Exposing the lie

The following is a ‘Letter to the Editor’ I came across while doing some research. It was published on 24th February 2003.

A chara,

The current frenzy of intemperate attacks on the religious orders remind me of the ruthless attacks of the Nazi cohorts on the Jewish people in Germany in the 1930s.

Side by side with reports of abuses in industrial schools and orphanages have come reports of good and kind treatment of children too – but little or no prominence is given to such good deeds.

In his book on Artane, Patrick Touher, who spent some years there, said: “I realise that the majority of the Brothers were truly dedicated to our care; of course a few bad eggs emerged as in any institution but I know that on the whole the Brothers were doing their best within limited circumstances in hard times and with frightening numbers.”

Every boy in Artane – the full complement was 900 – was given training to learn a trade – carpenter, shoemaker, tailor, baker, barber, etc., – to fit him for future life.

Artane was practically self-sufficient in producing its own milk, vegetables and bread. The salaries of the Brothers were ploughed into the running expenses of the school, while the State paid a minuscule subsidy to the institution.

The much maligned Magdalen Laundries were there for the same reason – to help pay for food and other necessities. In effect, by their efficient and self-sacrificing work in caring for the neglected children of Ireland, the brothers and nuns saved this country enormous sums of money for decades at a time when Ireland’s economy was very poor indeed.

Is mise,
Rev CON McGILLICUDDY,
Dollymount Grove,
Dublin 3.

Interesting reference to Nazi cohorts since we’ve learned of the ruthless attacks by religious Nazi cohorts on innocent children in Artane and other religious slave labour camps.

Catholic Church: Crimes against humanity?

Is the Catholic Church guilty of crimes against humanity?

Crimes Against Humanity (A to Z guide) (My emphasis)

To some extent, crimes against humanity overlap with genocide and war crimes. But crimes against humanity are distinguishable from genocide in that they do not require an intent to “destroy in whole or in part,” as cited in the 1948 Genocide Convention, but only target a given group and carry out a policy of “widespread or systematic” violations. Crimes against humanity are also distinguishable from war crimes in that they not only apply in the context of war—they apply in times of war and peace.

Crimes against humanity have existed in customary international law for over half a century and are also evidenced in prosecutions before some national courts.

The most notable of these trials include those of Paul Touvier, Klaus Barbie, and Maurice Papon in France, and Imre Finta in Canada.

But crimes against humanity are also deemed to be part of jus cogens—the highest standing in international legal norms. Thus, they constitute a non-derogable rule of international law.

The implication of this standing is that they are subject to universal jurisdiction, meaning that all States can exercise their jurisdiction in prosecuting a perpetrator irrespective of where the crime was committed.

It also means that all States have the duty to prosecute or extradite, that no person charged with that crime can claim the “political offense exception” to extradition, and that States have the duty to assist each other in securing evidence needed to prosecute.

But of greater importance is the fact that no perpetrator can claim the “defense of obedience to superior orders” and that no statute of limitation contained in the laws of any State can apply. Lastly, no one is immune from prosecution for such crimes, even a head of State.

Nazi scum

Email to CORI (My full address and contact details included)

To Whom It May Concern:

I could go through and analyse all the excuses put forward by your representative on Morning Ireland (5th report, 4th item) this morning but there’s no point as you must already know that every word she spoke was a lie.

I do however wish to inform you, in case there’s the slightest doubt in your mind; that your organisation and all its supporters are no better than Nazi scum.

In deep anger
Anthony Sheridan

Copy to:

CORI
St Mary’s
Bloomfield Avenue
Donnybrook,
Dublin
Tel:01/6677322
email: website: www.cori.ie

CORI Religious Life Office
Bloomfield Avenue
Dublin 4

CORI Justice Office
St Mary’s
Bloomfield Avenue
Dublin 4
Tel: 01/6677 363
Email: justice@cori.ie

CORI Education Office
Bloomfield Avenue
Dublin 4
Email: education@cori.ie

CORI Healthcare Office
Bloomfield Avenue
Dublin 4
Tel: 01 6677349
Email: healthcare@cori.ie

CORI Pastoral Office
Tel: 01/5053025 or 505 3012
Email: anne.codd@iecon.ie

CORI Northern Ireland Office
511 Ormeau Road
Belfast BT 73GS
Email: corini@btconnect.com
Tel: 028 (048 from ROI) 90694443

CORI Child Safeguarding Office
Fr Paul Murphy, ofm cap, is the Director of the CORI Child Protection Office and may be contacted at childprotection@cori.ie
Tel: 01/6677343/345

Catholic Church forces children to eat shit

Well organised and open paedophile rings, brutal slavery supported and protected by the state, widespread rape and torture, children who had their heads pinned down by sash windows before being brutally raped, children stripped naked and forced to engage in brutal combat as entertainment for visiting priests. Children forced to eat their own shit and in one case lick the shit off the shoe of a priest.

I’m not going to mince my words on this matter.

There is little difference between the Catholic Church and the brutal Nazi regime of the 1930s and 40s. The Irish Catholic Church is guilty of crimes against humanity on the same scale and brutality as that Nazi regime but with one crucial difference.

The Nazi regime was eventually challenged and destroyed; many of its leaders and supporters were brought to justice at the Nuremburg Trials and received just punishment.

In the corrupt state of Ireland the criminals who organised and put into effect the brutal holocaust against children are still strongly defended and protected by the State. The names of the brutal monsters are to be kept secret, none are to face justice.

As always the nation has launched itself into a frenzy of talk and analysis in an effort to avoid facing the brutal truth. Already, the media has moved away from the horror and is now focusing on the completely pointless issue of the outrageous deal done between Bertie Ahern and his beloved Nazi church.

I’m going to return to more aspects of this horror but for now I’m just going to focus on one scum priest who really made my blood boil as I listened to him vomiting out at least five well rehearsed but meaningless apologies in the course of a short interview on RTE News (1st report, 6th item).

Brother Kevin Mullan, Christian Brothers’ provincial leader is the vile piece of shit in question. When it was put to this pathetic excuse for a human that his organisation had fought tooth and nail to keep the names of the guilty secret he replied:

“I think in some senses we did that because of the actual balance we felt was needed to be kept in terms of brothers, their families and so on where perhaps we had doubts about some of the allegations.

But on the other hand, at this stage, we have no interest in protecting people that are perpetrators of abuse. I think that’s a matter that has to be dealt with by the civil authorities and we will co-operate fully in this regard.”

So, after the deal was done, after the report has been published, after the victims have been betrayed, after his scum church has been allowed get away with the heinous crimes – he says that they will fully co-operate.

When it was put to this scum priest that perhaps people might not have much faith in such promises he replied:

“I would say our co-operation with the committee was quite fulsome and the committee may say other things about that but I think we co-operated to the very best of our ability.”

It’s grotesquely fascinating to witness how easily representatives of the scum Catholic Church can vomit out lies in defence of their criminal members.

Christine Buckley, a victim of this Nazi church, was asked for her response to this loathsome creature.

“The Christian Brothers showed nothing but arrogance and the glib behaviour…just reading his facial features…I do not think the Christian Brothers are capable of trying to understand. At every level they have tried to have it their own way. Now that the report is published, he doesn’t mind if people are named and shamed, isn’t that a little bit late for us?”

Too late indeed, Christine. And for so long as this country continues to be ruled by scum like Bertie Ahern and other fanatical Catholics it will always be too late for victims.

Angry Fianna Fail denies any wrongdoing

It was reported in the Irish Examiner last Monday that Fianna Fail took donations either side of the 2007 general election which were above the declaration threshold and should have been notified to the Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) – but were not.

I decided to submit a formal complaint to the Standards in Public Office Commission regarding this matter.

As a first step I rang Fianna Fail HQ to obtain the name of the person responsible for the alleged offence as the law requires that an individual be identified in all complaints.

Predictably, after a lot of waffle, I was told that my question was unanswerable at this time.

Some hours later I received a call from a very angry David Burke, Fianna Fail director of finance.

Mr. Burke was not pleased and demanded to know what I was up to; he demanded to know the basis on which I was making my complaint.

When I said I was basing it on the article in the Irish Examiner he nearly had a fit – you’re basing it on something a journalist wrote? The word ‘journalist’ was spat out with venom. He then proceeded to state his party’s position.

“We’ve issued a statement that we are in full compliance with all the legislation as set down by SIPO. You are allowed (how kind) to make whatever representation you want to SIPO but I can assure you that we are fully compliant with all the legislative requirements. The article was inaccurate in certain respects and will be clarified with SIPO over the coming month.”

During the conversation I mentioned that I didn’t have much confidence in SIPO as a regulatory body which, bizarrely, made Mr. Burke even angrier claiming I was inferring that his party had done something illegal.

I was at a complete loss; I mean, how could I or indeed anybody ever think that Fianna Fail might do something illegal?

Mr. Burke made it clear to me that he was an expert on the law regarding this matter:

“I know the legislation inside out, I live and breathe it. With all due respect you have not read the legislation to the level of detail that I know the legislation, I can assure you of that.”

Then he said something which I thought very curious:

“SIPO will make contact with us, we will then clarify our position which I can assure you is in full compliance with the law, SIPO will then subsequently confirm our position.”

It must be very comforting for Fianna Fail knowing in advance that SIPO will confirm their position although, to be fair, I could be misinterpreting Mr. Burke’s meaning.

In any case, I submitted my formal complaint to SIPO yesterday.

Mass card petition: Acknowledgement received

I received a written acknowledgement today from the European Parliament (Petition Unit) in response to my submission regarding the criminalisation of those who sell Mass cards without the permission of a Catholic bishop.

Among other things the letter advises:

“Your petition has been forwarded to the Committee on Petitions which will, first of all, take a decision on its admissibility, i.e. on whether the subject of your petition falls within the sphere of the activities of the European Union. If the committee declares it admissible, it will then examine the substance of your petition.

The letter also advises me that the procedure may take some time.

A tale of two parliaments

The editorial in today’s Irish Daily Star points out how quickly Michael Martin, the Speaker of Britain’s House of Commons, was forced to resign for incompetence. The editorial continues:

“Our politicians cock up continuously, squander multi-millions of taxpayers’ money, expose us to huge debt, display the most breath taking arrogance and contempt for the electorate, fail miserably to fulfil their electoral promises and feather their own nests while telling us to tighten ours. But a nuclear explosion wouldn’t dislodge them from their well-padded seats.”

Lee has his first session in dark pit of Irish politics

It really is refreshing to witness George Lee talk with passion and honesty about political issues.

For example, on The Week in Politics last Sunday he was asked about reports that Seanad Eireann closed down last week to allow the Senators attend a golf outing.

“I can’t believe that they met for 40 days for the first couple of months of the year.

During that period, the first four months up to April, 93,000 people went on the dole while they met for 40 days, while they took all that money from the taxpayer and they sat there planning their golf outing.

It’s an absolute outrage, I tell you they would all want to consider their positions, they need to go.”

On being asked – Should the Senate be shut down?

“Would we care? 93,000 people is what it’s about and the fact that unemployment is heading towards 600,000 while they’re there lining their pockets, claiming their expenses and doing not an awful lot for the people. I really couldn’t be bothered whether they were shut down, it’s a disgrace.”

If every politician or even a significant number of them felt and acted with such passionate anger and honesty Ireland would indeed be a country of happy enlightenment.

Sadly, it is not to be. It’s only a matter of time before George is hauled down into the dark, damp pit of Irish politics where all new arrivals on the political scene are strapped into a seat, have a very bright light shone in their faces and ruthlessly indoctrinated into the realities of Irish political life.

And judging from a report on Newstalk 106 it seems that George has had his first session in the pit. He has denied that he called for the Seanad to be scrapped saying he meant it needed reform.

“All of my party colleagues have been pushing the issue of Seanad reform for a long period of time, much longer than my last two weeks in politics; I’m beating the same drum. They all want to make that contribution, they know it’s very important institution of state and they know it has to be modernised.”

Yes, we know George. Irish politicians have been calling for and promising reform of the Senate for decades but never actually act on the matter. They don’t act because they are greedy, dishonest and arrogant.

How many sessions in the cellar George before you are a fully signed up member of the corrupt Irish political system?

Favours feeding the disease of corruption

On a recent Late Late Show (1hr.5mins), Pat Kenny introduced author and journalist, Colm Tóibín, as follows:

“A man who looks at life a little differently than most, it’s probably why he rushed up to shake the hand of the disgraced building society boss, Michael Fingleton…”

Alas, Mr. Tóibín is very much like the majority of Irish citizens in that he holds a warped sense of right and wrong when it comes to wrongdoing in Irish public and business life.

People like Mr. Tóibín have no problem whatsoever in recognizing wrongdoing in other countries. For example, commentators, journalists, politicians and ordinary citizens in Ireland all seem to agree that the behaviour of UK MPs regarding their expenses is fraudulent and/or seriously unethical. Instinctively, everybody knows such behaviour is wrong.

In contrast, when Bertie Ahern claimed, under oath, that he won large amounts of unexplained money on the horses, there was little if any debate on whether such a ridiculous excuse might be a lie and no debate whatsoever on the possibility that this former Taoiseach may have committed the crime of perjury.

Instead, we had lots of people, operating within the same mindset as Mr. Tóibín, endlessly debating whether Ahern would run for president or opt for a job in the EU. Ahern’s tribunal evidence was only discussed in so far as it might affect his legacy.

In other words, when the brutal reality of what Bertie Ahern really is was exposed, when his flawed pedigree was exposed and put right up there in front of these people they all went into denial and pretended it never happened.

We see the exact same response/mindset from Mr. Tóibín in his defence of Fingleton.

According to Tóibín Fingleton is being demonized simply because of his association with banking scandals in the same way that many (innocent) priests were demonised because of the activities of pedophile priests.

In Tóibín’s mind, Fingleton has done no wrong but is rather the victim of a witch hunt. Tóibín’s problem is simple; he is incapable of telling the difference between those who are guilty and those who are merely associated with the guilty.

This is not to say that Fingleton is guilty of any criminal behaviour, not yet anyway. He is, however, guilty of a recklessness and greed that has destroyed the lives of thousands of people.

He took Irish Nationwide from being a sound business that sold mortgages to help people buy their homes into the casino like world of property developers that left the building society with over 80% of its €12 billion loans related to construction and property.

Irish Nationwide facilitated Sean Fitzpatrick’s dodgy loans which, according to many experts, were fraudulent and are currently under investigation.

He arranged a €27.6 million retirement scheme for himself which gave the impression that the scheme involved a number of members when in fact he was the sole beneficiary. When this was exposed we were asked to believe that the misunderstanding was due to a typing error – shades of Bertie’s ‘I won it on the horses here’.

Tóibín himself provided the answer for his blind loyalty to a chancer like Fingleton.

At some point in the distant past Fingleton did Tóibín a favour, he gave him a mortgage when times were tough. It’s this ‘doing favours’ that lies at the heart of Irish corruption.

It’s why, for decades, thousands of people voted for the corrupt Haughey. – he did them favours. It’s why 12,000 people voted for the liar and tax cheat, Michael Lowry, in the last election – he did them favours. It’s why the chancer Bertie Ahern enjoyed such a successful career in politics – he did favours for his constituents.

The people who sell their votes for favours, the people who buy votes with favours and the people like Tóibín who cannot see beyond the favour are responsible for the destruction of this country.

Mr. Tóibín, along with thousands of other Irish citizens, simply will not or cannot understand that when somebody does something wrong they should be made accountable no matter what favours they have done.

For so long as this primitive tribal mind set persists Ireland will continue to suffer at the hands of corrupt politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen.

Mr. Tóibín himself provided a perfect example of the damage that can be wrought when favours, special interests, ruthless greed or blind loyalty take precedence over the common good.

He recalled a (outraged) phone call he received from the New York Times some years ago asking him:

“Is it possible that you are building a motorway through the beautiful landscape of Tara?”

He later visited Tara and realised that anyone who disturbed such a landscape would be in trouble, would be haunted.

The tragedy for Ireland is that while people like Tóibín can see that such actions are wrong he is incapable of understanding that they happen because Ireland is a country riven by the disease of corruption.

He is incapable of seeing that he and others, through their ignorance, are principally responsible for the continuing spread of that disease.

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Colm Tóibín