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Old 03-16-2010, 06:28 AM   #2
srahman24
Dandy little dreamer
 
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Toronto, Canada
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Limit on the messageboard wouldn't let me post it all in 1 message - here's the rest:

Similarly, in politics, we get stuck on old-fashioned male-dominated habits and could benefit greatly by including female qualities into our approach. Mothers represent nurturing and patience and I’d like to see more of this in politics and in all aspects of Irish life.

We are a country with a colourful history and there’s a certain kind of magic about Ireland that is somewhat unexplainable. Were it not for the long-term sacrifices of our great-grandparents, we might still be under English rule. They had a vision of a better quality of life and their challenge was so much greater than what we are faced with today.

The question is, do we care enough? If not for ourselves, can we at least find the motivation to do it for our kids?

We can clean up our rivers and beaches and bring back the salmon. We can replant the forests we’ve torn down. We can become leaders in green energy production, and boost our economy like we did with computer chips. We can open our eyes and see that petrochemical fertilisers and genetically engineered products are damaging our natural habitat and poisoning people, and instead invest in large-scale organic growing and permaculture like they have in the Netherlands.

We can ban fishing in the breeding grounds, especially bottom trawling, to allow fish to reproduce – this has been practised in various places around the world and proven to increase the overall fish stocks.

We can move to renewable fuels and be prepared for when oil stocks run out and think of our children’s future instead of taking the easy way out for now.

All of these things, and many more, are just sensible options. They involve nurturing and patience in the beginning and have great rewards in the long term.

We’re a small country and it’s possible to achieve a lot in a small country. Instead of arguing over old stories, we can work together to transform Ireland into the truly magical place it deserves to be – and be an inspiration for the world.

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Damien Rice is a singer-songwriter and musician. A former member of the 1990s rock group Juniper, he has since pursued a successful solo career
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