George W Bush threatened Iran with a nuclear strike when he said “all options are on the table”.
Truman threatened Korea with nuclear weapons when he said “we will take whatever steps are necessary to meet the military situation, just as we always have”, referring possibly to five years previously when the US had nuked Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Eisenhower also threatened both Korea and China with a nuclear response in 1953 and 1955 respectively. (China apparently decided to develop nuclear weapons themselves after these threats.)
Kennedy threatened Cuba with a nuclear strike during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Clinton threatened Iraq with a nuclear strike in 1991. During the 1994 North Korean nuclear crisis, Clinton threatened North Korea with nuclear weapons. When the West threatens nuclear war it’s always treated as an example of strong statesmanship and sober reflection. Not so when it’s the other side. Then it’s always treated as reckless and irresponsible by the same MSM. Western people love Russian people, and Russian people love Western people. Western people love North Koreans and North Koreans love Western people. It’s the powerful elites of each country who are the psychopaths, not the ordinary people.
Louis Shawcross
Hillsborough
Co Down
Prison threat for abortion protest fails free speech
While not being totally shocked when it happened, I was disappointed that Ireland’s Human Rights Commission should advocate prison terms of up to two years for abortion opponents who might engage in dignified, prayerful, and peaceful activities, close to buildings where abortions are performed. This may well have far-reaching consequences for freedom of expression in this country.
Since the inauguration of the country’s abortion legislation almost four years ago, and with assurances from the Garda Commissioner that the current laws are perfectly adequate, there have been no arrests or prosecutions of pro-life supporters for use of threats or intimidation. Now they are potentially facing severe financial penalties, and/or imprisonment, even if attempting to silently and respectfully make a point in support of defenceless unborn life.
What is happening to the proportionality which is supposedly central to European law, and to peaceable rights of free speech and expression?
Rory O’Donovan
Killeens
Cork
Defence Forces deserve better
Sean O Riordan’s excellent article, (Dearth of technical staff may force Navy to mothball new ships, Irish Examiner, October 8), highlights once again the continuing crisis in the naval service.
It also highlights the neglect, indifference, and ineptitude of successive ministers for defence who have failed to adequately address the crisis in the naval service and Defence Forces generally. The naval service, Defence Forces and citizens of this state, deserve better.
Conor Hogarty
Blackrock
Co Dublin
Shane Ross call for Sinn Féin ban
I can assure Mick Clifford (Forum, 8 October) that had I been approached by Shane Ross to assist with his book on Mary Lou McDonald I would have had no hesitation in declining. I would not need to consult any “Northern faction” (Ross’s words) but I would simply remember the call many moons ago by the then Senator Shane Ross for Sinn Féin and An Phoblacht to be banned.
Mícheál Mac Donncha
Cill Bharróg
Baile Átha Cliath
O’Rourke Sinn Féin claims are baseless
At the launch of Shane Ross’s biography of Mary Lou McDonald, former RTÉ presenter Sean O’Rourke reportedly was critical of Sinn Féin members who did not assist Mr Ross. Mr O’Rourke questioned whether Sinn Féin, for many years a victim of RTÉ censorship, might threaten media freedoms.
O’Rourke’s exaggerated concerns are baseless (The Mick Clifford Podcast: Doherty would have been Sinn Féin leader if put to a vote, says Ross, October 8). Former senator, TD and minister Shane Ross is no political neophyte. He has a track record with Sinn Féin and the Troubles. In 1983 he wanted the party made illegal, its offices shut down and its newspaper banned.
Mr Ross’s latest effort is to contribute a biography of the Sinn Féin leader he says is not a “hatchet job”. I beg to differ. Why would (or should) Sinn Féin members co-operate in such a venture? They are as free to exercise, or not, their freedom of speech as is Mr O’Rourke in discussions of the ‘golf gate’ event he attended some years ago.
Tom Cooper
Templeogue,
Dublin 6
One child policy violates liberties
The continuous growth of human populations around the world is frequently associated with poverty, starvation, declining living standards and environmental deterioration. There is, therefore, a widely perceived need to curtail population growth. Louis Shawcross (Irish Examiner, “ Limit all families to just one child,” October 8), proposes that the West, like China, should implement a one-child policy. This is an untenable proposition. Such a policy would violate civil liberties — a problem for democracies in the West but evidently not for China which has been governed by a succession of dictatorial regimes.
The growth of population in the West is driven by immigration from poorer countries, not by natural population increase. Populations in the West, including Ireland, would decline in the absence of such immigration.
The West can learn from China on this issue, but only in a negative sense.
China’s one-child policy, initiated in 1980, has given rise to some unforeseen consequences. It has led to sex-selective abortions and infanticide - targeting girls because of a traditional preference for boys. China terminated its one-child policy in January 2016 and is now grappling with problems arising from a rapidly ageing population and a shrinking pool of labour to sustain economic growth.
Continuous population growth is undoubtedly a major global problem. It is enormously complex and requires a number of initiatives, especially measures to alleviate poverty which would entail the allocation of resources from wealthy countries to poorer countries.
International aid to address excessive population growth should include the funding of education and the provision of free contraceptives to vulnerable girls and women.
Don O’Leary,
Mallow
Co Cork
Drinks industry initiative is tainted
The problems resulting from alcohol in our country will not be solved by the drinks industry throwing tainted money at a charity that’s neither needed nor wanted.
If the industry wants to do something positive then maybe it could discontinue the persistent lobbying of our elected officials every time some positive measures are undertaken to address the alcohol problem in our country.
This was never more evident than during the prolonged passage of the Public Health Alcohol Bill into law.
The alcohol industry is the problem; it can’t be part of the solution.
€20m is a minuscule amount to the alcohol industry and does nothing for the families who have suffered and are suffering from alcohol abuse.
So Drinkaware, keep your tainted money and keep your “charity” away from our schools.
John Higgins
Ballina
Co Mayo
An Bórd Pleanála’s huge legal spend
The fact that An Bórd Pleanála spends half of its budget on legal challenges to its decisions is indicative of the imbalance between Government and the legal system.
Tony Phillips
Shankill
Co Dublin
Eviction ban is virtue-signalling
The proposed blanket ban on evictions by Irish private landlords, even against nightmare tenants, is also a signal to not pay any rent going forward.
This is the neo-liberal “justice for all” mentality which is creating havoc with the rights of all citizens.
It simply adds up to ownership of property to let not being worth the effort, exposed to the made-up new rules and regulations which change on a frequent basis.
When Micheál Martin said before his budget that he wanted “to engage with landlords”, he really obviously meant they must obey everything.
Virtue-signalling is the new political imperative. Do we just get used to it?
Robert Sullivan,
Bantry
Co Cork
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