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Reiss Pressed on Mark Thatcher Cautioned  on Damage of  Another  Double Standard

CAPITOL HILL.Thursday, January 20, 2005 ----Pressure is mounting on the U.S. government to ban Mark hatcher from the United States. Father Sean MC Manus, President of the Capitol Hill-based Irish National Caucus, has written to Dr. Mitchell Reiss, President Bush's Special Envoy for Northern Ireland,  pressing him to make sure that the U.S. does not apply a double standard : " one set of rules for the English Establishment and another for Irish Catholics". "What do you think would happen to a Black man from Africa( or a Catholic from Belfast) if he pleaded guilty to a coup attempt in England? Do you think they would be allowed into the U.S.? Do you think they would NOT be placed on the " no fly list"? I have written to you before about how nothing infuriates Irish-Americans more than the double -standard : one set of rules for the English Establishment and another for Irish Catholics. If the U.S. is  not to be seen as applying a double standard, it surely must ban Mark Thatcher from the U.S., just as it has banned Irish Catholics with  convictions against them. Now that the peace-process is in such jeopardy, the U.S. must not be seen exercising a double standard by favoring the privileged and punishing the poor, like Ciaran Ferry.I look forward to you response." Father Mc Manus, explaining his letter said , " I wrote to Dr. Reiss because obviously this issue has implications for the Irish peace-process as it is about  U.S. fairness and balance.And it is something Irish-Americans  -- like all other Americans -- should have a say about. They cannot do anything about bank robberies in Belfast or about the behavior of the British government or  Ian Paisley  but they can by right and duty have a say about their own government".