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During the Cold War, America's necessity became a "moral code" as Taoiseach Sean Lemass ordered the checking of all planes flying from the Warsaw Pact countries to Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962-63. The Irish government did not show the same concern for the CIA's rendition flights over Shannon Airport after the US invasion of Afghanistan, as US military planes were allowed to pass through Shannon without being checked by Irish authorities. In "world war number three", Ireland's neutrality is firmly slanted towards the aggressors.

Just a few years ago, former Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende called for the return of the Dutch East India Company's 'industrious' mentality, prevalent in The Netherlands for three centuries. Although most today still believe that 'trade' took place, the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC), using military might and forced labour, became exceedingly rich by stealing enormous quantities of natural resources from the East. In fact, the VOC was at one point the wealthiest corporation in the world, and still holds the record. In the words of historian Hans Derks, what the VOC REALLY stands for is 'Violent Opium Company'. Why would a modern Dutch Prime Minister want to promote the kind of extreme mind-set that normalizes pillage and plunder on an absolutely gargantuan scale?Black Pete, chimney sweep? Meet "Santa's helper" in The Netherlands

Comment: This change in wording of requiring five banks to fail doesn't change anything. There were more than five banks in trouble in the last financial crises of 2008.