Do you know why the US flew the bombs thru Scotland? Here's why..

[TomInTib]

Irish refused bombs sent to Prestwick airport

EDDIE BARNES AND MURDO MACLEOD
BOMBS destined to be used by Israel are being flown via Scotland only because the Irish government refused to allow them to land on its soil.

Scotland on Sunday can reveal that after the conflict in Lebanon began three weeks ago, Ireland turned down a United States request for planes carrying 600lb so-called bunker busters to refuel at Shannon airport in Co Clare.

As a result, cargo planes carrying the bombs, which the Israeli army is using in its offensive against the Hezbollah, are being flown via Prestwick airport in Ayrshire.

The use of Prestwick triggered a furious diplomatic row last week after it emerged that the US had broken aviation rules by failing to notify Britain about the flights.

That row is intensifying this weekend as two further American planes carrying 'hazardous' material to Tel Aviv land at the airport.

In another controversial development, Scotland on Sunday has learned that Prestwick is negotiating to allow planeloads of US military personnel on their way to Iraq to stop there.

more:
http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1104532006&format=print

[eleny]

1. Good for them!

[Lifelong Protester]

2. And I suggest reading the interesting postings

and replies to this article.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

3. Good for the Irish. They've been smart about Bush since day 1.

This is a photo I took in Dublin shortly after we started "shocking & aweing" the shit out of Iraq.



The Irish were quite vocal about their feelings on the government allowing US military jets to stop at Shannon Airport.

[RagingInMiami]

4. Is that the Ha'Penny Bridge

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

5. No, it's not.

[RagingInMiami]

6. I spent 18 months in Dublin

And crossed that bridge many, many times as I worked on the southside of Dublin, right in the heart of Temple Bar, but lived on the northside of Dublin. I would cross that bridge from work and go into the supermarket on the other side, I forgot what it was called.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

7. I'd spend 18 months in Dublin in a heartbeat.

I really want to get back to Ireland. I went there backpacking for 10 days with no plans, but I ended up spending a couple more days in Dublin than I should have, so I need to go back and see more of the country.

[RagingInMiami]

8. Eleven years ago when I graduated college

I embarked to Europe on a one-way ticket with the intention of staying there at least a year, preferably longer. I landed in London with a friend and we hung out for five days, realizing we really didn't like it. We thought people were rude in London.

So we wound up in this Irish pub and we met these two Irish blokes and told them how we felt, and they said that we had to go to Dublin. In all honesty, we weren't planning on visiting Dublin. Our next stop was Amsterdam.

But these guys were the friendliest people we had met in London, so we decided to check out Dublin figuring that once we landed on continental Europe, it would be much harder to visit Dublin. We were there for five days and I fell in love with it. The people, the culture, the literary tradition, the pub atmosphere. When we left, I vowed to return someday.

So we ended up traveling to Amsterdam, Denmark, Germany, Poland and we finally got sick of each other in Praque and went our separate ways. I ended up going to Italy and then to Spain, where I worked for four months in an Irish pub, gaining a whole bunch of Irish friends in the process.

When the summer ended, I traveled through France and then to Dublin, making good on my promise that I would return. And this time, I even had an Irish girlfriend and a bunch of cool Irish friends to hang out with.

I stayed there 18 months and even though I don't have a drop of Irish blood in me, I will always carry a piece of Dublin in my heart until the day I die.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

9. That's a very cool story.

I was also unimpressed with London. I really want to go to Amsterdam and Prague though.

[RagingInMiami]

10. Amsterdam and Praque are both very cool cities

[lostnfound]

11. Wow.

Introduced to Hunter Thompson 2 years ago, love his writing.

Ireland was beautiful especially my favorite part which was the Burren.

Totally not enthralled with London, though I guess it has its moments.

Amsterdam is the city that I fell IN LOVE with. I don't mean that phrase casually, or vicariously, or indirectly. I mean that I was walking around along some canals on a Saturday morning, in an absolutely natural state of euphoria, in wonder at the architecture, the vibrancy, the coziness, the unexpected pleasures that arose in every corner of my eye, the angel looking down from one of the buildings, the shopkeeper sweeping a sidewalk and singing a song, the feeling of being simultaneously relaxed and enthralled..and I realized that I felt the same joyful full heart that one gets when one first falls in love. Amsterdam is a person whose voice flows from one sweet language to another, and whose hair is the color of the sea shimmering and the color of tall trees in the Bos and the color of the shiny painted gold on the mask of a mime at the Riksmuseum...

Norway is gorgeous. Jerusalem was gripping. Kyoto is lovely and Sapporo even more so. Rome, Stockholm, Paris ... I'd visit again if I could.

But Amsterdam?? For me, nothing compares.

[Virginia Dare]

12. Yes, the Irish know a thing or two...

about being occupied by a foreign army ;-)

[sinkingfeeling]

13. Another reason to love the Republic of Ireland! Can't wait to move there.