Nollaig Shona

Nollaig Shona do Gach Duine agus Bliain Flaithuila Agaibh!

Fifth Columnists Among Us

www.irishexaminerusa.com

Fifth Columnists Among Us

By Patrick Hurley

"T' anam an Diabhal ... That's only down the block." It was early on the Sunday morning after the Fort Hood terrorist attack in which a radical Islamic fifth-columnist, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, had murdered 13 unarmed soldiers and a civilian, and wounded 38... Read more...

AOH leader - Kennedy must respect Church

In a statement to the national leadership of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the largest and most active Irish American organization, immediate Past National President Jack Meehan emphasizes that Rhode Island representative, Congressman Patrick Kennedy is obliged to respect the teachings of the Catholic Church. Though members of the Kennedy clan, including President John Kennedy, have been AOH members, it is not clear if Kennedy himself is a member. - Editor

Statement of Mr. Jack Meehan

"Bishop Tobin’s position was, and is, that he never issued any edict demanding that Rep. Kennedy not take Holy Communion. Rather, he requested in view of Kennedy’s public position, which was, and is, pro-abortion that he do the right thing and not receive Communion. The Catholic Church is very clear on this issue and if Kennedy insists on maintaining his position, he should not be a hypocrite and continue to receive Communion while opposing the Church’s rules concerning abortion.

"U.S. Representative Patrick Murphy (D-PA) should never have chimed in and supported Kennedy. Now, we have another supposedly “Catholic” member of Congress who has publicly stated that he supports the abhorrent practice of abortion. With regard to the spineless weasel, Chris Matthews, many believe he should be fired for the reprehensible display of disrespect that he showed toward Bishop Tobin during his recent television interview. Matthews, by the way, is a graduate of Holy Cross College in Worcester, MA and like the two Congressmen professes to be Catholic.

"As the pre-eminent Irish Catholic fraternal organization in the United States, my belief is that the Ancient Order of Hibernians in America should be proud to stand firmly and publicly behind Bishop Tobin in opposing this very serious attack on our Catholic faith by these three public figures."

Jack Meehan

Past National President
Ancient Order of Hibernians in America

Boston, Ma.

More on the controversy

Teddy's son barred from communion

www.nypost.com
JOHN WILSON
Less of a Catholic
News broke this week that Thomas Tobin, the Catho lic bishop of Providence, RI, had in 2007 asked...

The fed-up faithful
Religious leaders' call to arms
By BILL O'REILLY
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/the_fed_up_faithful_TR3uqwbXKxf61mMIowksmK#ixzz0YE131sCs

NYC - 249th St. Patrick's Day Parade

Support 249 Years of Irish Faith, Hertiage
&
Culture in New York

It is with great pride that we announced the Grand Marshal of the 249th NYC St. Patrick's Day Parade to be The Honorable Raymond W. Kelly Police Commissioner, City of New York. Please join us in welcoming our Grand Marshal as he joins our family... a family of friends, volunteers, committee members and all those who hold the Parade dear in their hearts.

When Commissioner Kelly begins his famous march up 5th Avenue - leading the 249th NYC Saint Patrick's Day Parade - he will be part of a tradition made possible entirely by the generosity of people like you. Your support is more important now than ever, so please visit our web site and make a secure tax-deductible gift today and help preserve the oldest celebration of Irish pride in the world! (Click Here). The coming year will be filled with exciting events and we encourage you to attend as many as possible, and also to be part of all the celebrations leading up to the 250th historic anniversary in 2011.

For over two centuries, we have come together to celebrate our faith, culture and heritage. One thing remains the same it did on March 17th, 1762 the New York City Saint Patrick's Day Parade is a lasting testament to our unwavering pride of being Irish. Unlike other famous parades around the nation, the New York City Saint Patrick's Day Parade is completely funded by private donations and run by volunteers, often entire families. All of us on the committee donate our time and effort. You can rest assured that 100% of your gift will help fund the world's oldest and most cherished parade.

I truly hope that you will join this year's celebration - and help strengthen it with your tax-deductible gift today.

We are looking forward to March 17th, 2010 and I know with your support, and the presence of the Honorable Ray Kelly, the 2010 Parade will go down in the record books as one of the best. Thank you for your generosity.

John Dunleavy

Chairman
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The St Patrick's Day Parade Inc. is a 501(c)3 Non Profit Organization.
All donations are income tax deductible pursuant to 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) of the IRC.
You May Click Here To Print Donation Form For Mailing
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Save the dates
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wednesday January 13th, 2010
Installation of Aides and Grand Marshal

Sunday February 21st, 2010
Grand Marshal & Aides Reception

Sunday March 14th, 2010
Pre-Parade Reception Wednesday March 17th 2010
249th NYC St Patrick's Day Parade

Friday September 24th 2010
Parade Annual Golf Outing
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For more information about Parade events, please go to our Parade Events page on our website, or e-mail Hilary Beirne at HBeirne@NYC-St-Patrick-Day-Parade.Org or telephone our offices at 718-231-4400

http://NYCStPatricksParade.Org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Timothy Costello, RIP

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nytimes/obituary.aspx?n=timothy-costello&pid=136475550

Teddy's son barred from communion

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/11/22/report-kennedy-barred-communion-stance-abortion/?test=latestnews

Hmmmm . . . Perhaps there are some courageous, principled bishops after all!!!

Send 'em up, I'll wait!

Overheard on the VHF Guard - Emergency Frequency - 121.5 MHz while flying from Europe to Dubai.

Iranian Air Defense Site: 'Unknown aircraft you are in Iranian airspace. Identify yourself..'

Aircraft: 'This is a United States aircraft. I am in Iraqi airspace.'

Air Defense Site: 'You are in Iranian airspace. If you do not depart our airspace we will launch interceptor aircraft!'

Aircraft: 'This is a United States Marine Corps FA-18 fighter. Send 'em up, I'll wait!'

Air Defense Site: ( .... total silence)

God bless the United States of America and U.S. troops. There is something about a U.S. Marine that makes other countries listen to reason.

Courtesy of a covert American ally and intellectual in County Waterford, Ireland.

Name and location in the Deise County withheld for security reasons.

Nov. 28 - Kilmichael Ambush - Anniversary

"On the 28th day of November, the Tans left the town of Macroom . . .

In recent years, RTE Leargas produced an interesting documentary on the ambush, which treats the opportunistic revisionism that has festered since the late 1980s and the deaths of the last IRA participants. Click, in sequence, on each of the three links below to view the full program. The narrative is in Gaelic but it is sub titled so non - Gaelic speakers may understand.

Kilmichael 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RX_Uqw4w04&feature=related

Kilmichael 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzeGS0Vt_gA&feature=related

Kilmichael 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbMsX4kOeVQ&feature=related

Dublin's ally Dodd in Danger

New York Post

www.nypost.com

Dodd's danger
Congressional Democrats around the country may be worrying that ObamaCare and runaway federal spend ing will hurt their re-election chances next year -- but Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut

Pete King et al on 9/11 trial fiasco

New York Post

ww.nypost.com

Wake up, Mr. President! We're in a war here
The Obama administra- tion's obdurate refusal to accept the reality of Islam ist terrorism was underscored yet again yesterday when Attorney General Eric Holder announced that 9/11 architect Khalid Sheik Mohammed will be brought to New York to be tried as a common criminal

KRIS W. KOBACH
A loss for America
Attorney General Eric Holder's decision to try Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four other Guantanamo Bay... Read On

PETER KING
O's terrible call
Like many New Yorkers and members of the families of the nearly 3,000 innocent Americans murdered... Read On

STEVE CASSIDY
Putting the city in danger
ATTORNEY General Eric Holder's decision to send the radical Islamic terrorists

Pete King-Getting Ready for 2010

Message from Congressman Peter King

Dear Supporter:

I need your help to be re-elected.

This year's election results contained a lot of good news. Republicans won the Governor's races in New Jersey and Virginia and scored a series of major upsets in Nassau County and Suffolk County as well.

One result, however, could cause real problems for me. Democrats won the special election for Congress in upstate New York, taking a seat that had always been Republican. This gives the Democrats a 27-2 Congressional majority from New York. There is only one Republican Congressman between me and the Canadian border and his district is more than 300 miles north of mine!

This makes me a prime target in next year's election. The Democrats can focus all their efforts on me. This is especially true because I have opposed all the Obama agenda - including so-called healthcare reform, cap and trade, the stimulus bill and the closing of Guantanamo. I also continue to speak out very loudly supporting the war against Islamic terrorism and exposing the dangers of political correctness.

The pressure on Congress in the upcoming weeks and months to ram though a healthcare bill will be particularly intense and, because I will continue to oppose this misguided legislation, I can expect to be attacked by Democratic operatives and their allies in the liberal media.

To make sure that I am able to defend myself against the upcoming attacks against me, I am asking for your financial help. I am asking you to make a donation to my campaign committee. Even though the next election is almost a year away, I need to be getting everything in place now. I have to be ready for an all-out effort.

I hate doing this - but I have no choice. Any contribution you can afford to make will be greatly appreciated and put to good use. My website http://www.peteking.com can accept any donations by credit card or you can mail a check to my committee:

Pete King for Congress
Post Office Box 1428
Seaford, NY 11783

Thanks again for your support. All the best.

Pete

P.S. Here is the YouTube video link to my statement to watch or forward to your friends http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP3hi7Dz5Uc Also, don't forget to friend me on Facebook by clicking here

Op Ed by Admiral (Ret.) Jim Carey, USN

Rear Adm. Jim Carey is a Co- Chairman of Irish American Republicans

On this Veterans Day Nov. 11, 2009, today's Washington Times Newspaper featured an OP-ED Commentary by Rear Admiral [Ret.] Jim Carey, National Chairman of the National Defense Committee, Former Chairman of the U. S. Federal Maritime Commission, and Chairman of The Flag & General Officers' Network. We forward it for your information and reading as it contains some excellent factual commentary with regard to the enhanced military voting rights that were achieved less than a month ago with the passage of legislation called MOVE, the Military & Overseas Voter Empowerment Act.

National Defense Committee, working closely with the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Pew Center for the States, along with colleagues in the Alliance for Military & Overseas Voting Rights [AMOVR], played a major and powerful role in the passage of this legislation. Admiral Carey's OP-ED in today's Washington Times newspaper now outlines "the steps forward" to take these efforts to the states where their legislation is needed to ensure that the same rights now guaranteed for military voters in federal elections are extended to them for elections in their state and home counties.

What could be more fitting on this Veterans Day than to give focus on, FINALLY, progress being made to ensure our sons and daughters in the military have the same opportunity to vote as those of us who remain safely here at home in the USA. With all that in mind, and should you not live in the Washington, DC area or receive the Washington Times, Admiral Carey's OP-ED follows.

From The Public Relations "All Volunteer Staff" At
NATIONAL DEFENSE COMMITTEE

www.NationalDefenseCommittee.org

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE WASHINGTON TIMES NEWSPAPER

Securing the vote for all
Our service members deserve an equal voice

By Rear Adm. [Ret.] James J. Carey

On Veterans Day, Americans honor those who have fought for this country and also those who are deployed. As a retired flag officer, I find my thoughts especially focused on my brothers and sisters in uniform far from home. As they risk their lives every day to safeguard our freedom, another routine sacrifice is often overlooked: the guarantee that their votes will be counted.

For decades, military service members and other Americans living abroad couldn't be certain that their absentee ballots would be tallied because of a complex maze of state rules and unrealistic deadlines. Indeed, in 1952, President Truman implored Congress to fix the obstacles in the system. Yet the flaws persisted. In January, my colleagues at the Pew Center on the States published "No Time to Vote," a report showing that 25 states and Washington still had shortcomings in the absentee ballot process, which made it less likely that the votes of military service members abroad would be counted.

Congress responded last month by enacting the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act as part of the defense authorization bill. The MOVE Act, which received bipartisan support in both houses, will require states to provide absentee ballots to overseas voters earlier (at least 45 days before an election) and faster (using technology such as e-mail to send blank ballots). The bill requires states to implement these and other changes in time for next year's federal election. These measures to provide Americans abroad with time to vote in federal elections are long overdue, but they are just the start.

We need to extend the MOVE Act's improvements to state and local elections and fix an outmoded voter registration system that has failed to keep pace with technology. Overseas voters - just like their neighbors at home - deserve a system that works no matter what races are on the ballot. As states implement the changes required by the MOVE Act, they should make it easier for military and overseas voters to cast state and local ballots as well. At the same time, states should modernize their registration systems to ensure that these highly mobile voters receive ballots and voting information at the correct address.

When I was first commissioned in the Navy, handwritten registration forms were consistent with then-current "triplicate" technology. Today, however, the state of the art is text messaging, social networking and hand-held mobile devices that put the computers of yesterday to shame. In this new world, a voter registration system that relies on paper rather than digital data is dangerously past its prime.

Our current system is expensive and cumbersome and can undermine citizens' right to vote. For example, more than 2 million voters were unable to cast ballots in 2008 because of registration problems, according to a study conducted for Pew by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Even worse, members of our armed forces were almost twice as likely to experience registration problems as were members of the general public.

At the same time, more voters are looking for election information online. Voters need reliable access to official data about whether they are registered, where they can vote and which candidates are on their ballot. Additionally, overseas voters are seeking ways to get the information they need to complete a write-in absentee ballot when their regular one doesn't arrive in time. Several states already are cooperating with Pew's Voting Information Project to give voters fast and convenient access to answers to questions about the voting process. Passage of the MOVE Act gives states an additional opportunity and incentive to leverage these tools for military and overseas voters as well.

Veterans Day is a poignant reminder that many have sacrificed much to defend and represent America around the world. Truman understood that those sacrifices shouldn't include the right to vote, and Congress' recent enactment of the MOVE Act is a tremendous step forward in answering his call. But there is much more that can and should be done to protect the right to vote for those who protect us. States must seize this opportunity to modernize voting for military and overseas voters so that every American can have an equal voice.

Retired Rear Adm. James J. Carey has been involved in military voting rights for the past 30 years. He serves as a senior policy adviser to the Pew Charitable Trusts' Pew Center on the States and is national chairman of the National Defense Committee.

Obfuscatory Drivel From Jenkins

A man in full: University of Notre Dame President Fr. John Jenkins

By Niall O'Dowd

As speeches go, it was one of the finest ever delivered at the American Irish Historical Society annual banquet, now over 100 years old and thriving. It was held Thursday night at the Waldorf Astoria in New York. Fr. John Jenkins stood up as gold medalist and delivered a speech that reclaimed the Irish roots of Notre Dame in a way no other president of Notre Dame has. He spoke movingly of his own heritage, his family roots on his mother's side, who were Condons from Cork, and the deep resources of faith, family and friendship that his Irish background bequeathed to him.

In the audience was Donald R. Keough, the man who created the Keough Naughton Institute of Irish studies, which has restored an Irish awareness to the campus that was absent too long. It must have been a proud night for him to see this heritage reclaimed.

Jenkins is quickly becoming a great college president, one to perhaps rival even Fr. Ted Hesburgh, the legendary leader of the college for 35 years from 1952 to 1987.
The baptism of fire for Jenkins was his invitation to President Barack Obama to be commencement speaker. Jenkins was assailed on every side by conservative alumni and angry bishops, who wanted him to cancel the invitation. "You cannot change the world if you shun the people you want to persuade, and if you cannot persuade them show respect for them and listen to them," he said at the time. As a Catholic leader, it was a fearless statement in the face of so much criticism.

He faced the critics down, and Obama appeared to a rapturous welcome from the students and faculty. Those who really mattered most — the students themselves — perfectly understood what Jenkins wanted to do, to open up a dialog in the best Aquinas Catholic tradition. It is no coincidence that Jenkins is an expert on Aquinas.

On Thursday night, he took on another issue that has often been overlooked, some would say conveniently — and that is the deep Irish roots of the university. In this multicultural world, it has been fashionable to downplay those roots, to confine it to football fighting songs and the leprechaun who struts his stuff at games.
Jenkins, however, took a deep look at those important roots, talked about the four Irish brothers who helped Fr. Edward Sorin establish the school, and then of the initial term of derision, the Fighting Irish label attached to Notre Dame in a Michigan newspaper in the early 1920s. He noted that turning that term of derision into the mission statement of a Catholic university at a time of deep anti-Catholic sentiment was the greatest achievement of the college in those troubled times. He parsed and analyzed what the term fighting Irish stood for, and quoted Irish President Mary McAleese when she was commencement speaker at Notre Dame in 2006.

"By the Fighting Irish, we don't mean fighting in the sense of argumentative, though we might occasionally mean argumentative, but what we actually mean mostly when we talk about it is an indomitable spirit, a commitment, never tentative, always fully committed, to use the words that I got ... this morning, total commitment to life itself. No matter what life threw at them, and it threw quite a few wobblies at the Irish from time to time, that indomitable spirit that always sought to dig deep to find the courage to transcend, to keep going..."
That trumps a fighting leprechaun or a chant at a football game. What Jenkins was saying was that all of the Note Dame family, from whatever ethnic background, had made or were making the same journey Irish immigrants and their descendants did to keep the hope alive, to dream the dream.

He spoke movingly of his own mother, now 80 years old and the mother of 12 children, whose own mother faced desperate odds after her young husband was killed in a tragic accident that left her widowed with three children to raise in the Great Depression. Her tale of struggle and success was a quintessential American immigrant story, which is being repeated all over America today in Hispanic and Asian families, and in whatever ethnic group that is new to these shores.

Jenkins was using the Irish experience as the benchmark, as the example that others follow. We are all Fighting Irish, fighting for the same opportunity, faith and freedoms. That's why his university has become the symbol of freedom for so many millions of Americans.
In a strange way, his speech brought Notre Dame home. It was inspirational.

Mr. O'Dowd represents the fringe expatriate Irish Left. A frequent propagator of anti - Catholic opinion, he is also the editor of a number of subsidised, left wing publications, which enjoy limited readership in the Irish expatriate community.

An Irish American Perpective

By Jack Meehan

With all the respect that is due to a member of the clergy from a layperson who is a member of the same Church, I must be very honest and say that a single speech, regardless of how eloquent it may have been, does not either erase nor excuse the outrage that resulted from Rev. Jenkins handling of the 2009 Notre Dame Commencement. When seventy Catholic bishops and an estimated quarter of a million Catholic laypersons vehemently disagreed with extending an invitation to a profoundly pro-abortion politician to deliver the commencement speech and receive an honorary degree from the University of Notre Dame, something was definitely wrong. Rev. Jenkins actions went so far as to transcend the fact that the politician in question was the President of the United States. On that day, many believe that Notre Dame crossed the line from being one of the pre-eminent Catholic universities in the U.S. to being nothing more than another secular institution of higher learning. It was, indeed, a very sad day for Catholic higher education and the blame lies solely at the feet of Rev. John Jenkins, President of the University of Notre Dame.

Mr. Meehan is a past national president of the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH), the largest and most active Irish American organization. As a member of the AOH immigration committee, he played an essential role in the relatively successful Irish immigration campaign of the 1980s.

Anti - Catholicism

Anti-Catholicism
October 29, 2009
The following article was submitted in a slightly shorter form to the New York Times as an op-ed article. The Times declined to publish it.

FOUL BALL!

By Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan

Archbishop of New York

October is the month we relish the highpoint of our national pastime, especially when one of our own New York teams is in the World Series! Sadly, America has another national pastime, this one not pleasant at all: anti-Catholicism. It is not hyperbole to call prejudice against the Catholic Church a national pastime. Scholars such as Arthur Schlesinger Sr. referred to it as “the deepest bias in the history of the American people,” while John Higham described it as “the most luxuriant, tenacious tradition of paranoiac agitation in American history". “The anti-semitism of the left,” is how Paul Viereck reads it, and Professor Philip Jenkins sub-titles his book on the topic “the last acceptable prejudice.” If you want recent evidence of this unfairness against the Catholic Church, look no further than a few of these following examples of occurrences over the last couple weeks:

On October 14, in the pages of the New York Times, reporter Paul Vitello exposed the sad extent of child sexual abuse in Brooklyn’s Orthodox Jewish community. According to the article, there were forty cases of such abuse in this tiny community last year alone. Yet the Times did not demand what it has called for incessantly when addressing the same kind of abuse by a tiny minority of priests: release of names of abusers, rollback of statute of limitations, external investigations, release of all records, and total transparency. Instead, an attorney is quoted urging law enforcement officials to recognize “religious sensitivities,” and no criticism was offered of the DA’s office for allowing Orthodox rabbis to settle these cases “internally.” Given the Catholic Church’s own recent horrible experience, I am hardly in any position to criticize our Orthodox Jewish neighbors, and have no wish to do so . . . but I can criticize this kind of “selective outrage".

Of course, this selective outrage probably should not surprise us at all, as we have seen many other examples of the phenomenon in recent years when it comes to the issue of sexual abuse. To cite but two: In 2004, Professor Carol Shakeshaft documented the wide-spread problem of sexual abuse of minors in our nation’s public schools (the study can be found here). In 2007, the Associated Press issued a series of investigative reports that also showed the numerous examples of sexual abuse by educators against public school students. Both the Shakeshaft study and the AP reports were essentially ignored, as papers such as the New York Times only seem to have priests in their crosshairs.

On October 16, Laurie Goodstein of the Times offered a front page, above-the-fold story on the sad episode of a Franciscan priest who had fathered a child. Even taking into account that the relationship with the mother was consensual and between two adults, and that the Franciscans have attempted to deal justly with the errant priest’s responsibilities to his son, this action is still sinful, scandalous, and indefensible. However, one still has to wonder why a quarter-century old story of a sin by a priest is now suddenly more pressing and newsworthy than the war in Afghanistan, health care, and starvation–genocide in Sudan. No other cleric from religions other than Catholic ever seems to merit such attention.

Five days later, October 21, the Times gave its major headline to the decision by the Vatican to welcome Anglicans who had requested union with Rome. Fair enough. Unfair, though, was the article’s observation that the Holy See lured and bid for the Anglicans. Of course, the reality is simply that for years thousands of Anglicans have been asking Rome to be accepted into the Catholic Church with a special sensitivity for their own tradition. As Cardinal Walter Kasper, the Vatican’s chief ecumenist, observed, “We are not fishing in the Anglican pond". Not enough for the Times; for them, this was another case of the conniving Vatican luring and bidding unsuspecting, good people, greedily capitalizing on the current internal tensions in Anglicanism.

Finally, the most combustible example of all came Sunday with an intemperate and scurrilous piece by Maureen Dowd on the opinion pages of the Times. In a diatribe that rightly never would have passed muster with the editors had it so criticized an Islamic, Jewish, or African-American religious issue, she digs deep into the nativist handbook to use every anti-Catholic caricature possible, from the Inquisition to the Holocaust, condoms, obsession with sex, pedophile priests, and oppression of women, all the while slashing Pope Benedict XVI for his shoes, his forced conscription -- along with every other German teenage boy -- into the German army, his outreach to former Catholics, and his recent welcome to Anglicans.
True enough, the matter that triggered her spasm -- the current visitation of women religious by Vatican representatives -- is well-worth discussing, and hardly exempt from legitimate questioning. But her prejudice, while maybe appropriate for the Know-Nothing newspaper of the 1850’s, the Menace, has no place in a major publication today.

I do not mean to suggest that anti-Catholicism is confined to the pages New York Times. Unfortunately, abundant examples can be found in many different venues. I will not even begin to try and list the many cases of anti-Catholicism in the so-called entertainment media, as they are so prevalent they sometimes seem almost routine and obligatory. Elsewhere, last week, Representative Patrick Kennedy made some incredibly inaccurate and uncalled-for remarks concerning the Catholic bishops, as mentioned in this blog on Monday. Also, the New York State Legislature has levied a special payroll tax to help the Metropolitan Transportation Authority fund its deficit. This legislation calls for the public schools to be reimbursed the cost of the tax; Catholic schools, and other private schools, will not receive the reimbursement, costing each of the schools thousands – in some cases tens of thousands – of dollars, money that the parents and schools can hardly afford. (Nor can the archdiocese, which already underwrites the schools by $30 million annually.) Is it not an issue of basic fairness for ALL school-children and their parents to be treated equally?

The Catholic Church is not above criticism. We Catholics do a fair amount of it ourselves. We welcome and expect it. All we ask is that such critique be fair, rational, and accurate, what we would expect for anybody. The suspicion and bias against the Church is a national pastime that should be “rained out” for good. I guess my own background in American history should caution me not to hold my breath. Then again, yesterday was the Feast of Saint Jude, the patron saint of impossible causes.

Fort Hood Terrorist Attack

New York Post

www.nypost.com

By Ralph Peters
Call this horror by its name: Islamist terror
On Thursday afternoon, a radicalized Muslim US Army officer shouting, "Allahu akbar!" ("God is... Read On

By Paul Sperry
The military's blinders
Why did the US military ignore the clear warning signs that Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the suspected... Read On

By Stephen Schwartz
Take a look at Hasan's old mosque
What interpretation of Islam influenced Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan. . . Read more . . . Click above

A Tale of Three Politicos

www.irishexaminerusa.com

A Tale Of Three Politicos

The 125th Anniversary celebration of the County Cork B. P. & P. Association of New York was held recently at the Terrace on the Park in Queens, N.Y. Politicos made the journey from Cork, "de" city by "de" Lee, to join in the celebrations... Read more...

GOP Election Lawyers Needed

Several NYS Republican campaigns have asked for New York Republican Lawyer volunteers for Election Day. In several close races across New York - in Westchester County; in NY 23 for US Congress; in Queens for NYC Council; and in other critical races - lawyer volunteers are needed.

In Westchester County - the GOP team led by County Executive nominee, Rob Astorino, and DA nominee Dan Schorr, has been waging a terrific campaign. They are poised to win. To work as an Election Day Attorney, please contact Mary Mahon at MaryMahon1@aol.com.

In NE Queens, Dan Halloran is running a ferocious campaign for NYC Council. Dan is leading in the polls. But the NYC Democratic machine and ACORN are waging a dirty campaign. We cannot allow them to steal this victory from Dan. To work as an Election Day Attorney, please contact Darryl Fox at worldgo@msn.com

In SE Queens, incumbent freshman NYC councilman Eric Ulrich needs your help. Eric is a rising GOP star in NYC, and the Democrat machine wants to stop him. To work as an Election Day Attorney, please contact Liam McCabe at will_mccabe@hotmail.com.

In New York Congressional District 23 (NY23), Doug Hoffman needs our help. The Obama White House has targeted this national race. Gov George Pataki and GOP Chair Michael Steele have drawn the line - here is where Obama must be stopped. To work as an Election Day Attorney, please volunteer at: http://www.doughoffmanforcongress.com/signup.html

To volunteer for another Republican campaign in your county, please contact us directly.

Please dedicate Election Day, Tuesday, November 3rd. Our campaigns need your help.

Thank you,

Robert Farley
Chairman
NYS GOP Lawyers
bobfarley@bobfarley.org

John Ciampoli
Vice Chair
NYS GOP Lawyers
padronejc@yahoo.com

Grant Lally
Founding Chair
NYS GOP Lawyers
GML89@aol.com

Dan Halloran for NYC Council - NE Queens

A leading Republican lawyer is in the electoral fight of his life, and he needs our support.

Dan Halloran, a true Republican leader, and member of the RNLA national Board, is the Republican Party, Conservative Party and Libertarian Party nominee in one of the few solid Republican districts in New York City. Dan promises to bring a powerful voice for lower taxes, fiscal sanity, clean government, and safe neighborhoods to Democrat-infested New York City Hall, but the Democrats desperately want to silence him and us.

The Democratic Party bosses in New York have targeted Dan, with hundreds of thousands of dollars in negative smear ads, ACORN "new voter" registration drives, and are backing an ultra-liberal candidate - a top aide to liberal Democrat congressman Gary Ackerman - who has pulled in thousands of dollars from overseas, including the People's Republic of China. The Democrats and ACORN will stop at nothing and use every dirty trick to try to steal this vote.

Dan Halloran serves on the State Board of the New York State GOP Lawyers; and on the National Advisory Board of the Republican National Lawyers Association (RNLA). He has supported so many Republicans in the past - now he needs our support.

Please send a contribution to Dan today. Under the New York City finance system, every local contribution is matched 8:1 by the NYC Finance Board. What that means is that a local contribution of $500.00 to Dan results in New York City contributing $4,000.00. Even a small contribution can make a real difference.

Please mail your contribution to Dan today. We have attached a response card below. Every dollar you contribute will make a real difference.

Thank you,

Robert Farley
Chairman
NYS GOP Lawyers
bobfarley@bobfarley.org

John Ciampoli
Vice Chairman
NYS GOP Lawyers
padronejc@yahoo.com

Grant Lally
Founding Chair
NYS GOP Lawyers
GML89@aol.com



-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Committee to Elect Dan Halloran

Contribution Card

Name ____________________________________

Address ___________________________________________________________________________

Email ____________________________________

To comply with New York City Campaign Finance Board reporting requirements, please give the following information:

Employer _________________________________

Occupation ________________________________

Business Address ___________________________

City/State/Zip ______________________________

I understand that State law requires that a contribution be in my name and be from my own funds. I hereby affirm that this contribution is being made from my personal funds, is not being reimbursed in any manner, and is not being made as a loan.

Contributor’s Signature ________________________________

Date of Contribution _________________

I WOULD LIKE TO HELP- PLEASE CONTACT ME _____________________PHONE: ___________________________________________

CONTRIBUTION AMOUNT: _____CHARGE_______ CASH ___ CHECK_____

Checks should be payable to: "Committee to Elect Dan Halloran"
The maximum contribution is $2,750.00 per person and $250 per business.

No Corporate, LLC/LLP, or Partnership checks are permitted by law

Please Mail checks to:

Committee to Elect Dan Halloran

PO Box 570102

Whitestone, NY 11357

www.danhalloran.org

Kennedy Legends Self - Made

Editor

Irish Examiner

New York City

www.irishexaminerusa.com

Dear Editor:

Pat Hurley's commentary on the late Senator Kennedy's role in Ireland's conflict has much to commend it. As the only person to serve on the National Boards of three major Irish-American organizations and as a member of several others for over 30 years I can relate to much of what Mr. Hurley says.

Senator Kennedy was nowhere on the US-UK Extradition Treaty vote and never used his knowledge of Senate rules and procedures to delay or prevent the vote. It was Senator Kerry who was in the media explaining the real meaning of the Treaty to an unsuspecting public. Senator Kennedy never used his Senate pulpit to disclose the British role in the assassination campaigns of Sinn Fein elected officials or their role in the largest atrocity of the conflict, the Dublin-Monaghan bombings. Instead he would threaten other countries with fund cut-offs and sanctions whose death squads killed political opponents and whose human rights records were abysmal.

Indeed, on every major issue of concern to the small but activist Irish-American community, Senator Kennedy's role was minimal or non-existent.

MacBride Principles? Nice but toed the John Hume line that we dare not put them into action for fear of offending the British.

Visa denial? Despite repeated efforts on the part of several organizations to secure his interest in a lawsuit to challenge the U. S. denial of a visa to Gerry Adams, an elected Member of Parliament, Senator Kennedy and his 'whiz kids' staff never took an interest in the issue and thus upheld the British veto. It was not until President Clinton took the position he did that Senator Ted jumped on the train leaving the station pretending to be the engineer.

Corruption of justice in the North? You would think a 'gimme' for this "lion of liberalism" but not so. The conveyor belt imprisonment of thousands through Diplock Courts, the Birmingham 6, Guildford 4 and other symptoms of British lawlessness never drew more than platitudes, press releases and meaningless resolutions from one of the Senate's most powerful members.

There was plentiful concern for injustice elsewhere on which he took serious action e.g. El Salvador etc, but not for the Irish that needed his concern most. When the British weren't playing him like a Stradavarious they were more than likely buying his silence or inaction with deals, the likes of which only history may reveal.

What can explain this truth? First, the Senator was largely ignorant of the conflict's origins and chose to remain so because there was always bigger fish to fry. The small Irish-American lobby had only truth, facts and justice to work with while what impresses the Kennedys is well - monied lobbyists with spin machines to match. Secondly, and this is in part a defense of his inaction, during most of the conflict the Dublin governmant would parade an endless stream of foreign affairs mouthpieces who had never been to the North of Ireland and who were first and foremost afraid of offending their British "betters". In 1970, it took James Heaney, a lawyer from Buffalo, NY to shame the Irish government into joining a lawsuit in the European Court of Human Rights. That's how pitiful the Irish government was and, in some respects, still is.

Now that the Senator has been laid to rest, let the emphasis on his life be on his personal qualities as a father, husband or friend. No amount of media spin can change the fact that if the Senator was a true friend of Ireland, he could have literally saved the lives of thousands by learning about and standing up for the afficted Catholic community that endured 30 years of systematic oppression without his voice to help them.

Michael Cummings is a former member of the national boards of the Irish Northern Aid Committee, the Ancient Order of Hibernians and a current member of the Irish American Unity Conference.

Michael J. Cummings

Albany, New York

Pete King Fundraiser - Date Change

We have had to change the date and time for our upcoming reception for Congressman King in NYC.

The new date and time for Georgette Mosbacher's home reception is:

Monday, November 2, 2009
Beginning at 5:30 PM

A revised invitation and response form is attached for your review and information.
,
Congressman King and Georgette would be pleased to have your paticipation in the event.

Thank you for your consideration!


Mike G Burton,

Finance Director

Pete King for Congress Committee

1526 17th Street NW, #101Washington, DC 20036

MikeGBurton@aol.com

202-302-7678 (cell)

202-986-5319 (fax)

Georgette Mosbacher

cordially invites you to a reception

in honor of

Congressman Pete King
New York’s Third District
Ranking Member, Homeland Security Committee
Member, Financial Services Committee


At her residence

1020 Fifth Avenue
(entrance on 83rd Street)
New York, NY

Monday, November 2, 2009
5:30 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.



RSVP Form Attached Business Attire


Not Printed at Government Expense
Paid for by Pete King for Congress



Congressman Pete King Reception RSVP

_____ Yes, I will attend the November 2nd reception and financially participate at the following level:

_____ Event Co-Sponsor. I commit to give or raise $4,800 for the event.
Includes up to four tickets.

_____ Event Co-Host. I commit to give or raise $2,400 for the event.
Includes up to four tickets. (PAC’s $5,000).

_____ Supporter. I would like to reserve ______ ticket(s) at $500 per
person.

_____ I cannot attend the reception, however, I’ve enclosed my contribution
of $__________.

Name:_____________________________________


Guest Name:____________________________________

Address ___________________________________________

City/State/Zip _________________________________

Home Phone _________________Work Phone ________________

Fax _________________E-mail __________________

Occupation _____________Employer ________________

(Federal law requires political committees to use their best efforts to obtain and report the name, address, occupation and employer for each individual whose contributions aggregate in excess of $200 a calendar year)

RSVP BY RETURNING THIS FORM VIA FAX TO:
202-986-5319
Checks payable to
Pete King for Congress Committee
and mailed to
Pete King for Congress Committee
1526 17th Street NW, #101, Washington, DC 20036
Questions or Information, Call 202-302-7678

Paid for by Pete King for Congress, P.O. Box 1428, Seaford, NY 11783. Contributions are not deductible for income tax purposes. Corporate contributions are not permitted. PAC contributions are limited to $5,000 per election cycle. $5,000 for the Primary and $5,000 for the General, for a total of $10,000. Individual contributions are limited to $2,400 per election cycle, $2,400 for the Primary and $2,300 for the General, for a total of $4,800

MikeGBurton@aol.com

NYS Conservative Party Honors Amb. Bolton

Conservative Party of New York State



State Chairman Michael R. Long

The Officers

and

Members of The New York State Conservative Party

Cordially invite you to our 2009 Fall Reception

Honoring

AMBASSADOR JOHN R. BOLTON

with

The Charles Edison Memorial Award

on

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

at

The New York Athletic Club (Ninth Floor)

180 Central Park South (59th Street just off Seventh Avenue)

New York City

Kindly R.S.V.P. by October 26th, 2009

For Additional Information: Call 718-921-2158

Tickets: $500

www.cpnys.org

Please make your check payable to the New York State Conservative Party. You may alo contribute by credit card.

Tickets are as follows: Reception $500 per person; $5,000 for 10 Tickets to General Reception plus 2 Tickets to VIP Reception & Photo Opportunity; $10,000 for 10 Tickets to General Reception plus 6 tickets to VIP reception and photo opportunity.

Contributions are not tax-deductible. All contributions will be deposited in the Conservative Party's federal account. They will be used in federal and other elections as may be permitted by law. Contributions exceeding the federal limits shall be deposited in the state accounts of the Conservative Party, and are subject to contribution limits of the New York State Election Law. Contributions from Corporations and State PACs are accepted and will be deposited in the Conservative Party's accounts subject to the provisions of the New York State Election Law. PACs are limited to $84,400 in aggregate political contributions. Corporations are limited to $5,000 in aggregate political contributions per year. Any amount exceeding these limits will be deposited into Party housekeeping accounts which may receive unlimited contributions.

State Headquarters
486 78th Street
Ft. Hamilton Station, NY 11209
718-921-2158

http://www.cpnys.org/

Cross Border Orchestra

The Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland

presents

THE CROSSING
Thursday, October 29, 2009 8 P.M.

Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center
Broadway & 65th Street

Tickets $25.00 - $100.00
212-875-5030

Maestro Gearoid Grant - Conductor
Emmanuel Lawler - Tenor
Patrick Martin - Highland & Uilleann pipes

Accompanied on stage by a variety of Childrens' Choirs including
St. Sebastian's Childrens, Choir, Woodside, N.Y.

IAR's Frank Duggan in UN Ghaddffi Protest

Irish American Republican Frank Duggan leads protest against Libyan leader Ghaddffi at the United Nations.

Click below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBB2YfiCfYE

Dublin/Monaghan, not Omagh, was Bloodiest Day

Public Editor

New York Times

October 7th

In an article today ("Lithuiana Resumes IRA Dissident Trial") which is from the AP, the following sentence occurs. It reads: The Real IRA was responsible for the deadliest attack of the entire four-decade conflict over Northern Ireland: the August 1998 car-bombing of Omagh that killed 29 people, mostly women and children. It is an oft-repeated falsehood about which I have complained to the AP without effect. It is a falsehood that serves a purpose and therein lies a story.

The facts of the matter, which can be readily ascertained, is that the 1974 bombing of Dublin & Monaghan Town Centers in the Irish Republic was, and is today, the largest atrocity of the conflict. Near simultaneous car bombs were detonated without warning by a single squad of loyalists killing 33, mostly women and children at the peak shopping hour. Why then wouldt he AP say otherwise? In fact, the Dublin-Monaghan bombings is still a hotly contested matter between the British and Irish governments, the subject of Irish government investigations which have been stonewalled by the British government.

A Harvard Professor J. Bowyer Bell has told much of this story in his book Indubious Battle but suffice it to say the Dublin-Monaghan bombings were planned and executed by the British Army with a special unit actually delivering the primed bombs to the loyalists to drive South. It is speculated that the British Army authorized the attack, essentially an act of war, in aid of the loyalist cause. The only question now is from where did this authorization emanate.

The purpose of continuing this lie is not too different from Goebbel's purpose in using the Jews as a scapegoat. If you repeat a lie often enough, people will come to believe it. When I asked Jim Clarity (NY Times) about this, he stated that the British saw the Dublin-Monaghan bombings as two seperate incidents and thus not worthy of the 'single' largest atrocity label. Convenient no? What the British could not countenance in the public media is any thought that they could be responsible for such a senseless act of slaughter. That is the core of my complaint. My request is that the New York Times not use this 'spin phrase' again and that it complain to the Associated Press about its use in future dispatches.

Is this a tempest in a teapot or a semantic squabble without significance? Far from it. As Jo Thomas (NY Times) revealed in her journalistic work, the British have taken control of coverage of this conflict from the outset and the American media has, for many reasons, allowed them to do so. A terrible consequence of this is the cover-up of the British government's instigator role in formenting anti-Catholic hate, discrimination, in-human and civil rights abuses, death squads and in the corruption of law and justice. The U. S. reporting of the conflict was widely criticized and Ms Thomas' work seemed to confirm the criticism. The pepetuation of this falsehood continually calls into question the credibility of the newspaper that carries it.

Sincerely,

Michael J. Cummings

Albany, N.Y.

Mr. Cummings holds the distinction of being the only person to have served on the boards of the three largest and most active Irish American organizations, the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Irish American Unity Conference and Irish Northern Aid. He served for thirty years throughout the conflict.

Top Cop Ray Kelly to lead 2010 NYC St. Patrick's Parade

THE 2010 GRAND MARSHAL OF NYC ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE HAS ROSCOMMON AND LONGFORD HERITAGE

NEW YORK, NY - Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

The New York City St Patrick’s Day Parade Committee is pleased to announce that the Grand Marshal of the 249th NYC St. Patrick's Day Parade will be The Honorable Raymond W. Kelly, Police Commissioner of the City of New York.

“Commissioner Kelly traces his Irish heritage to the West of Ireland, to the counties of Roscommon and Longford," said Hilary Beirne, executive secretary and web master for the Parade Committee.

“We are delighted that Commissioner Kelly will proudly lead the Irish American community up Fifth Avenue on Wednesday, March 17th, 2010 for the 249th consecutive St Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City," Beirne said.

Parade ChairmanJohn Dunleavy said “We are truly delighted that Commissioner Kelly has been unanimously selected as the 2010 Grand Marshal. He is a man who is beloved in the Irish-American community and in the United States. He is an outstanding Irish American who has devoted a huge amount of his considerable energy and charisma to building enduring and durable ties between America on the one hand and Ireland and the rest of the world on the other. We know that his selection as Grand Marshal will be a widely popular one.”

The march up Fifth Avenue is the world’s oldest and largest civic Parade. It celebrates “The Faith of Ireland, Irish heritage and Culture”. The New York City St. Patrick’s Parade began in 1762, fourteen years before the Declaration of Independence was signed in Independence Hall, Philadelphia. The Parade is regarded as the most popular of all marches in New York City, and honors Saint Patrick - the patron Saint of the Archdiocese of New York and of Ireland. The event consists only of marchers. Each year it involves some 250,000 participants and two million spectators. The Parade has many great marching bands, bagpipers, and high-school and college bands from throughout the United States and from all over the world.

“We not only televise the Parade, but also webcast it live over the internet,” said Hilary Beirne. “The web casting enables everyone in Ireland to watch their friends and family here in New York march up Fifth Avenue after all of the local Parades”, Beirne said. “Indeed, the viewership of the webcast will most likely out pace television viewership next year, with over 50,000 logging on this past March 17th. A number we except to increase dramatically this coming year.”

The Parade is webcast through the Parade’s web site at NYCStPatricksParade.Org and NBC’s web site at www.wnbc.com.

For additional information regarding the 2010 Grand Marshal and pre - Parade events, contact Hilary Beirne at the Parade Office or visit the NYC St Patrick’s Day Parade web site at NYCStPatricksParade.Org.


Press Contacts
Hilary Beirne
Parade Executive Secretary and Web Master
PO Box 295 Woodlawn Station,
Woodlawn, NY 10470
718-231-4400/ 914-833-8363
E-mail: HBeirne@NYC-St-Patrick-Day-Parade.Org
Web Site: http://NYCStPatricksParade.Org

Teddy . . . Unsanitized

www.irishexaminerusa.com

Teddy... Unsanitized

The incessant, insufferable bombast of falsities and hyperbole on the passing of Senator Ted Kennedy is over. The affront to the truth became so nauseating that, as a relief, one almost longed for the effusive Michael Jackson coverage... Read more...

Hudson Valley Irish Festival

On Saturday, September 26th the inaugural Hudson Valley Irish Festival will be held at Peekskill Riverfront Green Park.

The park, conveniently located next to Route 9 and the Peekskill MetroNorth station on the Hudson Line, offers one of the most dramatic vistas on the Hudson River.

The event will raise funds to support Irish music, art and culture in the lower Hudson Valley. The Festival is a joint effort of AOH Division 18 Peekskill and the Peekskill St. Patrick's Committee.

Click on the below link for a press release and poster with more info. Please do not hesitate to call (914) 588-2710 for further details.

HVIF_Press&Media09.pdf, Hudson_valley_irish_fest_final.pdf

What's in the Kennedy Name?

Daniel J. Flynn
What’s in the Kennedy Name?
Less and less

If Congress passes President Obama’s trillion-dollar overhaul of the nation’s health-care industry, political entrepreneurs are sure to seek a cut of the enormous prize, and few have positioned themselves more skillfully than Ted Kennedy, Jr. “For years, Kennedy, Jr. has been boldly exploiting both his name and his intimate relationship with the most influential member of the U.S. Senate when it comes to health care and organized labor: his father, Senator Ted Kennedy,” Dick Morris and Eileen McGann write in their new book, Catastrophe. “And his father has been all too willing to help out in making the family connection into a lucrative business for his son.” Over the course of this decade, medical giants with business interests before the senator have showered money upon his son’s lobbying businesses: Bristol-Myers Squibb has paid $380,000; the Advanced Medical Technology Association, $220,000; Ascension Health, $280,000. Ask not what you can do for your name; ask what your name can do for you.

Continue reading, click below:

http://www.city-journal.org/2009/19_3_snd-kennedys.html

In Step with Ted

Daniel J. Flynn
In Step with Ted
As Kennedy tilted left, the Democratic Party generally followed.
4 September 2009

http://www.city-journal.org/

When Ted Kennedy won his first election in 1962, he joined a Massachusetts congressional delegation composed of Republican Leverett Saltonstall in the Senate and eight Democrats and six Republicans in the House. Though Democrats controlled both houses of the state legislature, Republican John Volpe served as governor. Massachusetts, then, was the picture of divided government. But today, a week after Kennedy’s death, Democrats hold every statewide constitutional office, both houses of the legislature have been in Democratic hands for half a century, and Democrats constitute the Bay State’s entire congressional delegation. In the last election, no Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives reached 30 percent of the vote. Massachusetts has become the epitome of a one-party state.

Continue reading, click below:

http://www.city-journal.org/2009/eon0904df.html

Re - Elect Pete King Fundraiser

Fundraiser for Congressman Pete King in Manhattan

October 5, 2009, beginning at 6:00 PM.

Georgette Mosbacher

has agreed to again open her beautiful home on behalf of the Congressman's re-election.

Click on below link for further information.

Individual admission for this event is $1,000 per person.

If you have an interest in being a Co-Sponsor, or Co-Host of the event, please contact the Finance Director for details.

Finance Director

Pete King for Congress Committee

1526 17th Street NW, #101Washington, DC 20036

202-302-7678 (cell)

202-986-5319 (fax)

Click below for more info:

MosbacherPeteKingRecpetion100509.doc