The IRA Has Always Been a Terrorist Group

Re “The IRA Is Morphing Into the ‘Rafia,’ ” Commentary, March 10: For those who believe the war on terror began on 9/11, here are some salient facts: Like Al Qaeda, the Irish Republican Army believes in using terror to deliver a political objective; it has a history of killing civilians; it is on the U.N.’s list of terrorist organizations; and it considers itself an army of liberation, not a gang of terrorist thugs. In the future can we also expect to see printed in the L.A. Times a similar plea from Abu Musab Zarqawi for Osama bin Laden to move aside? Or do you publish articles only from terrorists who kill non-Americans?

Neil Fletcher

Santa Monica

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I spent 30 years living under the threat of IRA bombings that were largely financed by misguided sympathizers in the U.S. Now that IRA terrorism has been overtaken by world terrorism, perhaps those U.S. sympathizers will search their consciences, remembering the violent deaths and maiming that their donations financed in the “liberation” of Ireland from the legal United Kingdom government.

Hopefully those people will resist the urge to further the cause of terrorists and murderers and refuse to provide funds to a misguided cause and Anthony McIntyre will be seen for what he may really be -- as an instigator of a new IRA faction, desperate to become legitimate.

Philip Meadway

North Wales

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Re McIntyre’s tribute to the “volunteers” of the IRA, please tell me that Hollywood is not about to pay homage to their sectarian murder campaign or give a gloss of legitimacy to their anarchic violence.

Richard Dowling

Laois, Ireland