Value our young people
A Chairde,
Thank you for the article by Mick Derrig on male suicide.
He says ``this is a very discriminating killer... almost always the
victims are young males''. Absolutely, but he did not mention that
almost all are a certain type of young male. They are almost always
gentle, quiet, seemingly happy young men and friends and family cannot
figure out what has gone wrong.
Could I add that it is not just the image of their father's life that
does not appeal to them. Many of these young men simply do not relate
to their own peers, who now have to compete even more ruthlessly than
previous generations to climb the social/economic ladder. There is
nothing wrong with the young suicidal men themselves but there is very
much wrong with the society in which we all live. We are all poorer
for the loss of these sensitive people whose dream in life was not
attainable in this hurried, rigidly structured world.
It may not be obvious but we really are entering a new age in which
the whole person will be nourished and valued. The sooner we get
together to join up the existing networks of complementary health,
education, banking and communication, etc., the sooner we will welcome
in the new age of which our gentle brothers and sisters are the
heralds.
We all need courage to face down the Vincent Brownes of this life.
There is a mean streak in our media which I believe Mr. Browne
typifies. On the other hand, a broadcaster like Anne Daly is worth
emulating if audience is to be informed and interviewee respected. It
would take someone of her calibre to air this subject with the awe and
humility it deserves.
Mick, it may seem that ``no one else seems to care'' but it really is
that people are lost for words to empathise. Families are doing their
best for their children but the social environment can be a very hard
place. People are so shattered when there is a suicide in their family
that they often retreat into themselves in shock.
My own beautiful, gentle, smiling niece committed suicide when she was
24. I could not begin to describe what this loss has meant to our
family.
So it really is up to people as a whole who value a truly cross-gifted
society to help ensure that all our young people are valued for what
they are.
Noelle Ryan,
Belfast.
Male Suicide
Mick Derrig makes a passionate plea to concern ourselves with the high
preponderance of young men among suicides - young men who don't want
to enter a manhood ``that is derided and discarded by an aggressive
male-hating ideology... in a state where social policy is based on the
immaculate conception, where the father doesn't exist''.
There is much that is objectionable in the vision of manhood society
holds out to youth, not least of which is the male as the master race,
which the `aggressive male hater' has sometimes derided, in an
unsuccessful attempt to discard. Is this the ideology which might help
young people to face into their manhood?
Pity about them.
The master-slave relationship does not make for happy campers on
either side. Nor is it every young man's wish to join
`masterhood/manhood', especially if it holds out female circumcision,
foot binding, or just slapping around as the preferred way to realise
his masterhood.
Thrusting a seed into the receptacle is scarcely sufficient grounds to
demand a part in the upbringing of the progeny. The mores of the state
no longer guarantee you that part which failure to communicate as
humans might rob you of.
Pity about it.
I don't personally look to ``PfP to put a value on young male Irish
lives'', or accept the ideology of masterhood, which underlies NATO's
designs for aggrandisement, as the recipe to deal with young men's
alienation, Irish or not.
It's the very rejection of the master/slave relationship, as it
persists, and the aspiration of a conversant partnership of two human
beings, that might ground a tolerable vision of humanity for when you
grow up.
There is more than the father missing from the immaculate conception.
Name and address supplied.
Death by Assassination
Murder Will Out
After more than 200 years, we now have more than circumstantial
evidence of Wolfe Tone's last days in jail and it reinforces all
nationalist opinion that his death was contrived by the British.
In July of 1973, a document was discovered in Paris written by the
French emigré medical doctor who attended Tone in his last days in
jail. This document was taken back to Dublin and not translated from
Latin to English until last year. The doctor, Benjamin Lentaigne, was
a member of the English army, the 15th Dragoon Guards, and a man
hostile to the revolution.
Briefly, he recorded ``an unusual neck wound suffered by an `unnamed'
prisoner which indictaed that a pistol bullet passed through his
throat (etc. etc.). This account is given in The Irish Journal of
Medical Science last year.
To cover up their foul deed, the government refused repeated requests
by Tone's family to have their medical doctor admitted to see their
son, but all to no avail. It is fairly obvious the government had
something to hide and were afraid their assassination attempt -
botched though it was - would be exposed and the French government
would take reprisals on the many English army officers who at that
time were POWs in France, if Tone were executed and not accorded his
status as an officer of the French army to avoid the death sentence.
To cover up, the French doctor simply slashed Tone's throat and the
English lie was born; death by suidice.
Some time previously, Napper Tandy, another United Irishman, was
arrested and sentenced to death, but being also a French army officer,
he claimed POW status and was released. Tone knew he had the same
avenue if need be, but the government would not let their most
dangerous individual go free, so his death was engineered to make the
French think it was suicide.
Down the years, the British have always peddled their lie as to the
truth of Tone's death in order to discredit him and his ideas for a
country free from British interference. This lie has been perpetuated
by pro-British historians for the same motives as their friends in
London. Many Irish clergy, Catholic bishops included, have strenuously
denounced Tone and all he stood for; one bishop a few years ago,
referring to Tone, called him ``cut-throat Tone''. The money that went
to build Maynooth by the British government was being repaid with
interest.
Cathal Quinn,
Killala,
County Mayo.
Fundamentalist motives
A Chairde,
I read Pádraig MacDabhaid's article titled ``Fundamentalism and
unionism not far apart'' and would like to add a clarifying statement
about politically motivated fundamentalists and true God fearing
fundamentalists.
True fundamentalism is apolitical and preaches a ``greater'' love for
one's brother and sister. It's about using biblical principles to
guide one's life for the glory of God and the betterment of mankind.
Politically motivated fundamentalists preach accendancy, superiority
and sectarianism. It's about using power and deception for pride,
politics and the glory of oneself.
While I agree with Mr MacDabhaid's statements about Clifford Peebles,
I would like to let you know that there are a few of us republican
fundamentalists out there who know where to draw the line between
politics and faith.
Arthur Costigan,
Easton,
Pennsylvania,
USA.
Colourblind detention
A Chairde,
Recently Dino, an East Timorese acquaintance of mine was singled out
and detained by immigration officials at Dublin airport.
Although Dino is Timorese, he is also a Portuguese and therefore,
European passport holder, legally living and studying at university in
Dublin. He was returning to Dublin on this Euro/Portuguese passport.
For what other reason would he have been singled out from all the
other passengers going through the Euro passport corridor other than
because of the colour of his skin?
That's what this country has come to under the dictatorship of the
minister for ``Justice'', John O'Donoghue.
Derek Redican,
Tallaght,
Dublin 24
Paddy's Parade disgrace
A Chairde,
Having read the article online in An Phoblacht regarding the SDLP
backing unionists as far as funding the St. Patricks Day Parade 2000
in Belfast, I'm shocked.
Should an international petition of some sort be circulated to help
turn the tide on funding for the parade I would be happy to sign it.
Thank you for your fine publication.
Charles McLaughlin,
Albuquerque,
New Mexico,
USA