End the IRA's Terror

WE CONCUR with one of the sentiments expressed in the majority position, difficult as it is to discern, buried beneath unneccesarily romanticized rhetoric. Eventual withdrawal of British troops from Norther Ireland will have to be part of any settlement there; immediate extraction of the British forces would undoubtedly lead to bloodshed far worse that that which has in recent years afflicted Northern Ireland. British withdrawl must therefore be part of a broad program for peace worked out by London, Dublin, and Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland. Such a solution would have to include the eventual unification of Ireland, coupled with guarantees that the North would maintain some degree of political clout.

We disagree completely with the majority's belief that somehow the actions of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) can help achieve these goals. Extremists who perpetuate violence--like members of the IRA and unyielding Protestants such as the Rev. Ian Paisley--only make it harder to arrive at a solution; peace is the prerequisite for a political settlement in Ireland. We condemn groups and individuals in Ireland that resort to violence to achieve their goals. We further believe that the majority's linking of a settlement in Ireland to the need for IRA violence displays a lack of understanding for the complexities of the Irish situation and a shocking disregard for peace and for the people of Norther Ireland--Catholic and Protestant--who are tired of the violence.