Learning from Bloody Sunday
Deirdre Quinn
Issue date: 4/15/05 Section: Opinion
I agree with those that spoke out. I, too, feel strongly that the British have no place in Northern Ireland. I, too, am angry that the government still takes Irish citizens as political prisoners. I am frustrated they let 10 Irishmen starve on hunger strike in 1981, rather than stoop to negotiate with them.
However, I must give credit where credit is due. The British are willing to do something that the American government has never allowed itself to do - learn from past mistakes.
Rather than allow propaganda to rule over Bloody Sunday's history, the British government has opened a new investigation and actually seems willing to let justice prevail. Bloody Sunday was in 1972. Has the American government recently launched large, public investigations into American travesties, such as the Vietnam War, Abu Ghraib or even Japanese internment?
Yes, the American government has commissions, but they are largely private, especially when it is something that matters. Sure, "the Clinton ordeal" was overly publicized, but other investigations are performed behind closed doors.
In contrast, the British government has set up www.bloody-sunday-inquiry.org, complete with witness schedule and a news page.
I commend the British government for trying to learn from their mistakes. I wish such progressive thought would rub off on the war-happy Bush administration or even lead the British government to give up its tyranny over Ireland. The results of the Bloody Sunday tribunal are due shortly. Only time will tell if the British have truly taken a step toward justice, or if the investigation is simply a farce.
However, I must give credit where credit is due. The British are willing to do something that the American government has never allowed itself to do - learn from past mistakes.
Rather than allow propaganda to rule over Bloody Sunday's history, the British government has opened a new investigation and actually seems willing to let justice prevail. Bloody Sunday was in 1972. Has the American government recently launched large, public investigations into American travesties, such as the Vietnam War, Abu Ghraib or even Japanese internment?
Yes, the American government has commissions, but they are largely private, especially when it is something that matters. Sure, "the Clinton ordeal" was overly publicized, but other investigations are performed behind closed doors.
In contrast, the British government has set up www.bloody-sunday-inquiry.org, complete with witness schedule and a news page.
I commend the British government for trying to learn from their mistakes. I wish such progressive thought would rub off on the war-happy Bush administration or even lead the British government to give up its tyranny over Ireland. The results of the Bloody Sunday tribunal are due shortly. Only time will tell if the British have truly taken a step toward justice, or if the investigation is simply a farce.
Be the first to comment on this story