Two years ago, at the break of dawn here in LA, I was woken by my wife and oldest daughter, crying. They get up earlier than me, to get down to the Westside.

I dragged myself up to see terrible scenes on the television. The World
Trade Centre was falling down. People were hurt, people were dying, America had been attacked by terrorists. The Pentagon was attacked. An air-flight was downed when the passengers fought back. I just sat and watched with disbelief as many did.

My Youngest daughter woke up, 1 month old and I held her in my arms, as I lay on the couch, wandered around the living room, back to the couch, wondering what kind of world we had brought her into. Tears and bewilderment. Sadness for those that we knew would loose their lives and more sadness for the future of us all. The babysitter turned up, a great lady from El Salvador, the same lady who watched after my Eldest and we all just sat there in silence, no words, just tears and left in our own thoughts and prayers. A very sad day for all of us in the world.

Our youngest child then decided she was hungry. She usually wanted a bottle as soon as she woke up. But not this day. But as she decided to tell us that in our sadness, there needs to be joy, she screamed and screamed until the microwave was on and her bottle of milk was ready and we laughed as we had something special to look forward to. In all our sadness in those early hours it took our wee baby to waken us up. She made us realise there is a future. And yes we smiled.

I think on that day and what has passed since then. Afghanistan, Iraq,
Turmoil in Israel and Palestine, No resolution to Ulster with a British
Prime Minister who speaks with a forked tongue. A Rangers Club in debt, a team thankfully in Europe, a new Rangers list, a new Loyal Orange Lodge starting up in the USA, a recall on Rangers tops and the stock market still hasn't recovered. Aids in Africa continues to grow, west Nile virus has hit California and we had a Sars outbreak. But does any off that really matter.

Our good friend went upstairs to join ma Mum and Dad and another great friend who was also with them, is fighting a great fight against Cancer. As are many others that we love and care about.

Meanwhile the families who lost loved ones in the attacks in New York are no closer to settling their lose nor are they able to sort out the money aspect of such a great tragedy. This day I hope and pray that this type of thing will never hit this great nation again. I know, though, my hopes will be in vain. I worry about what my kids will encounter in this new but volatile world. Have I taught them right from wrong, have I taught them to respect all the people of the world but still respect their background and culture, the one I come from. I guess time will tell.

Always those that lost their lives will be in our families prayers. Maybe
they lost their lives to teach us all something. That we do need to care, we
do need to stand up when the time is right and we all need to support each other, no matter what race or religion we are. If nothing else if we are allowed in a free world to have belief's then that is a right to show
respect. In death there is no religion, or colour, we just simply go upstairs
to face our maker. So if that is the case then we must all find a way to do
that on earth.

Enjoy life for what it is, care and support. And ultimately respect.

Our youngest daughter is now two years old. I watch her every night (except Friday--my night out) . We have so much fun together. We watch the peppers grow day by day, we eat popsicles each night together (mines is beer flavoured) we play airplane and ring around the roses. We are on the computer together and we laugh. I would never miss that for all the money in China.  One of my clients told me last week that he was annoyed that he couldn't get me after 5pm at night. I told him that I shut down at 5pm, as I take care of my kids. So if he needed me to call before then or early in the morning. Now some might say that as you have your own business you shouldn't do that. All I can say is I would sweep the streets, or sell hotdogs, or whatever if it meant I could be at home with my kids. Gladly that won't be needed, my client understood and offered me a new project.

Our kids are so important and as I write this I have the image of those
great towers falling down.

If the symbol, is great towers falling down take that as each one of us. We
each one of us will fall at some time or another. But we are not brick and
mortar, we are flesh and blood and if we really care we will be rebuilt.
Inside or out it is our right to become strong again.

The greatest thing we have is each other. Personal fights, arguments all go
by the way side when we have a great sadness or a tragedy. That is only the right thing to do. If we truly want to see a future for us and our kids, we just have to stop for a minute, think and show all the love that we have, to all. If this means we have to take a step back, and say I was wrong that's okay. But in all we need to move forward.

I guess for me the greatest joy I have tonight, beside spending time with
my children is a wee piece of news I will share with you.

I have many friends but will focus on one. He and his new wife are in
hospital right now. To oversee, in his case, the birth of a new baby to
this great world of ours. His Wife will do all the hard work but with a great supporter. The new baby is due tomorrow, September 11th, 2003. Two years after the morning that I sat and cried with my family over a great tragedy that hit the free world.

And that all my friends is the end to a great story. A new baby born, on the day when we all mourned. But not tomorrow, we should mourn, we should be happy that life moves on. Those that lost their lives would want that as much as you and I would.  I say. Congratulations to my good friend and his wife and the new baby.

If we forget we will not understand and not show FHC, but if we live in the past we are guilty of not respecting those that gave their lives to attempt to save others.

Remember 9/11
In Memory
What was it you had said?
Why did you have to go?
Each simple little memory
Now passes by so slow.
I am stuck in the yesterday
Not wanting to accept
The horrid truth that you are gone
Your life taken without threat
This morning you awoke
To face a brand new day
But a cold-hearted terrorist
Took that gift away
Though the grave cry for the lost
In the settling of the dust
They failed to shake our foundation
For in God we put our trust.

In all that we all do we need to understand and respect a part of history that is not our own. Being a Protestant is a gift, not only from God but from those that stood for our freedom, to be what we are as men and women. It affords the opportunity to life in a free and modern world. It allows us to go to Church or not go to Church. It allows us to watch our children grow up to be adults, to make their own minds up on who they marry, what they do for a living and have thoughts and dreams, which may be different than ours. It also allows us to walk away from our culture, to turn our back on our upbringing and never look back.

However as we know all of this, we must also know that with each generation, our youth move further and further away from those that gave them their freedom. In time there maybe no more freedom. The time maybe up for us free Protestants!!  If there is any one generation that is to blame, we are living it. Each one of us, from 21 up to 80 have no doubt let our culture be marginalized in a countries that our forefathers made free. In many cases through their lives if not a great deal of heartache.

On the other side you have only to go a little into the history of the Roman Catholic Organizations in North America to see that they have not lost the opportunity, they in fact have found a way to gain strength and have ensured that their children will never forget the past.

A brief look into the Fenian History and their Assaults on Canada in the 19^th Century teaches us a lesson.

"With the reduction of Montreal, a demand will be made upon the United States for a formal recognition of Canada, whose name will be changed at once to New Ireland." Fenian Manifesto

During the middle of the 19th Century, a series of factors combined to create a new Irish Patriotic Movement. This organization was a revolutionary group dedicated to the overthrow of British rule in Ireland. It had its roots in both the United States and Ireland and was popularly known as The Fenian Movement, in honour of the Fianna, the ancient Irish warriors.

The origin of the term Fenian comes from Irish folklore. It describes an ancient group of Knights who were self-reliant and had a passion for Irish land. So great was their passion, according to the legend, they gave up a chance for world dominion to keep Ireland. This fits very closely with the beliefs of the modern movement and was taken as the organizations name.

Times were hard for the Irish, and had been since England took control of the land. In the middle of the 1840's, however, things got much worse. The potato famine of 1845-1848 was a great disaster to the Irish population.

In the space of three short years, the inhabitants of the country declined by over two million souls.

Some of these two million people emigrated to America while most starved to death or died of disease.

After the famine ended, times remained very hard for the Irish. They never completely recovered from the disaster and many more Irish emigrated to America during the 1850's. Most of these people had a very strong patriotic belief in their home country, and only left to survive.

On St. Patrick's Day, 1858, James Stephens and Thomas Clark Luby started the Fenian organization in Ireland as the Irish Republican Brotherhood when they swore each other in as members. James had been a participant in the Young Ireland Movement of 1848. A friend of James Stephens, John O'Mahoney (also of the Young Ireland movement) started the Fenian Movement in the United States at about the same time. Both portions of the movement gained support rapidly, especially during 1861.

This was largely contributed to the death of Terrance Bellew MacManus, a hero of the Young Ireland movement who died in this year. Upon his request, his body was shipped from San Francisco to Ireland for burial, and all along the route patriotic Irish paid their respects.

In Ireland the movement was mainly unsuccessful, as the British clamped down on it quickly in a successful effort to stop the problem. They did, however, manage to get the attention of Parliament to focus for a short time on the "Irish problems".

In the United States however, the organization continued to grow rapidly. Many of the American members gained military experience during the American Civil War and therefore were becoming a force to be feared.

Rumours spread that the American Fenians were going to invade what is now Canada. The rumours were not unfounded, as the American group was quickly gaining arms, money, and various other kinds of support including that of the US government.

According to Donald MacKay, author of Flight from Famine, the Fenians planned three separate invasions:

"1.The one aimed at Campobello Island in New Brunswick never materialized.

2. The one aimed at Fort Erie and Ridgeway in Upper Canada , was driven back by British and Canadian forces,  (Trivia - William Tempest, Chris Alderson, and Mark DeFries were Orangemen

and the first casualties of the Battle of Ridgeway.  They were buried in St.James Cemetery in Toronto with full Orange honours along with their lodge banners and regalia. Source :Canadian Orange Historical Site )

3. and the effort to invade Quebec's Eastern Townships near Frelighsburg was thwarted by Montreal militia" Flight From Famine. Note : ( In 1870 the GOL of Quebec reported that the

warrant of L.O.L. 398, Frelighsburg, had been burned by the Fenians when they invaded the county in 1866.)

The goal of the invasion was to attain control of what is now Canada and hold it in ransom for the freedom of Ireland. Their initial efforts were somewhat successful, but were quickly tempered by the American government, which stepped in to stop the raids.

Seumas McManus, author of The Story of the Irish Race, says the withdrawal of American governmental support for the Fenians dealt a serious blow to the movement: "The invasion of Canada, which would undoubtedly have been a successful move and a severe blow to England, was stopped by the unexpected action of the American Government, which, having tacitly encouraged the scheme and permitted the plans to be ripened, stepped in at the last moment to prevent it."

Had it not been for this American assistance to the British cause, the raids might have been successful and the history of Canada could have been quite different. The raids continued through 1871and all were quite handily repelled. It has been suggested that the threat of the Fenians was a major cause for the union of Provinces into the confederation that became the Dominion of Canada.

While the Fenian Brotherhoods did not achieve their goal of a Free Ireland, they did however, successfully pass the flame of terrorism, murder and mayhem  to succeeding generations.

They also passed on a flame, an a strong one of culture through being Irish and a member of the Roman Catholic Church.

You only have to visit the Irish areas and pubs of Boston and New York, or to watch Gerry Adams (until this year) visit the White House prior to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade to realize that though in North America there is unlikely to be a Fenian Raid again, they are constantly raiding each American and Canadians Freedom. Though education, money and politics.

We hope you will learn from this brief piece of Fenian history, dwell on it and think about if you will be happy when your children or your children’s children no longer live in a free country.

It will happen if you don’t speak out. But there again that is up to you. After all you live in a FREE WORLD.

Just maybe it’s time for the Protestant people of Canada and the United States of America to look back. Just for once to give thanks, stop and think, and just maybe realize that it is time to make the same stand our forefathers did. If not for us, we need to stand for our children.

WHY I JOINED THE ORANGE ORDER.

I am from a small city in North-eastern Ohio in the United States of America. In January of this year I was privileged to become a member of the Boyne Defenders Loyal Orange Lodge 434 in Detroit, Michigan. Although it was once common to see an Orange Lodge in just about every American big city, the Orange has only been re-established quite recently.

For me personally, joining the Orange was something that I had wanted to do for several years. The earliest time I can remember hearing about anything Orange was when my grandfather said that there was some family lore that we were descended to an advisor to William of Orange. Whether this is true or not, it sparked my interest and made me wonder who William of Orange was. My grandfather had also said that his grandfather always insisted that our family was not Irish, but "Scotch-Irish" but we never knew what that meant.

When we got a computer with an internet connection in 1997, I did some research on a Scots ancestor of mine called McClellan. Whilst reading articles on Scottish immigrants, I came upon a definition of the term "Scotch-Irish," which was a Protestant people of Scottish ancestry who came from Northern Ireland. Now that I understand Ulster-Scots culture, I see now how everything fits in. My family was mostly Protestants, and for 5 generations, the eldest son of the family was called William.

Although I had some information on Ulster Protestants, I never really knew about the Orange Institution, nor knew how Ulster Protestant culture differed from Irish culture. Our local PBS station carried RTÉ news on Saturday nights, and on one of the nights there were stories on the Orange Order, Ian Paisley and LVF killings. The Orange Order was portrayed as a group of angry, hateful people, and Ian Paisley was portrayed as an extremist. I wanted nothing to do with any of it.

I got my wake-up call when playing for a newly formed band called the Celtic Flame Pipe Band. Because a great deal of their funding came from the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the band played a lot of Irish-American gigs. I used to fly a small Ulster flag from the bass drone of my pipes. The reaction members of the band to my small expression of my heritage, and the tone in which they asked me to remove it had made an impression on me. Several of the band members were of Irish descent, and many were members of either the AOH or Emerald Society. Never have I met such a group of miserable people. They were not only unfriendly to me, but amongst themselves as well. I left that band, and that's when I really started to read up on the Orange and various loyalist paramilitary groups. For several years after leaving the band, I wore a UVF cap badge on my Glengarry. I guess I didn’t really understand the meaning of the UVF until I met fellow Orangemen. Was I right displaying a symbol that could be perceived as terrorist, I just don’t know. I didn’t mean much by it except to express my Loyalty.

Finally, I came upon the Yahoo group "JoinOrangeOrder" and through him and his group, I was put in touch with the Boyne Defenders in Detroit. Slightly less than a year later, my father and I went to Windsor, Ontario, Canada for our first lodge meeting.

Seeking information on the Orange Institution for me was a matter of connecting with my Ulster-Scots ancestors. Joining was a matter of connecting with good people who were of my ethnic background and who were of like mind. I am proud to be an American Orangeman and Loyalist.

Remember this, I am only one that feels like this and I know there are many more. I have been taught so much and taught so much, that we as Orangemen in the USA have a chance to bring back the heritage that was given to us by our fore-fathers.

Stand Up where ever you are.
I did and will never regret it.
NO SURRENDER!

Ohio Protestant

Dear Orange Brothers & Sisters,

Like North Carolina, Eastern Tennessee also has a lot of potential for Lodges, the middle and northern parts of East Tennessee has a large number of Ulster-Scot descendants and Protestants.  But, my problem has been getting material, etc. to recruit with and people here not knowing their difference between Ulster-Scot and Irish, due to the miss leading phrase, Scots-"IRISH".  At an area Celtic festival which is held each September at the old Fort Watauga site, muster site of the "Over mountain Men" on their way to the Battle of Kings Mountain and Highland games one sees the U.S., Canadian, British, and the Republic of Ireland Tri-Colours!  I ask about the Tri-Colours being flown and they say, due to our Scots-"Irish" and/or "Irish" descent!!   Most people don't even know their descendants of Ulster-Scot Protestants.  I have even seen people put money in jars for donations for Sinn Fein/IRA thinking their helping their cousins, when in fact their supplying money to help kill their Ulster-Scot cousins.  

I also have found that new organizations are popping up, such as Celtic Societies, Celtic Associations, etc.  And their being founded by Irish-Catholic living in the U.S. and misleading Ulster-Scot descendants on the Irish issue, using the term Scots-Irish.  This past St. Patrick Day of the Northeast Tennessee Celtic Asso., it was held at an area Roman Catholic Church, the dining hall was covered with a large Tri-Colour flag,  Tri-Coloured place settings, etc.  And 90+% of the large crowd turns out to be Ulster-Scot Protestants, but the founder of the Northeast Tennessee Celtic Asso. is from the Republic of Ireland and other Irish were there.  They had many of the locals believing only the Irish are Celtic descent, St. Patrick's Day was an Irish-Celtic and Catholic holiday.  Some of these Ulster-Scot descendants were wearing Tri-Colour lapel pins, etc.    They didn't even realize St. Patrick wasn't even Roman Catholic, never been ordained, never been to Rome, and his own writings don't even mention the Roman Catholic Church.  The robes the Roman Catholics have him wearing in drawings, etc. weren't even created until 500 years after his death.  And he mainly preached in Ulster, spent a lot of time in County Antrim and County Armagh.  He was Scottish by birth.  Also, the Ulster-Scot Protestants honour his day in Europe, but in the U.S. the Roman Catholics have so mislead the holiday as theirs, the parades are mainly supporting the Republic of Ireland, flying the Republics flag, etc.

Many groups here in the U.S. didn't even realize Ulster has a flag other than the Union Jack and I was able to get the Scottish-American Military Society to include it with the U.S. and Scottish flags.

When having an event as vendors to also sale Ulster flags, license plates, etc.  Most vendors I've seen will have the Republic of Irelands flag beside the Union Jack, Welsh and Scottish.  But no Ulster flags, etc.  People believe the Irish flag is the one to fly if their Ulster-Scot due to term Scots-"IRISH".

Also, some of these Celtic clubs, etc. have gotten the word out that the Orange Order is more like a Protestant terrorist group.  Americans need to be educated!!  I speak to area Churches, historical, culture, etc. groups and explain the difference between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.  Most Americans don't even realize Ulster is British.  You hear the phrase, "British Troops in Northern Ireland, why don't they leave, etc., etc."  Ulster is British with Ulster-Scot soldiers and a British Regiment, Royal Irish Regiment.  The former Ulster Defence Regiment was the largest Regiment in the whole British Army.  So, what's the difference, British troops in British Ulster and American troops in America?  The media, Sen. Ted Kennedy's followers and Sinn Fein/IRA like to mislead the Americans.

One mission the Orange Order could do in America is educated Americans of the Ulster heritage and the difference between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.  The Tri-Colour flag of the Republic of Ireland doesn't represent Northern Ireland or our Ulster-Scot heritage.  Put the information out on websites, have a tent at highland games, put information in the local newspapers that have history or heritage sections, etc. 

To help promote Orangeism use the Ulster-Scot heritage and culture and it's relationship to America's history.  It was the Ulster-Scots who first settled PA, Virginia, Eastern Tennessee and the Carolina's, not the IRISH as their now trying to rewrite history.  Scot and Ulster-Scots were in America almost 200 years before the large groups of Irish-Roman Catholics started coming to America.

The Ulster-Scot Agency in Belfast will send you pamphlets related to the early Ulster-Scot-American ties.   They will show that Andrew Jackson, David Crockett, Sam Houston, etc. were of Ulster-Scot blood, the U.S. Seal was created by an Ulster-Scot, many many famous early Americans were of Ulster-Scot blood.

Right now the people of the Southern States, who are Protestant Ulster-Scot, Scottish and English descent, are the ones to educate on their true heritage and to encourage to join the Orange.

What are your ties to the LOL-USA?  I'm a member, but it appears to be more of a Northern social organization.   And Orange officials in Ulster and Scotland wonder why this is the case.

Thank you for your time.

The paragraphs above were taken from a web site which was set up to undermine the Orange Order. The site:

http://allaboutirish.com/library/religion/orangeorder.htm

does a pretty good job at projected equality and a sense that all people are equal. After all if you read these questions, you might say that the writer is only asking what is fair and just. We do live in the 21^st Century do we not?

But like all things that each one of us deal with day by day, we need to look inside. Inside the message and where the message is coming from. And once we have understood it, we need to grow wise and strong and fight back. In the same nice, ecumenical way.

Thoughts to the wise.