NATIONAL FALLEN FIREFIGHTERS MEMORIAL DAY

Posted by Jim on October 6, 2017

Sunday, October 8th is National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Day.

On this day, it is appropriate to fly your American flag at half-staff from sunrise to sunset.

This year at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service, 95 fallen firefighters will be honored.

How to properly fly your flag at half-staff.

When raising the flag to half-staff on a vertical pole, always raise it briskly to the top of the flagpole for a moment before lowering it.

When taking it down for the night, raise it to the top of the flagpole again & lower it to the bottom.

With a telescoping flag pole it is acceptable to put the USA flag on the second set of rings instead of the top set. In this case the top set would be left empty.

When the United States flag is flown at half-staff, State & other flags should be removed of flown at half-staff too.

What if you can’t lower your flag?
For flags that can’t be lowered, such as those on many homes, the American Legion says that attaching a black ribbon or streamer to the top of the flag is an acceptable alternative. The ribbon should be the same width as a stripe on the flag and the same length as the flag.

An Official Communication from the UFA

Posted by Jim on October 5, 2017

NEW YORK STATE FREEDOM for ALL IRELAND BULLETIN   

Posted by Jim on

NEW YORK STATE FREEDOM for ALL IRELAND BULLETIN   

September 2017

A chairde:

             FFAI ISSUES UPDATE

A-Catholic Families Forced to Flee Belfast Homes-Four Catholic families were forced to flee their homes after being told by the constabulary they were under death threat from loyalist Ulster Volunteer Force paramilitaries. The families were driven out of the Cantrell Close area in Belfast, a new Housing Executive project aimed at cross-community housing. The IRISH NEWS noted that “if similar threats happened anywhere else in Ireland or Britain or the western world, it would likely make international headlines.” UVF flags had already been draped around this estate since June to mark the area as UVF territory.

B-English Protests over British Trooper Prosecutions- Supporters of Dennis Hutchings, a former British trooper charged with shooting dead John Pat Cunningham in Benburb, marched in London protesting prosecutions of any former British troopers for Troubles murders. The victim, then 27 with learning difficulties and a fear of troopers, was shot in the back while running away. Because of new inquests, and investigations, a few rubberstamped killings by British crown forces are now being seriously investigated for the first time. Troopers fear facing charges. During the protest, speakers expressed outrage that Hutchings  at age 75 could be prosecuted for a 1974 killing. The angry protest took place one day after the crown announced it would proceed with charges against Belfast Republican Ivor Bell,80, for a 1972 incident despite Mr. Bell’s severe medical issues.   

C- DUP Demands Funds Cutoff for Relatives For Justice

Democratic Unionist Party MP Emma Little-Pengelly demanded that the victims’ group have its funding ended because RFJ representatives had attended an anniversary Mass for three Tyrone IRA Volunteers, killed by the SAS twenty-nine years ago. She pointed to an RFJ message that it was “privileged” to be at the Mass for Brian and Gerard Mullin and Martin Harte.RFJ said it would “support all victims and survivors without fear or favor.” Little-Pengelly is the daughter of Noel Little, a member of Ulster Resistance which helped to bring in South African arms for loyalist paramilitaries.

D-Orange Order Insulted by Reconciliation Efforts–

Rev Mervyn Gibson, the Grand Secretary of the Orange Order branded efforts to persuade Unionists that they would be better off in a united Ireland as “insulting.” Rev. Gibson told the IRISH NEWS, that he “finds it insulting when people even try and convince me of a unionist place in a united Ireland”. He said claims of financial betterment were a “bribe” or “attempt to buy unionists”. Gibson also said that the Conservative Party-DUP deal might mean restoring Orange Order Parades in Drumcree and other nationalist areas where they had been blocked.   

     NEW YORK FFAI MARK THOMPSON RFJ TOUR DATES SET

 Mark Thompson of Relatives for Justice will be speaking at five New York AOH FFAI events in January, arriving on January 9th,returning to Belfast January 15th.

Wednesday January 10th-Suffolk County co-sponsored by Nassau

Thursday January 11th-in Manhattan co-sponsored by NY City counties

Friday January 12th-Rockland

Saturday January 13th-Albany

Sunday January 14th-Peekskill

  Mark is a great speaker who has given truth, hope and a small measure of justice to many families whose loved ones were murdered by the British directly or by their loyalist agents. If we can make this tour a success he is willing to return because he understands the importance of American and AOH pressure on the British!

                SPECIAL ENVOY WIN

Last month we noted that the AOH joined Congressman Crowley and other groups in demanding that a new Special Envoy be appointed for the north. The announced decision not to appoint one has been reversed with AOH support.

Hope to see some of you at the “Spirit of 1916 Awards” Bronx Fundraiser Sunday October 22nd at the Rambling House, Katonah Avenue in Woodlawn 3pm-7pm.In addition to honoring our National Secretary Jere Cole, Past NY County President Thomas Beirne, and

Hugh McMorrow, we are honoring MacBride Principles champion, Pat Doherty. (914-589-7105)

    Please contact me at MGALVINESQ@AOL.COM.

                                                    Slan

                                                Martin Galvin

Carrying His Cross for Ireland: The Life of Thomas Ashe

Posted by Jim on

Documents prove military lied about killings

Posted by Jim on September 30, 2017

Fresh inquests have been sought into the deaths of two IRA Volunteers in
separate incidents in 1972 and 1973 after documents emerged which
confirmed that the men were unlawfully killed by British soldiers.

Recently uncovered British military archives show that an IRA volunteer
shot dead by the British army in 1972 was the victim of a planned
ambush.

Daniel McAreavey was shot and killed by British soldiers at the junction
of Bosnia Street and Plevna Street in the lower Falls area. Local
witnesses at the time stated that the 21-year-old was wounded and then
executed.

The British military claimed that one of their units happened to be
passing when they were fired upon by a gunman and that they then engaged
with him. However, a classified file from the 2nd Battalion of the
Anglian Regiment states that Mr McAreavey was caught in an “area ambush”
which is military parlance for a kill zone.

A record for October 6, 1972 read: “Area ambush in Raglan Street –
Plevana St – Osman St Daniel McAreavey shot dead and 2 gunmen wounded by
SF. (Security Forces).

Ciaran MacAirt of the Paper Trail organisation, who found the archives
said: “This is an admission by the British Army that Daniel McAreavey
was caught and killed in a deliberate British military ambush. This
archive completely subverts the British narrative of an accidental
patrol that happened upon the scene.”

He noted the use the generic term SF or “Security Forces” points to the
involvement of another unit, possibly the notorious military
assassination unit, the MRF.

He also noted the British soldiers called the area of their ambush and
kill ‘the Reservation’, “as if this was some sick hunt and the people
were animals”.

“We can be sure that the British Army’s area ambush was a deliberate
plan to trap and kill its targets. There was nothing accidental in the
deployment of British troops in the area at that time.”

Padraig O Muirigh of O Muirigh Solicitors said the McAreavey family had
always held the view that their loved one was killed unlawfully by the
British Army.

“In recent years new witness testimony has come to light from two
individuals who spoke to the deceased as he lay injured after an initial
burst of fire. Their evidence supports the proposition that the deceased
had died after sustaining fatal injuries in a second burst of fire as he
lay injured on the ground,” he said.

“This find by Paper Trail is further evidence of a cover-up in relation
to the circumstances of Mr McAreavey’s death. It is clear that there was
no adequate RUC investigation at the time. The Royal Military Police
took the statement from the soldiers, a derogation by the police to the
military of their duty to investigate. It is also highly unusual that
there was no autopsy carried out on the deceased’s body.”

COVER-UP

A fresh inquest is also being sought into the separate killing of an IRA
man in 1973 after documents confirm British soldiers did not follow
their own ‘yellow card’ rules of engagement.

Brian Smyth was killed after members of the Parachute Regiment opened
fire on a group of men in Ardoyne in April 1973. Three other men were
wounded in the incident, one of whom suffered permanent brain damage.

The British army originally claimed the men were armed but this was
disputed by eyewitnesses, including a nun, who maintained the men were
not carrying weapons.

One of the injured men was later convicted of having a gun during the
incident — before being acquitted on a retrial after one of the
soldiers involved revealed he was told to lie and claim that they were
armed.

The newly uncovered document, which dates from 1977, considered the pros
and cons of whether the British government should provide an
out-of-court settlement to the injured men and the mother of the dead
man, Mary Smyth.

Mrs Smyth was herself killed along with her 10-year-old grandson after a
loyalist fire bomb attack at her Oldpark Avenue home in 1978.

The document confirms that no firearms were found on the men and that
there was no forensic evidence to indicate that they were armed.

The British army was also worried following the allegations made by the
soldier who came forward and the subsequent acquittal that “the evidence
given by the soldiers concerned is bound to be suspect” and they they
might face prosecution.

Mr O Muirigh said that the original RUC investigation “failed to
establish the facts of this matter” and that no evidence was taken from
civilian witnesses.

“These grave failings in the RUC investigation and subsequent inquest
could be remedied by a fresh inquest,” he said.

“We would appeal to any of those present with Mr Smyth when he was shot
and any other witnesses to the incident to contact our office”.