Salthill Air Show Obscenity

national | anti-war / imperialism | opinion/analysis Saturday July 05, 2003 19:40 by John Cunningham - GalwayAllianceAgainstWar johnliamsheain at eircom dot net

PROTEST ON SUNDAY, 2.30 pm

It's the time of year again for the Salthill Air Show, two days when the citizens of Salthill and the Claddagh are driven almost demented by the sonic booms of the latest military hardware. It is all family entertainment, you understand.

Bring the kids to along to watch A-10s loop the loop, but don't tell them that these same A-10s were developed to drop uranium-enriched warheads onto the heads of independent-minded people in faraway lands (It could your turn one day, sonny). You wouldn't like to tell the boys and girls either that the Tornados flying past are used to drop cluster bombs —very impressive weapons, with brightly coloured bomblets which are mistaken for soft-drinks cans by children in Afghanistan, Iraq, and such places. It's regrettable that sometimes these children lose a limb or two when they pick up the bomblets, but that's life —you can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs.

The killjoys in the Galway Alliance Against War are trying to discourage people from attending this harmless event. Today they distributed thousands of leaflets with information about the warplanes and advising people of eleven alternatives for a family day out —Turoe Pet Farm, Connacht Final, &c.

The same killjoys are organising a protest against the show on Sunday afternoon. All whingers and dogs-in-the-manger in the Galway area should assemble at Fr Burke Park on Fr Griffin Rd at 2.30 pm, from where they will head to Salthill after a short workshop session.