One of Sinn Fein, republicanism and Irish American's big lies is that Northern Ireland is in some kind of state of military occupation; a colonial outpost where locals are kept down through force. I'm not making this up - living in Northern Ireland it's easy to recognise that it's complete tosh (and MOPEry of the worst kind), however that doesn't stop thousands (if not more) from donating vast sums of money each year to Sinn Fein's quest to cleanse their mythical Irish nation of any resistance to the imposition of Dublin rule.

So clouded are their minds by blind devotion to unecessary violence against the people of their beloved Ireland for over three decades that they cannot even bring themselves to agree a simple statement of support for the family of a murdered Catholic man seeking justice. Sure he was just "collateral damage."

The Truth
It's difficult to see how this position can be reconciled with today's announcement detailling how troop levels are to be cut down to a maximum of 5,000 to bring Northern Ireland to a level comparable with any other part of the United Kingdom. 5,000 soldiers is hardly a force sufficient to "occupy" a country with a population of 1.8 million.

Follow up:

The reduction will coincide with the end of "Operation Banner" which saw the army provide support to the local police. The document also provides details of how the number of military installations will shrink from 90 to 14, including withdrawal of the army from some barracks which they currently share with the police and the dismantling of 5 remaining watchtowers in south Armagh's bandit country.

Understandably, some unionists will have reservations about safety and security, but I believe in the present climate it's a very positive sign that, in this one small but significant way, Northern Ireland is becoming just like any other region of the United Kingdom.

Lift that rug a second
You'd expect today's announcement then, to really be a cutting blow the self-styled "Friends of Ireland". The move should in no small way help dispell the myth of "occupation". Note I say should - because the truth is Irish Americans will never hear any details like this, precisely because it dispells the myths these MOPEs thrive on.

So despite these changes, or in ignorance of them, I get the feeling that the charitable bankrollers of Sinn Fein's desire for a mono-ethnic, mono-cultural Ireland will continue to donate their dollars. Funded by braindead do-gooders, Sinn Fein will continue to pursue their campaign of racial and religious superiority, attempting to wipe a small country from the face of the globe, and attempting to remove an entire culture from Ireland. With "friends" like these, who needs enemies?