"The Lark and the Freedom Fighter" - Bobby Sands MP, RIP
An Mac Tíre Bán:
Hash: SHA1
The Lark
and the Freedom Fighter
By Bobby Sands, MP
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------
- --------
My grandfather once said that the imprisonment of the lark is a crime
of the greatest cruelty because the lark is one of the greatest
symbols of freedom and happiness. He often spoke of the spirit of the
lark relating to a story of a man who incarcerated one of his loved
friends in a small cage.
The lark, having suffered the loss of her liberty, no longer sung her
little heart out, she no longer had anything to be happy about. The
man who had committed the atrocity, as my grandfather called it,
demanded that the lark should do as he wished: that was to sing her
heart out, to comply to his wishes and change herself to suit his
pleasure or benefit.
The lark refused, and the man became angry and violent. He began to
pressurise the lark to sing, but inevitably he received no result. so,
he took more drastic steps. He covered the cage with a black cloth,
depriving the bird of sunlight. He starved it and left it to rot in a
dirty cage, but the bird still refused to yield. The man murdered it.
As my grandfather rightly stated, the lark had spirit--the spirit of
freedom and resistance. It longed to be free, and died before it would
conform to the tyrant who tried to change it with torture and
imprisonment. I feel I have something in common with that bird and her
torture, imprisonment and final murder. She had a spirit which is not
commonly found, even among us so-called superior beings, humans.
Take an ordinary prisoner. His main aim is to make his period of
imprisonment as easy and as comfortable as possible. The ordinary
prisoner will in no way jeopardise a single day of his remission. Some
will even grovel, crawl and inform on other prisoners to safeguard
themselves or to speed up their release. They will comply to the
wishes of their captors, and unlike the lark, they will sing when told
to and jump high when told to move.
Although the ordinary prisoner has lost his liberty he is not prepared
to go to extremes to regain it, nor to protect his humanity. He
settles for a short date of release. Eventually, if incarcerated long
enough, he becomes institutionalised, becoming a type of machine, not
thinking for himself, his captors dominating and controlling him. That
was the intended fate of the lark in my grandfather's story; but the
lark needed no changing, nor did it wish to change, and died making
that point.
This brings me directly back to my own situation: I feel something in
common with that poor bird. My position is in total contrast to that
of an ordinary conforming prisoner: I too am a political prisoner, a
freedom fighter. Like the lark, I too have fought for my freedom, not
only in captivity, where I now languish, but also while on the
outside, where my country is held captive. I have been captured and
imprisoned, but, like the lark, I too have seen the outside of the
wire cage.
I am now in H-Block, where I refuse to change to suit the people who
oppress, torture and imprison me, and who wish to dehumanize me. Like
the lark I need no changing. It is my political ideology and
principles that my captors wish to change. They have suppressed my
body and attacked my dignity. If I were an ordinary prisoner they
would pay little, if any, attention to me, knowing that I would
conform to their insitutional whims.
I have lost over two years' remission. I care not. I have been
stripped of my clothes and locked in a dirty, empty cell, where I have
been starved, beaten, and tortured, and like the lark I fear I may
eventually be murdered. But, dare I say it, similar to my little
firend, I have the spirit of freedom that cannot be quenched by even
the most horrendous treatment. Of course I can be murdered, but while
I remain alive, I remain what I am, a political prisoner of war, and
no one can change that.
Haven't we plenty of larks to prove that? Our history is
heart-breakingly littered with them: the MacSwineys, the Gaughans, and
the Staggs. Will there be more in H-Block?
I dare not conclude without finishing my grandfather's story. I once
asked him whatever happened to the wicked man who imprisoned, tortured
and murdered the lark?
'Son," he said, "one day he caught himself on one of his own traps,
and no one would assist him to get free. His own people scorned him,
and turned their backs on him. He grew weaker and weaker, and finally
topled over to die upon the land which he had marred with such blood.
The birds came and extracted their revenge by picking his eyes out,
and the larks sang like they never sang before.'
'Grandfather,' I said, 'could that man's name have been John Bull?'
Source: Originally published in An Phoblacht/Republican News, Feburary
3rd, 1979, page 2. Contributed to this website by "Patrizia" from
Italy. Patrizia can be contacted through this website.
Written by Bobby Sands, MP, while on the blanket protest in the
H-Blocks,Long Kesh, Northern Ireland. Because protesting prisoners
were not allowed books or writing materials, this essay was composed
on a square of toilet paper and smuggled out of the prison.
Bobby Sands embarked on a hunger strike on March 1st, 1981 and dies 66
days later on May 5th, 1981. He was protesting the "criminal" status
imposed on Republican prisoners from 1976 onward, and was fighting to
regain the right to wear his own clothes, have free association with
other prisoners, and other rights given to political prisoners.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Let friends all turn against me!
Let foes say what they will!
For my heart is in my country,
And I love old Ireland still!!!
Email: ray-AT-eirefirst.com
Website: http://www.eirefirst.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1916
pistol
and they were not given a fair trial
so they were all sentenced for the one gun
"TelmeyŽ" <telmeyŽ@ntlworld.moc> wrote in message
news:j9gih0dqde0upgt0t...@4ax.com...
> "An Mac Tíre Bán:" <ra...@iol.ie..> wrote;
>
> Remind us why he was arrested and in prison ?
>
> Tel
> (Still supergluing bombers to their bombs )
>
spizz
> Let friends all turn against me!
> Let foes say what they will!
> For my heart is in my country,
> And I love old Ireland still!!!
And you live in California? Am I missing something here?
> Email: ray-AT-eirefirst.com
> Website: http://www.eirefirst.com
Surely that should be USAfirstEireSecond.com?
Spizz
OldWiseMan
You posted this on 26th Nov
Again on 19th Feb
Again on 5th April
Yet again on 10th Aug
Is this supposed to be some sort of medicine that we need to have at regular
intervals?
Falcon
"OldWiseMan" <oldwis...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:2nuf4fF...@uni-berlin.de...
Ray must have been totally legless last night. He always digs out rebel
songs, Pearse and Sands when he's pissed.
--
Falcon:
fide, sed cui vide. (L)
"What will History say?"
"History, sir, will tell lies as usual."
BfB
Might have to up the dose. You show signs of elevated tolerance.
BfB
> "OldWiseMan" <oldwis...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:2nuf4fF...@uni-berlin.de...
>
>>Ray
>>
>>You posted this on 26th Nov
>>Again on 19th Feb
>>Again on 5th April
>>Yet again on 10th Aug
>>
>>Is this supposed to be some sort of medicine that we need to have at
>
> regular
>
>>intervals?
>
>
> Ray must have been totally legless last night. He always digs out rebel
> songs, Pearse and Sands when he's pissed.
>
And, good on him!!
spizz
> >
> >> Let friends all turn against me!
> >> Let foes say what they will!
> >> For my heart is in my country,
> >> And I love old Ireland still!!!
> >
> >And you live in California? Am I missing something here?
>
What?
>
> >> Email: ray-AT-eirefirst.com
> >> Website: http://www.eirefirst.com
> >
> >Surely that should be USAfirstEireSecond.com?
>
> the site is Irish hosted you missing that too
>
Aye...but old Ray boy has buggered off to the States.
Spizz
An Mac Tíre Bán:
Hash: SHA1
On Thu, 12 Aug 2004 13:22:22 GMT, Telmey® (telmey®@ntlworld.moc)
wrote:
>"spizz" <nor...@nowhere.com> wrote;
>>> ><snip dewy eyed Yank bait shite>
>>> >
>>> >> Let friends all turn against me!
>>> >> Let foes say what they will!
>>> >> For my heart is in my country,
>>> >> And I love old Ireland still!!!
>>> >
>>> >And you live in California? Am I missing something here?
>>>
>>> As a matter of fact you are missing something
>>
>>What?
>
>Keep looking you will find it,
>
>>>
>>> >> Email: ray-AT-eirefirst.com
>>> >> Website: http://www.eirefirst.com
>>> >
>>> >Surely that should be USAfirstEireSecond.com?
>>>
>>> the site is Irish hosted you missing that too
>>>
>>
>>Aye...but old Ray boy has buggered off to the States.
>
>
>New to this 'international' internet lark ain't you.
>there are no borderlines in space!
>If there was border lines on the net you would need a passport to
>speak to me, Ray Is 100% Irish and none... not even I can take
that
>away from him, I could beat the crap out of him but not the Irish
> not only has he the right, but get this............ he owns it
too.
>
>http://www.eirefirst.com
>
>Get this too
>It is an Irish registered site
>
>Get this too
> it was first registered when he was resident here
>
>Get this too
>apart from the republican shite on it it is a good site
>
>Get his too
>
>He was offered $xxx.xxx.xx for that site
>Much more than I ever been offered, Jammy bugger
>
>( and no it was not by Big Ian to close it ha ha )
>
>Tel
>SCI authenticity checker
>
>
Shhhh!!! Don't say that... Me and Big Ian are at a very delicate
stage of negotiations regarding the sale/purchase of the site... he's
offering to send the UDA "persuasion squad" to visit me and I'm
countering with "Grand so, I'll send the lads round to deliver my
answer tomorrow night about 3am"... :-)
Ray
(Fuckin' hope nothing happens tomorrow night at 3am or I might be in
trouble)
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--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Let friends all turn against me!
Let foes say what they will!
For my heart is in my country,
And I love old Ireland still!!!
Email: ray-AT-eirefirst.com
Website: http://www.eirefirst.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
spizz
> >> >
> >> >> Let friends all turn against me!
> >> >> Let foes say what they will!
> >> >> For my heart is in my country,
> >> >> And I love old Ireland still!!!
> >> >
> >> >And you live in California? Am I missing something here?
> >>
> >> As a matter of fact you are missing something
> >
> >What?
>
>
> >>
> >> >> Website: http://www.eirefirst.com
> >> >
> >> >Surely that should be USAfirstEireSecond.com?
> >>
> >> the site is Irish hosted you missing that too
> >>
> >
> >Aye...but old Ray boy has buggered off to the States.
>
>
> there are no borderlines in space!
> If there was border lines on the net you would need a passport to
> speak to me, Ray Is 100% Irish and none... not even I can take that
> away from him, I could beat the crap out of him but not the Irish
> not only has he the right, but get this............ he owns it too.
>
> http://www.eirefirst.com
>
> Get this too
> It is an Irish registered site
>
> Get this too
> it was first registered when he was resident here
>
> Get this too
> apart from the republican shite on it it is a good site
>
> Get his too
>
> He was offered $xxx.xxx.xx for that site
> Much more than I ever been offered, Jammy bugger
>
Can't argue with the facts I suppose. But it's also a fact he chooses to
live in the US. I'm Scottish, and now choose to live in South Africa. I
don't feel the need to start a web site about how great Scotland is while
sunning it up at the other side of the world. It would be a bit stupid
really. Get my point?
Spizz
Michilín
wrote:
>-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
>Hash: SHA1
Bobby Sands, MP
Loser Extraordinaire
Bobby Sands' death had all the impact of a flushed toilet.
Calling him a Freedom Fighter spits in the face of every genuine
freedom fighter who ever died for his country, in the German
Resistance movement in WWII, in the Polish and Czech Underground and
in the French Maquis.
How do you equate your pathetic failure to remove a single British
soldier from Northern Ireland in the last 30 years with what those
real men did to free Europe.
Here's a tip, Ray and Diarmid - one of the best ways to free a country
is to be there on the spot, helping to rescue it from its oppressors.
While hiding out across the Atlantic Ocean (or in Ray's case, across a
whole continent as well) is much better for your health, it just
doesn't shout, "I am your fearless leader, scorning death!"
Because the fact is that you'd both shit your pants if a firecracker
went off anywhere near you.
A true freedom fighter leads his men on the spot, not from halfway
round the world and especially not from a deckchair in his bathing
suit on a sunny Californian beach.
What really slays me, Ray, is that you can legally sit in California,
surrounded by your family and all the protection that the American
state can give you, while glorifying the brutal murders and beatings
of ordinary Irish people.
As for Bobby Sands, I can only say I'm sorry I never had him in my
sights for had he been so lucky, he wouln't have had to go through all
that pain and fear. The only good thing I can say about his gesture is
that he had more guts than most of the useless bastards blowing wind
about brave IRA freedom fighters in SCI.
So, how much did Gerry pay to get the Colombian eco-tourists out? What
odds are the Dublin bookies offering that they'll make it back to
Ireland alive?
Michilín
Michilín
wrote:
>"spizz" <nor...@nowhere.com> wrote;
>><snip dewy eyed Yank bait shite>
>>
>>> Let friends all turn against me!
>>> Let foes say what they will!
>>> For my heart is in my country,
>>> And I love old Ireland still!!!
>>
>>And you live in California? Am I missing something here?
>
>As a matter of fact you are missing something
>
>>> Email: ray-AT-eirefirst.com
>>> Website: http://www.eirefirst.com
>>
>>Surely that should be USAfirstEireSecond.com?
>
>the site is Irish hosted you missing that too
It would have to be - no reputable ISP would put it online.
Michilín
Michilín
wrote:
>"spizz" <nor...@nowhere.com> wrote;
>>> ><snip dewy eyed Yank bait shite>
>>> >
>>> >> Let friends all turn against me!
>>> >> Let foes say what they will!
>>> >> For my heart is in my country,
>>> >> And I love old Ireland still!!!
>>> >
>>> >And you live in California? Am I missing something here?
>>>
>>> As a matter of fact you are missing something
>>
>>What?
>
>Keep looking you will find it,
>
>>>
>>> >> Email: ray-AT-eirefirst.com
>>> >> Website: http://www.eirefirst.com
>>> >
>>> >Surely that should be USAfirstEireSecond.com?
>>>
>>> the site is Irish hosted you missing that too
>>>
>>
>>Aye...but old Ray boy has buggered off to the States.
>
>
>New to this 'international' internet lark ain't you.
>there are no borderlines in space!
>If there was border lines on the net you would need a passport to
>speak to me, Ray Is 100% Irish and none... not even I can take that
>away from him, I could beat the crap out of him but not the Irish
> not only has he the right, but get this............ he owns it too.
>
>http://www.eirefirst.com
>
>Get this too
>It is an Irish registered site
>
>Get this too
> it was first registered when he was resident here
>
>Get this too
>apart from the republican shite on it it is a good site
>
>Get his too
>
>He was offered $xxx.xxx.xx for that site
>Much more than I ever been offered, Jammy bugger
How much do you charge to give a blow job in Ireland these days?
>( and no it was not by Big Ian to close it ha ha )
>
>Tel
>SCI authenticity checker
Oh wow! I am totally underwhelmed! Is he the President too? I always
understood that only the president of a banana republic gets to live
in the US until the Yanks or the Brits remove the repressive forces so
the Prez can return home.
Michilín
Michilín
wrote:
>
>
>"1916" <kenn_...@ntlworld.com> wrote;
>>he was arrested because he and three others were in a car with a single
>>pistol
>>and they were not given a fair trial
>>so they were all sentenced for the one gun
>>
>>"Telmey®" <telmey®@ntlworld.moc> wrote in message
>>news:j9gih0dqde0upgt0t...@4ax.com...
>>> "An Mac Tíre Bán:" <ra...@iol.ie..> wrote;
>>>
>>> Remind us why he was arrested and in prison ?
>>>
>
>top posting Kenn, you version of propaganda is not correct
>and does not wash on SCI no more.
>
> just 6 months prior to this conviction he was released from prison
>on the same type of charges... not for one gun but for 4 guns and
>only served a 3 year sentence?
>
>
>you also forgot to mention what they had just done
>and what they were on their way back from
>
>
>In October 1976, in his IRA role, "Community Worker" Bobby Sands,
>participated in the bombing of the Balmoral Furniture Company in
>Dunmurry. In order to destroy the jobs provided to the community by
>this company, the Twinbrook IRA gang were helped by some IRA thugs
>from Rosnareen, Andersonstown. After the bombing, Sands, and at least
>5 others in the bomb team, were involved in a gun battle with the
>police. Abandoning two of their wounded friends, Seamus Martin and
>Gabriel Corbett , Sands with Joe McDonnell, Seamus Finucane and Sean
>Lavery, tried to escape in a car, but were caught because their
>escape route was blocked by a car in the road,due to this they were
>apprehend Sands had one of the revolvers used in the shooting in his
>possession.
>
>At the conclusion of his trial for various offences, Sands was
>acquitted of some, but sentenced to a total of 14 years for others,
>including his second conviction of firearms possession, of a revolver
>from which bullets had been fired at the police after the bombing. As
>leader of the Twinbrook IRA gang, Sands's importance to the
>organization may be gauged as he was represented by the notorious Pat
>Finucane, the IRA's premier lawyer and brother of IRA gang members
>Seamus, John and the recent overall IRA gang leader in the Republic,
>Dermot Finucane.
>As to your claim of a unfair trial, well he never once claimed it was
> he may not have recognised the court, but that does not mean it was
>unfair, infact out of all the protest he never sad that at all he
>seemed quite content this the fact he was convicted and his whole
>second prison sentence campaign was not for a retrial but to get
>political status,m, if he just wanted political status then he was in
>fact agreeing that he was rightfully convicted .
>
> Tel
> (Still supergluing bombers to their bombs )
>andunxposter
>
>
>PS
> how's your music going these days Kenn ?
>
>
Telmey, forget the blow job remark - I thought you were another of the
IRA superpatriots.
You're quite right - Sands was a publicity seeking shit who got
trapped by his own bullshit and had to off himself to be a hero.
Michilín
An Mac Tíre Bán:
Hash: SHA1
On Thu, 12 Aug 2004 23:42:37 GMT, Telmey® (telmey®@ntlworld.moc)
wrote:
>mich...@shaw.ca (Michilín) wrote;
>>On Wed, 11 Aug 2004 04:18:08 GMT, Telmey® (telmey®@ntlworld.moc)
>>wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>Telmey, forget the blow job remark - I thought you were another of
the
>>IRA superpatriots.
>
>God forbid, If I do.... then I give permission to be superglue to
>the tricolour that's in the Titanic's toilet doors.
>
>
>>You're quite right - Sands was a publicity seeking shit who got
>>trapped by his own bullshit and had to off himself to be a hero.
>>
>>Michilín
>
>Can't disagree with that at all :-)
>
> Tel
>Defender of the right
>
The KKK? the Black Panthers? The ACLU? Just which fascist org are
you defending here, as inquirying minds (and awkward gits) need to
know)
Ray
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Clydeside Red
"An Mac Tíre Bán:" <ra...@iol.ie..> wrote in message
news:4f9ih0hd681d3bnmf...@4ax.com...
>
> Bobby Sands embarked on a hunger strike on March 1st, 1981 and dies 66
> days later on May 5th, 1981.
And what a shame, if he had been my son, or my brother he would have been
alive today.
> He was protesting the "criminal" status
> imposed on Republican prisoners from 1976 onward, and was fighting to
> regain the right to wear his own clothes, have free association with
> other prisoners, and other rights given to political prisoners.
A stupid cause that left him dead, did nothing to further his *real* cause,
but furthered the careers and aspirations of some demagogic types who
weren't even in prison
Tom
"An Mac Tíre Bán:" <ra...@iol.ie..> wrote in message
news:4f9ih0hd681d3bnmf...@4ax.com...
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you know Bobby Sands telephone number?
Nuneaton eight nothing eight nothing!
Tom
Michilín
wrote:
Your delicately diplomatic touch explains much about your abrupt move
to New Zealand...
I thought Bobby Sands was a murderous little bastard who should have
been swung off a gallows. Glorifying all these pathological killers
just pisses me right off.
Michilín
telmey�@ntlworld.moc
LOVL,
Ain't heard that for a long time
Thanks for the First laugh of the day
Tel.