ALERT THE MEDIA!
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27 May 2001 Laura Meade Kirk Star Reporter The Providence Journal 75 Fountain Avenue Providence, Rhode Island 02902 Dear Laura:  Constantine's Circus, Inc. has written to the nation's 49 top state troopers and
Hawaii's State Sheriff inviting them to write and submit an inspirational poem in support of the peace
process in Northern Ireland. In view of the starring role in which we have cast Col. Ed Culhane in this
initiative, if your paper would like to do a story, that's fifty places you can call for a great quote.
That would certainly remind those worthy individuals of their obligation to put pen to paper and take a
little time/to produce some rhyme. We could do a lot worse/than to ask them for verse!I'm sure that you will agree that the Colonel is an excellent choice to spearhead an
initiative such as this. The evidence that supports that argument has been on the editorial page of your
paper often enough over the past eleven years. He is such a sterling example to all other cops.Interestingly, a while back, you published my comment that he is probably the only
top cop in America who would submit a poem to the newspaper for publication. Well, at least this once,
we feel it important that they all give it a try. My late father was a trooper and I know that troopers
can do anything -- even write a poem.Tom Constantine, who was the Colonel's boss with the New York State Police, was
selected just a year ago this week to oversee a major reform of Northern Ireland's police agency -- the
Royal Ulster Constabulary. This is a key component of the peace process there that was initiated with
the Good Friday Peace Agreement in 1998. There are many people in the province who grew to distrust
and even to hate and fear their police during the years of the Troubles. Thus major change must be effected
and the people have to believe that it is for real. Life in the troubled province has changed dramatically
since this new begining. Still, the peace remains fragile and the process has a long way to go. The
Colonel and I are both very proud of our friend Tom's participation in this historic task. As he is a
trooper, we know he can do it.Many have said that the communities party to the Good Friday Agreement had to reach
for such new ways of thinking and envisioning their journey to a new order that it is itself a kind of
poetry. I heartily agree. I'd even call it epic poetry because it is the story of the whole community
and from our point of view, the hero we have our eye on, our own Good Sir Tom, is not only a very noble
knight, but he epitomizes something that Ireland once gave to the world and that we now have the privilege
of giving back as good as new -- a good old Irish cop.Yours truly, TERRY O'NEILL  Questions? E-mail Us! CONSTANTINE'S CIRCUS, INC. PO Box 7223 Capitol Station Albany, NY 12224-0223 518-465-4413 518-465-3200 FAX |