Archive for the ‘Haiti’ Category
The Presidential Address on Haiti
Mr. Clinton laid out four reasons for his invasion of Haiti: to restore human rights; to stop the flood of refugees; to restore democracy; and to save our own credibility with other nations in the world. His speech was passionate, but unconvincing to anyone who has studied this issue. The way he rewrote history left me wondering if he will have any credibility left with knowledgeable people here or abroad. Read the rest of this entry »
Haiti — the Invasion of the Mind
Now that Mr. Clinton has failed to convince the Haitians leaders to leave, he is faced with trying to convince “we the people” that an invasion is worth our money and our blood. No one has any doubt about the initial outcome on the island of Hispaniola. The most powerful force in the world can overcome Haiti’s rag-tag army. That is a given. What is seriously in doubt is the invasion of the minds of U.S. citizens. Will Mr. Clinton be able to convince us that we have a national interest in Haiti that is serious enough to justify this action other than allowing him to escape from the corner he backed into?
Getting into Haiti is simple: getting out anytime soon with dignity is next to impossible. We dropped leaflets all over that tiny country telling its citizens that Aristide will treat them fairly. We cannot guarantee them that Aristide will not return to using the mob violence that marked the brief seven months of his presidency, unless we are willing to stay there and protect them from him if necessary. Read the rest of this entry »
The Haitian Money Trail
So how is it that we are about to spend our money and waste young American lives to prop up a man who has been described as “a cross between Idi Amin and the Singing Nun” — to impose a kind of democracy on Haiti that Pol Pot could love? Read the rest of this entry »
Haiti’s Human Rights’ Violations
Why are we about to invade the tiny country of Haiti? The simple answer is because Haitians are fleeing to the United States to escape the terrible conditions in which they live, made more intolerable by our blockade. Why not just send them back and lift the blockade?
We are told that these people cannot return, that they will be tortured or killed. While there has been some retribution on Aristide’s bloody henchmen, there is no evidence of any wide-spread effort to retaliate against the Haitian people who simply desire to leave for a better life. Where did the figure of 500,000 people in hiding and 100,000 dead come from? It came from Aristide’s own broadcasts on Creole radio. Read the rest of this entry »
Who is Jean Betrand Aristide?
Mr. Clinton has backed himself into a corner over Haiti’s deposed president from which there appears to be no escape. So, who is this man we are being asked to support?
Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ordained as a priest, but was expelled from the Salesian order by Rome in 1988 for preaching the righteousness of class violence. It is interesting that Mr. Clinton portrays this man as the key to Haiti’s democracy for Aristide believes in it only when it serves his purposes. Read the rest of this entry »
