info@danaforpresident.ie
together@seangallagher.com
admin@thepeoplespresident.ie – Martin McGuinness
Gay Mitchell, via his website email
Info@davidnorris4president.com
October 2011
A Chara,
One of the most important issues for Irish Society as a whole, a thread that runs through almost every issue, is the welfare and safety of our children.
I write as an interested Irish Citizen and as a Survivor.
The question is this : Is Ireland a safe place for ALL the children, and are their futures being protected and nurtured in ways that will meet all their natural needs as growing people, who will in turn become the adults who craft their society?
With this in mind, we can consider the following issues : Institutional Abuse, Historical Trauma, The Environment, State Education, Spirituality, Ethics….
The story of Institutional Abuse is no-where near resolving itself. Out of 26 Dioceses, over a two decades of Survivors witness Testimony and action in the courts and elsewhere, only 4 have ‘reported’ on this, and none of these have been fully comprehensive, nor have we seen a full and frank disclosure by the State or by The Church as to the extent of the abuse culture, the identification of perpetrators nor are there reliable support services in place with a proven track record of healing trauma.
Even still there is resistance to what is needed here, from the Church, from within various State Institutions and from within the community at large, especially those who have allegiances to the Church, and those who in one way or another share some responsibility for the neglect of Survivors.
Historical trauma (HT) is cumulative emotional and psychological wounding, over the lifespan and across generations, emanating from massive group trauma.
Sinead O’Connor alluded to this in her song ‘Famine’. There is clear evidence that suggests the corruption and dysfunction in Irish Society has some of it’s roots in Historical Trauma. This is not to provide and excuse for abuse, though it is a call to evoke an understanding of the dynamics and roots of dysfunctional behaviours so as to heal and to prevent further dysfunction.
The Office of Irish President is a public voice from which this element of the story of the Irish people could be advocated, indeed it ought to be a primary concern, given the massive failures of DeValera, and subsequent Presidents in this regard.
As regards the Environment, that is to say the space within which our children’s children will live, it’s clear that there is much work to be done to bring to an end the massive use of pesticides, herbicides, pollutants, NKP fertilisers, the use of non-renewable ‘resources’ and the re-habilitation of land use and occupation. To the degree that all these affect the welfare of children, such as the presence of DDT in mothers breast milk, the presence of pesticides in the foetus these activities could be described as child abuse.
As regards State Education, we have to look at the homogenisation of childhood experience, the processes of indoctrination, secular or religious, and the fact that whilst many do benefit, so many more do not benefit, because Compulsory State Education is not geared to respond to the natural variation and diversity of children’s behaviour and perception, and that it undermines their natural autonomy by refusing to afford them opportunities to develop that autonomy. The use of Ritalin and other similar ‘medications’ is clearly adverse to children’s welfare.
To tell an adult what to think, with sanctions applied for any reasonable dissent, is rightfully felt or sensed by all adults as abusive. Why then is it the case that this is considered appropriate for children?
And with regard to Spirituality and Ethics, unless empathy lies at the core of both these areas, they become adverse to the health of any community.
The behaviour of the Church reveals this to be the case. There are, of course many other examples of this adversity – fraud, corruption in politics, war as a tool of State policy etc etc…
I write to you to ask that you declare your views on these crucial matters, aware that you will have no statuary power as such, compared to the Dail and the Legislature, yet nonetheless you will have a platform from which to urge change, to inspire a deeper and more relevant discourse, and that this ought to be your primary concern and responsibility in your role as President of The Irish State, as a statesperson representing the hopes and concerns of the Irish people at home and abroad, noting that you will of course, be remunerated by the Irish taxpayer.
Yours sincerely
Corneilius Crowley
3 Sherwood Road,
South Harrow
together@seangallagher.com
admin@thepeoplespresident.ie – Martin McGuinness
Gay Mitchell, via his website email
Info@davidnorris4president.com
October 2011
A Chara,
One of the most important issues for Irish Society as a whole, a thread that runs through almost every issue, is the welfare and safety of our children.
I write as an interested Irish Citizen and as a Survivor.
The question is this : Is Ireland a safe place for ALL the children, and are their futures being protected and nurtured in ways that will meet all their natural needs as growing people, who will in turn become the adults who craft their society?
With this in mind, we can consider the following issues : Institutional Abuse, Historical Trauma, The Environment, State Education, Spirituality, Ethics….
The story of Institutional Abuse is no-where near resolving itself. Out of 26 Dioceses, over a two decades of Survivors witness Testimony and action in the courts and elsewhere, only 4 have ‘reported’ on this, and none of these have been fully comprehensive, nor have we seen a full and frank disclosure by the State or by The Church as to the extent of the abuse culture, the identification of perpetrators nor are there reliable support services in place with a proven track record of healing trauma.
Even still there is resistance to what is needed here, from the Church, from within various State Institutions and from within the community at large, especially those who have allegiances to the Church, and those who in one way or another share some responsibility for the neglect of Survivors.
Historical trauma (HT) is cumulative emotional and psychological wounding, over the lifespan and across generations, emanating from massive group trauma.
Sinead O’Connor alluded to this in her song ‘Famine’. There is clear evidence that suggests the corruption and dysfunction in Irish Society has some of it’s roots in Historical Trauma. This is not to provide and excuse for abuse, though it is a call to evoke an understanding of the dynamics and roots of dysfunctional behaviours so as to heal and to prevent further dysfunction.
The Office of Irish President is a public voice from which this element of the story of the Irish people could be advocated, indeed it ought to be a primary concern, given the massive failures of DeValera, and subsequent Presidents in this regard.
As regards the Environment, that is to say the space within which our children’s children will live, it’s clear that there is much work to be done to bring to an end the massive use of pesticides, herbicides, pollutants, NKP fertilisers, the use of non-renewable ‘resources’ and the re-habilitation of land use and occupation. To the degree that all these affect the welfare of children, such as the presence of DDT in mothers breast milk, the presence of pesticides in the foetus these activities could be described as child abuse.
As regards State Education, we have to look at the homogenisation of childhood experience, the processes of indoctrination, secular or religious, and the fact that whilst many do benefit, so many more do not benefit, because Compulsory State Education is not geared to respond to the natural variation and diversity of children’s behaviour and perception, and that it undermines their natural autonomy by refusing to afford them opportunities to develop that autonomy. The use of Ritalin and other similar ‘medications’ is clearly adverse to children’s welfare.
To tell an adult what to think, with sanctions applied for any reasonable dissent, is rightfully felt or sensed by all adults as abusive. Why then is it the case that this is considered appropriate for children?
And with regard to Spirituality and Ethics, unless empathy lies at the core of both these areas, they become adverse to the health of any community.
The behaviour of the Church reveals this to be the case. There are, of course many other examples of this adversity – fraud, corruption in politics, war as a tool of State policy etc etc…
I write to you to ask that you declare your views on these crucial matters, aware that you will have no statuary power as such, compared to the Dail and the Legislature, yet nonetheless you will have a platform from which to urge change, to inspire a deeper and more relevant discourse, and that this ought to be your primary concern and responsibility in your role as President of The Irish State, as a statesperson representing the hopes and concerns of the Irish people at home and abroad, noting that you will of course, be remunerated by the Irish taxpayer.
Yours sincerely
Corneilius Crowley
3 Sherwood Road,
South Harrow
London HA2 8AW
