US military aircraft opening a second front at Knock may prove to be no apparition

KNOCK airport board has not ruled out allowing US troops to fly in there. Ulick McEvaddy has said he saw no reason why Knock should not benefit from the revenue of US military flights.

He is one of the owners of Omega Air, a company with a fleet of converted Boeing aircraft that have gained lucrative contracts for mid-air refuelling of US military and air force warplanes.

These warplanes have helped to destroy Iraq and Afghanistan in wars that have caused the deaths of over 660,000 people. The airport board, including the Archbishop of Tuam and the parish priest of Knock, acknowledged “Mr McEvaddy’s wealth of experience and integrity in the aviation and business world”. Mr McEvaddy’s response to the board’s announcement was: “Never say never. I have huge connections with the US military, and if it came to using them, I would”.

Perhaps he could persuade B 52s to drop a few ‘sticks’ of white phosphorous near the Knock shrine if the Mayo clergy don’t cooperate. Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern’s remarks to the EU parliament that the CIA torture planes at Knock were apparitions may become prophetic.

I would like to make another prophesy: if they wish to use Knock to profit from unlawful US wars, they will need to look to their fences. The peace camps at Knock will be no apparitions.

The airport board’s statement was very clear to those familiar with international law and international malpractice. “Such flights would have to have the support of the Irish Government and the UN”. All the US troops and all the munitions and CIA torture planes that have passed through Shannon have had the support of the Government, backed up by the gardaí and the army. The fact that the Government, gardaí and army are in breach of Irish and international laws is simply ignored.

The UN did initially oppose the Iraq War, but then caved in to pressure and unlawfully approved the occupation post-facto, in contravention of a General Assembly resolution declaring it a ‘Principle of the United Nations’ that any such occupation cannot be legitimised post-facto.

Effectively, the Knock board have already approved the use of their airport for US military misadventures. The first use may well be for the mid-air refuelling (by Omega Air?) of B 52s dropping nuclear tipped bombs on Iranian nuclear facilities. Of course, this will only be done on “humanitarian and ethical grounds”.

Edward Horgan,

Newtown

Castletroy

Co Limerick