|
|
Blog Feeds
Anti-Empire
Human Rights in IrelandPromoting Human Rights in Ireland
Lockdown Skeptics
Voltaire NetworkVoltaire, international edition
|
USAF practice manouvers above Shannon. national |
miscellaneous |
news report
 Saturday June 01, 2002 02:22 by Tim Hourigan Limerick
 Aer Lingus stoppage leaves more room for military. In what appears to be an escalation of military use of Shannon, the US Air Force have been sharpening their skills out at Shannon. I got a call to go out there today and witnessed some surreal scenes. If you've never seen a pair of USAF hercules making low tight turns over an Irish town, and making high speed touch-n-go landings at Shannon, believe me, it is a bit unsettling. With Aer Lingus flights grounded by a strike, one could easily have assumed we were at a US Air Force base and not Shannon airport today, because there was little else moving besides military personnel and hardware. Shortly after 3 today I got a call that there was some overtly military aircraft landing at Shannon. I got out there and met my colleague who told me that the grey military aircraft he first spotted had disappeared, but that there was another military aircraft near the westair hangar. So, I walked down and sure enough there's a big old DC-9 just sitting there. VR-61 is another NAVY Fleet Logistics Squadron, normally based on Whidbey Island, in Washington State (that's on the Pacific Coast of the US) The squadron consists of FOUR DC-9-33s. By the sounds of it 3 of them came through Shannon today. While I was taking photos, another plane spotter comes up to me and tells me that this was the third US NAVY DC-9 through Shannon that day. We waited around for them, and expected them to land and taxi to a stand point. I thought maybe the pilot had aborted the landing This is used sometimes in war zones where it is not safe to land and stop, so the cargo plane will instead touch down briefly, and drop cargo out the back door while still moving, then increase power and take off again. It's a tricky manouvre. a wrong move could end up in a crash landing on the airfield. Eventually they finished and then parked on the centre taxiway, behind an Aer Lingus A330.
The long and the short of it, there were at least 8 military flights through Shannon today. 4 US airforce, 3 US Navy and 1 civlian jet chartered to the US military. There's a big build up going on somewhere, and my local bookies reckon it's going to be Iraq. If you don't want that to happen, speak out now. |
printable version
Digg this
del.icio.us
Furl
Reddit
Technorati
Facebook
Gab
Twitter
|
View Comments Titles Only
save preference
Comments (27 of 27)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27Its stupid and contradictory to be upset over a few U.S planes at Shannon while remaining silent about the extensive British military installations in County Armagh.
The military bases in Armagh are not being hidden from the public.
We all know they are there. I'm opposed to that militarisation too, but there's plenty of people closer to Armagh doing a better job of protesting it than I would. There's not many doing likewise at my end of the country.
Most Irish people however think that Shannon is nothing more than a civilian airport in the West of the country.
They don't know it's now an air base for the US military.
From the Irish Independent:::::
....Last night it emerged that the USAF was granted permission to use Irish air-space for what was described as "routine training exercises"....
to deride Tim Hourigan for providing us with new information about the militarisation of Ireland (by the world's dominant power) in defiance of all our "neutrality".
This is a valuable service that Tim is doing for us all. He isn't obliged to provide information about British military installations which we're all too aware of and to which we object.
I didn't know that Ireland had become a half-assed military base for the US in Europe (thought that was the NATO countries) and Tim is providing some solid data that allows me to judge how much our politicians care about our "neutrality".
Good work.
It's time to Reclaim The Airways!!
**********************************
Bring a kite or balloons or whatever you can, and come to Shannon Airport this Bank Holiday Monday for an impromptu protest action against this fucking military madness!
HOW TO GET THERE:
-----------------
Take bus to Shannon Airport from Limerick station. For travel to Limerick try http://www.buseireann.ie/ or http://www.irishrail.ie/ or call around for a lift (especially if you're driving and can give lifts!).
WHEN:
-----
Monday, 3 June 2002
Meet at 4pm at the airport (call this number for further details: 087-6941060)
WHAT TO BRING:
--------------
o Kite, balloons and other colourful stuff
o Camera, video camera
o Food
o Clothes for all weather
o Whatever you like that won't hurt anyone...
Again, call 087-6941060 for more info or mail me. See http://slack.redbrick.dcu.ie/nvda/ for Nonviolent Action tips.
"Don't sit on the fence - cut it!"
Yes. Can be confirmed. Even Tony O'Reilly's ultimate rag - Sunday Independent ("Sindo") has this in today's "Sindo". Not sure of exact link. Just come in from pub where I read it so I'm a bit pissed but they gave it a fairly good mention on Page 4 (I think that's the Page!)!
People protesting about this - how about some advance notice - ye might get a bigger crowd, it was the same last time - the news was posted to indymedia like a day or two before hand.
I'm well up for going down to Shannon but unless I hear well before hand I don't have time to sort it.
Good Work Tim, Fuck the Begrudgers, chances are they don't want to bite the hand that feeds them.
(Waldorf Astoria, 1,000 dollar a plate dinners in New York, best funded party in Ireland, "We have no problems with capitalism" - exact words of S.F. rep. in New York)
BTW who is it that's in the government over South Armagh? :)
Re "Mad Petit Bourgeois Anarchist"'s point about giving advance notice: we didn't know about this until Tim saw the planes himself. The authorities are hardly going to give advance notice that they intend to turn our airport in to a US military training facility for the weekend... so we need to respond quickly.
I think that Tim is right and this is clearly an escalation in military use at Shannon. There should be a rapid nonviolent response at the airport, as well as all the articles and meetings that may follow -- We've got to "increase the peace", so to speak. :-)
Hope to see you there: Monday @ Shannon Airport (4pm call 087-6941060).
Sorry, sorry, sorry -- Just heard now that the US Airforce planes are leaving tomorrow (Monday) at noon. So if you can be there before noon please come along...
Call 087-6941060
Cheers,
Eoin
Why are most people here against these aircraft using Shannon? Some want to see ireland cower from the rest of the world.We should support NATO, at least they are trying to deal with some of todays problems, Saddam being one. Just remember he does control an oppresive reigime and most Iraqis dont like him. I support NATO and am glad to see Ireland is lending a hand to these aircraft and would hope to see more in the future.
Our government is cowering before the US, and the European military might.
The white house wants to use our airports, and Bertie rolled over for them, despite our constitution requiring a vote on this (remember democracy, sovreignty and that other outdated stuff people died for before the celtic tiger?)
NATO is no answer to anything. It's a huge military industrial complex controlled by the US. It only intervenes to serve political interests and it's certainly not a peacekeeping force, which is what Ireland's forces can be most proud of. (ask the people of East Timor, the Lebanon, etc...) Ireland got in on the ground and engaged in real peacekeeping and resolution, not carpet bombing from 10,000 ft and infliciting massive civilian casualties without getting the bad guys
People who say 'but what about Saddam and Bin Laden' should think a second. What about Saddam and Bin Laden? Has any US or NATO bomb taken care of these guys? NO! Has any US or NATO bomb brought peace to Iraq or Afghanistan? No! Have the US and NATO bombs killed lots of civilians? YES.
Are the US and NATO accountable to anyone but themselves? NO!
I object to these aircraft being at Shannon
because they are here without the permission of the Irish people. They are here without the knowledge of most Irish people.
They are not accountable to us.
If we are allowing weapons of war to us our airports, we should be allowed to put conditions on how they are used.
Carpet bombing, hitting highly populated civilian areas, using radioactive munitions, all of these are irresponsible and dishonorable methods of waging warfare.
We can't disown them if we are facilitating them.
The U.S. military is here to protect U.S. investments. Lets kick out Dell, Intel, and Microsoft. and all the other U.S. companies. If we accept U.S. economic domination it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to be against U.S. military.
The US military is not here to protect US economic interests. The likes of Dell, Intel et al allows very powerful leverage to US military desires to utalise Shannon or any other resources in this country under veiled threat of economic sanction. We are a US client state but it's not their military prowess that brings the control they exert here. It's our whole system of choosing politically expedient employment through trans-national corporations, rather than the more arduous task of creating indigenous industries.
How many lives in Iraq or Afghanistan, Serbia or The Sudan is each job in Dell worth??????
The Clifford family showed themselves to be amazing people despite the hardship they suffered on 9-11. I think a lot of us saw them on RTE, but we've forgotten what they said in the propganda that has since come from the White House and the Pentagon.
===============================================
Corkman Ronnie Clifford fled the WTC on 9/11 after the first tower was hit. He got out of the second tower as it was struck by a United Airlines Boeing 767.
His sister Ruth Clifford McCourt, 45, and
her four-year-old daughter Juliana were passengers on that second plane.
Her other brothers Mark and John Clifford appeared on RTE's Late Late Show about a week later. They called for restraint in the response of President Bush. The brothers' plea was for justice, not revenge. They wanted no other innocent life taken in behalf of their loss.
If I recall, they said that they were heart-broken by the loss of their sister and niece.
They said that if the reaction of the US causes another family to lose a child then they would be heart-broken all over again.
================================
Now, the US response, which has levelled villages, killed civilians, caused refugees to flee across rough terrain with little food and water and has NOT captured or killed Osama Bin Laden is not something I would support.
I would like to know how any of the military supporters here would justify this campaign to the Clifford family.
"y", even if you are a citizen of Ireland (which I doubt from your comments) then you ought to be very concerned about the use of Ireland's airports and sky by US MILITARY aircraft. Here are some of the reasons:
1. IT'S ILLEGAL:
Ireland has a currently declared official position of neutrality. I like it, lots of other people like it even if you don't. If you want to change that then you'll have to win a referendum. I know that you probably believe in corrupt politicians being allowed to do whatever they like, but Bertie is breaking our laws by allowing the US MILITARY to train in our airspace.
2. IT PUTS US IN A WEAK POSITION:
Ireland currently receives a huge amount of money from the European Union. Our interests are more firmly represented by a strong European trade bloc in which we have some democratic voice than by an un-negotiated servile relationship with the U.S.A. Our current position as an entrepot for goods from the USA being dumped in Europe weakens the trade bloc which is providing us currently with more of our resources than the U.S.A. and will potentially damage further development of that bloc, leaving the world solely under the dominance of the U.S.A. Even if we prefer to play treacherous piggy-in-the-middle (instead of European partner) it is in our interests to ensure that the U.S.A. does not increase in economic and military dominance of Europe.
3. IT GAINS US ENEMIES
As things stand Ireland probably has a relatively good international image. We aren't the first people the hijackers take off the planes (when they're doing old-style hijacks) and we've probably built some bridges with 3rd world countries. The rest of Europe is still under the impression that we might be some sort of part of Europe. If we give any more favours to the U.S.A. then it would be rational for them to tell us to get knotted. If that happens, then we're no longer any use to the U.S.A. because we don't provide a good entry point for their products into Europe.
4. THE POST OF BOOTLICKER-TO-THE-USA IS TAKEN
Remember Thatcher/Reagan's "special relationship"? Seen how Blair is so keen to bend over for G.W.Bush? What possible charms can we offer compared to the virtuoso prostitution displayed by British New Labour?
5. SUPPORTING THE USA WILL CREATE MORE SADDAM HUSSEINS AND OSAMA BIN LADENS
The U.S.A. has its own cynical geopolitical interests firmly at the bottom of everything it does. It relys upon the suppression of democracy around the world in order to ensure a flow of cheap resources toward itself. It cannot sustain its standard of exploitation without a cadre of human-rights abusing monsters to kill, torture and dissuade those that would like to live with clean water, education, health-care and some comfort. Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden were both created by the U.S.A.: Hussein's Ba'ath party coup was orchestrated by the CIA, and if you don't know about ObL and the Wa'habi sect running Saudi Arabia by now then there's no point in talking to you: you'd be much better off spending your time reading than complaining about Tim Hourigan's great research.
I have never seen such a display of cry babies and ungrateful people. Thankfully, the majority of Irish citizens aren’t so easily brainwashed by ignorant, liberal and destructive ideology. You seem to have forgotten the US is an ally and is made up of more Irish descendents than there are Irish citizens in IRELAND! There are more politicians of Irish decent than of any other single heritage in US history. The US was virtually built by Irish immigrants, and you speak of the US as if there was no bond to Ireland. I am embarrassed to say I am Irish when I see such stupidity as neutrality.
Let’s not forget that these terrorists DO NOT discriminate, they kill relentlessly without cause or reason. The nonsense that they kill for religious reason is ludicrous and the world acknowledges. You are next on their list, regardless if you cower in the corner of neutrality, the rest of the world will be next. Cowards! Join the fight against evil, the allied coalition is not “murdering civilians” as much as the Muslim/government controlled Arab news would like to portray. These extremists hide behind ‘innocent’ civilians, although there are no innocent in this war. The Muslim fanatics teach destructive extremism to their women and children, the next batch of murderers, they perpetuate this by keeping them ignorant. Ignorant of fact and truth, teaching only to hate and destroy so called ‘western ideology’ – YOUR ideology, of a civilized, progressive world. If they can destroy the world, they will and nothing the civilized world can “peacefully” say, offer or do will change that fact. Don’t you forget, the world they are bent on destroying is also yours. The US is its primary target because of the success it enjoys, success built by IMMIGRANTS from every corner of the world! A fact that jealousy blinds, the US is not a single nation, it is a composition of all nations and all religions, you are part of it, as are people of Arab nations.
Three thoughts,
One, the US sends more money and support to impoverished nations than any other in the world, quite a bit more than Ireland sends out. The number one contributor to Afghanistan, in money, food , supplies and volunteers is the US. If the US economy, the largest market for goods in the world falters, the world economy will fail, including Ireland, to the scale and beyond of the great potato famine. Irish in the US are very proud of their heritage and honor it often, it would be reciprocated by Ireland participating in the civilized world.
Two, don’t get confused, there is no collateral damage, this war is precise, enemy soldiers shoot at the Allies and they return fire. These are rules of engagement, as witnessed by the international community, in person and on film. The enemy murders their own people and put them on display and claim ‘civilian casualties’ to hide the fact of their defeat. We saw this in Iraq when Saddam gassed his people, the Kurds, he later tried to pass it off on someone else. The world saw on film how the Taliban murdered their own people and similarly tried to pass it off on someone else. Ignorant people that are easily influenced by images flashed before them in conjunction with a biased, scripted narration fall prey to this.
Three, the devil IS dead, Bin Ladin would be all over the media on a currently filmed clip to prove he was alive, he is to arrogant not to – the biggest coward of all- he hid sending children to do his bidding.
Long live Ireland and the United States of America
You think Ireland should jump on the WASHINGTON bandwagon just cause we share some heritage. you sound like a pentagon PR guy, a trainee one though... get a job on FOX news! They'd love you.
As a recent arrival, I find Ireland does support America and Americans (just not certain ones like Bush and his cronies)
Wake up, the American people aren't united on this war. And don't go quoting unbelievable crap about smart bombs and precise tagetting. It's just not credible. Heavily edited footage gets approved for media release.
As for Saddam hussein gassing the kurds, that's only more reason not to agree with US foreign policy. Saddam, installed as an ally by the US, armed by the US and UK gasses the kurds,,, no problem, he does it for years. Then he invades oil rich Kuwait. Now any cause is brought up and the Kurds finally get a mention. what hypocricsy, especially when Turkey (a paid up NATO member and US ally) can do what it likes to Kurds in neighboring Turkey, (without any criticism from Washington) that's the Washington think-thank showing its true colors.
It's true the US is made up of differnet races and mixes and opinions, so don't try fooling people that the entire country is supporting Bush's war. The media is already feeding that rubbish to my family back home. It's an insult to what the country is supposed to stand for.
Spout all you like about US-Irish relations. I don't think it holds too much sway with folks over here, they accept me, but not my 'president', (I don't accept him either)
Most Irish people like Americans, real Americans, people who BELIEVE in liberty and justice.
We come here, they go stateside.
We get along fine.
It doesn't equate to blind loyalty to the US president.
Just like being American doesn't equate
to mindless flag saluting and backing Dubya 100%.
We never would have had a tea party in Boston if we didn't have the guts to criticize our leaders.
We didn't want bloodthirsty dictators then, and we don't need them now.
Some people may be suprised to find out that I am an Irish citizen, born here,live here and am curently being educated here. The US are no angels and I don't like G.W. Bush. Some people are calling the Afghanistan conflict US revenge. If Ireland had been attacked like the US was on 9/11, Irish people would also be calling for Justice and revenge. The only problem would be that we are too weak to respond and we would be licking the asses of countries like the US to help us.
Phug Hedd has said helping the US will gain us enemies. When an extemist like OBL sees a Irishman, he doesnt see the EIRE on their passport. He sees a non-believer, an infidel. We are already his enimies and it is not because of the US. Just remember his enimes were the Russians until the US helped his country in 1991. He doesnt like the US because they were asked to help Saudi Arabia and his mujahadin were turned down.
Smart weapons are also extemely accurate and alright ONE or TWO go wrong sometimes. If the US kills a few civillians, what about Saddams gasing of Kurds and killing of Kuwaitis, Kosovo and other balkan conflicts invoving ethnic cleansing and the Taliban. At least the US tried to do something. The Irish peacekeepers do a good job, but they do go in when most of the work is already finished.
Another thing, most of the EU is in NATO and helping the US is not going to worry them. And for the good image of the Irish abroad, a number of times abroad I was reminded about Northern Ireland and Terrorism.
"Y",
good to see that you are currently being edumacated.
In your response to me (or a misspelling of my name) you provide some information that confirms my assertion that aiding the U.S.A. will gain us enemies: you point out that the U.S.S.R. was targetted by ObL when the U.S.S.R. was militarily engaging Afghanistan, then you point out that the U.S.A. is targetted by ObL when they are militarily targetting Afghanistan. So......let's join the dots together....Ireland helps the U.S.A. and becomes part of the enemies of ObL instead of a neutral party.
You further ignore the more important point that the U.S.A. aided Osama bin Laden and the Taliban. And that they also aided Saddam Hussein.
While you cry crocodile tears about the deaths of the Kurds under Saddam Hussein you ignore the deaths of a larger number of Kurds just across the border: in Turkey. Yes, "Y", those Kurds were killed with weapons supplies to the Turkish government by the U.S.A.
Finally, how does supporting the U.S.A. enhance our own cynical economic aims?
Really, as I said before: stop whinging and whining about Tim Hourigan's information
It's good to see someone with common sense. It's unfortunate that everyone doesn't see fact and reason. For the record, more Americans and international community members are for the eradication of terrorism than any other conflict in contemporary times. These other “authors” are too blinded by there ignorance and fanaticism to THINK rationally for a minute and tell right from wrong. Maybe they would understand if 110 story building fell on them, but then again that couldn't happen, they don't have the motivation to create such a structure. Keep drinking your pints and complaining about the world but do nothing about it, don't go to a third world country and feed the poor or help administer medicine, you'll have to work with Americans that are already there doing it. Don't try to fight evil and free desperate people, that if could only speak would tell their story of suffering under oppression. The US is doing that too, ask a local afgan women, you know the one that hasn't been to school or doctor in 10 years. Keep watching the images those oppressors want you to see and believe,the ones that pretend the US is doing harm, you know which ones. You'll never be there in person, I am, the US is. When your ready to get off your arse and fight or at least help, then your entitled to complain.
Sorry Phuq Hedd, it was a slip of the key.
Anyway, I'm not complaining about Tim Hourigan's information. I like knowing what aircraft are going through Shannon, I just don't agree with his point of view.
It was also wrong for the US to aid Saddam, but how did they aid the Taliban?
Ireland is not neutral under either the Hague or Paris treaties it is just a leftover from WW2. We even tried to join NATO in 1949 but declined on grounds of partition. More correctly we are non-alligned. Therefore US Planes stopping off at Shannon is no different from Warships fromother nations stopping off at our Ports.
I am interested that you oppose this partly on grounds that we are closer to Berlin than Boston.
True indeed, yet I suspect you would oppose us supporting the mutual defense of a Union we have benefited from greatly and helped to forge?
The US supported the fundamentalist mujahedeen in their fight against the secular (and pro-women) soviet supported government (so much for women's rights). This support came in the way of training and arms. Would you believe that the US actually trained Osama bin Laden? They did!
The US then gave the Taliban $43 million for eliminating the opium crop in the late 90's ie at a time when everyone knew what type of regime they were.
ye should really go out into the real world, put away the anorak and binocs, (spending nights in shannon airport to get a glimpse of aircraft refuelling!!!) oh the excitement of it all, how do ye contain the excitement!! Whatever way it is looked at, without US intervention the world would be in a ruinous state a long time ago. Helping them out by allowing them refuel all the 'top fighters and warbirds' (not!!), in there fleet is the least we can do. Ye're so called peace loving group is nothing more than a (dis)organised group of rag tag hippies. That is, judging by the laughable attempts of protest at the airport.
It's a case of complete hypocrisy for the Govt and Opposition to have raised such a stink over the transport of nuclear materials to Sellafield recently on the grounds that it is dangerous, while ignoring the equally dangerous present of USAF aircraft.
BNFL and the Irish Govt have one thing in common - neither consult the Irish people about the movement of dangerous cargo.
If a small American is using the runway it means a big 747 can't be. Imagine if one of them crashed full of fuel.