Litir ó Mheiriceá – Toghchán Mór i Meiriceá!

Letter from America - Big Election in America!

Litir ó Mheiriceá - Toghchán Mór i Meiriceá!

As I write this column, the Presidential election is underway in America. I studied the system of government here in the United States in depth before I cast my own vote. I'll share a summary of it here, along with a few implications, which could be very important, especially if Trump wins the Presidency.

Montesquieu

Cé nár mhaith le go leor Meiriceánaigh é a admháil, ba é fealsamh ón Fhrainc darbh ainm Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu, a raibh an tionchar is mó aige ar bhunreacht na Stát Aontaithe. Smaoinigh Montesquieu ar struchtúr rialtais nua, a mhol sé mar ‘trias politica’nó scaradh cumhachtaí ina leabhar cáiliúil “De l’Esprit des lois” (Maidir le Brí Dlíthe) foilsithe sa bhliain 1748. Sa leabhar sin, mhínigh sé go mbeadh sé níos fearr cumhachtaí rialtais a scaradh amach i dtrí pháirt: cumhacht reachtach, cumhacht bhreithiúnach agus cumhacht feidhmiúcháin. Leis an struchtúr sin, bheadh idir shrianta agus cheartúcháin sa chóras, ionas nach mbeadh aon pháirt amháin in ann an ceann is fearr a fháil ar aon pháirt eile. Chuir bunaitheoirí bhunreacht Mheiriceá an prionsabal sin i bhfeidhm nuair a dhear siad an rialtas feidearálach, ina bhfuil brainse reachtach (Comhdháil na Stáit Aontaithe idir Theach na nIonadaithe agus Seanad), brainse breithiúnach (An Chúirt Uachtarach agus Cúirteanna Feidearálacha na Stáit Aontaithe) agus brainse feidhmiúcháin (Uachtarán na Stáit Aontaithe agus a riarachán).

Other Federal Elections

I got my ballot a few weeks ago, and I have to say I had some work to do to sort out my choices. In addition to the famous Presidential election, there are many other elections taking place at the same time. The United States has a hierarchical system, with multiple levels (Federal, State, County, City). But even with respect to the federal elections, all seats in the House of Representatives (435) and 33 (out of 100) seats in the Senate are on the ballot on a national basis. In addition to voting for President, I will be able to cast my vote for Senator in California and for Representative (in the House of Representatives) in my congressional district.

Two Party System

The system of government in the United States is a two-party system (the Democratic Party and the Republican Party), which happened by accident and not on purpose. In both the Senate and the House of Representatives, the Party with the majority has more power. That is important, because no legislation is passed without the approval of both Houses (both the House of Representatives and the Senate), and finally the approval of the President. That is why it is difficult to pass legislation in the United States. You would think that if one Party had the Presidency and the majority in both Houses (as happens from time to time and could happen in this election), then it would be easy to pass legislation. But even then, it's not too easy. Although only a simple majority (more than half) is required in the House of Representatives, a supermajority (60 Senators out of 100) is usually required in favor of legislation in the Senate before it is given its seal of approval. It is not often that at least 60 Senators from one Party sit in the Senate. Therefore, the Senators from the minority Party in the Senate are able to demand significant changes in legislation before giving it their blessing. There is a formal process to discuss such changes, in an attempt to gain agreement in Congress on the proposed legislation. If Congress reaches agreement on changed legislation, that new legislation needs to go through the approval process all over again. If that new legislation is accepted in both Houses, the President still has an opportunity to veto it. While Congress can override a Presidential veto, that is very difficult to do, and rarely happens.

Implications??

According to the polls, the three federal races are neck and neck, for both Houses of Congress and the Presidency. The Presidential election is a strange election, as one candidate can win even if the other candidate receives a majority of the votes. This can happen because a selection process called an 'electoral college' is used. It is a complex process that is unfortunately not fully representative. I do not have space to discuss this complex process here, but this process is mentioned in the country's constitution, and therefore it is very difficult to change it (around 700 attempts have been made to change it up to now). Because of that process, my Presidential vote here in California is not worth a dime and the people in the 'Swing States' will be choosing the President for the entire country. The States in question are: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Nevada. But I will cast my vote for Kamala Harris, regardless of the impact of my vote on the outcome.

But, and this is my central point, I am able to cast my vote for a Senator in the Senate and for a Representative in the House of Representatives. And my vote will make a difference to them. Adam Schiff (Democrat) is standing against Steve Garvey (Republican) in the Senate election in California, and according to the polls there is a good chance that Schiff will win. I will support him anyway and cast my vote for him. By the way, Trump hates Schiff (he calls him 'shifty Schiff') and with that, I have plenty of justification to vote for Schiff!

For the House of Representatives, I am in the 49th Congressional district, where the incumbent Representative, Mike Levin (Democrat), is running against Matt Gunderson (Republican). While Mike Levin is leading in the polls, Matt Gunderson is improving his rating. I will cast my vote for Levin, and this is undoubtedly an important vote. Why? Well, if the Democrats were able to achieve a majority in the House of Representatives, they would be able to block legislation that the Democratic Party disagrees with - regardless of whether Trump is in office as President or the republicans have the majority in the Senate. There will not be 60 Republican Senators in the Senate, and therefore, the Democrats will be able to block legislation in the Senate as well, if necessary.

Conclusion

Although I don't have a say in the Presidential election, I do have a say regarding a Senator in the Senate and a Representative in the House of Representatives, and it makes a big difference how many Democrats there are in the Senate and the House of Representatives. So, I have an indirect say in how much power Trump would wield, should he win. I will therefore take full advantage of my vote, in an effort to preserve democracy in this country. And to people in Ireland, I will say this: if Trump were to be elected President of America, that does not mean that he will have unlimited power - he will not! While it is often frustrating for us in America to push for changes in the federal government, in the case that Trump were in office trying to be a dictator, that would be a good thing. It would be difficult, even for Trump, to effect change, regardless of which Party is in power in the Senate and the House of Representatives! But let's hope he won't have that opportunity in the first place, even if there would be other problems to solve!

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Litir ó Mheiriceá – Dearcadh Hanrahan agus na Poblachtánaigh!

Letter from America - Hanranhan's View and the Republicans!

There's no doubt in the world that Hanrahan’s Outlook is ingrained in us here in the United States of America, as no matter what aspect of the media you view, you can be sure that it won't be long before you hear this battle cry or a similar one being sung by someone from the Republican Party, issuing a dire warning about what will happen if Trump/Vance does not win the presidential election...

 “We’ll all be ruined (said Hanrahan),

Before the year is out.”

Talk about a negative attitude!

As everyone knows, the United States of America (USA) is stuffed to the gills with misinformation at the moment and if we want to escape the swamp of mud we are trapped in, we have no other choice but come to our senses, at there is no strength without unity. Don't our politicians need to tell the honest truth, and reveal their plans for how to improve things in the country? But, instead, members of the Republican Party are working hard, not to disprove and defeat negative myths and misinformation, but to invent and spread them! Every chance that Donald Trump and his colleagues get, they share a negative attitude about the Joe Biden Legislature and about the Democratic Party as loudly as possible.

"We will all be ruined if we vote for Kamala Harris in the upcoming presidential election. We'd better go a different route altogether, if we want to get out of this slush hole we're stuck in at the moment with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris."

Now, we all understand that Donald Trump, JD Vance and members of their Party need to promote themselves and to blame the other side. But they throw ugly personal insults at Harris and Walz all the time. They also say things that are not true against them. And neither Trump nor Vance admit that Trump lost the last presidential election. And they don't have a plan in the least, either.

Here's a sample of a few things Donald Trump has been saying recently while campaigning:

Dogs and Geese

In the presidential debate between Trump and Harris, Trump said, with 67 million people watching: "In Springfield they are eating dogs," referring to the Ohio city where many legal immigrants from Haiti live. “They are eating the cats. They are eating … the pets of the people who live there. And this is what is happening in our country, and it is a great shame." Some time later, he was asked a question during an interview on Fox TV asking why he would not admit that such a thing was not taking place. “I don't know if that's true or not. What about the geese? What happened then? They are all missing.”

FEMA

The federal emergency management agency (FEMA) is responsible for providing disaster relief to communities affected by catastrophic disasters (tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes and the like). After Hurricane Helene, FEMA workers were on the scene quickly, doing everything they could to help those badly hit by the hurricane. But Trump repeatedly said that FEMA had no money to help the victims. "They spent a lot of money bringing in illegal immigrants... They have no money for people who live here," said Trump. "They have spent the money on the illegal immigrants."

Shoplifters

Speaking at a recent rally in Pennsylvania, former president Trump said the key to preventing crimes like shoplifting is to allow the police to beat the thieves. "If you had one really violent day...a rough hour, and I mean really rough, the news would spread and it would be over immediately."

The enemy within

What Trump has to say about the citizens of his own country is cause for great concern. This is what he said on 'Fox News' recently. “We have some bad guys. We have some radical left wing lunatics. I think that would be very easy to handle with the National Guard, or if necessary, the military" And he said in another interview “We have a lot of bad people, but when you look at Shifty Schiff and some of the others, yes, they are, to me, the enemies within. I think Nancy Pelosi is an enemy within.”

Conclusion

After reading the above (and they are just a few examples!), isn't it hard to believe that Trump has any chance of winning the presidential election? But if the polls are accurate, Trump and Harris are neck and neck so the outcome is unpredictable. Unbelievable!

Trump's former chief of staff, John F. Kelly, said that Trump is a fascist, according to the definition of the word, and would rule as a dictator if allowed, and that he had no understanding of the Constitution or the concept of the rule of law.

In my opinion, I agree with Trump on the enemy within – but I'm not talking about Adam Schiff or Nancy Pelosi, but about Trump himself. Trump is the enemy within. But it is not necessary to use the National Guard or the military to defeat him. Fortunately, we are able to do so peacefully and legally – at the ballot box. The voters in the decisive states - Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada, Wisconsin and North Carolina - have a special duty. I urge the people of those states to think deeply before casting their votes - not only for themselves, but for everyone in the country, and for the future of the country. Trump has already shown his hand, and said what he would do as president from now on. With Trump as president, there is a good chance that we may no longer have a democratic country. Putting Trump in office is an irreversible change – don't do it!

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Tuairisc ó Mheiriceá -An Deighilt Mhór

Report from America - The Great Divide

I watched the vice presidential debate between J.D. Vance (Republican) and Tim Walz (Democrat) at the end of September 2024. This debate was in stark contrast to the two presidential debates that preceded it, one between Trump and Biden and another between Trump and Harris. As the world knows, Biden had a bad day in the first presidential debate and had no defense against Trump, who told lie after lie. In the second presidential debate, Harris clearly won, but they were on the offensive one minute and then on the defensive the next, and the people of the country didn't hear much about the topics that mattered most to them. Their attention was more on their public image, and on making little of their opponent. But in the vice presidential debate, the candidates discussed important issues - including abortion, immigration and school shootings. Vance and Walz respected each other, even though they both attacked the others’s presidential candidate. The following are the highlights of the debate, in my opinion.

Health Care

Vance was asked why Trump only had a concept for a new health care plan. Would Vance be able to confirm that Americans would not pay more if they had any pre-existing health conditions. "In fact, they would have health insurance coverage if they had any pre-existing health conditions!" replied Vance. But Trump never declared what he would do in that situation. Vance also declined to discuss the details of Trump's plan, saying it would be boring to discuss a 900-page bill on the debate stage. He also said that Trump supported Obama's plan, the 'Affordable Care Act' (ACA). Walz said Trump promised in 2016 to repeal Obama's plan, and he almost succeeded except that Senator John McCain stood up for it.

Immigration

Vance went on the attack, blaming vice president Kamala Harris for the problems with illegal immigration at the US-Mexico border. He referred to her as 'Border czar'. Walz then criticized former president Trump, saying he blocked a bipartisan bill that would have tackled the same problems, and did it to gain an advantage in his presidential campaign.

Abortion

Vance was battling the odds on this issue and took a cautious approach here. Vance said it would be ideal if each State were able to put its own laws in place regarding abortion. Walz said it is a basic human right, so it is a federal duty to protect that right for everyone in the country, regardless of the country's layout. Vance acknowledged that the Republican Party needs to do a better job of providing fertility treatment and affordable housing. Vance is a smart man and he wanted to attract votes from the people who are currently undecided.

Gun Violence

Vance and Walz agreed that the situation is bad and getting worse when it comes to gun violence, especially in schools. They agreed that the problem needs to be tackled. But they did not agree on an approach to solve the problem. Vance admitted that there were many reasons behind the problem - and in particular mental health problems and drug abuse. Walz didn't agree with that. "Sometimes it's the guns, just the guns!" he said. And "Having a mental health problem doesn't mean you're a violent person."

January 6

It was clear that there was a big divide between Vance and Walz about what happened on January 6, 2021. When they were discussing the uprising and the false claims that Trump claimed to have won the presidential election, Walz asked Vance directly: "Did he (Trump) lose the 2020 election?" "Tim, I'm focused on the future", Vance replied. "That's a damning non-answer!" said Walz. Later, Walz said: “Here we are 4 years later, in the same situation. The winner must be the winner. This has to stop. It's tearing us apart."

Vance's change of heart

Vance was asked why he had a change of heart about Trump. He criticized Trump harshly in 2020 but is very much in favor of him now. Vance blamed the media, saying they misled him with lies about Trump. He said that Trump also made good on his promises to the people of the country as president.

Tiananmen Square

In 2009, Walz said he was in Hong Kong when the Tiananmen Square protests were taking place. But he was in Nebraska at the time. When asked about that, he waffled about it for a long time. When the question was put again, he finally admitted that he had made a mistake.

Conclusion

J.D. Vance is the master of smooth talk. Vance, without a doubt. J.D. Vance had the opportunities that Tim Walz didn't have. As Walz said: “I grew up in a small town – Butte, Nebraska, population 400 – and there were 24 students in my high school class. And not one of them attended Yale.” Walz was trying to say that he was a normal person, unlike Vance. Perhaps it was also a kind of excuse, because Vance was better on the debate stage. But does it matter? The central question is which presidential candidate should be chosen. And on that issue, it is clear that Trump is a danger to America and the world, and that it would be completely wrong to re-elect him as president.

Although J.D. Vance can dazzle people with his smooth speech, talk is cheap. Despite Vance's platitudes, there is no way it would be right to put the convicted criminal, Donald Trump, back in office. That was very clear, when Vance refused to answer the question posed by Walz: “Trump is still saying he didn't lose the election. Did he lose the 2020 election?”

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Léirmheas Scannáin – Kneecap

Film Review - Kneecap

 

C.E.A.R.T.A 
Is cuma liom
sa foc faoi aon gharda, 
Duidín lásta, tá mise ró-ghasta, 
Ní fheicfidh tú mise i mo sheasamh ró-fhada

That's a rap verse sung by a hip-hop band from West Belfast called Kneecap. If you watch the movie with the same title you will hear them singing the song. If you are an Irish speaker, you have no choice but to watch this film. It is an important and blunt film, with a crazy atmosphere and non-stop action.

The film gives us a heartwarming look at the generation from West Belfast known as "The Ceasefire Babies" who were born after the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. Although there has been no war in Northern Ireland since then, it seems that the remains of that horror can still be felt long after in various ways. You see those remnants clearly in the film as the band members and their compatriots still deal with issues of cultural equality. Although the war is long over, the struggle continues in a more peaceful way, including in the form of rap music in Irish.

It was a bold choice for the members of Kneecap to play themselves in the film. It’s no harm also having a few famous actors in the film - including Michael Fassbender.

The material for the film came while a national movement was taking place in the North of Ireland to preserve Irish and to obtain official status for it. Finally, an important act was passed in Westminster in 2022 - 'The Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act 2022' - which gave official status to the language for the first time. It is only the first step towards cultural equality for those who have Irish as part of their culture in the North of Ireland. You see the struggle right before the Act through the lens of the band and their music.

The Main Plot

Liam and Naoise are drug dealers in West Belfast. Naoise's father (Fassbender) is a tough republican, who told them that every word of Irish spoken is a bullet on behalf of the freedom of Ireland. They learned that lesson, and now they use the language as a fighting tool against the authorities. When Liam is being questioned by the 'peelers' (police), he only speaks Irish. The police employ a music teacher named JJ Ó Dochartaigh as a translator. When JJ reads what Liam has written in his notebook, he immediately realizes that Liam has a lot of promise. That's how, by accident, the band starts. Liam and Naoise have written a song called 'C.E.A.R.T.A.', and JJ helps them record in a makeshift studio he has in his garage. They give themselves stage names, Mógálí Bap (Naoise), Mo Chara (Liam) and DJ Próvaí (JJ), they call the band Kneecap, and they start doing gigs. Small gigs at first in pubs full of owl lads drinking Guinness who don't know what the hell is going on. But after a while, the popularity of Kneecap increases. Naoise, Liam and JJ are snorting and doing all kinds of drugs and are always on the verge of going out of control, in line with their public image, as cultural rebels and outspoken spokesmen for their generation in the North.

Subplots

There are a few other stories that are quite complex and interwoven with the main story.

Naoise's father, Arlo, has been on the run for the past 10 years. He was a member of a paramilitary group and faked his own death to escape the authorities. It is difficult for Naoise and his mother to carry on in Arlo's absence. But he is secretly in touch with Naoise. Arlo plays an important role at the end, which I will not reveal here.

Due to their obscene anti-British lyrics, Kneecap becomes controversial with the police, and in particular with Detective Ellis. She is not happy to learn that Liam is in a relationship with her niece Georgia, who is a Protestant. A few strange things then happen with Ellis and Georgia, but I won't tell more here.

And then there is the pressure group called 'Radical Republicans Against Drugs'. They want to stop the backstreet drug dealing that is going on, so they come into conflict with Liam and Naoise. Again, I won't reveal the details here.

Conclusion

The film fictionalizes the history of Kneecap. I love the central concept, which is the members of the band trying to preserve and expand their cultural rights through the use of Irish - a central part of their culture. Not only that, but they use a genre of music that suits their endeavors – hip-hop. Hip-hop artists have a long history of using the medium to express social issues – N.W.A, Public Enemy, Kendrick Lamar and Childish Gambino to name but a few. So, it's no surprise that the members of Kneecap live an extravagant lifestyle – goes with the job for such pop stars.

The band takes a fresh approach, a pioneering approach to promote the rights of the minority Irish language, and this shows that the language is alive, vibrant and important, especially in the North at the moment. Irish is part of their history and identity, regardless of their religion. As long as young people like Liam, Naoise and JJ are using the language in modern ways and preserving it, it is a cause of hope for us all. And in the South - where Irish has been the main official language of the country for a long time - we have to ask ourselves - can we do more to promote the Irish language here?

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Teachtaireacht as na Flaithis in Utah?

A message from Heaven in Utah?

I'm not a superstitious person, but it felt as if a message had fallen from the heavens. It happened suddenly. We -my wife, myself and two friends- had visited the Mormon visitor center in St. George, Utah, in America when it happened. But before that…

Background

Utah is closely associated with the Mormon religion, officially known as the Church of Jesus of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Joseph Smith founded the religion in 1830. According to LDS teachings, the angel Moroni came to him on September 21, 1823, and told him that he was chosen to restore God's church on Earth. Moroni also told Smith that he had placed gold tablets in western New York, and that they had the writings of the ancient prophets. Smith is said to have recovered the tablets four years later and translated them into English from an unknown language. The result of his work was the holy scripture of the LDS church - "The Book of Mormon".

The Mormons were thought to be rebels, so they were persecuted in Missouri and then in Illinois. In 1844, Smith was charged with treason and imprisoned. An anti-Mormon gang killed him in prison. Brigham Young succeeded Smith as president of the church in 1846. Young and his followers went on a great journey to Utah to escape persecution, and Utah has been the center of the LDS church ever since. There is a variety of religions in Utah today, with Mormons making up 40% of the population of 3.5 million.

Sister Davis was our guide in the visitor center, and she shared information about the Mormons. There was a film to see, and posters to read as part of the visit. It was very interesting for us to learn about the Mormons and their religion. Sister Davis was a friendly lady and patiently answered our questions.

Message?

After our visit to the visitor center, one of our guests took a few photos of us in our van. We were parked across the street from the center. I opened my window and reached out through the window for photos. Then I pushed the switch to raise the window. It started working properly at first, but then there was a loud noise like the sound of a shot and the window glass jumped up at blazing speed and then fell down again. The window was then fully open, and the switch no longer worked. A message from heaven perhaps?

Mechanic?

It was after 5 p.m. at the time and it was difficult to find a mechanic as most garages were closed by then. But there was one that would be open until 5:30. I called it, and I spoke to someone named Jake. I explained that we were parked outside the Mormon visitor center and that we were in trouble because of the van window. He agreed to take the van in even though it meant the mechanics would have to work overtime to fix the problem.

We drove straight to the garage, and they brought the van in right away. The whole process took about 45 minutes and the staff had to stay at work for more than half an hour after closing time. It turned out that the window motor had worn out, and they didn't have a replacement available on (such) an urgent basis. They would be able to lift the window and secure it in place with a screw and plastic fasteners – allowing us to continue our journey and get a new motor after the road trip. We agreed to that solution. Thanks to Jake and his team, we were soon on our way again and the window remained closed for the rest of the trip. The only minor problem we had was that it was a bit noisy when we were driving, as there was a small gap at the top of the window - but that didn't bother us.

Conversion?

I was so taken by the series of strange events that the other three started teasing me for a while. "Michael, do you intend to convert to Mormonism?" said one person. "'Yes", said my wife, "he will want to relocate to St. George soon.” And they continued to make fun of me. Were they right – is it?

Are you kidding me too? Seriously though, if I were a superstitious person, I might contemplate, trying to find out if the strange events of the day could be connected in some way to Mormonism. But I'm not like that. The window motor in the van was on its last legs, no doubt, and it's a coincidence that it broke outside the venue. And what about the garage that Jake kept open for us after closing time? Well, maybe Jake is an exemplary person, or maybe when he heard that we were outside his own religion's visitor center, he was inspired to do his deed of the day. In any case, I don't plan on relocating to Utah any time soon!

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