We can’t put our bond with US in danger
I NOTE People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy informed reporters recently at Leinster House that he believes the Irish Government should not attend the customary St Patrick’s Day celebrations in the White House.
The basis for Mr Murphy’s assertion is that the US is the numberone supporter of what is happening in Palestine right now.
Ergo, it’s his contention that the Government should miss the White House celebrations this year so as to express Ireland’s dissatisfaction with the US stance.
The shamrock first made its way to the White House back in 1952 when Irish ambassador John Hearne sent a box of it to the then US president, Harry Truman. Four years later, taoiseach John A Costello presented president Dwight D Eisenhower with a Waterford Crystal bowl of the symbolic herb as a gesture of friendship.
This tradition continued through the decades with various representatives from Ireland popping over to the White House on or around the day to offer the green greeting card, and maybe get a few million quid’s worth of investment for what was considered a quaint little island.
Most countries would love to have such a connection with the US. We must never forget that this relationship is valuable, in terms of the evolution of our own peace process.
I certainly do not agree with Joe Biden’s support of Israel. One senses that the president knows he has lost world opinion and is now endeavouring to mitigate Israel’s quest for blood.
If Ireland decided to boycott the St Patrick’s Day celebration in the White House, it might sound the death knell for this tradition.
The question I would like to ask Paul Murphy is: Would you be okay with accepting the ramifications of such collateral damage?
Let me reiterate that the US has always supported peace in the North. May I suggest that Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, on his next visit to the White House, encourage the building of peace in the Middle East. Boycotting these celebrations would be an injudicious move and would hurt Ireland more than it would the US.
JOHN O’BRIEN, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.
Educate future parents
I’D like to add to Olivia Maurel’s personal essay (‘I feel for women who can’t have children. But we can’t all have what we want in life’, Mail) that too many people will procreate regardless of their ability to parent their children in a psychologically functional/ healthy manner.
It’s not necessarily that they are bad parents; rather, many seem to perceive and thus treat human procreative ‘rights’ as though they (potential parents) will somehow, in blind anticipation, be innately inclined to sufficiently understand and appropriately nurture their children’s naturally developing minds and needs.
As liberal democracies, we cannot prevent anyone from bearing children, including the incompetent and reckless procreators. We can, however, educate all young people for the most important job ever, even those high-schoolers who plan to remain childless.
If nothing else, such a child-development curriculum could offer students an idea/clue as to whether they’re emotionally suited for the immense responsibility and strains of parenthood. Given what is at stake, should they not at least be equipped with such valuable science-based knowledge? Understanding the science behind every child’s healthy/functional development can at least enable a prospective parent to make an educated decision on how they wish to go about rearing any future children.
FRANK STERLE JR, British Columbia, Canada.