For The Richness Of Her Experience

Poor Mary Robinson. Coming under fire for her apparent support of Palestinian terrorists when all she wanted was to accept the Medal of Freedom and go home to Ireland.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee is up in arms over President Obama's decision to give the former Irish President such a prestigious award. What the pro-Israeli group has failed to consider is the richness of Ms. Robinson's experience as an Irish woman growing up under a theocracy.

Like many Irish people of her generation, Ms. Robinson can relate to the Palestinians. Consider Ireland's past, when it was conquered and then planted with English settlers in a move to drive out the Irish. It's just like what happened in Palestine, except that the Jews were there first but it's a minor point. From the richness of her experience, she equates the occupied Palestinian territories with Ireland under British occupation.

After Ireland won its freedom from England, the country became a theocracy in essence. The Catholic Church was as much in charge as the Dail Eireann. Just like Palestine under Hamas, it's the ruling elite who claim they are doing God's work. Hamas certainly hasn't cornered the market for public corruption. Ms. Robinson can no doubt recall how life was under Charlie Haughey's leadership, when corruption and bribes were the order of the day.

Why else would Ms. Robinson have allowed anti-Israeli elements to take control of the 2001 UN Conference on human rights? Her so-called biased views about Israel came about due to the richness of her experience in Ireland, with the Civil War still fresh and The Troubles raging.

So now the Jews are bullying people, according to Ms. Robinson, no doubt picturing the British bullies who shot and killed unarmed civilians in Belfast during a peaceful protest against occupation. Sure the West Bank and Gaza are just like the six northern counties, and who can forget Benjamin Disraeli's actions of long ago?

Has the richness of a woman's experience become grounds for denying her an honor bestowed because she was the first female President of Ireland and worked tirelessly for women's rights? Would it be better if she were Puerto Rican, rather than Irish?