Catholic terrorism in Northern Ireland

[Cynical Ninja]

A 25 year old PSNI (police) officer was killed yesterday in Omagh after Republican Catholic dissidents (terrorists) planted an explosive device under his car.

Ronan Kerr, who was Catholic himself, is thought to have been targetted because he was a Catholic working for PSNI. Many Catholic families have to keep the fact relatives or friends are members of the PSNI or British army secret for fear of violent reprisals like this.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-12948992

[Maggot]

I would have a car alarm, a pet bomb sniffing dog, and a .357 on me at all times if I had that job. Fuckers.

[thekid65]

These guys are an offshoot (radical remnants) of the IRA, arent they OP?

[Duchess]

What the hell ever happened to live & let live? I don't care how other people conduct themselves or their lives as long as it doesn't affect me. It just doesn't matter to me. I don't give a rip what your religion is or even if you have one, I don't care who you're banging or how many kids you have as long as you pay for them. I mind my own business & live my life the way I want to.

[Maggot]

They are no better than radical Muslims, worse because they have some education. They should know better. It has become a matter of revenge I think.

[Cracker]

That sucks. He was a cute boy. :(

I wish they would just stop, but I don't see that happening. They have been fighting over this for a long time. I remember being very little and hearing the adults in my house discussing the IRA. Who is right and who is wrong? There isn't an easy answer here (NOT condoning the IRA, just wondering if UK should have stayed out of Ireland in the first place...)

OP, you're a Scot, what do you think of this as a Scot? (Not trying to offend you for once, would really like to know.)

I guess a lot of Texans would be pissed if Texas voted to become part of Mexico. There might be enough of the brown votes to do it.

[Cynical Ninja]

These guys are an offshoot (radical remnants) of the IRA, arent they OP?

This was probably done by the Real IRA which consists of two factions that work side by side, the Continuity IRA and the Oglaigh na hEireann (my gaelic isn't great but that roughly translates into the "Soldiers of Ireland".)

Sneaking a timed bomb under a policemans car and running away doesn't make you soldier, it makes you a terrorist scumbag.

[Cynical Ninja]

That sucks. He was a cute boy. :(

I wish they would just stop, but I don't see that happening. They have been fighting over this for a long time. I remember being very little and hearing the adults in my house discussing the IRA. Who is right and who is wrong? There isn't an easy answer here (NOT condoning the IRA, just wondering if UK should have stayed out of Ireland in the first place...)

OP, you're a Scot, what do you think of this as a Scot? (Not trying to offend you for once, would really like to know.)

I guess a lot of Texans would be pissed if Texas voted to become part of Mexico. There might be enough of the brown votes to do it.

Well my dads family were Northern Irish protestants that moved to Scotland during the potato famine (if you hear some Republican Irish people talk it was only catholic potatoes that had the blight!), so I could be accused of taking sides even though I'm an Atheist.

The shit in Ireland goes back to Oliver Cromwell and William of Orange but to surmise what happened in the last few decades.

Leaders of the catholic community in Northern Ireland REQUESTED that the British army go into Ulster to defend catholics against protestant aggression.

Then bloody sunday happened (British paratroopers shot and killed 13 unarmed civilians during violent demonstrations mainly thanks to poor leadership and inexperience, I'm not defending them they did kill people) and recruitment into the IRA escalated as a result and the "troubles" got worse and the situation becamea quagmire, with Republican groups killing loyallists, soldiers and policemen, and loyallist groups killing catholics.

Then you had the martyrdom of the hunger strikers (convicted republican terrorists starved themselves to death in prison and the British authorities let them do so).

I stand somewhere in the middle, the main instigators are the IRA groups but the loyallist groups aren't much better.

[Cracker]

So the Protestants were there BEFORE the British came? That was the part I never understood.

[BlueTiki]

Thugs.

Fucking cowardly thugs.

Rationalized murder disguised as promoting a just and righteous agenda.

Selfishness, hatred and intolerance . . . plain and simple.

From Northern Ireland to Kabul . . . the Congo to Johnny and Lisa.

And Juarez.

Thugs.

[Cynical Ninja]

So the Protestants were there BEFORE the British came? That was the part I never understood.

Oh yes, there have been Protestants in Northern Ireland for centuries, mainly comprised of Scottish immigrants I think they first started setting up villages and farms there in the 14^th century.

All my ancestors on my dads side of the family were farmers or miners who moved to Ireland then moved back to Scotland during the famine.

[Cynical Ninja]

The thing is neither the Republican or loyallist paramilitaries care who it is they kill, the IRA set of bombs that kill republican catholics, and the UVF and UDA shoot up bars where catholics and protestants drink together.

It pains me to admit that I have distant relatives who are directly involved in loyallist violence.

[Cracker]

So the Protestants were there BEFORE the British came? That was the part I never understood.

Oh yes, there have been Protestants in Northern Ireland for centuries, mainly comprised of Scottish immigrants I think they first started setting up villages and farms there in the 14^th century.

All my ancestors on my dads side of the family were farmers or miners who moved to Ireland then moved back to Scotland during the famine.

Thanks, that supplies a clearer picture.

You have to see this from the Catholic/Irish point of view: People moved in, voted to give Irish land to GB, then some moved away. That is kinda bullshit. How long do you have to live on land before it is "yours"? Ireland is an ancient land, so time is different there. In America, a few hundred years is our forever (excuse this, Tiki, I know you were here first). In Ireland, a few hundred years is a blip.

It's like the illegals moving here, changing our policies that aren't theirs to change, then moving back to Mexico...

I don't think there is a "right" answer. I just wish violence wasn't part of the equation.

That was a cute boy. He didn't deserve to die. My heart bleeds green today.

[Maggot]

Revenge is the big elephant in the closet. It will NEVER end.

[Duchess]

Do I sound dumb when I say I just don't understand this religious bullshit? I totally don't get why people would even fuckin' care who or what someone else worshiped.

[Maggot]

Do I sound dumb when I say I just don't understand this religious bullshit? I totally don't get why people would even fuckin' care who or what someone else worshiped.

Normal religious people are not this extreme, it is the extreme element that gets the headlines. You never see a headline with the good things that happen.

[Cynical Ninja]

You also have Nationalism, marching to celebrate fucking battles that took place 400 years ago and other shit like that.

Google "old firm game" to get a taste of how this shit effects soccer as well to this day.

[Cracker]

Do I sound dumb when I say I just don't understand this religious bullshit? I totally don't get why people would even fuckin' care who or what someone else worshiped.

It's more geographical, Duchess. GB took the top part of Ireland. Ireland got PISSED. Top part is Protestant, rest of Ireland is Catholic. The religious descriptor is more about the geographic location...

[Cracker]

We celebrate Columbus Day and Thanksgiving over here. It is part of our heritage. I don't think heritage is a bad thing until someone like Adolph gets ahold of it...

[Cynical Ninja]

Normal religious people are not this extreme, it is the extreme element that gets the headlines. You never see a headline with the good things that happen.

Sad thing is dude its not extremism, average everyday republican catholics detest the British and protestants and average everyday loyallist protestants detest the Irish and catholics.

My granny is not particularly religious but refuses to even say the word catholic or republican.