2005 FFAI Christmas Appeal--With the publication of the joint letter of our AOH and LAOH National Presidents elsewhere in this edition and the September mailing to all State, County, and Division Presidents, we kick off this year’s Christmas Appeal mindful of the fact that the 2004 Appeal was the most successful in the history of the Order. Indeed, we are off to a tremendous start, with more divisions than ever pledging themselves to raise a minimum of $1,000. Their pledge is both gratifying and admirable in view of the fact that so many worthy causes seek our support both locally and throughout the United States. Special thanks to the following divisions for their generous commitment: Connecticut (Danbury division), Illinois (#32-Chicago, #1-Peoria), Massachusetts (#8-Lawrence, Watertown division, #36-Worcester), Nebraska (#1-Omaha), New Jersey (#1- Somerset), New York (#5-Albany, #14-Nassau, #15-Nassau, #5-Rockland, #1-Schenectady, #1-Staten Island, #7-Suffolk), Ohio (#6-Youngstown, #1-Dayton), and Pennsylvania (#22-Philadelphia).
I.R.A.’s Decision--In one of the most dramatic developments in modern Irish history, the Army Council, the Irish Republican Army’s governing body, announced after an organization-wide consultation that it had issued an order to “dump arms” and “stand down” so as to promote the short-term implementation of genuine democratic rule in the Six Counties, while paving the way for national reunification in the long term. A decision fraught with major internal and external risks, this move is clearly intended to replace the armed struggle of the past with a confident and complete acceptance of the political struggle that lies ahead.
Opposing the Extradition Treaty--Our efforts to prevent Senate ratification of the proposed U.S.-U.K. Extradition Treaty did not falter during the sweltering heat of the past summer. June fourteenth found the members of our Ad Hoc Committee meeting in Washington to examine the status of the proposed treaty, as well as seeking to fine-tune our AOH strategy. August fourth was the occasion for a return to Washington of a smaller group to meet with a staff member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In addition, throughout the summer, various AOH state conventions provided time to update delegates on the status of the treaty. The consistent message out of Washington seems to be that there will be no movement to ratify any time soon, and that the AOH has been instrumental in stopping ratification. But this is neither the time for complacency or self-congratulation!
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