Greetings AOH Kings County members,,, The AOH Kings County Board monthly meeting will be held on Monday June 24th at the Baile na nGael “Home of the Irish” 2750 Gerritsen Avenue & the “GAVEL” will come down at 7:00 PM (SHARP). We will be discussing the upcoming NYS AOH Convention, Division #12 Boat Ride, Great Irish Fair, Queens County Dinner Dance & Division #35 Dinner Dance. We will also have a guest speaker. Guest speaker ~ Mike Byrne has requested to speak at our meeting, Mike is running for NYS AOH Treasure. His request has been granted. Division President’s & Recording Secretary’s,,, please inform your division membership of this meeting date & time due to the Kings County Board does not have an email address for all of the Kings County membership. In Our Motto, Eddie Velinskie President Kings County Board 347-210-1249
The DUP have reiterated their opposition to any Troubles amnesty after outgoing PSNI Chief Constable Sir George Hamilton said he could “live with it”.
Sir George was speaking at a question and answer session in Belfast after receiving an honorary degree from the University of Ulster.
He said that while he could “live with an amnesty”, that he personally did not believe in it.
The BBC has reported that Sir George said “there cannot be different rules for different citizens”.
Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt has backed calls for military veterans of the Northern Ireland conflict to be covered by an amnesty from prosecution.
Sir George said that Northern Ireland needed to “untangle” itself from Troubles legacy issues.
The Chief Constable will retire from his position later this month to be replaced by former Chief Constable of Cheshire Police Simon Byrne.
“Personally I don’t believe in it (an amnesty), but I could live with it… that’s part of living in a post-conflict society,” he said.
DUP Policing Board member Mervyn Storey said his party would oppose the introduction of any amnesty “which would protect perpetrators of terrorist crimes”.
“An amnesty would be a corruption of justice similar to the OTR letters and early prisoner releases,” the North Antrim MLA said.
DUP MLA Mervyn Storey
“We have always fought to ensure that those who lost loved ones continue to have a right and route to justice. It is clear that the current structures are failing innocent victims. This needs to change. The fact remains that 90% of deaths were perpetrated by terrorists.”
Mr Storey said that while the DUP was supportive of veterans, any solution could not lead to a blanket amnesty.
“It is also vital that perceptions of witch-hunts against veterans who bravely defended the community in Northern Ireland are properly addressed,” he said.
“Soldiers and police served professionally in very challenging circumstances and there is justifiable frustration at a grassroots level at the disproportionate focus on the actions of the state.”
Meanwhile, UUP Justice spokesperson Doug Beattie called on the UK Government to publish the results of the legacy consultation process.
The legacy consultation outlined plans for a Historical Investigations Unit (HIU) which would investigate over 1,700 unsolved murders from the conflict.
Doug Beattie
The plans also include the setting up of an Independent Commission on Information Retrieval which would only look for information on deaths if asked to do so by families.
Mr Beattie said Secretary of State Karen Bradley asked the parties about releasing the response to the consultation in May.
The Upper Bann MLA said that many thought that discussing the legacy issue in the middle of Stormont talks could “destabilize the process”, though his party disagreed.
“The bottom line is that there is no ‘good time’ to deal with sensitive issues like legacy but we believe there is a duty on the NIO and the Secretary of State to release this consultation, and its factual contents, along with their proposed next step,” he said.
“This should be done before we have a new Prime Minister and before the almost certain departure of the current Secretary of State. That was our advice to Karen Bradley MP and we ask the other parties to join us in lobbying for the release of the findings of the consultation process.”
PRIMARY DAY POLITICAL ACTIONMelinda Katz for Queens DAHello Brothers and Sisters. Join us this Monday & Tuesday; June 24th & June 25th ;8:30am To 1pmThe UFOA Needs You to Turnout for This Close and Critical election for Queens DA!Political Action Amplifies the Voice of the UFOA To Protect & Improve Your Pension and Benefits The Bigger the Turnout The Bigger Our Voice! Please Call the UFOA Office to Volunteer (212) 293-9300As always wear your white shirts or jackets and lunch will follow DATES: *Monday June 24th AND *Tuesday (Primary Day) 25th, 2019 TIME: 8:30AM to 1PM(Lunch to follow/ location TBA) LOCATION: 71-10 80st Glendale, Atlas Park shopping center (above Home Goods) ATTIRE:White Shirts or Jackets Look for UFOA Trustees Paul Mannix, Jack Kielty and Liam Guilfoyle at location) [Campaign organizer Tony Alfonso 347.448.1390] go to www.fdnyrma.org for up to date info
CAPITOL HILL. Thursday, June 20, 2019— A top Philadelphia-based Labor leader has been awarded the World Peace Prize. Michael Barnes, First International Vice President, IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees) and a Vice President of the New Jersey AFL-CIO.was presented with the World Peace Prize of “Roving Ambassador for Peace” on Tuesday, June 18, 2019, at a ceremony in IATSE’s Philadelphia headquarters. The late World Leader and Master Planner, Rev. Dr. Han Min Su, founded the World Peace Prize in Seoul, South Korea, in 1989. The presentation was made by Fr. Sean McManus—Chief Judge of the World Peace Prize and President of the Capitol Hill-based Irish National Caucus— and the ceremony was chaired by Barbara Flaherty, a Judge of the World Peace Prize Awarding Council, and Executive Vice President of the Irish National Caucus. The World Peace Prize Awarding Council consists of 14-member Board of International and Interfaith judges. The Board is comprised of representatives of the world’s nine major religions: Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Russian Orthodox, and Zoroastrianism. Fr. Mc Manus explained: “Working for peace, locally or globally, means, in effect and of necessity, working for social justice. Therefore, members of the Labor Movement are ideally qualified to be recipients of our World Peace Prize. Michael Barnes eminently deserves this Prize. As Pope John Paul II has said, ‘peace is the fruit of solidarity.’ And the American Labor Movement is dedicated to solidarity, which Pope John Paul II raised to the status of a virtue in his Encyclical: Sollicitudo rei socialis (“Solicitude for social concerns”) 1988.” Mr. Barnes expressed delight and honor as he humbly received the World Peace Prize. He outlined his long family involvement in the Labor Movement and in IATSE, stressing his proud Irish heritage and strong Irish Catholic tradition. [Mr. Barnes’ speech will soon be available on our website — WorldPeacePrizeWashington.org]
