Bloody "Real" IRA.

This is going to be a political post, probably offensive. I hope not, but there we go.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7931774.stm

On Saturday night, 2 lads were waiting for pizza, as a last swift meal before boarding a plane to Afghanistan. Pizza arrived, and as it was being delivered there was a volley of gunfire from semi-automatic weapons. The gunmen then approached the victims, who were all on the ground, and let fire again. Then legged it.

The Real IRA have claimed responsibility, using all the usual codewords and so on.

Here's the thing though.

1) Both the soldiers were from the NI Corps of Engineers. So they shot their own countrymen.
2) 3 of the 4 injured were from Ireland. So they shot their own countrymen.
3) The fourth was from Poland, and wars have been started for less!
4) All of the political parties, including Sinn Fein have condemmed anyone who wants to return to the bad old days of the Troubles, even Martin McGuiness who admits to, and is proud of, his involvement in what he saw as a war then.
5) All of the political parties have demarded the capture of the dissidents. So even their own people want them gone.

Who are they fighting for? OR rather what?

Well, the RIRA has been stepping thing up recently.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7931694.stm looks at who they are, and how the attacks have increased.

The RIRA has never attacked soldiers before though, instead preferring unarmed civilians and attempting to justify itself through calling them collaborators of British rule. Except that noone rules or polices Ireland these days except the Irish.

What gets my goat though, is the response to this by some Americans who have never even been to Ireland but claim it as their heritage, calling for a free and united Ireland and saying that this kind of thing is something Britain deserves because of how it took over Ireland in the 16th Century. Grow up people!

The RIRA has only been in existance since 1998 - most of it's members weren't even born at the time of the Troubles. And in that time they have claimed responsibility for the a range of deaths, including that of pregnant woman (expecting twins) amongst the 29 at Omagh and they have blown the hand off of and blinded a 14 year old cadet in London. There is a WIki article about their "sucesses" so far, which can be read here

Anyway, I have to get off to school.

I have a list of blogs I want to do lol, but a bad night with the child and earlies with the man mean that it'll be a while - if ever lol - that I do them!