Sir, - It heartens me that much opinion here in the United States is critical of the bombing of Iraq. A radio commentator described it as "terrorism on a grand scale." Edward Peck, the US ambassador to Iraq from 1977 to 1980, denounced the attack as "intemperate, imperial, racist and unwise". A fellow priest in my parish lamented that, while Clinton rightly respected Ramadan, he thought nothing of violating the sacred month of Christians.
But what has the Irish Government had to say? Nothing, I gather, except some mealy-mouthed acquiescence. There is nothing more dispiriting to us in the Irish Diaspora than to find our native country silent when international events call for strong speech. We are no longer surprised when Britain adopts its customary status of servile puppet to the US. But do we not have a right to expect that Ireland's vocation in the world might be something more noble than servile puppet of a servile puppet?
Living in Northern Ireland throughout the 1980s, I saw at first hand what bombs can do. I despised the bombers, but reserved my greatest contempt for the fellow-travellers who, from safe vantage points, made excuses for the bombers.
Now I reserve the same contempt for an Irish Government that is content to be a fellow-traveller of the "terrorism on a grand scale" of the US and Britain. I want to say to Mr Ahern what our schoolmaster in Bunnacurry, Achill, would say whenever a pupil lapsed into a dumb silence: "Speak up, man. Have you lost your voice?"- Yours, etc., Rev Declan Deane,
St Monica Parish, Moraga, California, USA.