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September 05, 2006

Irish Americans Expose Constitutional Issues in US/UK Tready


IRISH AMERICANS EXPOSE CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES
IN US/UK EXTRADITION TREATY

September 4, 2006 Washington, D.C.--- Irish Americans and the ACLU are deeply concerned about the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee scheduled vote on September 7, 2006 on a new ‘modern’ Extradition Treaty with the United Kingdom. The Blair/Labor government with rising resistance to the Treaty (Treaty Doc. 108-23) in Parliament at home is pushing for approval this week.

Jack Meehan (Quincy, MA), the National President of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, put it bluntly in testimony presented in July to Republican Sen. Richard Lugar’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "This Administration, nor any administration, has the power to sign away an American’s right to a fair trial. To attempt to do so by wrapping its rhetoric in the fight against terror is reprehensible."

The AOH leader is joined by many other Irish American leaders in warning the Senate not to trifle with our hard fought freedoms and rights.

"The price is too high. I can think of no greater insult to our service men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan than to bring such a measure before the U.S. Senate. The strong opposition of the Brehon Law Society," concluded Jim Cullen, a prominent New York attorney, "is that it simply is unwarranted, and threatens fundamental violence to American legal traditions. The Treaty substitutes decisions by political operatives and bureaucrats for the review and rulings of the federal judiciary. We must insist that the courts determine key issues like rights and liberties that arise in extraditions to the UK, a jurisdiction whose concern for these matters of due process particularly in Northern Ireland are more than suspect."

"This treaty," stated Robert Linnon Ph.D. President of the Irish American Unity Conference, "is intended to target and intimidate Americans for past, present and future activity in opposition to British misrule in Ireland."

"Protecting the right of Americans to have their day in court should be job ONE for our Senators," stated Jay Dooling IAUC Press Secretary of Houston, TX, "and never twisted by some to mean being weak on fighting terrorism."

The Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, the nation’s oldest Irish Catholic organization of women shared the concern of all in the United Irish American coalition. "The LAOH has denounced this US/UK treaty," stated National President Dorothy Weldon of Pittsburgh, PA, "as an assault on the basic civil liberties of all Americans."

The National Chairman of Irish Northern Aid Paul Doris of Philadelphia stated: "This Treaty alters the separation of powers principle in a way that is intended to threaten and intimidate U.S. citizens with prosecution by a government that has corrupted law and justice in Ireland and has a disgraceful record of violations of human and civil rights."

The ACLU has noted that the treaty discards statute of limitations protection under the 4th Amendment. It makes the Executive, rather than the Judicial branch, decide whether an offense is political. That certainly intimidates free speech protection under our Constitution.

Finally, this treaty fixes no problems. According to the U.S. State and Justice Departments no extradition requests have failed under the current US/UK 1986 Treaty.

For full AOH and IAUC testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee visit www.aoh.com (http://www.aoh.com ) or the full video of the Hearing at Federal Network, Inc. www.FEDNET.NET

For further information contact AOH PEC Chairman Ned McGinley at 570-905-5715, or AOH Public Relations Chairman Mike Cummings at 518-482-0349.
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