Letter of the week
Left with uncompromising ideologies…
Dear Editor, I find it disturbing that a Junior Cert school book presenting a course that aims at promoting inclusion, has had a cartoon and write-up depicting traditional Irish families as boring, wearing Aran jumpers, red heads, knowing nothing of the world outside their immediate surroundings or non-GAA sports, who eat bacon and cabbage every day. It sounds laughable.
After a storm of parental protest and media mockery this page was removed from the book. But how did it get there in the first place? Was it okayed by the NCCA, Department of Education officials, and the book publisher? What other misinformation and disinformation does their programme contain? Could their attempt to write off ‘natives’ as unworthy of full parity-of-esteem, labelling us in effect as quaint curiosities to be sidelined in the new Ireland they are busy forging, be regarded as a form of hate-speech?
I think that a public inquiry ought to be set up to get to the bottom of this, or are we to conclude that these unaccountable, faceless bureaucrats, who hate everything distinctive about us as a people are beyond reproach? The words come to mind: “To learn who is really ruling you, simply see who is never criticised”.
It is equally disturbing that in a local national school a parent had to buy a new blazer for her son, because the school changed the crest from depicting a cross to a book and quill (feather). Wearing the old one to school could insult non-Christians. Meanwhile in the girl’s school, some wear headscarves as an expression of their religion, and nobody is bothered. Why is it that an emblem proclaiming the love of God is purged from a self-declared Catholic school? When we eliminate love, we are left with uncompromising ideologies, which inevitably clash, resulting in sectarianism and wars.
Yours etc.,
Gearóid Duffy
Lee Road, Cork
Using an opponents age against them
Dear Editor, For a party that has embraced political correctness with a vengeance, the Democrats don’t seem shy about using their opponent’s age against him. Surely this falls under the category of offensive ‘ageism’. I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised given the undignified way they ditched their incumbent president, on the same grounds. They obviously don’t mind offending the ‘grey’ vote.
Still it’s gratifying to learn that their multimillionaire (make that billionaire) supporter, Oprah Winfrey, is putting her fire-fighting talents at the service of her local community. The only problem is, as she lives in grand isolation (well away from the plebs) in a gated mansion, it may be too late. I’d throw the cat (onto a soft surface, of course) out the window and jump out after him, ASAP. Just in case Oprah doesn’t get there.
Yours etc.,
Eric Conway
Navan, Co. Meath.
A change for the worse in the Irish moral climate
Dear Editor, To date over 40,000 little babies have been aborted from the island of Ireland.
These innocent babies could be future doctors, nurses, scientists, teachers, etc.
Grandparents are being deprived of their loving grandchildren.
Rather than concern ourselves with the new secular religion of climate change surely our worries should be about the change for the worse in the Irish moral climate.
The silence from the hierarchy is deafening indeed.
Surely, we could have one weekend holy Mass every month to remember these babies and their unfortunate parents.
How about planting 100 white crosses in every parish church ground to remember their lost lives?
Yours etc.,
Liam de Paor
Carrickane, Co. Cavan
Give victims justice but defend the blameless
Dear Editor, It must be depressing for many, to have our Church portrayed again negatively in the media, but in the interest of understanding how we neglected the best interest of children, we should read the ‘Scoping Inquiry into Historical Sexual Abuse in Day and Boarding Schools Run by Religious Orders’. While a minority of children were sexually abused, the reality is with corporal punishment practiced in our schools up to 1982, many children were abused in some way. Today, child safeguarding procedures are robust within our catholic schools and parishes and the men still active in ministry have nothing to answer for, but those in leadership roles do have to be proactive in responding to all the challenging questions that the public will want answered. They need to ensure those abused are treated with respect and receive justice, while also defending our priests and religious who were blameless.
Yours etc.,
Deacon Frank Browne,
Ballyroan Parish,
Rathfarnham, Dublin 14