Brian Feeney. Irish News ( Belfast). Wednesday, August 26, 2015
There was a joke in 1997. What’s the difference between the Stickies and the Provos? Answer: 25 years.
It was a reference to the Official IRA ceasefire in 1972 and the IRA ceasefire in 1997.
Unfortunately, just like matter and anti-matter, everything here has its destructive counterpart.
What’s the difference between unionists in the 1960s and today? Answer: none.
Bigoted, benighted, backward, blind to any prospect of a new beginning, they can’t see the wood for the trees.
In the 1960s, after the IRA border campaign collapsed, its Marxist leadership settled on a new approach – politics.
Volunteers were to involve themselves in tenant associations, trade unions, housing campaigns, demanding fishing rights and so on.
In the north many IRA men became involved in the civil rights campaign from 1967. Spotting known republicans in civil rights marches and housing sit-ins, unionists stupidly decided it was all a cunning IRA plan.
They looked a gift horse in the mouth, for these people weren’t demanding a united Ireland. They were demanding equal rights and justice.
Instead of breathing a sigh of relief that the IRA had changed, disarmed and entered the political arena, Unionists demonstrated that if the IRA didn’t exist they had to invent it.
They needed to be besieged, beleaguered, threatened by a secret enemy so crafty and devious its powers verged on the supernatural.
Here we go again. Just like the IRA in the 1960s, the leadership in 2005 instructed volunteers to stand down and, as Gerry Adams quoted on Sunday, “to take part only in purely political and democratic programmes and no other activities whatsoever”.
Notice IRA members weren’t told to disband. The aim was to redirect their activities into political action ‘through exclusively peaceful means’ just as in the 1960s. Now unionists are telling us they didn’t know that.
There was an IRA convention in 2007 to endorse Sinn Féin’s decision to support the PSNI. Unionists knew nothing about that?
In 2008 the two governments commissioned a special report on paramilitary activity from the Independent Monitoring Commission.
It reported that “members and former members of all paramilitary groups remain very active in non-terrorist types of crime, a bequest from the Troubles which will dog NI for years”.
Unionists, then sharing power with Sinn Féin, didn’t read that?
On foot of that report the direct rule minister, the late Paul Goggins, told the House of Commons in October 2008 that the IRA “has disbanded its military structure including the GHQ departments responsible for procurement, engineering and training and has stood down volunteers and stopped allowances. It is now firmly set on a political strategy eschewing terrorism and other forms of crime”.
In other words, the IRA still existed but in a different mode. Unionist MPs listening to him didn’t realise that?
Now the chief constable tells them that individual IRA men involved in killing Kevin McGuigan were neither authorised nor acting on orders, and Sinn Féin leaders have disowned them as criminals, but unionists don’t want to hear any of that.
It’s significant that the loudest unionist voices are those of MPs who always opposed the Good Friday Agreement, never wanted to share power and still fantasise about a return to the majority rule of 50 years ago.
As usual unionist rhetoric is recklessly irresponsible, whipping up those supporters most susceptible to emotional reaction knowing full well that our proconsul will not declare the IRA ceasefire over, that the assembly will continue but it will be easier to justify blocking any change nationalists want.
Has it ever occurred to these political idiots that their always predictable ranting intransigence contributes to support for dissidents, makes it easy to convince impressionable youths that Sinn Féin has ‘sold out’ and that the only thing unionists understand is violence?
Of course it has occurred to them. They know what they’re doing. Pretending the IRA is a real and present threat when they know for certain it isn’t is far easier than politics and certainly the politics of compromise.
It’s a matter of record that unionist politicians are happy only when they are demanding more security, more police, more draconian laws.
If they couldn’t conjure up the spectre of the IRA they’d be speechless.
Deirdre O’Brien tell us of the US visa options for graduates wishing to remain in the US when their time on the J-1 is up.
Deirdre is an US Immigration Lawyer with O’Brien & Associates in New York.
US visa options for graduates and entrepreneurs
Foreign graduates may qualify for J-1 intern visas to work in the US for up to 12 months. Irish graduates have an added advantage and can obtain a J-1 Intern Work and Travel (IWT) visa to travel to the US to look for an internship. People without a degree but with 5 years of relevant experience may qualify for an 18 month J-1 trainee visa.
The problem with intern and trainee visas however, is they end after 12 or 18 months, respectively, and what to do then? Many US employers will offer an intern or trainee employment but a work visa is required.
The H1B professional visa is the relevant category for degree holders and is granted for 3 years initially. Spouses of H-1B visa holders are not eligible for work authorization.
Sadly, only 65,000 of these visas are available annually and this quota is woefully short of demand. It opens on April 1 every year for a work start date of October 1st and in April 2015, over 233,000 visa petitions were received within days of opening.
When it’s oversubscribed (as it has been for the last 3 years), United States Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) puts all petitions into a computer generated lottery to decide which ones will be accepted for processing; in April 2015, chances of “winning” were nearly 3:1 – only 36% of entrants “won” the H1B lottery.
What about the unlucky 64% and their would-be employers?
For students on an F-1 visa, Curricular Practical Training (CPT) may sometimes be an option, see: http://ow.ly/MB9mM
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) students may apply for a 17-month STEM extension in certain circumstances.
The problem for J-graduates is they may need to return to their home country or go elsewhere for a period before being able to work in the US again. This is a direct effect of the restrictive H1B program and many graduates are lost to the US as a result.
Other destinations seek to attract foreign talent and Canada regularly advertises its open-door policy, blatantly contrasting it with the lack of H1B visas in the US.
Immigration reform has been stalled to date but promises to be a hot topic in the upcoming Presidential campaign.
The following is a very brief description of the most common visa categories; for more information, see: http://ow.ly/MBaIl
E-1/E-2 treaty trader/investor visas are available to nationals of countries which have relevant treaties with the US, including Ireland and the UK. E-1 visas are for foreign companies with US based customers and E-2 investor visas are for companies investing in starting or acquiring a business in the US. An “E company” gains umbrella status and may transfer nationals of the relevant country for managerial or specialist roles. Spouses may obtain work authorization.
This is a great visa option for any graduate who can secure a job with a US company which is owned by nationals of the applicant’s country. Networking in the right places is required! E-2 is also currently the closest thing to a US Start-up visa for entrepreneurs.
L-1 visa is for intra-company transfers and requires the applicant to have been employed as manager or specialist by a related foreign company for at least 1 year before being transferred to the US. It’s generally suitable for more well established companies rather than start-ups. Spouses may obtain work authorization.
O-1 visa for individuals with extraordinary ability or achievement in sciences, education, business, athletics or the arts is worth exploring for entrepreneurs, although many graduates may be too early in their careers to qualify; see: http://ow.ly/P8hHt Spouses of O-1 visa holders are not eligible for work authorization. O-1 visa holders may qualify for permanent residence/green card (EB-1 petition).
TN visas are available to Canadian and Mexican professionals under NAFTA and E-3 visas allow Australian professionals to work in the US; spouses of TNs are not eligible for work authorization but E-3 spouses are.
All the categories discussed above are non-immigrant or temporary but in some cases, permanent residence (green card) may be an option or even the best option, see: http://ow.ly/PH9Cc
Conclusion
As in all walks of life, knowledge is power and advance planning is essential for a positive outcome. Set yourself up to succeed in the US! Take advice so you’re ready to seize opportunities when they arise.
Deirdre O’Brien has been practising US immigration law for almost 20 years; with offices in NY and Kilkenny, Deirdre and her team specialize in business immigration for SMEs and start-ups. O’Brien & Associates has an excellent reputation on both sides of the Atlantic for expertise and professionalism. Deirdre is a regular public speaker and has written extensively on US immigration and related matters.
Contact via email: contact@obrienandassociates.com
The following is the text of Gerry Adams TD’s weekly column in the Andersonstown News that will be published later this evening.
Teachta Adams writes:
“A media storm erupted last week after a press conference was held by the PSNI about the murder of Kevin McGuigan. Kevin McGuigan was shot dead after media speculation had linked him to the killing of Jock Davison last May in the Markets area.
At the press conference Det Supt Kevin Geddes for the PSNI said that; “Action Against Drugs as you may be aware made a public statement on 6 August that they would execute anybody who had any involvement or they believed had any involvement in the murder of Jock Davison”. He went on to say that it was his assessment that; “Action Against Drugs are a group of individuals who are criminals, violent dissident republicans and former members of the Provisional IRA…They are dangerous, they are involved in violence and extortion of the nationalist and republican communities and they have a criminal agenda…My assessment is that this is a separate group from the Provisional IRA”.
However, it was his subsequent comment that a “major line of inquiry for this investigation is that members of the Provisional IRA were involved in this murder” and that he could not say at this stage “whether that was sanctioned at a command level or not and I’m not prepared to speculate on that” that was seized upon and created the subsequent political and media furore.
Some unionist politicians, ever quick to rush to judgement against Sinn Féin, threatened to exclude our party from the Assembly and Executive.
Elements of the media were no less quick. Some main media outlets speculated that ‘Action Against Drugs’ had entered into a working arrangement or joint enterprise with the IRA. Action Against Drugs has been vigorously opposed by Sinn Féin and accused of murder and extortion by Gerry Kelly and other republican leaders.
Journalists, some with long experience who should have known better, speculated that republicans were working with a criminal gang – riddled with agents and informers – made up of people trenchantly opposed to the Sinn Féin peace strategy and leadership. The inconsistency and contradictions inherent in this position were ignored.
During the years of conflict and censorship the idea of balance or of proper journalistic investigation, with some notable exceptions, went out the window. But in these more peaceful times the lack of impartiality and objectivity in this instance is equally striking. A press conference which was supposed to be about a murder investigation, morphed seamlessly into a media and political storm as to the status of the IRA.
As unionist leaders blustered, threatened and condemned Sinn Féin and the political institutions looked increasingly fragile the PSNI Chief Constable held another press conference.
According to George Hamilton the PSNI is “currently not in possession of information that indicates that Provisional IRA involvement was sanctioned or directed at a senior or organisational level within the Provisional IRA or the broader Republican movement.”
He went on to state that while he believes the IRA exists the PSNI assess that:
“In the organisational sense the Provisional IRA does not exist for paramilitary purposes…
“Our assessment indicates that a primary focus of the Provisional IRA is now promoting a peaceful, political Republican agenda.
“It is our assessment that the Provisional IRA is committed to following a political path and is no longer engaged in terrorism.
“I accept the bona fides of the Sinn Fein leadership regarding their rejection of violence and pursuit of the peace process and I accept their assurance that they want to support police in bringing those responsible to justice.
“We have no information to suggest that violence, as seen in the murder of Kevin McGuigan, was sanctioned or directed at a senior level in the Republican movement.”
“We assess that the continuing existence and cohesion of the Provisional IRA hierarchy has enabled the leadership to move the organisation forward within the peace process.”
He went on to further describe Action against Drugs as “an independent group that is not part of, or a cover name for the Provisional IRA”.
Unionist politicians ignored the bits that didn’t fit with their narrative and jumped on Hamilton’s claim that the IRA still exists to ratchet up the crisis.
I don’t agree with the PSNI Chief Constable’s claim that the IRA exists – even in the benign way he paints it. The war is over and the IRA is gone and is not coming back.
Over the two or more decades of the peace process Sinn Féin and republicans, including the IRA, have taken a series of historic initiatives to create the opportunity for peace; to sustain the process in difficult times and to overcome obstacles.
The progress that has been made is the collective work of many parties, groups, and individuals. But without the active participation of republicans and the risks we have taken for peace there would be no peace process.
Time and again elements of the British and Irish governments or the unionist parties and others have connived to undermine the political institutions. Some have done this in a very premeditated way while for others, crises have been created through their failure to fulfil their obligations or to uphold the Good Friday and other agreements.
The Sinn Féin leadership has worked hard to find imaginative and innovative ways to resolve problems. But this problem is not of our making. Sinn Féin has no responsibility whatsoever for those who killed Kevin McGuigan or Jock Davison. The response of the other political parties to these killings has been self-serving and short sighted.
The political institutions are already in considerable difficulty. There are important elements which have not been implemented. There are major budgetary difficulties and an ongoing effort by London to impose austerity policies on the northern Assembly.
There is also the ongoing and unanswered questions about the sell-off of NAMA’s loan book in the north and the allegation that some politicians and associates have benefited from this. Interestingly, though this goes to the heart of the Irish government, as well as the Executive, there is no speculation of the kind which is now in full flow around Sinn Féin’s worthiness as a political party.
Let me be very clear. Once again. Anyone who breaks the law should be held accountable by the justice and policing agencies. Sinn Féin supports these agencies and we will co-operate with the PSNI in their investigations into the killings of Jock Davison and Kevin McGuigan. We have consistently called on anyone with information to bring that forward so that those responsible can face due process in the courts. We are very mindful of the fact that there are two families and local communities grieving for the loss of loved ones.
It is our firm view that anyone involved in illegal activity should be held accountable before proper judicial processes. The PSNI investigation should go where the evidence takes it. It should be afforded all possible support to this end by all of the political parties and the two governments.
Let me be equally clear. Enough is enough. Sinn Féin has no special, or particular or specific responsibility to respond to the allegations made about the IRA, above and beyond what I have outlined here. There is no basis for the charges made against Sinn Féin by our political opponents and if this descends into a political crisis it is a direct result of their stupidity and party political opportunism.
Indeed given the manner in which the debate has descended into personalised attack, invective and Sinn Féin baiting, it is hard to know how the other parties, Executive Ministers or Irish government Ministers would hope to sort this crisis out.
Unless of course, and I accuse them of this, they are motivated entirely by party political and electoral interests.
Sinn Féin will not allow ourselves or more importantly our electorate to be demonised or marginalised over matters that have nothing to do with us. In this case there is nothing more Sinn Féin can do.
We have done more than anyone else to bring an end to conflict in our country and to open up an alternative peaceful and democratic path for republicans to pursue republican objectives. This never existed before.
The opportunistic and deeply cynical way in which these events have been seized upon to attack Sinn Féin, our integrity and our electoral mandate and the democratic rights and entitlements of our electorate, is shameful and will be robustly resisted by our party and our leadership.
British efforts and unionist posturing in this respect are not surprising. Every and any opportunity and issue is grasped by the unionist leaderships to try and dilute the potential of the Good Friday Agreement and the institutions. But the intervention of Fianna Fáil leader Michael Martin, and Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald and others in Dublin is especially contemptible.
Frances Fitzgerald has uncharacteristically undermined her role as Minister for Justice to politically smear Sinn Féin.
Micheál Martin has also sought to use these killings for party political purposes. He was the Minister for Foreign Affairs when the then Minister for Justice, Dermott Ahern said that the IRA was gone and not coming back.
In 2010 when Sinn Féin successfully negotiated the transfer of policing and justice with the two governments he was part of process. He never raised the matter with me once. But now we are on the cusp of an election and Micheál Martin is in electioneering mode.
His outrageous claim that the IRA funds and provides political intelligence for Sinn Féin while exercising community control is despicable. Last year the people of Ireland in free votes in the European and local government elections gave Sinn Féin the largest vote of any party on this island. Where those votes coerced? Are those voters naive or stupid or intimidated? No. They voted for Sinn Féin because we provide a real alternative to the bad politics of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Labour. And that is what really worries these parties.
For our part Sinn Féin will not be distracted from continuing with the difficult work of building the peace, resolving the budget issues in the Executive, getting on with the business of making the institutions function properly and winning support across this island for Irish unity and for the Republican alternative to austerity.
We will also continue to support the PSNI and An Garda Síochána in their fulfilment of their duties and we will make ourselves accountable to the electorate in the upcoming Assembly election and in the general election when the Taoiseach has the courage to call it.”
The Ulster Unionist Party is set to withdraw its only Minister from the
Stormont Executive on Saturday after party leader Mike Nesbitt
described the current power-sharing agreement as “threadbare”.
The move follows allegations of an unsanctioned involvement by
Provisional IRA members in the killing of Kevin McGuigan, the chief
suspect in the recent murder of former IRA commander Jock Davison.
Nesbitt is to recommend to his party executive that the party should
withdraw its single Executive member, Transport Minister Danny Kennedy,
and form an opposition to the current five-party coalition. He also
attacked their former government partners in the DUP, who he said were
“incapable of delivering for all the people of Northern Ireland”.
He said: “The UUP stretched itself almost to breaking point to bring
forward the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.
“The Ulster Unionist Party remains wedded to our 1998 vision of a fully
peacefully and prosperous society for all our people, including
nationalists, republicans and unionists.”
Claims of PIRA involvement in the killing of Kevin McGuigan, allegedly
as a reprisal for his role in Davison’s murder, have continued despite
PSNI chief George Hamilton stating last weekend that the killing had
not been sanctioned by the Provisional IRA.
Hamilton said that the PIRA was not engaged in “terrorism”, and that
its primary focus was on promoting a peaceful political agenda.
However, he said that the organisation’s structures still existed —
although “significantly changed” or “dissolved” — and that former
members may be engaged in crime.
With elections looming in both jurisdictions, these statements have
paved the way for political attacks on Sinn Fein, both north and south.
Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness described today’s UUP decision as being
“more about inter-unionist rivalry” than any “feigned concern” about
Sinn Fein’s commitment to peace, which he insisted was “unequivocal”.
Anti-republican media organisations in the 26 Counties have also sought
to generate anti-Sinn Fein sentiment in response to what they
hysterically described as a “renewed IRA threat” to the state.
Yesterday, Fine Gael’s Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald asked
the Garda police commissioner to conduct a “fresh assessment” of the
activities of the the Provisional IRA in light of the reports.
But in recent years a variety of state bodies north and south of the
border, including most recently the Gardai police themselves, have
stated that the PIRA has ceased its armed activities. Former 26 County
Minister for Justice Michael McDowell said this week there had actually
been a decision to encourage an “inert” PIRA to continue to exist and
fade away through natural attrition, rather than risk a rise in
breakaway IRA groups.
Political speculation has now turned to the position of Peter
Robinson’s DUP who will be under pressure from unionist hardliners to
pull their Ministers out of the Executive. Such a move would collapse
the Executive and accelerate the next Stormont Assembly election by
several months.
Speaking on RTE radio, Sinn Fein’s Gerry Kelly said a political crisis
had been artificially created around the difference of opinion that the
Provisional IRA still exists in some form, but not as a military
organisation.
He said there was the possibility that some former members of the IRA
may be involved in criminal activity, but “this is not the IRA, it is
people acting in a criminal way”.
He said the Provisional IRA made a statement ten years ago that it had
“left the stage” and he believes it had.
Sinn Fein TD Brian Stanley also said the PIRA had been “stood down” and
no longer existed, and that any proposed review would show this. Sinn
Fein leader Gerry Adams also emphasised the point this week, altering
one of his most famous statements in the aftermath of the PIRA
ceasefire by stating that “the IRA has gone away, you know”.
A fearless firefighter raced inside a burning Brooklyn building Monday and saved a 2-year-old boy from the furious flames.
Lt. Victor Milukas said there was “zero visibility” and “high heat” and that he only had a general idea where little Justin Pierre might be as he searched the second floor of a Marine Park house.
“I just kind of took a chance and figured, ‘I’m gonna have to check this room,’” he said.
Milukas’ hunch proved right and he found the unconscious toddler by feeling around beneath a pile of clothing.
“To me it was a blur,” Milukas said afterward outside Ladder Co. 159 firehouse on the Flatlands/Marine Park border. “Luckily I was able to find the baby.”
Justin was at Staten Island University and in a medically induced coma, but his dad says he expects his boy will pull through.
Todd Maisel/New York Daily News
Lt. Victor Milukas of Ladder 159 talks about rescuing the boy from the smoke-filled home.
“He’s critical, but the prognosis is much better,” said Jean Pierre, who is a registered nurse. “He only has a blister and smoke inhalation.”
Justin’s relieved dad said he was told the fire started in his son’s bedroom and was sparked by an electrical malfunction.
The drama on Avenue P began a little after 1 a.m. Monday.
Pierre, a married father of four, said he was at work at Maimonides Medical Center and that his oldest daughter first smelled the smoke and sounded the alarm. He said in their rush to escape the building, Justin got overlooked.
“When my wife went back to get him the first time, the fire completely engulfed the place,” Pierre said.
Milukas said they got the call at 1:13 a.m. and encountered a “very chaotic scene” and a house engulfed by smoke when they arrived.
“People (were) yelling that the baby was still inside,” he said. “There was a neighbor who had climbed up on a front porch roof and was attempting to enter the building by removing the air conditioner.”
Milukas said they donned their masks and headed into building and the inferno.
“We made our way to the top of the stairs and we had zero visibility, high heat,” he said. “We couldn’t tell where the fire was.”
Milukas said he first checked the rooms “where everyone said the baby was in.”
“As I was going down the hallway, I felt a lot of heat on my right,” he said. “My inside team at that point was searching the rear bedrooms. I made a quick search of the front bedroom and realized that this was a master bedroom and I couldn’t find the baby in there.”
Quickly, Milukas retraced his steps to the spot in the hallway where he felt the high heat. He burst inside a bedroom and found a mattress ablaze.
Milukas said he swept his hand across the mattress to see if the toddler was on it. “It was in flames,” he said.
“I quickly found the wall again and got to a corner and there was a pile of clothes on the floor,” he said. “As I was searching the floor, I came across the (seemingly) lifeless infant.”
Milukas said scooping the boy up into his arms was “surreal.”
Todd Maisel/New York Daily News
Firefighters gather at the Avenue P home where the fire erupted early Monday.
Todd Maisel/New York Daily News
A smoke-eater pulls an air conditioner from a window at the home where the 2-year-old boy was rescued.
“I have kids of my own,” he said. “Your adrenaline goes up even more. Every life is precious but you know, for a child you go above and beyond.”
Milukas said he quickly brought the child outside to another firefighter to immediately begin CPR.
“At that point, I knew the baby was in good hands,” the hero firefighter said. “Got my helmet and went back into the fire building and operated with all the other members to complete the searches and extinguish the fires.”
Milukas, an 18-year veteran of the fire department who lives in East Rockaway, is no stranger to heroics.
Back in 2007, when Milukas was assigned to Ladder 142 in Queens, he saved a 45-year-old man from a burning building in Richmond Hill.
