Friday, March 11, 2005

MURDER MOST FOUL .......
By Joe Egan .
A lecture delivered to Dublin Republicans by Joe Egan on 26th November 1989 : I have had the following document for the past 16 years ; it was given to me by its author , a friend and true Irish Republican and deserves a wider readership - John Horan .

" Why do the establishment , British and Irish , make such a case for Wolfe Tone's suicide ? Because to face the truth might make people today see the light and not just follow Tone's teachings but practice them .

It is often quoted also that Tone's son accepted his father's suicide ; even if this were true it is of no consequence as what he thought one way or the other has no bearing on the facts . How did Tone's son know how long his father lay dying ? There was no way he could know , no more than anyone else - at no time were any visitors allowed into see Wolfe Tone .

His father tried every possible move through the courts to get his son free . His lawyer applied for and was immediately granted a writ of Habeas Corpus by Chief Justice Lord Kilwarden . Major Sandy , in charge of the barracks , was recognised generally as being a man with scant regard for justice or truth .

It has been stated as proof of Tone's suicide that a man of Sandy's calibre and his hirelings would'nt do such a botched murder that would take eight days for the victim to die ....... "

(MORE LATER).


LIGHTS , CAMERA , REAGAN .......!
By John Dean.
First published in 'MAGILL' magazine , October 1980 , pages 30, 31, 35, and 37.
Re-published here in 20 parts .
(17 of 20).

What Ronald Reagan gained in popularity he lost in other ways ; his appearances no longer carefully stagemanaged by John Sears , he began to make more and more gaffes , demonstrating that he was being poorly briefed by his staff . Internal wrangling in his campaign has led to shifting positions on tax cuts and the Olympic boycott and the China fiasco .

In preparing for the expected attacks that Reagan is simplistic and shallow , one group of advisers is urging him to take the initiative and provide more details . At the same time , his new campaign manager , Paul Laxalt , insists - " The main thing for Reagan is to stay out of trouble and not seriously shoot himself in the foot . "

One scary question that emerges from all this is where does Ronald Reagan stand while all these intra-mural battles are being fought around him ? Is he the 'captain of the ship' , or the captive .......?

(MORE LATER).


DEATH LIST 1989 .......
Two RUC Officers and two British soldiers , one based in West Germany , were killed by the IRA since mid-May , while a Catholic barman was shot by the UFF bringing the total death toll to 39 this year .
No by-line.
From 'MAGILL' magazine , July 1989 , pages 22 and 23 .
Re-published here in 14 parts .
(13 of 14).

24th June : Liam McKee (36) of Donard Drive , Lisburn was shot dead at his home after a UFF gang broke down the front door with a sledgehammer at 12.45 a.m. A Catholic barman , he lived with his brother and elderly mother who was grazed by a bullet during the attack . The family denied a claim by the loyalist organisation that Mr. McKee was a member of the IRA and said he was murdered soley because of his religion .

24th June : RUC Constable David Black (34) , a full-time reservist with the RUC was killed when a bomb exploded under his car as he left his home at Ballyheather Road , near Strabane . Stationed at Plumbridge , the dead man leaves one child . The IRA claimed responsibility for the attack .

(MORE LATER).






Thursday, March 10, 2005

MURDER MOST FOUL .......
By Joe Egan .
A lecture delivered to Dublin Republicans by Joe Egan on 26th November 1989 : I have had the following document for the past 16 years ; it was given to me by its author , a friend and true Irish Republican and deserves a wider readership - John Horan .

" Yes , the British establishment was expert at that time at covering up their crimes , even more successful than they are today . Many historians to this day trot out the same British lies , as if they were gospel , that Tone committed suicide ; they quote all sorts of stories to 'back-up' their claims .

They use the most abominable argument that especially as Wolfe Tone was of the Protestant faith it would not be repugnant for him to take his own life : I say here and now that this was and is the most objectionable of arguments . It was against everything Tone dedicated and gave his life for , namely, to substitute the common name of Irishman for the religious denominations .

To spread the lie and imply that somehow being a Protestant made it acceptable to commit suicide is to be against all Wolfe Tone stood for . The argument is still going on with new books being written about Tone and praised and published by the present establishment who are as much against what Tone stood for as were the British establishment of the time ....... "

(MORE LATER).


LIGHTS , CAMERA , REAGAN .......!
By John Dean.
First published in 'MAGILL' magazine , October 1980 , pages 30, 31, 35, and 37.
Re-published here in 20 parts .
(16 of 20).

Today , the question is not " Is Reagan for real ? " but " Can he be stopped ? " The answer is definitely " Yes " and the person who will probably do it is Ronald Reagan ! ; aside from the occasional contradictions and embarrassing gaffes , such as saying that Vietnam veterans are'nt eligible for GI benefits (they are) , Reagan's campaign seems to be in a constant state of flux , without any overall strategy or philosophy .

Up until the Iowa Caucuses , where Reagan suffered an upset , his campaign was run by the Bismarckian John Sears , who restricted Reagan to just 48 hours personal campaigning in Iowa on the theory that extensive personal appearances would give the impression "... that he's an ordinary man like the rest of us . "

When Reagan lost Iowa to George Bush he began ignoring Sears's advice and campaigned widely . It paid off , and on the day of the New Hampshire primary , John Sears and several of his aids were fired .......

(MORE LATER).


DEATH LIST 1989 .......
Two RUC Officers and two British soldiers , one based in West Germany , were killed by the IRA since mid-May , while a Catholic barman was shot by the UFF bringing the total death toll to 39 this year .
No by-line.
From 'MAGILL' magazine , July 1989 , pages 22 and 23 .
Re-published here in 14 parts .
(12 of 14).

16th May : Malachy Trainor (34) from Annalong , County Down , was killed by the UVF as he worked in the Rathcoole Estate in North Belfast ; a self-employed Catholic joiner , he was murdered shortly after he arrived for work and as he unloaded timber from his car . Local people said that a dozen shots were fired and several hit Mr. Trainor in the chest , killing him instantly . He was married with two children .

15th June : British Marine Adam Gilbert (21) was accidentally shot by fellow members of his patrol when they fired on a stolen car at the junction of New Lodge Road and Antrim Road in Belfast . The dead man , a native of Aldershot , is the sixth British soldier to die in the North this year .

(MORE LATER).






Wednesday, March 09, 2005

MURDER MOST FOUL .
By Joe Egan .
A lecture delivered to Dublin Republicans by Joe Egan on 26th November 1989 : I have had the following document for the past 16 years ; it was given to me by its author , a friend and true Irish Republican and deserves a wider readership - John Horan .


" Theobald Wolfe Tone was born on June 20, 1763 - the exact time and date of his death are unknown . Wolfe Tone was sentenced to death on November 10 , 1798 ; on November 11 he was informed by his gaolers that he would be publicly hanged on the following day , Monday , at one o'clock .

It is generally accepted that Wolfe Tone died on November 19 , 1798 ; in fact , he could have been murdered at any time during the previous week , and there is no doubt , and none of us should be in any doubt , of his murder by British Crown agents .

It is time now , once and for all , to bury the lie that Wolfe Tone took his own life . These false stories were put out at the time not just to cover up the murder but also as black propaganda to denigrate Tone and the Cause he cherished with all his being . The proof of their successes in trying to destroy Wolfe Tone's character is still evident today nearly 200 years later ....... "

(MORE LATER).


LIGHTS , CAMERA , REAGAN .......!
By John Dean.
First published in 'MAGILL' magazine , October 1980 , pages 30, 31, 35, and 37.
Re-published here in 20 parts .
(15 of 20).

Despite his constant verbal lashings at rebellious students and their teachers , and his budget cuts , throughout eight controversial and stormy years , Ronald Reagan's popularity with voters remained high - at times registering as much as a 70 per cent approval rating . Clearly he knew his audience .

He made a short and belated effort to run for President in 1968 , then supported Richard Nixon in 1972 and throughout Nixon's travail with Watergate ; Reagan was no great Nixon fan but he could hear opportunity knocking and he wanted to stay on the good side of party Officials . When Nixon finally resigned , Reagan quickly formed an exploratory committee to take soundings of the political waters .

Two years later I stood in Kansas City and watched as Ronald Reagan , a man who had been in professional politics less than ten years , fell just 117 votes short (out of 2257) of capturing the Republican nomination for President .......

(MORE LATER).


DEATH LIST 1989 .......
Two RUC Officers and two British soldiers , one based in West Germany , were killed by the IRA since mid-May , while a Catholic barman was shot by the UFF bringing the total death toll to 39 this year .
No by-line.
From 'MAGILL' magazine , July 1989 , pages 22 and 23 .
Re-published here in 14 parts .
(11 of 14).

4th May : John Griffiths (37) was killed when a bomb planted under his car exploded as he left his home at Ballynick Road , Loughgall , County Armagh . The IRA claimed responsibility for the death of Mr. Griffiths , who was on his way to the Maze Prison where he worked as a nurse in the prison hospital , having previously served in the British Army and the UDR .

4th May : Corporal Stephen McGonigle (30) was killed when a roadside bomb exploded as he was on foot patrol in the countryside near Silverbridge , South Armagh , on the main Newry-Crossmaglen Road ; from Newark in Nottinghamshire , he had been in the British Army for 14 years and was married with two children . Three other British soldiers were injured in the attack which occured as they examined a parked car containing the bomb .

(MORE LATER).






Tuesday, March 08, 2005

'THE PRESS' Newspaper , October 1797 - March 1798 .
Too Radical for the Radicals .......

....... in March 1798 , the British 'Viceroy' in Ireland , a Mr. John Camden , seen to it that the 'The Press' Rebel newspaper was put out of business ; within days of doing so , the Brits moved against the United Irishmen organisation itself .......


The mostly Dublin-based leadership of the United Irishmen organisation was rounded-up in a British raid on the home of Oliver Bond in Dublin (in March 1798) and hundreds of active members were hunted down across the country . Those not captured re-grouped and , on the 23rd May 1798 , took up arms against the British in a failed attempt to remove the British presence .

However , as has always been the case in Ireland , the 1798 Rising inspired Robert Emmet to challenge British mis-rule in Ireland (in 1803) which , in turn , inspired future generations to challenge that mis-rule . And today , in this 21st Century , that challenge continues .

'The Press' newspaper , the 'semi-official' organ of the United Irishmen organisation , was closed-down by the British on 3rd March 1798 , but its spirit lives on in this newspaper . Buy it , please , if its sold in your area , or take out a subscription and have it posted to you . Go raibh maith agat .

[ END of 'THE PRESS' Newspaper ...'].
(Tomorrow : in a temporary change of format - we publish a document which has been in our possession for the past 16 years , concerning the death of Theobald Wolfe Tone ).


LIGHTS , CAMERA , REAGAN .......!
By John Dean.
First published in 'MAGILL' magazine , October 1980 , pages 30, 31, 35, and 37.
Re-published here in 20 parts .
(14 of 20).

As Governor of California (1966-1974) , most political observers agree , Ronald Reagan was basically an efficient if not overly creative administrator . He fought many tempestuous battles with liberal institutions and programs , but he was not quite the guns-blazing hard-liner that he later portrayed himself to be .

For example , although he did provide 5.7 billion dollars in tax rebates to the citizens of California , most of the rebates were in property taxes . But he raised state income taxes three times . The last boost came complete with a new tax structure that took a bigger bite from banks and corporations - his faithful conservative supporters . And even though he was constantly lashing out at rebellious students and their teachers , threatening state schools with budget cuts left and right , state spending on higher education actually rose 136 per cent during Reagan's two terms as Governor .......

(MORE LATER).


DEATH LIST 1989 .......
Two RUC Officers and two British soldiers , one based in West Germany , were killed by the IRA since mid-May , while a Catholic barman was shot by the UFF bringing the total death toll to 39 this year .
No by-line.
From 'MAGILL' magazine , July 1989 , pages 22 and 23 .
Re-published here in 14 parts .
(10 of 14).

19th April : Francis Galbraith (29) was shot by loyalists near the Sydenham by-pass , close to his parents home in east Belfast . A nephew of loyalist supergrass Joseph Bennett , Mr. Galbraith was apparently killed in an internal loyalist dispute over weapons . He leaves four children .

21st April : William Thompson (26) was shot dead in his black taxi on the Crumlin Road in north Belfast late in the evening . As his car passed the Everton Girls School at Upper Crumlin Road another black taxi pulled-up alongside ; Mr. Thompson was singled out and shot dead . Claiming responsibility , the IRA alleged that Mr. Thompson had been involved in the sectarian killings of nationalists in north Belfast , a claim denied by the dead man's family .

(MORE LATER).






Monday, March 07, 2005

'THE PRESS' Newspaper , October 1797 - March 1798 .
Too Radical for the Radicals .......

....... the Brits arrested Arthur O'Connor in February 1798 (on grounds of 'sedition') in Margate , in England . But 'Lord' Edward Fitzgerald managed to keep 'The Press' newspaper going - so , in March 1798 , the Brits decided to do something about that .......


Westminster contacted their 'Viceroy' in Ireland , a Mr. John Camden , and instructed him to move against the newspaper . In March 1798 , Camden and his armed thugs put 'The Press' newspaper out of business .

The 'moderate' section of the leadership of the United Irishmen organisation , and those within the 'rank-and-file' that supported them , were relieved that 'The Press' newspaper had been shut-down because , according to them , the organisation was not at that time fully prepared to take on the Brits .

Those that had wanted to begin an armed campaign stayed with the organisation in the belief that the 'moderates' , Thomas Addis Emmet and Dr. William James MacNeven , would call for an armed Rising when they felt the time was right to do so ; but the Brits were'nt going to 'hang around' waiting for the United Irishmen to get themselves ready ...

... - they moved on the Rebel group within days of them putting the 'The Press' newspaper out of business .......

(MORE LATER).


LIGHTS , CAMERA , REAGAN .......!
By John Dean.
First published in 'MAGILL' magazine , October 1980 , pages 30, 31, 35, and 37.
Re-published here in 20 parts .
(13 of 20).

It was now obvious to many observers that Ronald Reagan was becoming interested in the U.S. Presidency himself ; most dismissed the idea as quixotic , but he shocked everyone by being elected Governor of California in 1966 . Most political pro's explain his election as simply - Reagan was in the right place at the right time . Californians had been shocked by the recent riots in the black ghetto of Watts in Los Angeles and by the student demonstrations at many college campuses in the state .

In addition , there was the threat of new open housing laws and a rapidly expanding state bureaucracy that was already draining large amounts of tax dollars . Reagan calmed the voters' fears by telling them that he was one of them - an ordinary citizen who would see that some common sense and order was restored to state government .

He was elected by the substantial margin of almost one million votes .......

(MORE LATER).


DEATH LIST 1989 .......
Two RUC Officers and two British soldiers , one based in West Germany , were killed by the IRA since mid-May , while a Catholic barman was shot by the UFF bringing the total death toll to 39 this year .
No by-line.
From 'MAGILL' magazine , July 1989 , pages 22 and 23 .
Re-published here in 14 parts .
(9 of 14).

4th April : Gerard Casey (29) of Shamrock Road , Rasharkin , County Antrim , was killed in his bed by loyalist gunmen . Mr. Casey , who leaves three children , was a member of the IRA who claimed that there was RUC and UDR collusion in the attack . Fr. Denis Faul also alleged that information about Mr. Casey and other Catholics shot recently may have been passed to loyalists by sympathisers in the British 'security forces' .

11th April : Joanne Reilly (20) was killed when an IRA bomb exploded prematurely in Warrenpoint , County Down , outside the RUC barracks . Claiming responsibility , the IRA said that one of it's members accidently triggered off a device which caused the bomb to explode before warnings were given . The 1500 lb bomb caused extensive damage to the houses in the town .

(MORE LATER).
(Apologises again for late publication : the 'BLOGGER' 'PUBLISH' button has been 'down' since at least 7am this morning - Sharon).