Democrat and Chronicle from Rochester, New York • Page 9

What's your view? We welcome your comments. All submissions must include your full name, address and daytime telephone number. Limit letters to fewer than 200 words. If you would like to write a longer essay, contact Speaking Out page editor M. Kathleen Wagner, 258-2414.

DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE How to reach us Letters to the Editor, Democrat and Chronicle, 55 Exchange Rochester 14614 Fax: 258-2356 TTY line: 258-2543 Opinions by phone: 258-2401 dceditpage RochesterDandC.com TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 1998 9A Speaking Out Issue: Ireland Admission of guilt for 6deeo scars' the famine to be "a great blessing" and a "valuable opportunity for settling" once and for all "the vexed question of Irish discontent." While shiploads of corn were sent to Ireland from America to feed famine, a group of mostly Protestant Bostonians arranged to use a U.S. ship sitting idle in Boston harbor to ferry food and provisions to the starving in the Cork area. Many other U.S. ships followed suit. Although the Emerald Isle to shine again? GUEST ESSAYIST CHARLES E.

LYONS the starving, other ships loaded with foodstuffs provided by the Protestant landlords were leaving Irish ports for Britain. The British offered one way out for the starving Irish. It became known as "taking the soup." Catholics willing to convert to Protestantism would receive food from church-based soup kitchens. Irish famine has been consigned to the history books, there is a recurring interest in the subject in connection with the anniversary year. A recent PBS documentary, The Irish in America, began with anguished pictures of suffering during the potato famine.

Today there After all this time came the British admission of responsibility for the Irish potato famine of 1845-1850 that claimed more than 1 million lives. Republic of Ireland peace talks. Somewhat to my surprise, I received a letter from a member of the British government's Republic of Ireland Department. It said in part: "It is now generally accepted that different policies could have significantly reduced the scale of the natural disaster." In retracing the famine's origin, it is ironic to learn that a virulent fungus, known as phy-topthora infestans, came to Ireland on a ship out of Boston. This is the conclusion of Kevin Whelan, a history professor at University College, in Galway, Ireland, considered an authority on the famine.

Not well-known is the fact that the potato blight affected U.S. crops in 1843-45 and struck much of Europe in 1845 before it hit Ireland. Among the reasons that it was a catastrophe in Ireland and not elsewhere was that the Irish had become almost totally dependent on the potato. They fed potatoes to income-producing cattle, had no other food reserves, had underinvested in the land, could not afford skyrocketing grain prices and had a rapidly expanding popula-tioa However, the main reason for the catastrophe was the harsh treatment of the Irish by their English Protestant conquerors. Their victory under King William III in 1690 at the Battle of the Boyne sealed the fate of the Irish, according to Kerby Miller, history professor at the University of MissouriColumbia.

The Associated Press dispatch from Dublin, Ireland, on June 3, 1997, struck a chord in the hearts of Irish men and women around the world. Here was the prime minister of Great Britain making a statement about the Irish potato famine, the likes of which no British official had made for 150 years. After all this time came an admission of responsibility for the Irish potato famine of 1845-1850 that claimed more than 1 million lives and sent millions more fleeing their country for America, Canada, Australia and other countries. "Those who governed in London at the time," said Prime Minister Tony Blair, "failed their people through standing by while a crop failure turned into a massive human tragedy. "The famine was a defining event in the history of Ireland and of Britain.

It has left deep scars." Shortly after he made that statement, I sent him a note of congratulations at taking that unprecedented step, one that was undoubtedly aimed at striking a conciliatory note in relation to the current British- On this St. Patrick's Day; the Irish and people of Irish descent may mourn the island's woeful past while yearning for the peace in Northern Ireland that British Prime Minister Tony Blair called "agonizingly close." Blair's office said this week that he is ready to intensify his involvement in the negotiations for a compromise on governing Northern Ireland that is acceptable to its Protestant majority and its large Catholic minority. Meanwhile in Washington, D.C., Northern Ireland politicians are attending a St Patrick's Day dinner at the White House tonight and President Clinton said he will use their visit to push for progress. Call or write with your opinions to: Editorial Board, 55 Exchange Rochester 14614 (716) 258-2401 Fax: 258-2356 E-mail: dceditpageioi RochesterDandC.com are about 5 million residents in Ireland, which is enjoying an unprecedented economic growth rate as a member of the European Economic Union. In the United States there are now 44 million Americans of Irish decent.

The worldwide Irish diaspora totals 70 million people, including large populations in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Argentina. Lyons is a free-lance writer, a retired corporate communications manager, and an Irish-American with dual With death from starvation and related diseases all around them, 2 million people, one-quarter of the Irish population, chose to emigrate. Most left on the so-called "coffin ships" for North America. About 50,000, many already suffering from malnutrition, died on the high seas or shortly after their arrival in the United States or Canada from diseases such as typhus and dysentery. Many went to Boston, which already had a significant Irish populatioa Bostonians made a contribution of $150,000 for famine relief.

During "Black '47," the worst year of the By the early 1700s about 90 percent of Irish lands had been granted by the English monarch to mostly absentee Protestant landlords. A century later a few hundred families, nearly all Protestants, owned most of the land. In the decades before the famine, the Irish, most of whom were small farmers and laborers, were desperately poor. They lived mostly in thatched, mud-walled cabins with earthen floors and little furniture. Clothing was hardly more than rags.

Only rents were high. And often when the Irish people, now reduced to tenant farmers on their own lands, could not pay the rents, they were evicted. Over 500,000 men, women, and children suffered this fate. Anti-Irish prejudice and the British government's belief that solving the food problem should be left to private enterprise led to a do-nothing policy. The London Times declared A plea for healing in Northern Ireland tive legislatures.

The acceptance of these resolutions around the nation will help focus U.S. efforts GUEST ESSAYIST WILLIAM LAWLER bernians and the Irish American Labor Coalition are joining these men and women in urging the adoption of the "Charter for Change." I ask that you read the items in the charter and write your local, Irish people in Northern Ireland are entitled to the same citizenship rights as other Irish people. Equality for the Irish language and culture. Irish people living in Northern Ireland are entitled to the same full and democratic rights of Irish citizenship as Irish people living elsewhere in Ireland. Lawler is president of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Division 7, Rochester, N.Y., an international Irish Catholic organization founded in New York City 1836.

I have a challenge for those Irish Americans to do a little more this year: I would ask them pray for peace with justice in Northern Ireland. Continuing interest and involvement of America is critical to the successful completion of the peace talks. Recently men and women in Ireland from all walks of life adopted a "Charter for Change" specifying the issues that need most to be addressed if real peace is to be achieved. The Ancient Order of Hi tains it. Reform all aspects of the legal system, including civil and criminal law, the judiciary, the conduct of the courts and the operation of the prison service.

Establish an unarmed, accountable and representative police service that is acceptable to both nationalists and unionists. End all forms of discrimination and introduce explicit, time-bounded measures to redress existing inequalities. fa i I ii if tmM On this St. Patrick's Day, many Irish Americans ponder their heritage as they get together with family and friends to celebrate. on peace with justice: End all emergency legislation, religious discrimination and the corruption of law which sus- state, and federal lawmakers asking them to submit the charter items to their respec Lellers to the Editor Pals on ihc Back Do you want to say 'thanks' or 'well done' to someone who has touched your life? Many help make our city better I was flattered and honored to receive a "Thumbs up" citation on your editorial page on Feb.

28. If is important to note, however, that I could establish a city school arts scholarship with my school board salary only because my law partners agreed to allow a reduction in their own earnings. They have also allowed me the time I need to serve on the board. Many Boylan, Brown lawyers actively support education. Sue Laluk advises the Unite and Write program at Monroe Middle School.

John Wilson and Sheila Chalifoux participate in the Lawyers for Learning Program at School 29. Paul Warren is a board member at his children's parochial school. Jim Metzler is president of the Pittsford school board. Our lawyers participate in and contribute to countless other community activities because we take seriously our obligation to support our community. The "Thumbs up" really belongs to all my colleagues and all the others in our city and towns who work behind run like the ones that earn notoriety.

I salute the staff at Wood-side Manor with gratefulness for the care, respect and dignity that they offered to our family. AUDREY POTTER BRIGHTON So many helped at time of sorrow On Valentine's Day I lost my beloved grandson "J.T." Shee-han in a tragic accident that also took the life of an elderly lady. I had seen him a short time before as it was his 21st birthday. We thank all our relatives, friends, neighbors for their support at such a sad time. Especially the drivers from Blue Bird Travel and their wives who were so very helpful.

We thank Father Robert Bradler for J.T.'s memorial Mass and his words that meant so much to us. Finally, we 1 would like to meet the man on a motorcycle at the scene of the accident who took off his jacket and covered J.T. His caring and compassion gave us heartfelt comfort in our sorrow. We would like you to know J.T.'s eyes were donated a gift from him so another person will see. GRACE M.

SI IEEHAN IRONDEQUOIT care for her at home. This agonizing decision was made easier by the extremely caring staff at Maplewood Nursing Home in Webster. I have observed the same loving and unselfish attention provided by nurses and aides that Ms. Voelckers describes. As painful as it is to see my wife decline due to this disease, I am comforted by the fact that she is attended to by truly dedicated caregivers.

DONALD A. ELMSLIE PENFIELD Hope for families in painful dilemma While stories of abuse and neglect in nursing home care are becoming too familiar, I would like to offer hope for families caught in the painful dilemma of making tough decisions for infirmed family members. For the last six years, my mother was a resident of Woodside Manor Nursing Home as she suffered the ravages of Alzheimer's disease. I was continually impressed with the care and competence with which she was treated. I would not want to imply that this was a perfect situation, but neither would it have been perfect if she had lived on her own or with a family member.

Not all nursing homes are the scenes to make this a better place. ROB BROWN ROCHESTER Brown is vice president of the Rochester School Board and a partner in the law firm of Boylan, Brown, Code, Fowler, Vigdor Wilson, LLP. Surgeon soothed mom's final days Recently, my mother underwent surgery in an attempt to repair a dissecting aorta. The damage was very extensive and she didn't survive. I thank her surgeon, Dr.

Peter Knight of Rochester General Hospital, for the positive and reassuring manner in which he presented the procedure to her. Thanks to his demeanor, she was able to leave this world as she had lived in it, with a smile on her face and optimism in her heart. MARKH. LORIA PENFIELD Dedicated staff ease the burden Gwenn Voelckers' essay, "Caring that eased a difficult decision" (Feb. 19), hit home for me.

In 1993, I faced the challenge of finding nursing home care for my wife, an Alzheimer's victim, because I could no longer Send it to: Pats on the Back Democrat and Chronicle, 55 Exchange Rochester, NY 14614 e-mail: dceditpageS RochesterDandC.com Fax: 258-2356 Phone: 258-2401 A strong county needs strong city The remarks by Henrietta Supervisor James Breese regarding Mayor William Johnson's message of regionalism are short-sighted to say the least. For Breese not to realize that the problems in the city and anywhere in Monroe County affect us all is quite disappointing. As a 1997 graduate of Leadership Rochester, I learned that 73 percent of people below the poverty level live in the city. I wholeheartedly agree with columnist Mark Hare that the only way to make all of Monroe County strong is to economically integrate the county. Regionalism or metro government is one way to achieve that goal.

It is time for suburban leadership to step up and look at the problems affecting our county, which includes the city of Rochester. ERNEST MYERS ROCHESTER Block statehood for Puerto Rico Now that Puerto Rico is a step closer to statehood, it is the time to ask your representative in Congress why he or she voted to allow this to take place. Some of the facts about Puerto Rico are: At least 50 percent of the island's population is on food stamps. Once a state, this number would increase. This could cost U.S.

taxpayers $3 billion to $4 billion annually in food stamps alone. The island's independent movement will still exist, especially among the more extreme elements. Nine out of 10 high school graduates in Puerto Rico cannot speak English. Would we be setting ourselves up for a Quebec-style problem in the United States? This is an important issue to the future generations of Americans who will be paying 80 percent of their earnings in taxes. With issues such as this, our representatives are leading us into an abyss that I am afraid we will not be able to get out of.

For the future of your children and mine, please tell your representatives how you feel. CARL SALAMONE GREECE Enforce gun laws already existing Assemblyman David Koon's "bullet-ban" proposals appear to be more unnecessary "feel good" legislation that is designed to restrict the rights of legal gun owners rather than truly save lives or avoid injuries. There are already laws on the books which ban shooting of guns at people. Enforce the laws that exist! Robert e. Mcdonald irondequoit Orleans County, about five miles from Brockport.

Will we pay a fee to the Seymour Library if we have already paid and paid? What's next, a fee to shop in Brockport or Churchville, tolls to use the roads to drive to the city, or to Hamlin? CI IARLES R. K1NSEY IIOLLEY gue that the value per dollar is excellent. There's a problem though: We all have paid our user fee to the Seymour Library, and countless other libraries, in the state. Any time a library uses state or federal monies to fund a project, we all pay our user fees. Did the citizens of Brock- Our taxes helped pay for library The board of the Seymour Library has made a mistake planning to charge some patrons fees.

Your March 6 article shows the choice to charge a user fee to library patrons who live outside of Brock-port, Sweden, or Clarkson is only a matter of parochial relationships especially with the town of Hamlin. And folks wonder why regional planning still doesn't work. A $25 per person fee could be more than some families could afford. Others will ar port, Sweden, and Clarkson fund the new building? If there was any state or federal assistance we've all paid our user fee. If community libraries receive monies from the general tax coffers for operating expenses, then we've paid our user fee.

I live with my family in.