The Knock Song, Irish Resistance to War and 8 G's!

Looks like Knock Airport is next on Ulick McEvaddy's list to make Ireland complicit in pampering the U.S. military as it expands it's tumultous empire. If only we had the gall to give them the instructions on the image attached! The Irish Examiner is reporting today the Board of Managment at Knock have refused to rule out possible future business with the U.S. military which will be officially put forward before the Board by McEvaddy in March. As if our Mayo brothers and sidters didn't have enough crap to deal with, embodied by Shell and their Rent a Cop defenders, An Garda Siochana

I remember reading an article three years ago in the Sunday Business Post (No, I don't buy it - I'm one of those people who spends hours in big newsagents or bookshops reading without dipping into his pocket to purchase)about McEvaddy and his brother winning an exclusive contract to fuel US Military aircraft flying over Ireland - if memory serves me right it was the mid-air flight refuelling contract they won. Any ideas how extensive this contract was? I believe TOP oil (Ted Castle Oil Products) still have the Irish contract to refuel U.S. military and civilian planes contracted by the U.S. military.

Anyhow, Roger Cole from the Peace and Neutrality Alliance is quoted as saying “We are clearly stating that as of 2003, from the initiation of the war in Iraq, in international law terms Ireland is no longer neutral”.

He goes on to say that “Shannon to date has been the largest single base for the US using it as a pit stop, there’s no other equivalent.”

To true Roger. The Irish eace movement are on the backfoot though. Those of us who got acquitted in July for the Pitstop Ploughshares action are for the most part out of the country. The plan for 100 people to do Non Violent Direct Action in affinity groups is at a standstill.

The Irish Anti-War Movement will stage a demo. at Dublin's U.S. Embassy on Thursday January 18th against the planned 21,000 increase of U.S. troops for Iraq. Other than that their focus is promoting a pledge for constituents to ask their local deputies about their position on the war, use of Shannon, etc.

Anti-War Ireland in co-operation with the Irish Anti-War Movement and the Irish Palestine Solidarity Campaign are organising a series of meetings with human rights activist Caoimhe Butterly, recently returned from Lebanon. Her first talk will be in Dublin at a public meeting to be held at the Teacher's Club on Parnell Square. Belfast, Cork, Limerick and Galway meetings are also on her schedule. Keep an eye on the soon to re-established Indymedia for exact details.

Here in Warsaw we are getting ready for the Anti-G8 International Gathering in early February - the G8is due to take place on Germany's north-eastern Baltic coastline in early June. Major deployments of cops and military personnel/hardware are being prepared to protect the world's 8 key representatives of a system that misleads, bleeds, exploits, perpetuates injustice in trade and crucifies the antithesis we propagate - mutual aid, justice with peace, fair trade, and the abolishing of the current capitalist economic disorder, 'sanctified' in the eyes of the masses through the world's mainstream religions' collaboration and ritualistic blessings.

The image attached also applies to those planning to carve up the spoils of their economic expolitation in Germany this coming June!

Over and Out - comment at will.......