# War on terrorism question

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-on-terrorism-question/178507>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 30, 2003, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-on-terrorism-question/178507 "2003-05-30T13:13:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Iteki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eada6e/32.png) [@Iteki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iteki)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-on-terrorism-question/178507/1 "2003-05-30T13:13:25Z")

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Without this going GD- or Pit-bound if possible, can somone tell me what measures have been taken against American citizens who have made financial contributions to Northern Irish terrorist/paramilitary organisations?

If punative measures have yet to be taken against said individuals, can somone please tell me what measures are being taken to identify them? Is there a name for this operation or task force?

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**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-on-terrorism-question/178507/2 "2003-05-30T13:31:09Z")

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I know that here in Chicago we’ve had quite a few people/groups that have gotten in serious trouble (jail time, fines) for fundraising for IRA activities. However, it can be difficult to tell where the money is actually going. Most of the contributions go to Sinn Fein or associated parties, and not directly to the IRA itself. Sinn Fein is just a political party and not a “terrorist group” per se.

That being said, this OP gets my Irish up for sure. Anyone would denounce senseless bombings and violence, but the Protestants in Northern Ireland have done more than enough to the Catholics to be considered terrorists themselves. Men and women who fight a specific aggressor who seeks to rob them of their freedoms of religion and safety of children are not terrorists. Men and women who stand up in the face of wholesale slaughter and imprisonment of their kin by British sanctioned death squads are not terrorists.

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**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-on-terrorism-question/178507/3 "2003-05-30T13:38:30Z")

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**Iteki** you don’t seriously think this will stay here do you?

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**Author:** ![Iteki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eada6e/32.png) [@Iteki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iteki)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-on-terrorism-question/178507/4 "2003-05-30T14:00:32Z")

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Well I was hoping for it Grey yes, but of course now somone is going to need to respond to Ryan, and I am never going to get a damned answer.

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**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-on-terrorism-question/178507/5 "2003-05-30T15:46:52Z")

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**Iteki** best i can do for you about thw funding groups is something called NORAID (which presents themselves as providers of aid to families of republican fighters).

Here’s there page [http://inac.org/](http://inac.org/) and here’s what I could find on an FBI’s report dealign with 2 cases of exporting _weapons_ not fund to the IRA [http://www.fbi.gov/publications/terror/terror99.pdf](http://www.fbi.gov/publications/terror/terror99.pdf)

Not really what you were hoping for but more knowledgable people should be along soon.