Posted by Jim on November 10, 2018
SAVE ‘OUR PRECIOUS UNION’ FROM BREXIT – DUP
The paradox of the unstoppable force of Brexit and the DUP’s immovable
intransigence may be resolved within days amid reports of a looming
showdown between the British Prime Minister and the DUP.
DUP leader Arlene Foster has rejected the British prime minister’s
proposals for a Brexit withdrawal deal after a leaked letter from the
Tory leader spoke of the North’s “unique circumstances” which she said
“could require specific alignment solutions in some scenarios”.
That comment was in regard to new trade regulations which could apply
differently in the North of Ireland than in Britain, something which is
anathema to unionists.
The future of the Westminster confidence and supply deal agreed between
the two parties 18 months ago is said to under threat once again. That
could leave May requiring support from opposition MPs in order to pass
legislation at Westminster.
Although the letter published by the Times included assurances from Mrs
May that she would not accept any Brexit deal which would “break up the
UK customs territory”, Mrs Foster insisted the correspondence raised
“alarm bells for those who value the integrity of our precious union
[British rule in the north of Ireland]”.
In her letter, Mrs May described the backstop, which experts believe
would likely amount to little more than the checks on agricultural goods
that are already in place, is “an insurance policy that no-one in the UK
or the EU wants or expects to use”.
But the frequent portrayal of potential new regulations as a ‘border
down the Irish Sea’ means the DUP will not back the deal in Westminster.
“No unionist would be able to support that,” Mrs Foster declared. “In
other words we (Northern Ireland) will have a different regulatory
system from the rest of the United Kingdom, and essentially there’s
going to be a border down the Irish Sea.”
The DUP leader said Ms May would also have “a job of work” getting her
cabinet to back her proposals in the context of the “mathematics” of
Westminster. She said the Tory leader now needed to decide whether she
wanted to pursue her proposals without the support of the DUP’s ten MPs.
Sinn Fein Brexit spokesman Mairtin O Muilleoir said the British
government needed to meet its commitments to a backstop and no hard
border “rather than promises to the DUP”.
“The fact is that Theresa May signed up to the Irish backstop in
December and that remains the bottom line in order to prevent a hard
border and safeguard our political and economic stability now and for
the future,” he said.
“It cannot be negotiated downwards. It cannot be watered down or
bargained off. It must be built on to ensure our rights are protected
and translated into legally operable and binding text as part of any
withdrawal agreement.
“The integrity of our peace process is at stake and the onus is on the
Dublin government and the EU 27 to ensure there is no resiling from the
backstop and no return to a hard border on our island.”
SDLP Brexit spokeswoman Claire Hanna said it was unsurprising that the
Tory leader was pushing back on the DUP’s “overzealous demands”.
“The SDLP and others made clear, in advance of the referendum and
incessantly since, that the extreme Brexit that the DUP chase would have
to have consequences,” she said.
Meanwhile, the 26 County government has warned that even if the Tory
cabinet agrees exit plans in the coming days, the rest of the EU must
also back them.
Reports have said that May might be able to win the support of her Tory
cabinet — only for a deal to be rejected by the EU. Fevered reports in
London that senior ministers have been reviewing the text of the
withdrawal agreement are said to have caused bewilderment.
Irish Tanaiste Simon Coveney urged caution. “Repeatedly people seem to
make the same mistake over and over again, assuming that if the British
cabinet agrees something, well, then that’s it then, everything is
agreed.”
The legal detail of an agreement on a backstop – a contingency plan that
would avoid a remilitarised border – remains the main obstacle to
breaking the deadlock.
The 26 County Taoiseach Leo Varadkar appeared to wobble last week in the
face of concerted Tory efforts to unpick the backstop agreement reached
last December. In particular, a demand by Brexit minister Dominic Rabb
for a three month time-limit and his supposed threat to resign appeared
to unnerve the Taoiseach.
An indication by Varadkar that he would consider a review mechanism,
that could allow the backstop to be scrapped, has been largely
retracted. But there were test exchanges in the Dublin parliament when
Mary Lou McDonald reminded the taoiseach of the triumphalist spin which
Varadkar and his party heralded the December deal, and urged him to
remain focused.
There was also an open letter to the Taoiseach, signed by more than
1,000 northern nationalists, including many well known figures from
sports and the arts, calling on him to ensure the rights of that
community are protected as Brexit approaches.
Sinn Fein described it as a “powerful” intervention and showed it was
time for people to make their voices heard.
“Almost twelve months ago the Taoiseach said that no citizen in the
north would ever be left behind again,” said party Deputy Leader
Michelle O’Neill.
“He stated his commitment to no hardening of the border on the island of
Ireland. This is a time of jeopardy with the ramifications from Brexit,
this is about people’s livelihoods and this is people’s rights.
“So I think today’s letter from wider civic nationalism to hold the
Taoiseach to account is very powerful.
“It sends a very strong message that the nationalist community is not
going to stand idly by and allow the British government to disrespect
them when it comes to their rights.”
Posted by Jim on
What is a Freemason and why they should not be included in any Christian Organization including the Knights of Columbus and the Ancient Order of Hibernians’
Question: “What is Free Masonry and what do Free Masons believe?”
Answer: Freemasonry, Eastern Star, and other similar “secret” organizations appear to be harmless fellowship gatherings. Many of them appear to promote belief in God. However, upon closer examination, we find that the only belief requirement is not that one must believe in the True and Living God, but rather, that one must believe in the existence of a “Supreme Being”, which includes the “gods” of Islam, Hinduism, or any other world religion. The unbiblical and anti-Christian beliefs and practices of this organization are partially hidden beneath an outward appearance of a supposed compatibility with the Christian faith. The following is a comparison of what the Bible says with the “official” position of Freemasonry:
Salvation from Sin:
The Bible’s View: Jesus became the sinner’s sacrifice before God when He shed His blood and died as the propitiation (payment) for the sins of all those who would ever believe (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 5:8, John 3:16).
Mason’s View: The very process of joining the Lodge requires Christians to ignore the exclusivity of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. According to Freemasonry, a person will be saved and go to heaven as a result of his good works and personal self-improvement.
The View of the Bible:
The Bible’s View: The supernatural and plenary inspiration of the Scriptures—that they are inerrant and that their teachings and authority are absolute, supreme, and final. The Bible is the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16, 1 Thessalonians 2:13).
Mason’s View: The Bible is only one of several “Volume(s) of Sacred Law,” all of which are deemed to be equally important in Freemasonry. The Bible is an important book, only as far as those members who claim to be Christians are concerned, just as the Koran is important to Muslims. The Bible is not considered to be the exclusive Word of God, nor is it considered to be God’s sole revelation of himself to humankind; but only one of many religious sourcebooks. It is a good guide for morality. The Bible is used primarily as a symbol of God’s will, which can also be captured in other sacred texts, like the Koran or Rig Vedas.
The Doctrine of God:
The Bible’s View: There is one God. The various names of God refer to the God of Israel and reveal certain attributes of God. To worship other gods or to call upon other deities is idolatry (Exodus 20:3). Paul spoke of idolatry as a heinous sin (1 Corinthians 10:14) and John said that idolaters will perish in hell (Revelation 21:8).
Mason’s View: All members must believe in a deity. Different religions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam, etc.) acknowledge the same God, only call Him different names. Freemasonry invites people of all faiths, even if they use different names for the ‘Nameless One of a hundred names,’ they are yet praying to the one God and Father of all.
The Doctrine of Jesus and the Trinity:
The Bible’s View: Jesus was God in human form (Matthew 1:18-24, John 1:1). Jesus is the second person of the trinity (Matthew 28:19, Mark 1:9-11). While on earth, He was fully human (Mark 4:38, Matthew 4:2) and fully divine (John 20:28, John 1:1-2, Acts 4:10-12). Christians should pray in Jesus’ name and proclaim Him before others, regardless of offense to non-Christians (John 14:13-14, 1 John 2:23, Acts 4:18-20).
Mason’s View: There is no exclusivity in Jesus Christ or the Triune God who is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; therefore there is no doctrine of the deity of Jesus Christ. It is deemed to be un-Masonic to invoke the name of Jesus when praying, or mention His name in the Lodge. Suggesting that Jesus is the only way to God contradicts the principle of tolerance. The name of Jesus has been omitted from biblical verses that are used in Masonic rituals. Jesus is on the same level as other religious leaders.
Human Nature and Sin:
The Bible’s View: All humans are born with a sinful nature, are totally depraved, and need a Savior from sin (Romans 3:23, Romans 5:12, Psalm 51:5, Ephesians 2:1). The Bible denies that because of the Fall, humanity has within itself the capacity for moral perfection (1 John 1:8-10, Romans 1:18-25).
Mason’s View: Through symbols and emblems, Masons teach that man is not sinful, just “rude and imperfect by nature”. Human beings are able to improve their character and behavior in various ways, including acts of charity, moral living, and voluntary performance of civic duty. Humanity possesses the ability of moving from imperfection toward total perfection. Moral and spiritual perfection lies within men and women.
When a Christian takes the oath of Freemasonry, he is swearing to the following doctrines that God has pronounced false and sinful:
1. That salvation can be gained by man’s good works.
2. That Jesus is just one of many equally revered prophets.
3. That they will remain silent in the Lodge and not talk of Christ.
4. That they are approaching the Lodge in spiritual darkness and ignorance, when the Bible says Christians are already in the light, children of the light, and are indwelt by the Light of the World—Jesus Christ.
5. By demanding that Christians take the Masonic oath, Masonry leads Christians into blasphemy and taking the name of the Lord in vain.
6. Masonry teaches that its G.A.O.T.U. [Great Architect of the Universe], whom Masonry believes is the true God of the universe, is representative of all gods in all religions.
7. Masonry makes Christians take a universalist approach in their prayers, demanding a “generic” name be used so as not to offend non-believers who are Masonic “brothers”.
8. By swearing the Masonic oath and participating in the doctrines of the Lodge, Christians are perpetuating a false gospel to other Lodge members, who look only to Masonry’s plan of salvation to get to heaven. By their very membership in such a syncretistic type organization, they have severely compromised their witnessing as Christians.
9. By taking the Masonic obligation, the Christian is agreeing to allow the pollution of his mind, spirit, and body by those who serve false gods and believe false doctrines.
As you can see, Masonry denies and contradicts the clear teaching of Scripture on numerous issues. Masonry also requires people to engage in activities which the Bible condemns. As a result, a Christian should not be a member of any secret society or organization that has any connection with Freemasonry.
Posted by Jim on November 9, 2018
RALLY ‘ROUND ROBO
John Robilotti, Engine 243, has been part of the 18th Avenue family, protecting the Bath Beach/Bensonhurst community, for the past 14 years. Unfortunately, John was diagnosed with stage 3 testicular cancer in August. The members of John’s firehouse are hosting a fundraiser to show support for a brother in need. “The 18th Ave Crew” – ENG243, LAD168 and BN 42 – invite you to join tomorrow, Saturday, November 10, from 1 pm – 8 pm, rain or shine, as they Rally ‘Round Robo. Admission is $60 and includes beer, wine and soda, food, live entertainment, a free mug, free raffle ticket, bracelet and games. Children 14 and under are free. The fundraiser will be held at Hillside Swim Club, 151 Signs Road, Staten Island, 10314. Please contact Kevin McCole at 646-294-6357 or Mike Pecoraro at 917-279-4496 with any questions.
VETERANS DAY PARADE
Permission is granted for off-duty members to participate in the 2018 Veterans Day Parade on Sunday, November 11, 2018. Participating members of the Department should assemble on Broadway between 23rd and 24th Streets, Manhattan at 1000 hours. Dress uniform shall be worn. For more information, contact Adam Lessuck FDNY Office of Community Affairs, 347-263-1631 or adam.lessuck@fdny.nyc.gov.
HOLY NAME SOCIETY FATHER JULIAN DEEKEN MEMORIAL MASS
The FDNY Holy Name Society requests the honor of your presence at the Annual Father Julian Deeken Memorial Mass for Deceased Members on Sunday, November 11, 2018, at 9:30 am, at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 135 West 31st Street, Manhattan (between 6th and 7th Avenue, across the street from Engine 1 / Ladder 24). Light refreshments of coffee and cake will follow the mass.
TURKEY TROT
The 40th Annual Turkey Trot Run hosted by E-233/L-176 will be held on Tuesday, November 20, 2018, at 1130 hours in Broad Channel, NY. Assembly point is next to the American Legion, 209 Cross Bay Blvd. Pre-registration is $20, race day registration is $25. Make checks payable to: Ladder 176 Engine 233 Turkey Trot, 25 Rockaway Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11233. Proceeds benefit various FDNY charities. For sponsorships, donations or additional information, call 718-965-8233.
FDNY FOUNDATION NIGHT
Join the FDNY Foundation with friends and family at Madison Square Garden to see the New York Rangers take on the New York Islanders on Wednesday, November 21, at 7:00 pm. Discounted tickets are available to all FDNY members if you purchase tickets online via the link https://fevo.me/2P2aeOQ. A percentage of ticket sales purchased through the link will benefit the FDNY Foundation. For more information, please contact the FDNY Foundation at 718-999-0383 or email wippers@fdny.nyc.gov or gregory.insana@fdnyfoundation.org
Posted by Jim on November 7, 2018
At a time when republicanism seems to become detached from its historical and ideological moorings, it is perhaps timely to hark back to what used to constitute radical republicanism. Particularly when people like Jarlath Kearney, brother of leading Sinn Féin ideologue and Chairpersonl Secretary Declan, is claiming that Ireland being unified “need not mean any change in constitutional or sovereignty realities.” (Irish News, October 31, 2018.) Christ on a bike. Republicans died and killed others in pursuit of exactly that objective.
The recent Presidential election in the south again proved that Sinn Féin has long since jettisoned any pretence at being radical in a social and economic sense. “Social” has come to mean identity politics and issues such as abortion rather than anything to do with how society and its productive base are run in the interests of its people.
Socialism even as a soundbite no longer features in the new Sinn Féin lexicon, and seems to mean all sorts of strange things for those who do use it. I was once witness to the bizarre sight of a chap clad in a Che tee shirt telling a meeting of Sinn Féin staffers that lowering the corporation tax rate in the north was part of the “equality agenda.” When I asked why then would the Sinn Féin ministers in the Stormont Executive not argue for it to be increased to the same rate as in the south I was greeted by a few glares, some titters from other malcontents but mostly, incomprehension.
While the abandonment of socialist slogans is understandable given the collapse of state socialism as an economic system, the shinners have thrown out the baby of radical republicanism with the bath water of ill digested Marxism for Dummies. As did their predecessors in the social democratic wing of the Officials.
A good example of that is the manner in which the social and economic programme of the movement was replaced in the 1960s by a mish mash of Stalinism and constitutionalism that split the movement in 1969 and has led through various winding paths to the creation of yet another partitionist vaguely left of centre liberal party. Just in case we might run out of them.
The economic and social programme of the movement in the 1960s eventually saw the light of day as Éire Nua. It remained the centrepiece of the political programme of the “foundational Provos” until set aside by Gerry Adams and his allies as being too conciliatory to unionism. That was a reference to the proposal for a federal Republic that would have included the nine counties of Ulster as one of four regional administrations based on decentralised local and community councils.
Ironically those who dismissed it as repartition have now placed all their eggs in the basket of Catholics outbreeding Protestants and thus allegedly laying the basis for a successful future border poll. Maybe in 2050 according to one Dublin councillor. In the meantime they are content to recognise unreconstructed partition and take part in Stormont which the IRA brought down in 1972. Even under the sectarian rubric of there being more Taigs than Prods a nine county Ulster would theoretically have had a pro unity majority years ago. Those opposed to Éire Nua also claimed that its social and economic programme was reactionary, and even “petit-bourgeois” for those who had imbibed the Readers Digest summary of Marxism. A dialectic which has led them to cunningly support Tory cuts in the north and having a corporation friendly tax policy.
The origins of Éire Nua and its having been set aside by our aspirant Gramscis, on not one but two occasions, are worth exploring. It provides not only a plausible path to resolving Partition, but its radical proposals for economic democracy and co-operativism and decentralised administration still offer an alternative to the totalising tendencies of statist socialism and the power of global corporations. And at the risk of being “Hiberno-centric” the ideas which Éire Nua contains also have relevance to the world beyond Irish shores.
The direct antecedent of Éire Nua was the republican programme drafted by IRA internees including Seamus Ó Mongáin in the Curragh during World War II. Its authors referenced it to what was claimed to have been the basis for pre Conquest Gaelic society, embodied in the concept of Comhar na gComharsán, the co-operation of neighbours. That was redefined in contemporary terms as a rejection of both capitalism and statism and the division of land and the establishment of co-operatives to “establish the wage earners of the towns and cities as owner-workers of the shops, factories and industries.” Political power would devolve upwards from 300 decentralised local councils (United Irishman, May 1948.)
An attempt was made to reinvigorate these ideas in the aftermath of the 1956-1962 IRA campaign. According to Seán Ó Bradaigh the draft which he and others worked on was to be discussed at the 1964 Ard Fheis but was set aside as Roy Johnson was given a major role in the formation of policy. Johnson had joined the IRA while still a member of the Irish Workers Party, the southern section of the Communist Party of Ireland. Another member who was a leading influence on Cathal Goulding was Anthony Coughlan. I deal with this in more detail in my books Rethinking the Republic (Manchester 2011) and The Communist Party of Ireland (Dublin 2012.) Ó Bradaigh and Tom Mitchell proposed that Coughlan be excluded from the Education Department in January 1966 because of his membership of the IWP/CP.
Johnson astutely referenced Comhar na gComharsán in his proposals as the real objective was not for the time being to change the social and economic programme of the movement, but to lay the basis for its absorption into the same organisation as the Communists, what was to become known as the National Liberation Front. Elements of the Labour Party were also seen as potential allies and members of the Wolfe Tone Society, which was a sort of ginger group for the planned alliance, campaigned for Michael O’Leary in his election as a Labour TD in 1965.
As the moves towards a merger with the Communists moved forward, a proposal in favour of this and to drop abstentionism at the 1968 IRA Convention had to be toned down in the face of opposition but Goulding and his allies circumvented the traditionalists through expulsions and referring measures they failed to get passed to committees on to which Goulding could appoint a majority. Far from the new “left” course propelling the movement forward, the number of cumainn with delegates at the 1968 Ard Fheis had fallen to 64 from 265 in 1966.
That still represented a prize worth attaining for the Communists whose membership in the 26 counties was less than 100. Seán Ó Bradaigh said that the reworking of the proposed social and economic programme set aside in 1965 became the alternative to the NLF strategy and formed the basis for Éire Nua published by the Provos in 1971 after the split.
The split was caused, as a statement from the first Provisional Executive of Sinn Féin said; by a combination of the recognition of partition and the infiltration by members of Communist organisations which had promoted totalitarian socialism and the disastrous strategy exposed by the violent state and loyalist reaction to the civil rights movement.
Interestingly, a 1982 Sinn Féin education department pamphlet on the split does not refer to the opposition to the Communists, and accepts that some of the “foundational Provos” were indeed the “apolitical militarists” depicted by their opponents. There has been an increasing tendency by Sinn Féin to rewrite history to the absurd extent that some leading members claim that the IRA campaign was fought to secure the demands of the civil rights campaign, reform within Northern Ireland. Everyone else thought it was for the establishment of a 32 county Republic.
Such is of course necessary in order to justify the de facto acceptance of Partition. Their former tirades against Éire Nua as “right wing” and a “sop to unionism” stand in stark contrast to their own embrace of the ultra centralist European Union, foreign capital and of course running the north on behalf of the Tories.
So perhaps it is time to revisit the ideas of radical republicanism as set out in Éire Nua, as I shall attempt to do in further contributions.
Posted by Jim on
By Irish Echo Staff. Monday, November 5, 2018
A new peace prize has been launched by the Washington, D.C.-based Irish National Caucus.
The prize, said the INC in a statement, is intended to honor and recognize individuals who have struggled for Irish justice over the past fifty years.
Said the statement: “It is not primarily focused on public figures, the rich or the famous, but rather on ‘the real people’ who spent many years in the background struggling to get America and Irish-Americans to stand
up for justice in Northern Ire- land/The North.”
The prize is being dubbed the “Irish American Peace Prize” and consists “of a beautiful plaque with an imprint of Irish National Caucus famous logo: the Dove of Peace super-imposed on the Shamrock.”
The citation declares: “Presented to (name): For dedication to the founding principle of the Irish National Caucus: “Ireland, too, has the right to be One Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
Caucus President and founder Fr. Sean McManus stated: “We believe this prize was needed to bring balance, truth and a sense of realism to the whole history of the past fifty years. And, I felt, as one of the persons who has been longest involved in the struggle (and still living!) that I had a duty to launch the Irish Ameri- can Peace Prize in order to honor real people who have been ignored: individuals who bore the heat of the day, who were not ‘sunshine patriots,’ and who were not afraid to take a stand when it was not fashionable or easy.
“The reality is that many Irish Americans were too scared or disinterested to take a stand, and some just emerged when it was easy and had no cost – as is always the way, and as the history of Ireland amply illustrates. So far, the common reaction of those to whom I’ve spoken is: ‘It’s about time such a prize was given.’”
Fr. McManus continued: “Anyone who did not struggle for justice, confronting British government oppression in Northern Ireland does not deserve this prize, because to me the only way to work for peace is to struggle against injustice.
“There is only one government in charge of Northern Ire-land, and that is the British government, and that is where the buck stops. To ignore that fundamental fact is to cover up government injustice and to be-
come complicit in that injustice. The Irish American Peace Prize will not cover up or be complicit.
“The Irish American Peace Prize places justice at the heart and center of peace because, as the maxim states, peace is, indeed, the fruit of justice. Or, as Pope John Paul II added, in his reflection on that maxim, ‘peace is the fruit of solidarity.’ The Irish American Peace Prize is all about justice and solidarity, about opposing state-sponsored racism, sectarianism, and inequality in Northern Ireland, and about unity and peace.”
He concluded: “We had considered such a peace prize for a long while. However, the idea crystallized and became more compelling through my work as chief judge of the World Peace Prize. In this work, we have presented the World Peace Prize to a number of labor leaders in the United States and we will be traveling across the country to present the same prize, so it seemed a very natural moment to institute the Irish American Peace Prize.
“I was, also, increasingly conscious if I waited much longer some of these great, dedicated and humble individuals would be no longer with us. The names of the winners of the Irish American Peace Prize will be announced at the upcoming World Peace Prize events in different cities across the United States beginning in November.”