Posted by Jim on June 11, 2019
“Imagine
if a presidential candidate loved to sing anti-Black or anti-Semitic songs?
Wouldn’t that rightly cause deep and outright revulsion?Well,
turns out, one of the leading “pretenders to the throne” —that is, in the
upcoming race to be British PM—loves to belt out anti-Catholic and anti-Irish
songs.
The
attached article from today’s Irish News of Belfast reveals that extreme right-wing
Michael Gove glories in belting out the best-known Orange supremacist/anti-Catholic song of
all: “The Sash My Father Wore,” the chorus of which bellows:
‘It
is old but it is beautiful, and its colors they are fine
It was
worn at Derry, Aughrim, Enniskillen and the Boyne.
From my
orange and purple forefather, it descended with galore
It’s a
terror to them Papish [Catholic] boys,
The Sash My Father Wore.’
However,
to this Fermanagh man, while Gove’s bigotry is offensive, it is not surprising.
In 1886 Churchill’s father Randolph infamously played the “Orange Card’:
inciting and exploiting anti-Catholic hatred in Ireland for political advantage
(like Governor George Wallace inciting anti-Black bigotry). And Winston
Churchill himself was a noted anti-Catholic bigot, writing: ‘Superstitious
faith in nations rarely promotes their industry…[Catholicism] … checks our growth and saps our strength
[impeding]
the improvement of the British breed …’ In 1911, Churchill wrote:
“The Catholic Church has ruined every country in which it has been supreme
….” In 1961, Churchill’s biographer
son—without any sense of embarrassment or shame— published that letter under
the very revealing title of ‘The Curse of Catholicism.’
Imagine if an American president wrote of the
‘curse of Judaism,’ or the ‘ curse of Islam,’or the ‘curse of Blacks,’ etc., etc? How can the Beloved Community in Northern
Ireland be built up when a leading Tory like Gove proudly sings about his own
anti-Catholic bigotry?” —Fr. Sean
McManusMichael Gove happy to sing The Sash, book revealsIrish News. Belfast.Tuesday, June 11, 201911 June, 2019
TORY leadership hopeful Michael Gove has a long-held fascination with the Troubles and knew the words to loyalist anthem The Sash, a new biography reveals.
Sean O’Grady, a journalist who worked alongside the environment minister, recalls an eye-opening visit to Mr Gove’s London flat in the 1990s.
“He had an enormous cartoon of the Ulster Unionist Party in parliament – a great big Orange banner type of affair,” Mr O’Grady told Owen Bennett, author of Michael Gove: A Man in a Hurry.
Mr O’Grady, associate editor of the Independent, says Mr Gove’s politics were “quite Orange”.
He remembers the former education secretary’s enthusiasm for unionism was a “bit odd”‘, adding: “he’d be perfectly happy to sing along with Orange songs – ‘the sash my father wore’, all that sort of stuff.”
Others too have witnessed Mr Gove belting out loyalist tunes.
Mike Elrick, who trained with him as a journalist, remembers the Conservative leadership contender as “very, very strongly supportive of Ulster Protestantism, and very much sided with the Protestant political parties”.
“I remember him singing various Ulster songs – partly in jest, but he knew the words,” he recalled.
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In 2000, former journalist Mr Gove wrote a pamphlet called ‘Northern Ireland: the Price of Peace’, in which he compared the Good Friday Agreement to the appeasement of the Nazis in the 1930s and the condoning of the desires of paedophiles.
The Scottish-born Brexiteer said the agreement was a “mortal stain” and “a humiliation of our army, police and parliament”, and that its 1998 endorsement on both sides of the border was a “rigged referendum”.
Posted by Jim on
FDNY BRAVEST FOOTBALL TO PLAY NYPD FINEST FOR CHAMPIONSHIP
The FDNY Bravest Football Club will be playing the NYPD Finest Football Club for the 2019 NPSFL Championship. This game will be a rematch of this year’s Fun City Bowl where the Bravest defeated the Finest by a score of 27-21. The Championship Game is being played on Friday night, June 21, with kickoff scheduled for 6:00 PM. The game is being played at Mitchel Athletic Complex, 1 Charles Lindbergh Boulevard, Uniondale, NY 11553. Admission will be $10 with children under 12 free. Come out and cheer on the Bravest as they try to make history by becoming the first of these teams to beat the other twice in a single season!
FIREFIGHTER CAREER DEVELOPMENT INFORMATION SESSION
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the Office of Recruitment/Mentoring is hosting a Firefighter Career Development Information Session on Wednesday, June 12, 2019, from 1100 to 1400 hours, at the Fire Academy, Building 9 – Auditorium. This event is open to all active FDNY Firefighters. Chief Thomas Richardson, Chief of Operations, will be the keynote speaker, along with representatives from several units in Fire Operations, discussing career possibilities for active firefighters. All questions about the event should be emailed to firepromo@fdny.nyc.gov or can be directed to 718-999-3369.
LEMM FOUNDATION MEMORIAL COPS VS. CELEBRITY 2019 SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
There will be a Softball Tournament on Thursday, June 13, 2019, to honor Det. Joseph Lemm, killed in military action in Afghanistan in 2015, and Sgt. Paul Tuozzolo, killed in the line of police duty in 2016. The Precinct and Military Playoff Games start at 1:00 PM, and the final’s opening ceremony will start at 5:30 PM at Juniper Valley Park in Queens. There will be a live performance by country and western legend Lee Greenwood, and the event will also feature radio and football great Boomer Esiason versus the NYPD and various celebrity participants. The event will kick off the Joseph Lemm Memorial Foundation, which has the mission of honoring U.S. First Responders, raising awareness of their service and sacrifice, and providing scholarships for those pursuing a career in civil service and the United States Military. A post-game party will be held at O’Neill’s at 64-21 53rd Drive in Maspeth, NY 11378. $25 cover at O’Neill’s includes beer, wine, soda and light fare. There will be a chance to win a Derek Jeter World Series ring and other items! Proceeds will benefit the Joseph Lemm Memorial Foundation, a registered 501(c)3 charity.
18TH ANNUAL “FOREVER RUNNING” MEMORIAL RUN
To keep the memory of DC Raymond M. Downey and all the victims of September 11th alive, the annual “Forever Running” Memorial 5K Run/Walk and ¼ mile Kids Fun Run will be held on Father’s Day, June 16, 2019, in Deer Park, Long Island. The 5K run begins at 9:30 AM and the Kids Fun Run at 9:00 AM. Pre-registration fee for 5K run is $25, for students grades K-12, $22. Kids Fun Run is free. Special awards, raffle prizes, carnival entertainment and a family barbecue will follow the run. All proceeds benefit the DC Raymond M. Downey Scholarship Charity Fund. For race applications and information, log onto www.chiefraymonddowney.com (events) or http://runsignup.com/Race/NY/DeerPark/RayDowney5K. For more information, call BC Joe Downey, 631-877-0310 or BC Chuck Downey, 631-413-4653.
FIRE LIFE SAFETY DIRECTOR SECURITY POSITION OPEN AT MONTEFIORE
Montefiore Medical Center Security Department is currently seeking candidates for the Position of Fire Safety Security Officer with Fire Life Safety Director License. If interested, please call or email Security Hiring Manager Hector Rivera at 718-920-6131 or hectrive@montefiore.org.
Posted by Jim on
Amnesty International UK
Press releases
RSS feed
Amnesty responds to accusations from NIRPOA
Responding to comments made by the Northern Ireland Retired Police Officers’ Association, Kate Allen, Director of Amnesty International UK, said:
“The families of the Loughinisland victims have yet to see the killers of their loved ones held to account. Amnesty International UK will continue to support them and other families’ campaigns for truth and justice. The trauma and the pain they have suffered is unacceptable, and nothing should be allowed to distract from that.
“Amnesty International UK fully supports the remarks made by Patrick Corrigan, our Northern Ireland Programme Director, in relation to the police investigation into journalists Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey.
“The report by the Police Ombudsman into the Loughinisland massacre noted that there was, undeniably, significant wrongdoing by the RUC following the murder of six innocent men by the UVF in 1994.
“The report states: “the protection of informants through both wilful acts and the passive ‘turning a blind eye’; catastrophic failures in the police investigation; and destruction of exhibits and documents”, all of which helped the killers to evade justice.
“We only received the letter this morning, and are concerned that the NIRPOA appear to have prioritised giving it to local media. This is nothing more than a PR stunt by the NIRPOA.”
Posted by Jim on June 10, 2019
UFA Albany Lobby Day will be Wednesday, June 12, 2019. The UFA is providing bus transportation to and from Albany. The buses will leave their designated locations at 7:00 AM, and depart from Albany by 3:00 PM. The following locations have been designated for bus pickup & drop-off:
QUEENS: Cunningham Park Parking Lot, located at 196th Place and Union Turnpike, 2 buses
Engine 259/Ladder 128, 33-51 Greenpoint Avenue, 1 bus
MANHATTAN: Randall’s Island, 1 bus
STATEN ISLAND: Staten Island Mall Sears Wing, located at 283 Platinum Avenue in SI, 1 bus
BRONX: Fordham University (Main Parking Lot), 1 bus
Once in Albany, there will be a photo-op press event with legislators on the Capitol Steps, facing Washington Park (between Washington & State Streets, facing Swan Street) at 11:00 AM. We want to remind members to give themselves extra time to account for going through security in and around the Capital. Any delegates that arrive early on Wednesday morning (9:30-10:00 AM) can contact Vice President LeRoy McGinnis at 646-217-1599. Members should wear Class A’s (dress cap optional).
We will be asking small groups of about 12-20 members to follow the UFA Executive Board to meetings with Leaders at 12:15 PM in LOB Room 839 with Assemblyman Peter Abbate; and at 1:00 PM in CAP Room 349 (near Assembly Chambers) with Speaker Carl Heastie. Additional photo ops will take place.
Members should meet with their legislators between 12:15 – 3:00 PM. Members should schedule to meet their home legislator or make a group meeting with the legislator who represents your firehouse neighborhood. If neither house is in session, members can request to meet their legislator “off the floor” by speaking to SGT/ARMS who stand outside both the Assembly and Senate chambers.
To find your Senator, go to www.nysenate.gov. Click the link “Find Your Senator.”
To find your Assembly-member, go to www.assembly.state.ny.us and go to “Who is my assembly member?”
To find your firehouse’s representatives and their contact information, click the corresponding link to your borough:
BRONX BROOKLYN MANHATTAN QUEENS STATEN ISLAND
Click on the bill to read about the primary legislation supported by the UFA:
Cancer Look Back Bill Tier 2 Equalization Bill Tier 3 Social Security Offset Widows COLA Bill |