"Most of us take it for granted how great our country is. We have the freedom of speech, and the Presidents of our country have never taken control of our personal lives."
– Claire Cassidy, 10, student at St. Philip's in San Francisco
At a time when America is coming under criticism from many quarters, let us not forget how truly unique this country is. If there is any doubt … [Read more...] about The First Word:
The Greatest Country
Politics
The First Word:
Bush Greeted with Antagonism in Ireland
There was no Céad Mile Fáilte for President George W. Bush when he made his first visit to the Irish Republic. Thousands of soldiers and police were drafted in to keep protestors away from the President and his entourage as he made a brief visit to Co. Clare at the end of June. The biggest security operation in the history of the State was mounted for the visit, which was … [Read more...] about Bush Greeted with Antagonism in Ireland
The Not So Great Escape
Ten years after robbers emptied an armored security van of $7.4 million at gunpoint, a former I.R.A. member has admitted in a memoir that he masterminded the heist. ℘℘℘ Sam Millar rues the fact that he is unlikely to set foot in New York ever again. He spent 16 years in the city, saw his four children born there, set up a successful comic book business in Queens and blew it all … [Read more...] about The Not So Great Escape
The Reagan Democrats
Say what you will about Ronald Reagan, but it can't be denied that he changed the face not of just American politics, but Irish-American politics. Since the time of the Famine, when shrewd political bosses such as New York's Boss Tweed saw votes in the desperate millions as they stepped off of coffin ships, Irish-Americans were loyally tied to the Democratic party in the … [Read more...] about The Reagan Democrats
Sinn Féin and PUP Angry Over New Report
On April 20, 2004, Paul Murphy, Secretary of State of Northern Ireland, announced that the International Monitoring Commission (IMC) had recommended monetary sanctions upon Sinn Féin for the alleged abduction of a dissident Republican by the IRA and on the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) for its connection to the Ulster Volunteer Force, a loyalist paramilitary group. Angry … [Read more...] about Sinn Féin and PUP Angry Over New Report