US UK Extradition Treaty
FYI - Forwarding a message from Ned McGinley. This is cobbled together from other press releases with additional information and will be sent to reporters who deal with Constitutional issues at more than 120 newspapers nationwide.
Irish Americans Expose Constitutional Issues In US/UK and Other Extradition Treaty
September 4, 2006 Washington, D. C.---The U. S. Senate Foreign Relations Committeehas scheduled a vote for September 7, 2006 at 9:30 am on a new ‘modern’ Extradition Treaty with the United Kingdom which has Irish Americans and the ACLU deeply concerned. The Blair/Labor government with rising resistance to the Treaty (Treaty Doc. 108-23) in Parliament at home is pushing for approval this week.
The National President of the Ancient Order of Hibernians Jack Meehan (Quincy, MA) 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 UIA 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 analysis as well as groups have noted that the treaty discards statute of limitations protection under the 4th Amendment and makes the decision of whether and offense is political a decision for the Executive rather than the Judicial branch of the U.S. Government. That certainly intimidates free speech protection under our Constitution. Additionally, according to the U.S. State and Justice Departments no extradition has failed under the 1986 Treaty.
For full AOH and IAUC testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee visit 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.
Irish Americans Expose Constitutional Issues In US/UK and Other Extradition Treaty
September 4, 2006 Washington, D. C.---The U. S. Senate Foreign Relations Committeehas scheduled a vote for September 7, 2006 at 9:30 am on a new ‘modern’ Extradition Treaty with the United Kingdom which has Irish Americans and the ACLU deeply concerned. The Blair/Labor government with rising resistance to the Treaty (Treaty Doc. 108-23) in Parliament at home is pushing for approval this week.
The National President of the Ancient Order of Hibernians Jack Meehan (Quincy, MA) 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 UIA 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 analysis as well as groups have noted that the treaty discards statute of limitations protection under the 4th Amendment and makes the decision of whether and offense is political a decision for the Executive rather than the Judicial branch of the U.S. Government. That certainly intimidates free speech protection under our Constitution. Additionally, according to the U.S. State and Justice Departments no extradition has failed under the 1986 Treaty.
For full AOH and IAUC testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee visit 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.
posted by Stephen Wayhart at
9:23 AM
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