Fr. Mc Manus on Nesbitt's Reference to Harold Mc Cusker

The Editor

News Letter

Belfast March 29, 2012

Dear Editor,

I was particularly  interested in  Mike Nesbitt's reference to the late Harold Mc Cuske :  " the best leader we never had." ("Nesbitt pays tribute to ‘undervalued’ Elliott." March 29).

It so happens that just the day before, I learned that Mr. Mc Cusker had admitted to an eminent American writer that -- in order to stay in power -- he often said bigoted things in public, of which he was privately ashamed.

I had met Mr. Mc Cusker several times in Washington. After debating him on the TV Show," Crossfire," he and I were once waiting for a cab on the street,  having a very amicable conversation. As he was about to hop into his cab, he came back to me and in a friendly way prodded my chest with his finger and said : " Never forget this, Sean. There are more of us than there are of you."

I replied: "But what if your artificial majority no longer holds Up? What then?"

He smiled gently, shrugged, gestured with his hands,   as if to say: "What will be, will be." And he was off into the Washington night. I never saw him again, but I was sorry to learn of  his premature death. God rest him.

Fr. Sean Mc Manus

JUSTICE FOR GERRY MC GEOUGH

FR. MC MANUS APPEALS FOR GERRY MC GEOUGH

Mr.David Ford MLA

Northern Ireland Justice Minister

Unit 2 21A Carnmoney Rd,

Newtownabbey BT36 6HL

March 20, 2012

Dear David,

The other issue apart from Marian Price that I wanted to raise with you at the Northern Ireland Bureau breakfast is the case of Gerry Mc Geough.

Like Marian’s case, this is an outrageous perversion of justice.I have spoken to Northern Ireland legal and human rights experts and none of them can make any sense of this case, or why Gerry was singled out in such an exceptional way.

And, again, your reputation is going to be tarnished because of this case.How does all this punitive and vindictive stuff instill confidence in the justice system of Northern Ireland?

Sean

FR. MC MANUS APPEALS FOR JUSTICE FOR MARIAN PRICE

Mr.David Ford MLA

Northern Ireland Justice Minister

Unit 2 21A Carnmoney Rd,

Newtownabbey BT36 6HL 

March 20, 2012

Dear David,

It was nice seeing at today's NI Bureau's breakfast.

I had wanted to raise the issue of Marian Price, but was distracted by all the activity around us.

The humanitarian issue is, of course, inherently compelling: Marian should not be treated in such a inhumane way.

Moreover, her savage treatment is a terrible indictment of the justice system, and a PR- disaster for your Office.

If mercy does not impel you to facilitate her release, then political-legal common sense should.

I know you are a just and decent man, you should not  let others force you to go down in history as the torturer of Marian Price.

Sean

CONGRESSMAN CHRIS SMITH(R-NJ) CHAIRS FOURTEENTH HEARING ON NORTHERN IRELAND

Champion for Irish Justice, Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) chairs fourteenth Congressional Hearing on Northern Ireland: "Prerequisites for Progress in Northern Ireland." Leading witnesses included Mark Thompson, Geraldine Finucane and Christopher Stanley.

CONGRESSMAN CHRIS SMITH (R-NJ)

MARK THOMPSON TESTIFYING

POST HEARING PHOTO

CONGRESSMAN SMITH BETWEEN GERALDINE FINUCANE AND SON JOHN

FAR LEFT: MARK THOMPSON, PATRICIA LUNDY

BESIDE JOHN (L-R) MALACHY MC ALISTER AND CHRIS STANLEY

BARBARA  AND GERALDINE FINUCANE

GERALDINE FINUCANE AND FR. SEAN

RELATIVES FOR JUSTICE WITH SEAN PENDER

Irish-Americans Welcome NI Congressional Hearing

CAPITOL HILL. Wednesday, March 21, 2012-- Irish-Americans expressed enthusiastic support for the Congressional Hearing on Northern Ireland:
“Prerequisites for Progress in Northern Ireland”

“ There is no better way for Washington to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day than a Congressional Hearing on human rights and justice in Northern Ireland,” said Fr. Sean Mc Manus, president of the Capitol Hill-based Irish National Caucus. “ At the end of the day, the thing the British Government is most worried about is adverse opinion in the U.S. Government. “

Fr. Mc Manus went on to praise Chairman Chris Smith. “ This is Chris’ fourteenth Congressional Hearing on Northern Ireland – a remarkable and unprecedented record.” (In his recently published Memoirs, My American Struggle for Justice in Northern Ireland, Fr. Mc Manus describes Chairman Smith as, ‘ the quintessential good guy – dedicated, courageous and committed to human rights everywhere.’ (page 240).

Fr. Mc Manus was particularly pleased that his long-time ally in the struggle, Mark Thompson, Relatives for Justice, was invited to be a witness: “ For many years, Mark has done outstanding work in exposing collusion and other forms of England’s dirty war in The North.”
And he added, “ Mrs. Finucane’s presence, as always, adds great urgency and poignancy to the Hearing.”

He concluded by also welcoming the presence on the Witness Panel of Christopher Stanley of the British-Irish Watch, which has done very valuable work over the years.

ST. PATRICK'S WEEK IN PHOTOS

Martin McGuiness, Deputy Minister for Northern Ireland, and Barbara enjoy the NI Bureau breakfast.

 Mark Thompson, Relatives for Justice Representative, Keith Carney and Sean Pender attend reception for
Relatives for Justice hosted by the Irish National Caucus.

Niall Murphy, legal counsel for Relatives for Justice, with

 Barbara and Fr. Sean

Bill Pribyl, Cathy Reinholt and Stephanie Suerth join Fr. Sean and Sean Pender at reception for Relatives for Justice

US Congressman who supported Irish peace process

The Irish Times - Saturday, March 10, 2012

Donald M Payne: first African- American to be elected to represent New Jersey

Donald M Payne: US CONGRESSMAN Donald Payne, who died of cancer this week aged 77, was a frequent member of US delegations that travelled to Northern Ireland.

He visited the Garvaghy Road in Portadown and different parts of Belfast at times of community tension over Orange marches.

Payne, a Democrat, was the first African-American to be elected to represent New Jersey in the House of Representatives. He went on to become chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams said he was “a thoughtful, generous, and well-informed politician” and “very supportive of the Irish peace process from the beginning.”

Fr Seán McManus, president of the US-based lobby group the Irish National Caucus, said Congressman Payne was a “noble soul” and that he “hungered and thirsted for justice – in America, Africa and throughout the world”. He recalled how, in congressional hearings on the anti-discrimination MacBride Principles, Payne said that as an African-American he could “easily identify with the Catholic minority” in Northern Ireland.

He had declared his ambition to become New Jersey’s first black congressman as early as 1974, when he was an Essex County legislator. But he was defeated in 1980 and 1986 primary efforts in his attempt to unseat Rep Peter W Rodino jnr, the long-time dean of the state’s congressional delegation and a popular figure in New Jersey’s heavily Democratic and largely black 10th Congressional District.

It was not until Rodino chose not to seek a 21st term, in 1988, that Payne saw his opportunity.

“I want to be a congressman to serve as a role model for the young people I talk to on the Newark street corners,” he said at the time. In the election, he handily defeated his Republican opponent.

In Congress Payne was a low-key and unassuming presence who nonetheless made a mark in a number of areas, including education and global affairs. A former teacher, he advanced policies that sought to make college more affordable.

He wrote legislation as a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs that sought to provide famine relief to the war-torn Darfur region of Sudan. He was also a founder of the Malaria Caucus in Congress and helped secure billions of dollars in foreign aid for treating HIV, Aids, tuberculosis and malaria.

Payne was in his 12th term in Congress when he died. In several of his later campaigns, he ran without any Republican opposition.

In a statement, President Barack Obama said Payne had “made it his mission to fight for working families”.

He married the former Hazel Johnson in 1958. She died in 1963. His survivors include a son, two daughters, four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Donald Milford Payne: born July 16th, 1934; died March 6th, 2012

FR. SEAN ON THE DEATH OF CONGRESSMAN DON PAYNE (D-NJ)

           Fr. Sean and Congressman Payne,  2000

God rest the noble soul of Don Payne. He was a lovely man who ' hungered and thirsted for justice' -- in America, Africa, Ireland and throughout the world.

Don had an amazing interest in Ireland. I used to tell him he had been to The North more often than I!

 I record in my Memoirs, My American Struggle for Justice in Northern Ireland, Don's deep interest, letting him speak for himself at the Congressional Hearing on the Mac Bride Principles on March 15, 1995 :

Congressman Payne, the first speaker after Chairman Gilman’s introduction, quickly set the scene : ' As an African American, I and eight other Members of theCongressional Black Caucus who are Congressional Friends of  the Irish National Caucus can easily identify with the Catholic minority[ in Northern Ireland]… The Mac Bride Principles were modeled after the Sullivan Principles … In the campaign for a free South Africa, we received a lot of help from Irish-Americans. For example, Father Sean Mc Manus, president of the Irish National Caucus, was the first white Catholic priest to go to jail overnight for protesting outside the South African Embassy.'

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