Dear Sir,
Whatever the reader may be thinking
these days about the dead of 1916 or, indeed, the insanity of World War I
perpetrated by a handful of dysfunctional royal family cousins and their
morally bankrupt military advisers, it is time to reflect again on Article 29
of our Constitution which, as the neutral country that we are, commits us, the
people of Ireland, to the pursuit of peace and the ‘pacific settlement of
international disputes’.
It is hard to believe that in 2016,
our recalcitrant neighbour is allowed to have at least twelve weapons of mass
destruction floating about the waters in nuclear-powered submarines. Just
as abominable is the fact that the Iraq and Afghan wars are set to cost the
United States at least $4 trillion (sic ). Meanwhile, every country in
the EU seems to be making a killing from the arms industry. They can barely
keep up with the demand. Taking these facts into account, one could hardly
expect much sincerity from the UK or the EU in international peace negotiations,
whatever about our empire-making pals across the Atlantic!
A little country like ours, however,
with a constitutional commitment to non-alignment and a majority in favour of
neutrality, can be a beacon of hope with a passion for peace in a world going
mad. The Shannon Airport disgrace aside (two and a half million American
soldiers have been hosted there since 2003 on their way to the killing fields
and dunes of the Middle East), it may come as a shock to some of your readers
that at least ten multinational companies in Ireland, heavily funded by the IDA
and availing of our 12.5% tax-haven status, are exporting arms components worth
billions of euro that end up amongst the rubble and blood in the towns,
villages, fields and sands of far-off countries, killing and maiming men, women
and children and traumatising whole communities for generations in a
never-ending toll of suffering and loss.
Indeed, some readers may not be aware
that software components for killer drones, Hellfire Missiles, Apache Attack
Helicopters, etc. are all Made in Ireland. In fact, Ireland
is now a global player in the war industry, whose sole function is the
facilitation of violent death and destruction.
Where does that leave our credibility
in the pacific settlement of international disputes? How can we
sincerely and morally approach the negotiation table with a passion for peace,
while simultaneously supporting the Masters of War?
Let us now, people of Ireland, demand
an end to this Faustian pact, to the dark shadows cast by the diabolical
presence of the arms industry in this country and set a shining example to our
friends in Europe and throughout the world that you cannot broker peace if you
profit from the instruments of war.
Sincerely,
Gregory
Rosenstock
Thalassa
Seapoint
Road
Bray
Co.
Wicklow
086
6094027
You
can be a leaf in the wind or
The
leaf and the wind – it’s your call…
