Initial post from one of the Hombres: IRA disarms!

From Kevlar Pinata:

I'll fire away to get this started. From the Associated Press:

---
BELFAST, Northern Ireland - The Irish Republican Army renounced violence as a political weapon Thursday and said it will resume disarmament, taking a dramatic step designed to revive Northern Ireland peace efforts after a 35-year conflict that killed and maimed thousands.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair called the move "a step of unparalleled magnitude," while Prime Minister Bertie Ahern of Ireland said it heralded "the end of the IRA as a paramilitary organization." The White House also welcomed the announcement.

But local leaders in the British territory and some analysts warned that the IRA, which has previously fallen short on fulfilling its public promises, had left key questions unanswered and was not disbanding.

The IRA said all its clandestine units had been ordered to dump arms and cease all activities, as of 4 p.m. (11 a.m. EDT) Thursday.

-end of snippet-

---

Wouldn't it be nice - really, really nice - if this actually panned out? I'm one of these American Irish diaspora people (my great-grandfather came over from Ireland) and have a long family history of people feeling strongly about this. My people, such as they are, are from County Derry - even though that's in Northern Ireland and currently referred to as Londonderry, my family could never utter the "London" part of that because it acknowledges British authority.

So we've got all kinds of political discord and unhappiness in the world, but if the IRA really does stand down on violence and we see real honest-to-goodness debt forgiveness for developing countries willing to put internal corruption in a choke hold, I think we've got a few smashingly wonderful things going on in our world today.

Plus, the Padres beat the Cardinals by one run last night and Red Hook ESB is on sale for $8.99 for a 12-pack at Rite Aid. Life is beautiful.