Fenian Notes

To those of us who have had problems in these areas, it is all too real, and alerts a vigilance in us for self-protection.

Is it real or imagined? Unfortunately, it is quite real and far worse than we thought; however, we are now on notice that there is a political war being waged on those Irish Americans still loyal to Irish Republicanism and condemning the sell-out by the great majority who have accepted British presence in Ireland and Partition as embodied in Treaty II and the New Stormont.

The majority of those who support Treaty II and Partition, the Anglo-Irish-American community sticks together to vilify and demonise loyal Republicans.

It is now a sin to be opposed to the “peace” process. The Irish Voice is now no better than a Fleet Street rag.

Because of the bombing of US Embassies in Africa, the US has officially declared war on “terrorists”, but the war has been on-going for some time.

Joined with America in this war is the “United Kingdom” whose interest is containing “terror” in the North of Ireland with US assistance.

The US/UK alliance against “terrorists” (UUAAT) runs deep into the fabric of the society of each country and citizens of both have no idea of the spying that has transpired. All e-mail, fax and telephone calls from the United States to Europe and within Europe are monitored.

CAREFUL

Communications are routinely intercepted by the US National Security Agency, transferring all “target information” from the European mainland via London by Satellite to Fort Meade, Maryland, just outside of Washington, DC, via Menwith Hill in Yorkshire, and also “target information” going from the US to Europe.

The technology for this operation was jointly developed by the US and the “United Kingdom.”

This is a big brother come to life and you who call Ireland are targets and are of prime interest to British Intelligence which is gathering data for files on those assisting dissidents in Ireland, and this is done in complete co-operation with US sources.

This raises some serious issues concerning civil liberties and clearly indicts the US and British Governments on ignoring and evading the spirit of laws protecting privacy in both nations.

This is vindication for all of us who have been accused of paranoia in the past when we made accusations of being spied upon through wire tapping private conversations.

It is quite clear to envision how British Intelligence monitors American and Irish citizens through their eavesdropping facility at Government Communications Headquarters, or GCHQ, in Cheltenham, UK, and conversely how the United States spies on Britain (and the Six Counties), Americans abroad and other Europeans.

The program that permits this access was developed by Memex Technology, East Kilbride, UK, under contract to the National Security Agency, (NSA), giving the NSA the ability to siphon out of transmissions what is valuable in the intercepted communications.

Key elements in transmissions kick out information that involves any alleged members of certain organisations despite the ultilisation of codes by the organisations.

The surveillance technology which picks up on key words has gone out of control threatening people who are acting within the laws, but may hold views which do not conform to acceptable government dictates.

For instance, any phonecall, fax or e-mail from the States which states the “peace” process is wrong and cannot work in the long run will tip off monitors of potentially dangerous people.

The spying process is part of the support for the British “peace” process which will end up abusing the rights of innocent people which is the intent to create a chilling fear to crush dissent.

There is no justification for permitting such anti-democratic activity which to date has had no accountability.

FACILITY

Within that facility, there are 22 electronic ears (radomes) which incorporate a vast eavesdropping project and computer analysis of hundreds of thousands of internet messages, phone conversations, faxes and telexes.

The computers at the facility hunt out pre-programmed key words that create computer storage rooms of categories of those spied upon.

Every transmission from Ireland to the US and vice versa, as well as every intra-Ireland one is catalogued for further attention.

Now here is the irony in all this. “Peace” process support groups give out information which goes to the spies creating files on those they criticise.

It creates a file on the sending group in case the future sees them dissenting when the inevitable happens and the gullible realise it was all about support for the cause of Partition all along.

Remember that technically US spies cannot spy domestically within the United States. By getting British GCHQ to snoop on Americans’ communications, the NSA circumvents US laws preventing it from conducting wholesale domestic eavesdropping.

In a similar vein, NSA passes on information gleaned from Britain’s communications and Irish communications to British Intelligence which allows GCHQ to avoid the necessity of seeking official wire-tap permission from British Authorities. Any phoned bomb warning in Ireland or England would be recorded.

This US/UK arrangement to circumvent the rule of law and cause a rupture in the basic rights of innocent people is part of a wide mutual intelligence arrangement called Echelon.

It includes Australia, New Zealand, and Canada in addition to the US, UK and both jurisdictions of Ireland. This will give the Anglo-American spy group listening posts throughout the world.

Memex’s software, used in this operation, can automatically and rapidly search every word of every single intercepted communication and is considered the tops in the field and goes beyond the use of NSA and GCHQ.

Acess to all this store of information is given now to Scotland Yard and Britain’s National Criminal Intelligence Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other US law enforcement agencies.

So the worst we feared is true and US and UK sources are monitoring those phases of our lives concerning our activity regarding Ireland. We can also assume that more than just electronic communications are being monitored.

In addition to the main monitoring facility in England, there are other facilities including multiple sites in America. There are possibilities here of illegal government activity and a dirty tricks campaign aimed at those opposed to the “peace” process.

The ultra-secret Echelon system was designed for non-military targets such as governments, organisations and businesses in many countries. It is now in place to monitor any target in any country, according to the European report.

It is not known, but it is assumed, that NSA and GCHQ do not follow any guidelines and Washington and London have given them all open brief.

The intercepted information can be put to any use either agency or either country sees fit to employ. This entire operation dates back to the 1980s when Ronald Regan and Margaret Thatcher initiated it to target all “terrorist” groups. It is highly classified and neither government has ever acknowledged publicly the existence of Echelon.

This system is a world control operation that is an out-growth of the World War II alliance between the President of the US, Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. The idea was to unite the English-speaking peoples’ against the rest of the world.

The alliance was public, but the activity was kept secret because it permitted each country to allow agents into the other to spy on citizens.

It was expanded under Ronald Regan and Margaret Thatcher to spy on Irish-Americans and Irish people in Ireland and England, many of whom were later harassed, threatened and abused in all of the jurisdictions.

THATCHER-REAGAN LEGACY

This operation is a threat to innocent people and is all about control over legal activities that are treated as illegal. This threat to civil liberties must be stopped, but it is all part of the “peace” process dirty tricks to monitor all opponents of the “peace” process. All those supporting the “peace” process are giving assent to this activity.

Along with this questionable electronic monitoring is the draconian legislation passed by Dublin and London to supplement the attempt to stop dissents.

The Provos probably will join the SDLP as informers giving crucial information to the “security” forces about opponents of the process.

Caution is the watch word for legitimate Republicans in all activities. Nothing even in code should be discussed over electronic apparatus.

Anglo Irish American organisations are monitored because they pass on information about dissidents and opponents of the “peace” process, the Treaty and Partition.

Draconian legislation had been drafted prior to Omagh and of course Echelon is in effect for years because whatever the outcome in Ireland, it was going to be monitored.

Those sucked into the “peace” process were and are endorsing all of this activity which violates civil liberties.

It is not too late to condemn this entire set-up and any people who truly believe in the future of a United and Free Ireland must condemn it.

To support Stormont and the Assembly, incorporates support for Draconian laws, Echelon and rights abuse. There is a choice.
— Peadar Mac Fhínín