ACLU a Major Anti-Trump Force – It is unusual, to say the least, that the American Civil Liberties Union has become the face of defiance to the new administration in Washington and its policies. Not always on the side of what is likely to be the popular trends of the day, the ACLU has used its considerable nonprofit clout on numerous controversial issues, ranging from the 1940s internment of Japanese residents in America during World War II, to political spending and gun rights.

In the ten weeks since Donald Trump was sworn in as America’s 45th president, the ACLU has enjoyed an extraordinary surge in support, both ideological and financial. The same Americans who may have disagreed with the ACLU’s famously detested positions on neo-Nazis and suspected terrorists, have risen, almost as one, to protest the first days of Trump’s takeover of the executive and also his open warfare on American journalism.

Traditionally, the ACLU has given a wide berth to politically oriented organizations and causes due to an unwillingness to risk the allegiance of its contributors or to be cited for favoring one candidate over another. But membership returns during these opening weeks seemingly suggest that the ACLU considers the unorthodox Trump White House to be a bastion of dangerous issues such as its opposition to free speech and its continued denigration of the press as an “enemy of the people.”

The enthusiastic support for the ACLU is registering broad increases in membership; since the election the membership has nearly tripled to 1.2 million and the group has collected more than $80 million in online donations alone. Additionally, the national nonprofit has added scores of attorneys and investigators. The dramatic increase in volunteers has prompted a grass-roots effort with the ACLU to mobilize these new faces as a lobby focusing on local and state matters.

Officials of the ACLU acknowledge that they “have never taken such an oppositional stance against an American president.”

However, they do point to the fact that the Union “has built capital in their near-century by challenging every president on occasion,” including many with whom they largely agree.

The executive director of the ACLU, Anthony Romero, notes several areas where his organization can be of assistance: “We can be helpful with lawsuits that can crystallize policy debates for the public,” and “legislation can also ...gum up the machinery of the Trump administration. If we can rob them of momentum, we can stop them from doing greater harm or damage.”

Donations are welcome at ACLU, Gift Processing Dept., 125 Broad St. New York, NY 10004, and on the internet at ACLU.com.

Martin McGuinness Dead at 66 – He was a man of many talents: revolutionary, politician, leader. May he rest in peace. See BIR news columns for more coverage.

Maureen Haughey Dead at 91 – She was the daughter of a taoiseach, Sean Lemass, and wife of Taoiseach Charles Haughey. Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin’s words capture the essence of Charlie Haughey’s long-suffering wife and life partner: “Maureen was a wonderfully warm, dignified, and intelligent woman, and a patriot who loved her country.”

She had a materially comfortable and interesting life but living with Charlie Haughey was no stroll in the park. In her later years. she was torn by the public knowledge of Charlie’s unfaithfulness, and the findings of the Moriarty Tribunal of his acceptance of large amounts of illegal money during his political career (“devalued democracy,” it was called, in screaming headlines). The Irish newspapers and television had another name for the Haughey payoffs – “disgrace” – and so it was.

Throughout it all, Mrs. Haughey soldiered on, steadfast in her courage, refusing to play the tabloid image of a betrayed spouse, her dignity intact, her loyalty undiminished. She deserved better. 

Congressman Neal Calls For New N.I.Envoy – The position of special envoy to the North has seen a troubling cavalcade of US-sponsored representatives going all the way back to former US Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell. The last envoy was former US Sen. Gary Hart, who gave it up and returned home in December.  Over the years, six individuals appointed by three presidents have served with few if any successes to brag about following Mitchell’s triumph.

Over the Saint Patrick’s week, Bay State Democrat Congressman Richie Neal called on the president to formally appoint a new special envoy to the North. The basic role of the next appointee (if there is one) will be to lend some much-needed advice and gravitas to the current twin problems of keeping the peace and stabilizing the shredded political process.

Neal, co-chair of the Friends of Ireland in Congress and ranking Democrat on the House Ways & Means Committee, said, “We are now entering a critically important period of US-Ireland relations with a wide range of important issues to be addressed. So I strongly urge President Trump to appoint a new special envoy at the earliest possible opportunity.”

With a new president and a new secretary of state in place, it has been evident in recent weeks that the State Department’s top tier is lacking in heft as some officials have been replaced and others forced out, causing a thinning out of the department’s institutional memory, some of which relates to Northern Ireland and the US role there going back to the Clinton years. Ireland is an unlikely priority issue at this point, with issues like Cabinet choices, immigration, and the Russian enquiries in the spotlight. We will see what the Twitter finger says.

Religious Rebuff on Magdalene Abuse Reparations – It has been four years and a public state apology since the McAleese Report on the Magdalene laundry abuses, but to date the government’s request for financial support for the indentured victims has been met by silence and stonewall refusals by the religious orders involved. Since 2013 four orders who were operating the laundries have been contacted about funding due the victims, and the response has been that they are “absolutely unwilling” to make any form of financial contribution.

In meetings between the leaders of the orders and the Irish state, the government was polite and pointed while the sisters were pleasant and willing to listen and provide records. Still, nothing has changed: The uniform response from the eleven sisters representing the four orders was they would not be contributing to the victim’s redress fund.

It is clear after years of not contributing that the four orders of sisters fully expect that the Irish State will have to stand alone without any religious contributions. This refusal comes despite a Holy See statement that it “is heartened by the openness of religious sisters to engage in discussions about issues of compensation and their willingness to pay part of a compensation package developed by state authorities.” Maybe the Vatican finance people can find a healthy chunk of “Peter’s Pence” or a modest percentage of a particular Sunday offering worldwide to donate to the victims.

In the pursuit of reparations from the religious, there is not only the question of cash redress but also the ongoing problem involving a land transfer from the Christian Brothers as redress for abuse. There was an agreement in 2009 that the Christian Brothers, as part of the payment for the abuse in their institutions, would transfer land worth $140 million to the Irish State as compensation for the abused boys. The offer was withdrawn in 2015. Nothing further on an agreement.

Given the findings of a long history of abuse followed by stalled reparation agreements by diverse religious orders, laundries, and residential boys’ schools, one is left at least to consider that the stonewalling by the religious sisters and the Christian Brothers may be the result of a Vatican order, an internal, central decision not to contribute to the Irish abuse victims through the state.
It has been years, decades in many cases, since the abusive practices occurred, but they remain an indelible and painful part of church history and its unfinished business. Time to make it right, it says here.

The Trump Tumble: It Was Bound To Happen – Memory fails, but going over the list of American presidents, it is hard to recall the last US leader who didn’t claim, or attempt to claim, Irish ancestry. We didn’t hear much about the Bush presidents, but, we had Clinton and Obama and Reagan, and, with the cooperation of the Irish Tourist Board, there has been since before JFK and Nixon a consuming urgency to pin a shamrock on the pedigree of each of our national leaders.

That was then, and this is now. Whatever the reasons (let me count the ways), our rookie president has not been courted by the usual suspects.  I can recall in past years the ancestry folks on the morning after the election looking up any Irish links to the new commander in chief. And that bit of reconstructive heritage was almost always requested by tourism officials who hoped to discover some arcane descendant, or tiny hamlet, by which the new president could claim a bit of the Green. Remember Ballyporeen, or Tricky Dick’s Irish Fox Hound?

Trump doesn’t seem to be passionate about finding his Irish ties. What appears to please his non-existent Irish side are the golf courses the Trump Company now owns in Ireland (no free ads here) and Scotland. The Irish course is the site of his attempt to rebuild a sea wall to better change the landscape and improve the view.  A quick check with the neighbors suggests that the Trump plan is not going well, but a nearby business printing protest signs is enjoying a banner year, they say.

Trump Calls His Russia Links “a ruse” – Definition of “ruse”: An action meant to confuse or mislead; wily deception. In Trump’s first weeks in Florida, New York , and Washington, he has been trying to outrun the press corps, the House and Senate Intelligence Committee chairs and ranking members, the FBI, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency and a city full of crusty non-believers who are following the rising smoke in search of the fire. At least on one occasion (maybe more) Trump has called the ever-expanding links between Russia and the Trump campaign and his administration a “ruse.”

Take a glance above at the dictionary definition of the word and consider if it has a familiar ring to it. I believe it does. It perfectly captures what I call the “see it now, (maybe) see it later” use of the word. Donald Trump is famous for his wily deceptions and distractions. Sort of a follow the ball but not too closely approach. So, yes, let’s slow things down and take a look at some of the operatives who helped his finely tuned machine stay in touch with Mother Russia and Mr. Putin during the journey to the White House:

Jeff Sessions, US Attorney General: His relationship with Russia’s man in Washington, Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, is well-established;

Jared Kushner, White House advisor, Ivanka’s husband: He met with Kislyak between election day and the inauguration He has business connections with Russians;

Michael Flynn, retired general, fired former national security advisor: Had a number of meetings with Kislyak. Was paid for a public speech in Moscow with Putin at his table. Earned $600,000 as an agent of a foreign country, Turkey;

Donald Trump, Jr., son of the president: Spoke in France to a group of Russians. Has been quoted as saying that “we see a lot of money pouring in from Russia,” and “Russia makes up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of our assets”;

Paul Manafort, onetime Trump campaign manager: Has well established links to Russia. Had reported contacts with Russian interests during the campaign. Was fired by Trump.

Rex Tillerson, US secretary of state: Close relations with Putin, awarded Order of Friendship by Putin personally. Before appointment by Trump, he negotiated massive agreement between Russian government and Exxon Mobil;

Wilbur Ross, US secretary of commerce: He has served on the board of the US – Russia Investment Fund. Has various connections with Russian business interests; owns Cyprus bank that caters to wealthy Russians;

Roger Stone, longtime Trump advisor: New York Times reports that he is possibly under investigation by the US government for dealings with Russia. Had inside knowledge of WikiLeaks document releases;

Carter Page, former Trump advisor: Met with Kislyak last year. Former investment banker in Russia. Speaks to Russian business groups;

J.D. Gordon: Briefly on Trump’s national security team. Also in touch with Kislyak;

Donald Trump: He has been in communication with Putin; is thought to have direct and indirect business interests or relationships in Russia. His continued secrecy about his Russian business ties and investments, critics suggest, has given him reason to withhold his tax returns, which are available today, audit or not.

Taoiseach Lectures Trump on Immigration – Taoiseach Enda Kenny surprised a lot of people at the East Room of the White House during his recent US visit when he gave a rousing speech underlining the importance of immigrants and how much Ireland appreciates the role of the United States in providing a refuge and second home to the Irish. Kenny could have soft-peddled the usual safe words and avoided the matter of new threats to the Irish and other countries who rely on American open arms and good will. He laid out a particularly gutsy lineup of remarks, given the Trump administration’s recent moves restricting the usual flow of newcomers to the states.

Kenny appealed to Trump to take a more favorable view of immigrants, saying, “We believed in the shelter of America, in the compassion of America, in the opportunity of America. We came and became Americans.” Looking over the crowded, historic East Room, he added, “We want to give, not take.” A low hum accompanied Kenny’s recalling of those words of President John F. Kennedy.

RANDOM CLIPPINGS
You had to love the sight of Trump press secretary Sean Spicer’s flipped-over lapel pin showing the American flag upside down. That’s the universal distress signal, and not so inappropriate coming from the staggering Trump White House .… No happy St. Pat’s Day for the lawyer Pat Finucane’s family when a Belfast court refused to accede to a public inquiry into his murder in 1989 .… George Mitchell again speaks to truth when he assails the idea of a hard border as a possible outcome to the Brexit vote. “Very harmful” is his verdict .… Gerry Adams has taken on a failed mission in trying to persuade N.I., a UK province, to remain in the EU when Britain exits .… The Trump regime has its eyes on rolling back federal fuel-economy rules that have been saving motorists big money .…The Irish government is considering online voting as an option in granting voting rights to the Irish abroad .… A $230 million road cutting through the landscape near poet Seamus Heaney’s homestead is being litigated. Stay tuned .… The “Make America Great Again” hats have added a bogus fourth shamrock to the back of the hat; where’s the harp? .… History Alert: Sarah Palin closed down her PAC after spending $830,000 on consultants and only a wee 10 percent for her stated purpose of aiding other candidates .… The respected Guardian newspaper in the UK on Trump’s resident white supremacist, Steve Bannon: “Unvetted, unconfirmed but immensely powerful, Bannon may just be the most dangerous man in America” .… The father of the Navy Seal killed in Yemen refused to meet with Trump; a good man .… Maureen & John Connolly’s Aisling Gallery hosted a homespun gathering at their Hingham gallery on St. Patrick’s Day. They do a lot to keep the links open & active within the greater Boston Irish community .… A win for the CITGO sign.

To Mayor Martin Walsh: kudos for the thumbs up for the Boston police.