NORTHERN IRELAND ALERT

Uninterested Massachustts congresspeople

Representatives

No uninterested MA Senators

No uninterested MA Representatives

NORTHERN IRELAND ALERT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contacts: James J. Brosnahan or

Dan VanDeMortel

March 11, 2002 Morrison & Foerster llp

(415) 268-7000

PRESS RELEASE

San Francisco – The human rights organization Northern Ireland Alert today ranked President George W. Bush as “ACTIVE” on Northern Ireland affairs.

This ranking places the President in Northern Ireland Alert’s middle category, ranging from “DEDICATED” (highest ranking) to “UNINTERESTED” (lowest ranking). It found the Bush Administration’s role to be somewhere comfortably in the middle between President Clinton’s efforts and the days of avoidance of Irish affairs that preceded him. It is heartened by the President’s willingness to keep alive a “national interest” foreign policy. However, it is concerned by his lack of consistent personal involvement on the issue, as well as his Administration’s frequent inattention to human rights concerns. (See Scorecard, page 24)

Northern Ireland Alert today also issued its fourth annual Northern Ireland Congressional Scorecard and assigned its worst ranking, UNINTERESTED, to the following Congresspersons due to their inattention toward Northern Ireland, a “national interest” as defined by President Bush:

The Scorecard, which records actions taken by the House of Representatives and the Senate, ranks Congressional members on 20 activities taken from January, 2001 through February, 2002. Categories of action include involvement in the peace process, expressions of concern pertaining to human rights abuses, sponsorship of pending Irish-related resolutions and bills, and encouragement of Irish cultural concerns. The Congresspersons referenced above have displayed no public interest or action in support of any of the 20 categories. Consequently, they should be considered UNINTERESTED in Northern Ireland affairs and are strongly encouraged to immediately rectify this situation.

After carefully researching and evaluating news articles, Internet sites, legislative histories, hearing transcripts, and assorted publicly-available documents on Northern Ireland Congressional activity, Northern Ireland Alert evaluated all Congresspersons and found the following to be DEDICATED PARTICIPANTS on Northern Ireland-related issues:

Dedicated Massachusetts Participants
Senators	Representatives
Kennedy, Edward (D-MA)	No dedicated MA Representatives

The following Congresspersons are VERY ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS:

Very Active Massachusetts Participants
Senators	Representatives	Representatives (cont’d)
No very active MA Senators	Capuano, Michael (D-MA)	McGovern, James (D-MA)
	Delahunt, William (D-MA)	Meehan, Martin (D-MA)
	Frank, Barney (D-MA)	Tierney, John (D-MA)

The following Congresspersons are ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS:

Active Massachusetts Participants
Senators	Representatives	Representatives
Kerry, John (D-MA)	Markey, Edward (D-MA)	Olver, John (D-MA)

Other Congresspersons have taken some action, reflecting that they are
INTERESTED PARTICIPANTS:

Interested Massachusetts Participants
Senators	Representatives	Representatives (cont’d)
No interested MA Senators	Lynch, Stephen F. (D-MA)

In conjunction with its Scorecard, Northern Ireland Alert calls on all Congressional representatives to display public interest and behind-the-scenes support for the immediate redress of the following Northern Ireland human rights concerns:

§ overhaul of the criminal justice system, including the repeal of all emergency legislation, the dismantling of the Diplock Court system, and a concomitant restoration of jury trials and the right to silence;

§ implementation of the entirety of the Patten Commission’s recommendations for reform of Northern Ireland’s police force, the Police Service of Northern Ireland, in order to more accurately reflect Northern Ireland’s demographic breakdown and to more effectively protect its citizens;

§ an international, independent public inquiry into the deaths of attorneys Patrick Finucane and Rosemary Nelson, as well as some form of Truth Commission or public inquiry regarding all other persons killed in suspicious circumstances suggesting collusion between outlawed paramilitary groups and members of the governing security forces (an international judge, as announced at the July, 2001 Weston Park political negotiations, will not be sufficient in this regard);

§ continued demilitarization of the soldiers, security towers, helicopters, and security patrols in Northern Ireland;

§ a ban on the manufacture, distribution, and use of plastic bullets, which have been responsible for 17 deaths and countless injuries in Northern Ireland;

§ legislative implementation of a Northern Ireland bill of rights;

§ funding and/or legislative initiatives which would encourage American investment and economic cooperation with Northern Ireland, contingent on prospects for equal employment and political opportunities for Protestants and Catholics.

Northern Ireland Alert publishes its Scorecard to update a broad American audience on where its elected representatives stand with regard to the ongoing human rights issues and peace process obstacles which have troubled the residents of Northern Ireland for a generation. Our Scorecard is distributed to all members of Congress, as well as to an international array of politicians, lawyers, academicians, human rights organizations, community leaders, and other interested individuals. The organization takes no position on the success or failure of any political party in Northern Ireland, but rather focuses its attention on the human rights concerns endemic to Northern Ireland society and the United States government’s need, on behalf of its approximately 40 million citizens of Irish descent, to be actively involved in bringing about change to a conflict-ridden part of the world.

Northern Ireland Alert:
A San-Francisco-based human rights organization, which, among other activities, publishes an annual Northern Ireland Congressional Scorecard monitoring Congressional activity on Northern Ireland-related peace, economic, and human rights issues. It’s publications are regularly profiled in the Irish News, Ireland on Sunday, the Sunday Business Post, the Irish Voice, the Irish Echo, g21.Net, and other publications.

Publisher: James J. Brosnahan, Esq.
Brosnahan is a senior partner with Morrison & Foerster llp. As a trial lawyer, he traveled to Northern Ireland in 1996, and in 1999 he returned there as part of a Lawyers Committee for Human Rights investigative mission. In 2000, on behalf of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, he visited Belfast to teach trial procedure to Northern Ireland lawyers. He has attended high-level discussions at the White House regarding Northern Ireland affairs. He is a former president of the San Francisco chapter of the Irish American Bar Association, and regularly speaks and writes about Northern Ireland affairs.

Editor: Dan VanDeMortel
VanDeMortel is a paralegal with Morrison & Foerster llp. He has traveled to Northern Ireland with the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights and has lived in Belfast, where he volunteered for the Committee on the Administration of Justice. He regularly writes about Northern Ireland affairs.

Assistants: Judy Burgin, Leslie Cassidy, Molly Feerick, Steven Frankenstein, Richard Gilbert, Nathan Hatch, Barbara Keaton, Leah Kjellen, Nicole Marcus, Helen Murphy, Danny Ngan, Sylvia Sequeira, Patricia Stich Regan, Helen Wentz, Mary Whitten

Address: Dan VanDeMortel
c/o Morrison & Foerster LLP
425 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
phone: (415) 268-6028 fax: (415) 268-7522
e-mail: dvandemort@mofo.com