DIARY: Ruminations, Occasional thoughts & happenings - as they arise
Wednesday, 9th April
Saddam Goes!
Thanks be to God!
The UK & US Forces seem to have done away with an evil empire. People
rejoice in Baghdad - and in the safety of Northern Ireland
(sic!) I quietly echo their joy.
There is great sadness
also at the sight of death and injury suffered by ordinary Iraqi
citizens. "Their death appeared a disaster", but it is not so.
They rejoice in the great goodness of God, held in His love.
My respect
for Tony Blair is maintained. He is a truthful man with a clear
vision of what is right and wrong. He has achieved much in my home
country, and now in Iraq. Those who have been critical of him will not
like what has happened in Iraq. Blair is vindicated and they are
left whingeing. Of course, a lot of the opposition was by good
people who detest war, but this natural aversion is not real. People must
take up arms against vile dictators. It's a risk! It's not
pleasant! But sometimes risks must be taken. Thanks be to God that
in Tony Blair the British people have a Prime Minister who is not afraid
of going down a road that he sees as necessary. I'm not a Brit, but
as an Irishman I can see that in Tony Blair the British people have a
prime minister of quality - perhaps the best there has ever been.
There are things that
should follow of course - establishment of a democratic government of
Iraq,
and, as I wrote this morning (cheeky me!): to the Times, The
Irish Times, New York Times, Washington Times etc there is the question
of
A DEMOCRATIC
UNITED NATIONS?
The Editor
Sir,
The voting insanity that
exists in the United Nations needs to be attended to, in the
interests of rational world democracy.
Modern national democracy
involves a simple electoral majority. If a power of veto could
be exercised by a single member of a national parliament permanent
national paralysis would almost certainly exist.
It is
amazing that members of the United Nations ever arrive at an agreed policy
given the irrational basis of its decision-making process.
Would it not
be a more reasonable form of international democracy if all decisions were
taken by something like a 75% majority.
Yours faithfully,
Michael O'Shea, 36 High Street,
Ardglass, County
Down, N. Ireland, BT30 7TU
Tel: 02844841436
Email: mike@o2c.org
Thursday 20th March 2003 - Iraq
I feel a
deep sadness at the outbreak of war in Iraq. It's not really a
war, in my view. It's a policing action against a vile dictator and
his cronies. But for those actually in Iraq, in danger of violent death at
any moment, my fine distinction will have little meaning,.
It is a
dreadful thing that ordinary Iraqi people must continue to suffer.
They
have had such a woeful time since Sadam Hussain came to power.
Despite
all this I continue to believe that action by US & Britain is
justified, because of Sadam's cruel despotism over many years.
The hope
must be that very few people will be killed. But there will be deaths, and
it is a burden of shame for humanity that this is the case. Please God
most of the Iraqi soldiers will cease to fight.
Aw, but what a shame -
mainly that people such as Sadam are permitted to come to power.
Shades of Hitler - it took the death of 55 million people to stop him,
Mussolini and the Japanese warlords.
That countries such as
Germany, Italy and Japan could be ruled by such evil men is almost
unbelievable - but it happened; and it continues today with Mugabe and
Sadam, and others throughout the world.
I ask, wherever evil men gain
power should countries who possess the precious gift of freedom and
genuine democracy ignore such situations? I believe not. The United
Nations - now in great disarray - needs to be renewed and strengthened. An
almost insuperable task, but it must be done.