February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By Ray O’Hanlon
Members of Congress have urged Attorney General Janet Reno to suspend deportation proceedings against the McAllister family before her term of office ends.
In a letter, co-authored by Reps. Bob Menendez of New Jersey and Joe Crowley from Queens, more than a dozen House members expressed their "disappointment" that the Immigration and Naturalization Service was still pressing deportation proceedings against the Belfast family.
The letter said that the McAllisters deserved to be included in the recent group of "deportees" who had been given clearance to remain in the U.S. by President Clinton.
"Recently, an immigration judge determined that Mr. McAllister’s wife, Bernadette McAllister, and their children deserved political asylum, and asylum was granted," the letter stated.
"The apparent INS appeal of that decision greatly concerns us. Many people who have followed these issues closely . . . are appalled at the actions of the INS," it added.
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Ambassador Nicholson?
The list of potential candidates to succeed Mike Sullivan as U.S. ambassador to Ireland has reached the name of Jim Nicholson, outgoing chairman of the Republican Party’s national committee.
"Jim would be a good choice. He is certainly not a lace curtain type. And he has no predisposition against Sinn Féin," Rep. Peter King said of Nicholson.
Hyde’s OK
The appointment of Illinois Rep. Henry Hyde to the chairmanship of the House International Relations Committee has been welcomed by the Washington, D.C.-based Irish National Caucus.
"Congressman Hyde is an excellent choice from an Irish-American point of view," said INC president Fr. Sean McManus.
"He has a long interest in, and a good record on, justice and peace in Ireland. He will be fair and just and will continue the [Rep. Ben] Gilman-policy of not ignoring human rights in Northern Ireland."
George magazine closing
George, the magazine founded by John F. Kennedy Jr. and a publication that combined coverage of politics and celebrities, will cease publication after its March issue.
The closing comes five years after Kennedy unveiled the first issue and less than two years after the son of the 35th president died in a plane accident in July 1999.
In one issue, George featured an interview with Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams that had been carried out by Kennedy.
Roberts Rinehart rises
Roberts Rinehart, the Colorado-based publishing company that ceased operations in the wake of the $100 million libel suit against the book "The Committee" has been granted a new lease on life.
The Roberts Rinehart imprint, and a number of titles that had been in print up to the company’s closure, have been bought by the Lanham, Md.-based Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group.
In a statement, Rowman and Littlefield said it was committed to reestablishing Roberts Rinehart as a preeminent publisher of books dealing with Irish and Irish American life.
"Many of the titles that Rowman & Littlefield purchased were published during a difficult time in Roberts Rinehart’s life," the statement said.
It added that the purchased titles — by authors including John Hume, Gerry Adams and Rep. Peter King — would be distributed again with a view to obtaining reviews and inclusion in Irish studies courses.
It is understood that "The Committee," the controversial Sean McPhilemy book that led to the libel suit and a $1 million settlement in favor of the plaintiffs, has not been purchased by Rowman & Littlefield.