Once
again the usual suspects at N-IFC have been out
and about smearing the names of good Irish people.
What
a crying shame because Joe Dillon of Boston, Frank
O'Neil of Chicago, and Evelyn Morgan of New York
have been dedicated Irish Republican activists longer
than John McDonagh has been alive!
Back
in January of 2000 up in Yonkers, New York at the
IFC's AGM Board Meeting, open talk was had on expanding
the IFC's traditional funding mission of just supporting
Cabhair (a subsidiary of RSF) to funding dependants
of all anti-GFA Republican POW’s.
John
McDonagh argued for the traditional point of view
of continuing to support just Cabhair while Frank
O'Neil of Chicago argued for the progressive point
of view of expanding the IFC's funding mission.
Concern
was also voiced about the apparent exclusive agency
relationship IFC had with Cabhair (RSF) possibly
being in violation of the federal Foreign Agency
Registration Act (FARA) which was the criminal law
NORAID was convicted of in the early 1980's to which
the founders of IFC sought to be in compliance with
by expressly announcing in their Charter of Organization
that IFC would have no foreign principal (i.e. boss).
John
McDonagh assured everyone present that as much as
he admired and respected Ruairí O’Brádaigh,
he didn't take orders from him. But despite these
assurances, the majority of the Corporate IFC Board
democratically voted, as it was legally entitled
to, to expand its funding mission in an effort to
take a leading role in unifying the anti-GFA Republican
Movement and to show the world that it indeed had
no foreign principal.
Soon
after every one went home, John McDonagh called
up several people who voted in the majority and
"fired" them.
Older
and wiser than John, these long-time dedicated Irish
Republican activists simply ignored his ultra vires
ranting.
And
when presented with documentary evidence (which
was dated just prior to the January 2000 AGM) that
he did indeed take orders from RSF in violation
of the IFC Charter, he did not respond to this but
instead reorganized his New York IFC Chapter, along
with some individuals from New Jersey and Pittsburgh,
under the new banner National IFC ---no doubt aware
of the legal hot water they could get into by stealing
the IFC logo.
Ever
since he and others have engaged in continuous lies
and smear campaigns to the press and else where
alleging that the IFC Progressives were kicked out
of the N-IFC (an organization to which none of them
ever belonged) for violating its newly minted charter
of funding only Cabhair (RSF).
Talk
was had about suing him for this, but cooler and
wiser heads prevailed concluding if he and his small
band of supporters want to be the exclusive Friends
of Republican Sinn Fein support group, then good
luck!
But
unfortunately John et al can't let bygones be bygones.
He even went so far as to blame the victims by naming
names to a New York newspaper of those Irish Republicans
he "expelled" from his organization in
what was clearly a guilt by association (with David
Rupert) assertion, a man whom he himself associated
with for over three years and introduced to other
IFC Chapters thereby infecting them too.
He
has even shown up uninvited at a Jericho Political
Prisoner Rights rally in New York City and tried
to prevent IFC Secretary Deirdre Fennessy from speaking
there about all Irish political prisoners. Thankfully
he was sent away at the door by Jericho staff after
they phoned Belfast for a reference check.
Questions
therefore have to be asked: why does he do this
and whom does it help because one could infer an
evil intent from these circumstances.
And
just look at the
damage done by the so-called National American Indian
Movement to the American Indian Movement.
Such
divide and defame anecdotes are legion and will
always be the stuff of controversial First Amendment
politics, all the more reason why we don't need
to be playing these kinds of games with each other
ourselves.
Anyone
considering themselves an ally, supporter or advocate
of Irish indigenous rights will respect our IFC
position, and respond accordingly.
