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December 19, 2004

12/19/04 - Seize Spicer-Senate Moment

Monthly Table of Contents 12/04


Irish National Caucus
Press Release

Seize Spicer-Senate Moment

CAPITOL HILL. December 16, 2004--- Irish-Americans were given an
unexpected Christmas bonus by U.S. Senate Democrats announcing they
will hold Hearings, before the Democratic Policy Committee, on --
among other things-- contract abuses in Iraq. (See below article
from Washington Post).

Father Sean Mc Manus has written to both Democratic Senate-leader
Harry Reid and Senator Byron Dorgan (whom announced the Hearings)
saying, "Irish-Americans are very interested to learn that you plan
Hearings on, among other things, contract abuses in Iraq. We have a
particular interest in this because of our efforts to rescind the
293 Million Dollar contract awarded by the Bush Administration to
infamous ex-British army terrorist, Lt. Col. Timothy Spicer, of
Aegis Defense Systems".( See text of letter below).

Fr. Mc Manus went on to tell the Senators, "I have amassed a ton of
information on this issue, much too much to enclose. I would be
very willing to meet with you, or appropriate members of your
staffs, to discuss this".

Apart from writing to the Senators, Fr. Mc Manus is alerting all
Irish-American organizations and individuals to the Hearings: "This
provides us with an excellent opportunity hold Spicer accountable
for his military unit assassinating young Peter Mc Bride in
Northern Ireland in 1992. We must seize the moment and not be found
wanting. We owe it to the Mc Bride family and we owe it to the
American people so that their dollars do no subsidize terrorism.
President Bush has said, " If you fund a terrorist, you are a
terrorist. Yet his Administration has funded terrorist Spicer to
the tune of 293 Million Dollars".

************

Democrats Planning Watchdog Role
Senators' Hearings Will Scrutinize Administration Policies

By Helen Dewar
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 14, 2004; Page A10

Senate Democrats announced plans yesterday for wide-ranging
hearings to examine Bush administration policies and conduct,
saying the Republicans who control both houses of Congress have
abdicated responsibility for oversight of the GOP administration.

"The congressional watchdog remains fast asleep, and we intend to
wake him up," said Sen. Byron L. Dorgan (N.D.), who announced the
party's plan at a Capitol Hill news conference.

Dorgan, chairman of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, which
will sponsor the hearings, said they will begin in January, with
the subject of the first couple of sessions to be announced later
this month.

Republicans will be invited, and the Democrats will not conduct
hearings on a particular subject if a GOP-controlled committee
decides to do so, said Dorgan and incoming Senate Minority Leader
Harry M. Reid (Nev.), who joined Dorgan by satellite from Las
Vegas.

Dorgan and Reid listed possible targets for the hearings, including
contract abuses in Iraq, the administration's use of prewar
intelligence, misleading cost estimates for the Medicare drug
benefit, the cost of the administration's plan for private Social
Security accounts, the implementation of the No Child Left Behind
education bill and administration policies on global warming.

Holding up a large photograph of President Harry S. Truman, Dorgan
said Truman as a Democratic senator conducted hearings on defense
contract abuses by a Democratic administration; Dorgan suggested
that Iraq contracts would be a major focus of the new hearings.

The hearings are part of a broader effort by Senate Democrats to
strengthen their message and create mechanisms for getting it out
after their four-seat loss in the November elections. They have
announced a beefed-up communications operation, including a "war
room" for rapid response to the administration and to the Senate
Republican majority.

But Democrats will have no subpoena powers to compel the testimony
of witnesses and release of documents, which can be issued by
regular Senate committees. Dorgan said he expected there are
"plenty of whistle-blowers" who will be eager for a forum, and Reid
noted that Senate committees rarely have to resort to subpoenas.

Dorgan denied that Democrats were pursuing a partisan agenda in
scheduling the hearings, although it was clear they were trying to
raise the profile of their case against the Republicans on a
variety of sensitive political issues.

"This is not about gotcha politics. . . . This is about oversight,"
Dorgan said. "If the majority party won't do it, we will." There
was no immediate response from GOP leaders.

Reid said he thought the Foreign Relations Committee was doing a
"pretty good job" on oversight, and he expected the newly expanded
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to perform
well. But, with Republicans in control of the executive and
legislative branches of government, most other panels have
virtually given up on investigations and oversight, Dorgan and Reid
said.

By contrast, Dorgan said the GOP-controlled Congress conducted
numerous hearings on activities of President Bill Clinton's
administration.

Dorgan said he expects that 12 to 15 Democrats will form a
Committee on Oversight and Investigations, which will conduct the
hearings.

********

Senators Byron L. Dorgan and Harry M. Reid
U. S. Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
December 15, 2004

Dear Senators Dorgan & Reid,

Irish-Americans are very interested to learn that you plan Hearings
on, among other things, contract abuses in Iraq.

We have a particular interest in this because of our efforts to
rescind the 293 Million-Dollar contract awarded by the Bush
Administration to infamous ex-British army terrorist, Lt. Col.
Timothy Spicer, of Aegis Defense Systems. Please see enclosed our
Press Release, " Tear Up That Contract, Mr. Bush". (1)

Spicer's army unit terrorized the Mc Bride family in Northern
Ireland in 1992 when they gunned down young, innocent and unarmed
Peter. And although the two soldiers were found guilty of murder,
Spicer continues to terrorize the Mc Bride family by brazenly
defending the murder, and he campaigned to have the two soldiers
allowed back into the British Army.

Yet U.S. Army spokesman, Maj. Gary C. Tallman said Spicer " had an
impeccable career in the British army", then adding he did not know
anything about Spicer's background. ("Mercenary Hits It Big",
Robert Pelton Young. Los Angles Times, Thursday, June 24, 2004.
Copy enclosed). (2)

When he left the British Army, Spicer became a gun for hire,
notching up a troubling record in Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone
and elsewhere. Equatorial Guinea has issued an arrest warrant for
Spicer and other like-minded mercenaries.

The Irish National Caucus's campaign led to a major article in The
Washington Post," U. S. Contract to British Firm Sparks Irish-
American Protest"(copy enclosed) (3), and to Senators Clinton,
Kerry, Kennedy, Dodd and Schumer writing to Secretary of Defense,
Don Rumsfeld. I enclose a copy of this letter (4), plus a report on
the dismal response of the Department of the Army, " Pentagon
Circles The Wagons round Spicer Deal", Ray O' Hanlon, Irish Echo,
November 17-23, 2004)). (5)

I have amassed a ton of information on this issue, much too much to
enclose. I would be very willing to meet with you, or appropriate
members of your staffs, to discuss this.

Irish-Americans feel deeply offended by the Spicer -contract. The
Bush doctrine states, " If you fund a terrorist, you are a
terrorist". Yet President Bush has funded this infamous terrorist
with the largest-ever contract, ignoring American companies much
longer in the security business, than Mr. Spicer and without his
terrible baggage.

I look forward to an early reply. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Father Sean Mc Manus
President
ENNCLOSURES 1-5

--

Father Sean Mc Manus
President
Irish National Caucus
P.O. Box 15128
Capitol Hill
Washington, D.C. 20003-0849
202-544-0568
http://www.irishnationalcaucus.org/

Monthly Table of Contents 12/04
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