New at Reason

Julian Sanchez | August 3, 2005

Jeff Taylor notes that at least the Irish front of the global struggle against violent extremism is looking pretty good these days.

Comments

|8.3.05 @ 11:29AM|#

Even though I have an Irish name I have never followed this issue closely, but I have had this thought: How unreasonable is it to call for disarming? It's sort of like going to war over WMD, isn't it?
I just find it difficult to believe anyone's warm, alive hands will let go of guns.

|8.3.05 @ 12:47PM|#

This morning's WaPo had an interesting opinion piece on US supporters of the IRA. A lot of American citizens sent money to the IRA or to dubious charities, or simply had very strong opinions on an ethnic conflict several time zones away.

Maybe this might shed some light on the factors driving other sorts of terrorism, and sympathy for other sorts of terrorists?

|8.3.05 @ 1:32PM|#

It's a little odd to put "cease fire" in scare quotes, given that they did, in fact, cease firing.

Ruthless,

"Disarmament" doesn't mean scooping up every last firearm in every last republican house. The IRA has, or had, very large caches of military hardware such as automatic rifles, RPGs and launchers, and high grade explosives.

|8.3.05 @ 4:06PM|#

Its amazing how much attention this tiny little inconsequential conflict gets. Since bloody sunday some 30+ years ago about 35-3900 people died in the troubles. From 1990-2000 about 3400 people were murdered in the district of colombia, and no one gives a shit, they were black and poor and politically invisible. About three times as many people live in LI as well.

|8.4.05 @ 6:31AM|#

Another ringing endorsement of DC as a great place to live.