearing again at Ennis District Court this Friday. I was exec sec to the Peace Camp/Peace House Group before the camp disbanded and all hell broke loose. The last time I reported to you I told you there were some serious problems within the group. These internal problems have resulted in the closure of the camp, caused the eviction of the tenants of the house, and compromised the anti-war movement in Shannon. It is debatable what the bill of Mary's damage is. Was it a cargo plane filled with snacks and spare parts headed for Italy, or was it a war plane?
(see Nuremburg Demand, 1945-1946: "Individuals have international duties which trancend the national obligations of obedience. Therefore individuals have the duty to violate domestic laws to prevent crimes against peace and humanity from occurring.")

The problem is that Mary hit the wrong plane. The ultimate cost of her action can be reckoned in the US Billions. Security at Shannon Airport, withdrawn and bankrupted businesses in the Shannon area, and serious loss in US tourism to Co. Clare. One would have to ask Bord Failte, and The Clare County Council, the Shannon Development group, the Shannon Town Council. Co. Clare for the total and the Irish taxpayer have to pay these damages????

Facts and figures
by Sparks Mon, Apr 28 2003, 8:54pm
What would be most interesting would be a balance sheet with the total amount of money gained from refuelling on one side (even including duty-free sales to US troops) and the other side with the costs of this refuelling, including the ATC charges the Irish taxpayer paid. As a seperate subtotal, add the total amount spent by the state on security for Shannon. I suspect that even without the security, we'd be in the red - and heavily so with the security bill. I'd put in a Freedom of Information request, but the amendment has been passed and I suspect that I'm no longer entitled to that information. I'll be required to pay the bill through taxes of course...

The other SERIOUS concern I have about the events November 2002 through April 2003 is that maybe all this plane spotting, law breaking, guard hassling, and anarchy WAS ABSOLUTELY UNNECCESARY AND COUNTERPRODUCTIVE. After a 5 and one half hour interview with Shannon Security Force member Pat Quigly I am convinced that ALL planes had been accounted for, inspected and weighed to the last drop of fuel and the last little nut and bolt. If anyone wanted to protect the Irish Constitution and stop the impending war they could have done it through peaceful democratic means. Eoin Dubsky was the only man who followed this course. He is quiet, studious, serious and he was the only one of the lot who behaved in a dignified manner. Eoin Dubsky is a great Irish man. I compare him to James Connolly.

Now that the whole mess is over, what are we looking at? Tracey Ryan Earth Mother stands in the calm center of The Irish Woman's Peace Movement, begun on Nollaig na mBan, little Christmas. Her action and the way she ran the camp was entirely politically appropriate. The anarchist yobbos ran wild with "actions" and agro and disrespect. They disrupted the demonstration at Shannon so that the last three speakers could not be heard. Caoimhe Butterly was shouted over by these clowns in black pajamas. A bunch of noise, agro, spray paint, neon mohawk hair, spitting in the face of security force men who had to stand there and take it, even THROWING FLOUR on my friend Pat.

Are we living in the country whose population was reduced by 60% famine? Is this Ireland? I myself have gone eight days without a scrap of food. I myself lived off a bag of flour and a bit of salt for a week.

Co. Clare is in a bad way. Shannon Airport is screwed. Shannon econony is screwed. Bertie Ahearn said in the Dail on Feb 20: "Don't talk to me about War and Peace.... Let's talk business. What you're looking at here is 90 BILLION US DOLLARS invested in this country. You come up with an alternative way to run the Irish economy and I'm for it."
Frankly, dear, until that moment I wanted to shoot Bertie Ahearn in a chair with his legs hobbled like Connally and Pierce. But the truth comes out of the mouths of babes, and sometimes FF jerks like Bertie.

I will be in Ennis on May 2nd to report on the Mary Kelly hearing. I hope to hear from you ASAP. Please give me some feedback, some direction, and my next assignment.

Grainne Mulderrig, UN Assoc.
to Tim Donovan, public servant

by bored Wed Apr 30, 2003 00:21

will you let John G td know then?

by grainne mulderrig Wed Apr 30, 2003 00:42

Dear Bored,

I was beat up three times over a two day period. May 17-19. Two criminal actions pending. My crime was JOURNALISM!!! Can you beat that? My computer, files, and work all trashed and thrown into bins. I've gone into some really dirty stuff now. But we talked about that, didn't we? "If you want to know the story behind any story, just follow the money." The 90 billion US is what Bertie declared in public. What was in the brown envelope passed November 2002? What was that 1 Billion McGreevey found January 2003? Where's the other 3 Billion? How about the Cayman Islands, since these corrupt Irish badboys don't seem to have much of an imagination, and it worked for John Gilligan.....
You know as well as I that what we're looking at now is war tribunals, and because of the CRIMINAL BARBARIC IGNORANT GREEDY bastards that colluded with the Bush/Blair War Machine Ireland will be called to account for war crimes. This whole disaster was immoral,illegal (War Powers Act) and in violation of the UN mandate.
But what breaks my heart is that the only place the Irish Constitution can be found is in The Museum Of Ancient Irish History, along with the Book of Kells, and the untranslated Brehon Laws which state:
Which is the worst thing?
That a man break your legs, rape your sister, or take the tools of your trade?
Answer me that, Brain Box

by Dobby Wed Apr 30, 2003 08:50

Great to see the eejits fighting amongst themselves! Its nearly as good as comical ally!

With all their respect totally gone, we can sit back and have a good laugh whenever we log onto Indymedia.ie and see the 'intelligent' news reporting service for what its worth.

Mabey its time for Indymedia to close down and rebrand itself in the light of the anti-war fiasco.

by Andrew Wed Apr 30, 2003 10:15

The point of indymedia is to allow those who disagree with you to also have a voice. For those raised on a diet of RTE, Sunday Independant and even the Irish Times this is a rather shocking concept. Surely they say the point of the media is to only give a voice to those who disagree within agreed boundaries.

Grainne's comments above are destructive at this time, its quite possible some of those in court tomorrow may be jailed and her post can only be intended to undermine them. All the same she is not only entitled to her opinions she is entitled to make them here. That you find this amusing suggests that you don't really get what democracy should be about - and no its not silencing those who disagree with you more then you would like.

by iosaf Wed Apr 30, 2003 10:54

its the shagging newspapers being thrust in my face at every metro stop that gets me.
May Day! anarchists know your duty! slag off the Reds. Their centralised tyrannies killed most of our thinkers.

by grainne mulderrig Wed Apr 30, 2003 11:01

I support all who have chosen the path of civil disobedience in opposition to the US war machine. BUT WHO PAYS FOR THEIR ACTIONS AND THEIR CHOICES??? Who pays the damages? Do they take sole responsibility for their actions? Working people. Taxpayers. In Co. Clare the going concern is Tourism. There was always a way for the Peace Movement to liase with the business community, with law enforcement, with the working class, especially in Shannon. THAT WAS HOW MARTIN LUTHER KING DID IT. The Montgomery Bus Boycott took a lot of organizing. That's where the Shannon anti-war movement fell apart. People would not work together. No one talked to each other. There was no leadership, no respect, no governing principles.

The US is the only major country NOT to ratify the anti-land mine proliferation treaty. Iraq is now littered with little butterfly toys that cause a little Omagh every time a child goes out to play. CHILDREN PAY THE COSTS OF WAR.

WAR IS BIG BUSINESS. That is the calm after the storm we are experiencing in Ireland for the moment. We made our economic bed, and now we can lie in it. Next stop Syria. If Bush/Blair use Shannon the way they did last time, IT'S BECAUSE WE HAVE PROVED OURSELVES SO OBLIGING.

It's easier and faster to smash things than to write a letter. It's easier to accept money unearned than to work for what you have and take care of it. It's easier to judge broadly and blindly than to try to work together to find common ground. But these values belong to older peace movements of the past. I am a relic of those times.

by Andrew Wed Apr 30, 2003 11:06

Seriously read what you write above and reflect on it a little. It's pretty crazy to call for more respect on the one hand and then attack those you disagree with on the eve of their trial on the other.

And as for MLK, as he himself knew it is very easy to get the support of people for things happening elsewhere. The real test is what they do when the issue comes to their town. In Shannon the war planes came to your town and you worried about losing the tourist dollar.

by Deirdre Clancy Wed Apr 30, 2003 18:25

...pointing out a few anomalies in Grainne's thinking (it would take a dissertation to point all of them out). I don't really understand how she can regard herself as supportive of direct action and yet make the comments she does. I don't even understand how she can regard herself as anti-war and yet make the comments she does. What's with the profound concern for the Co. Clare economy over the lives of Iraqi people in this war of aggression - how many Shannon jobs are worth one Iraqi life, Grainne?!
Yes, we are taking responsibility for our actions: some of us could be doing serious time. Several people have been burdened with heavy fines today for their stance against the war. Most people involved in direct action, I am sure, have paid taxes in this country (I know I have), taxes which are used - directly and indirectly - to aid the imperial project of the U.S./U.K. war machine. We have all worked hard for what we have, Grainne; and any nonviolent direct action takes more imagination and work than writing a letter to a politician (which is something I've done, to no effect).

You say "There was always a way for the Peace Movement to liase with the business community, with law enforcement, with the working class, especially in Shannon. THAT WAS HOW MARTIN LUTHER KING DID IT. " Ehhhhh...well. It's funny how King faced the ire (to put it mildly) of law enforcement in particular for a large portion of his wonderful career. Attempting to liaise with certain establishment institutions can be good, and it's great when people are won to the cause of peaceful protest, as happens with military conscientious objectors, etc. However, King did not achieve his ends by bowing to the dictates of the established order. It's laugable to suggest that big business is going to uniformly support the peace movement - as you've pointed out yourself, war is big business.

by Gan Ainm - 1954-2003 Wed Apr 30, 2003 19:21

EVERYONE, REPUBLICAN OR OTHERWISE HAS THEIR OWN PARTICULAR PART TO PLAY. NO PART IS TOO GREAT OR TOO SMALL, NO ONE IS TOO OLD OR TOO YOUNG TO DO SOMETHING. Bobby Sands (1954-1981) on hunger strike in 1981

Dierdre,

You will never know with what deep respect I hold the Catholic Worker Movement. You guys are doing prison time, I am paying another price. I am getting threatened, beat up, robbed and going homeless. I am going to masses of mass to take a shower from the corruption. It's EVERYWHERE!!!!
The "peace movement" has become violently angry at me. I have attacked no one. Where I am wrong, please correct me.
Beating Number Two was by a Guarda Siochana. Beating number One was from a violent dangerous powerful man who has forbidden me to write. Two sprained wrists and a hairline fracture to the hip. Crippled by arthritis. We all have to pay for our choices is my point. As a result of my path I got beaten and robbed of my work, my work files, my computer and my computer files. All I cared about was doing the right thing in the right way, and never making other people suffer for my choices. If what I thought was politically correct but caused hardship, unemployment and real suffering to others, I couldn't consider it the right thing to do. If on the way to making things better I have abused or disrespected anyone, then my action cannot be justified. That's my path. I do not reccommend it to anyone. I can bear it lightly, but it would crack or kill anyone else. Since I have been on this path for the last 43 years of service, and I get respect from a lot of remarkable people, I don't worry too much about all the hard judgement I'm getting right now.
In closing let me say that I am sincerely sorry for making everyone so very angry. Please, Indy, censure me in future. I can see World War 3.5 on the horizon and all of you are welcome to blame me for it. While you make a meal of me back here at home, I am working on the impeachment of George Bush and the interminable problem of landmines. go raibh mile mait agat. dia dhuit. slan

by No 6 Thu May 01, 2003 12:47

Why don't you wander around with a couple of planks of wood and some nails so the next time you feel like maytring yourself in public you can just climb on up and nail yourself.

Try acting your age you pompous arrogant swine.

Indymedia won't censure you, why don't you cop the fuck on and think about what you're saying.

Yeah, UN will get the boys as war criminals. Are you blind? stupid? Not a chance, not a sniff of chance of that occuring.

Cop on. Catholic workers and Mary Kelly did more to make this an issue than you ever did.

by Steve Fri May 02, 2003 12:41

Lets hope they all get sent down.