Here and There

Omagh Families Pursue O.J. Remedy

By Bill O'Donnell, August 1, 2009

The families of the 29 victims of the horrific Omagh bombing eleven years ago this month have won a judgment against the men implicated in the senseless atrocity. The award of $2.5 million will likely be no easier to collect than the civil damages award against O.J. Simpson, but it indicates the level of commitment of the families. Read more

Loyalists Finally Begin Disarming

By Bill O'Donnell, July 1, 2009

After months of delays and outright resistance to pleas from the British government, two of the more notorious loyalist paramilitary groups have finally begun decommissioning their weapons. The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and the Ulster Defense Association (UDA) have been threatened with a variety of sanctions by London but many members of the outlawed groups pointed to the resurgent threat and attacks by breakaway republicans as a rationale for holding on to their arms. That impasse has apparently been resolved, or at least eased. Read more

Northern Ireland

The sky is falling

By Bill O'Donnell, June 9, 2009

Yes, the sky is definitely about to come crashing down on Ireland and the US corporations that operate on the isle if President Obama's proposed tax changes go into effect. At least that's the entrenched belief of the Wall Street Journal, that bastion of unfettered capitalism and loosely regulated financial transactions and accountability. Read more