Only Aristide has the mandate to lead Haiti’s recovery

Letter to Guardian

It took a catastrophe to put Haiti back on the political map. Yet its contribution to world civilisation is considerable. Having extended the 1789 French revolution to Haiti, Black Jacobins ended slavery, leading the way for abolition in the Americas. Western governments never forgave this impertinence, imposing crippling debt, occupations and dictatorships.

But Haitians never lost awareness that they could overcome and, if necessary, overthrow. In 1986, a mass movement kicked out the murderous Duvaliers whom the west had backed for decades, and in 1990 elected Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a liberation theologist determined to move the population “from destitution to poverty with dignity”. He prioritised food security, health and education, encouraged agricultural co-operatives, and raised the minimum wage. Within months a US-backed coup overthrew him. Elected again in 2000 with over 90% of the vote, he was again removed in 2004, not by “a bloody rebellion” (Haiti’s exiled former president vows to return, 15 January) but by bloody US marines.

Haitians continue to call for Aristide’s return. Will the only person with a mandate to govern be kept from leading their recovery and reconstruction?

Selma James

London

We will bend but we will not break

“We will bend but we will not break” by Kevin Pina and narrated by Pierre Labossiere

Part 2 – Election of Jean-Bertrand Aristide

Another man-made disaster in Haiti

Peter Hallward teaches philosophy at Middlesex University, and is the author of Damming the Flood: Haiti, Aristide and the Politics of Containment (Verso, 2007). The following article was published on Hayti Net

Any large city in the world would have suffered extensive damage from an earthquake on the scale of the one that ravaged Haiti’s capital city on Tuesday afternoon, but it’s no accident that so much of Port-au-Prince now looks like a war-zone. Much of the devastation wreaked by this latest and most calamitous ‘natural disaster’ to befall Haiti is best understood as another thoroughly man-made outcome of a long and ugly historical sequence.

The country has certainly had more than its fair share of catastrophes to contend with. Hundreds of people died in Port-au-Prince in an earthquake back in June 1770, and the huge earthquake of 7 May 1842 may have killed 10,000 in the northern city of Cap Haitien alone. Hurricanes batter the island on a regular basis, mostly recently in 2004 and again in 2008; the storms of September 2008 flooded the town of Gonaïves and swept away much of its flimsy infrastructure, killing more than a thousand people and destroying many thousands of homes. The full scale of the destruction resulting from yesterday’s earthquake won’t become clear for several weeks. Even the most minimal repairs will take years to complete, and the long-term impact is incalculable.

SMOKE & MIRRORS IN HAITI

15 January 2010

As you read articles and hear ‘news’ concerning the devastating 7.0 on the Richter scale earthquake and aftershocks that ripped through Haiti on 12 January 2010, bear in mind that Haiti’s current and totally useless puppet president, Rene Preval, hasn’t uttered a peep, to the worldin the past three days.

In the ensuing devastation, dying, rampant starvation, grief, and suffering of Haitian people since last Tuesday afternoon Preval has done nothing. His face has not been seen on one camera. His voice has not been heard on any radio newscasts. But his ignorance, insensitivity, and his silence are more deafening than the mighty roaring and shaking of the earth.

Obviously hiding out and looking out for his own personal safety has been Preval’s first order of business, as there have been no ‘rumors’ that even his U.S. puppeteers have undertaken this task.

No doubt he will eventually turn up in self-imposed isolation somewhere. And when he feels that his person is secure, he’ll give an exclusive conference call-interview- state of Haiti speech in conjunction with Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush – the despotic nightmare whom Barack Obama has (incredibly) called upon to ‘assist’ Bill Clinton in Haiti’s greatest hour of need.

Zieg Heil, the gang’s all here.

Yet the Family of President Jean Bertrand Aristide, and FANMI LAVALAS, Haiti’s true leadership is doing everything that they possibly can for their people from their U.S. enforced exile in South Africa, and on the ground in Haiti, despite recent U.S. attempts to isolate and destroy their political power.

And disappeared human rights hero LOVINSKY PIERRE-ANTOINE and his family would have been right in the thick of things, organizing, giving people support and doing everything he could possibly do to help people and to save lives.

So – depose the useless puppet preval and throw him out of Haiti. He is no president of the people.

Latest confirmed reports from Haiti, as of two hours ago, are that the situation in Haiti ‘…is Katrina all over again. NOTHING is getting to the people. Here, in the U.S. on TV, radio, corporate press, and live digital streaming, there are massive reports of:

* U.S. planes bringing aid, and of hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. aid ‘pouring’ into Haiti.

* On CNN, NBC, etc. reporters are talking about millions of dollars in relief supplies, U.S. Aid & UN assistance ‘pouring’ into Haiti.

* Obama has pledged ‘$100M in ‘aid and troop support’ to Haiti

But the so-called millions in aid is all a lie. It is all smoke and mirrors.

The ‘in-pouring’ dollars and aid are but a trickle. According to reports from independent media, relief agencies, and non-U.S. controlled medical personnel, the people in Haiti are receiving nothing.

And contrary to U.S. embedded media reports, there is also nothing wrong with the airports, either. It’s just that Barack Obama has decreed that only military planes can land in them. So – if you’re bringing aid: medical personnel and medicines, food, supplies – you cannot land. If you’re bringing guns, troops, mercenaries, and other instruments of mass destruction, you can.

Meanwhile, people on the ground are using T shirts for bandages, doing triage in the streets, and doing the best they can to find, feed, house, and protect each other.

Thankfully, Cuba, Venezuela, and China to date, know how to help people in need without a U.S. mandate. They got to Haiti first, despite the fact that Haiti is only an hour and a half distance from the U.S. by plane.

And despite the fact that the people of Haiti, are as calmly as possible helping each other, their anger is rising. It seems that there is a controlled effort on the part of the US to use Haitian suffering and vulnerability as an avenue to instigate violence, so that the US military can rush in, just as they did from 1915 – 1934, take over Haiti, and use it as a military base by proxy.

And there is no president preval to stop this. Preval has abdicated his throne. His neo-position as puppet president is even more skewed as he bends over one last time to kiss his a** good bye. Even as we speak, the surgical attachment of his lips to neo-liberal behinds could not be more complete if he’d done an audio-video recording for YOU TUBE…

He has finally unleashed the proverbial dogs of war upon Haiti, and his U.S. puppeteers are scurrying to rush in and complete a de facto coup d’etat and ethnic ‘cleansing’ of Haiti while they think that the people are most vulnerable and not paying attention.

Thus, Barack Obama’s actions and inactions are costing thousands in Haitian lives. Worse still, he is turning what should be a rescue/rebuilding operation into the covert military takeover of a sovereign nation, under the guise of U.S. Aid.

This will cost more Haitian lives in future generations (one wonders as well, who the designated Charlemagne Peralte** will be…) Unless the U.S. is stopped, it could be anyone.

Thankfully, people on the ground in Haiti ALWAYS pay attention.

For 5 years Haitians have demanded their beloved Tid tid’s safe return. Now is the time when he is particularly needed, as the U.S. tries to install their own fake, hand picked Haitian ‘regime.’

The hopeless LEPSWA party of Preval has no cabinet, president, or senate infrastructure; and is a plum ripe for Euro-American plucking.

We who love Haiti must not fall prey to nor believe ANY of the U.S. corporate hype:

* not from embedded journalists spreading ‘rumors’ of violence,

* not from troops spreading rumors of aid,

* not from any other syncopants spreading illusions that U.S. troops entering Haiti are doing so for any other reason than to foment a hostile takeover of the country.

Above all, we must not forget the politics of the situation. The terrorists in blue are instigating a coup under the cover of an earthquake. It’s a 2 for 1, one-two punch scenario; utilizing two of the most devastating phenomenons of nature – the unnatural forces of humanticide and the natural power of the earth.

Just as the hurricanes were used to overtake Louisiana, a covert U.S. military takeover is now being instigated against AFRIKAN Haiti, which has dared to fight Euro-American might for over 200 years to be sovereign and free.

Worse than appalling is the fact that Preval is either so stupid that he cannot see the coup that is sitting on his face; or he is an active participant in the selling of Haiti to the U.S.

One way or the other, as usual, it sucks to be him.

And as per usual, the people of Haiti are fighting back. They are not sitting around being passive victims. They are helping each other, and in so doing are helping Haiti and helping us all by showing us how to fight to win, damn the odds…

The roots of this tree of liberty run deep.

We won once.

We will do so again.

What we can do:

# Be very discriminating in what we believe and govern ourselves accordingly.

# LISTEN TO, DOWNLOAD, AND SPREAD THIS FLASHPOINTS REPORT http://kpfa.org/archive/id/57813

# Follow Ansel Hertz’ ongoing reports from Haiti at http://www.mediahacker.org

# Stay tuned to the SF BAYVIEW Newspaper, FLASHPOINTS Radio @ KPFA, my blog on the Marcus Books Social Network, FACEBOOK page, email list, and MYSPACE posts; I will post as rapidly as possible, daily, after sifting through the corporate media lies and distortions and networking w/people who are truly trying to help.

# Help to bring the only true FIRST FAMILY (Drs. Aristide and Family) SAFELY home.

# LOVE and HONOR AYITI UNCONDITIONALLY. We must not forget her. We must do any and everything that we can forever to help her to secure her liberation.

A LUTA CONTINUA

Pierre Labossiere of Haiti Action and Kevin Pina speak on Haiti

The report begins with a report from Ansel Hertz in Haiti . Then Pierre Labossiere of Haiti Action talks about the response and the media manipulation. Finally Kevin Pina on the loss of life due to lack of mobilization waiting for the Pentagon to take control of Haiti. And the greatest shame – Obama appoints Clinton and BUSH to lead “humanitarian aid”

Shame on you Mr Obama asking Bush & Clinton to oversee humanitarian aid. After three days have passed and no aid has arrive the people are angry and taking their anger to the streets. That is called Violence and looting – not hunger and fear. The next step to further militarize the earthquake.

Flashpoints – January 14, 2010 at 5:00pm

Click to listen (or download)

A friend of mine wrote in an email

I am not alone in feeling that if this disaster in Haiti, which has already suffered so much for so long, serves any possible cosmic, spiritual or Divine purpose (“Everything happens for a reason, ” our elders have taught us well), then it must be to call the world’s attention to the humanity of the Haitian people and the scandalous conditions that they have endured as “punishment” ever since their courageous overthrow of slavery.

But is that what people are being awakened to? Comments like this one from the US secretary of Defense describing peoples search for food as “scavenging” and “looting” is unacceptable. The under current of the media reporting and in sections of the social media – Twitter and Facebook – portraying Haitians as victims and helpless. Right now Haitians are the only people out there helping other Haitians. Women and men are turning their homes into hospitals and shelters. Treating the wounded with whatever they have to hand and sharing their food and water whilst waiting for the humanitarian aid presently sitting at the airport.

A lot of people have been talking about Anderson Cooper’s reports for CNN. I cant bring myself to watch that channel but I managed about 5 minutes of AC’s report this afternoon. One begins to see the heaviness of language, the choice of words. Scavenging for searching – shoving for burying. But what stood out for me – was the joy on the faces when the American rescue workers were seen because you know the Haitians have been continuously let down by their governments. The Americans will be here soon. -Not a quote but thats what was said. He did however make the point that the real heroes are the Haitian people – well we know that from 200 years ago we know that.

Thanks to Ansel and Pierre for their reports.

Haiti Update

The Foundry is the blog of the right wing Heritage Foundation think tank

The Foundry promotes conservative policies and principles by offering the best in public policy research with the day’s current events. The Foundry is published by The Heritage Foundation

On Wednesday evening it published the following headline on Wednesday evening warning us that disaster capitalism was ready to roll.

Amidst the Suffering, Crisis in Haiti Offers Opportunities to the U.S. | The Foundry:

and called for the “reshaping” of Haiti. 2 hours later it had removed the headline and changed the post to:

“Things to do while helping Haiti” and removed the reference to “reshaping” . We should not be fooled by the change in the wording. The plan and ideology remains the same. Shailja Patel has published an excellent ten point plan action for Haiti which can be used to form the basis of a new international campaign for Haiti.

1) Grants, not loans.
2) Keep corporations and corporatist policies OUT. Stop disaster capitalism in its tracks.
3) Cancel ALL Haiti’s debt to the Inter-American Development Bank.
4) Let Aristide return to Haiti.
5) Lift the ban on Aristide’s Fanmi Lavalas political party.
6) Rip up the neoliberal pre-earthquake Clinton-Obama program for Haiti: tourism, sweatshops, privatization, deregulation.
7) Do not allow US military or UN “peacekeepers” to point guns at desperate Haitians.
8) Allow all Haitians in the US to work, and remit money home.
9) Release all 30,000 Haitians held in US jails for deportation, and grant them Temporary Protected Status.
10) Demand that France start repaying the $21 billion it extorted from Haiti in 1825, to “compensate” France for loss of Haiti as a slave colony.

Haitian Links:

Continued live stream in Kreyol – They have been on air since late Tuesday. People are phoning in telling their stories and looking for family and friends

people are working together and showing solidarity, helping those worse off to save lives
difficult even to estimate loss of life yet
those with lesser injuries have to wait for attentiaon – eg broken arms
one senator confirmed dead
president issued statement:
much pain in our hearts, namy dead bodies, many gravely injured still trapped
the country always suffering but today so much more
those of you still trapped, don’t lose hope. one of us suffering is all of our pain

Haiti Action Emergency Relief Fund A grassroots non-profit working in Haiti
SOPUDEP School – a school which serves some of the poorest children in Port-au-Prince. I have visited the school and spent time with Rea Dol who runs the school. She is also a commited long term activist in the community. We know she is OK but we are not sure of the school. Any monies donated will be held until it is known that she can access funds.

Haiti Liberte
The Haitian Blogger

Haitian Feed

Death squad leader’s commanders meets in PAP

The commanders of Indicted death squad leader, Guy Philippe‘s Front for National Reconstruction [FRN] recently met in an hotel in Port-au-Prince. Philippe was indicted on November 22nd 2005 for conspiring to import cocaine to the US and for money laundering activities. Whilst the US allows such people to meet it supports the exclusion of Fanmi Lavalas to participate in elections. As with every thing to do with Haiti, the US chooses to make up rules applicable only to that country. Whilst allowing Honduran refugees from Hurricane Jean the right to remain in the US, Haitian refugees are incarcerated in abominable circumstances in US detention centers such as Krome in Miami and treated like dangerous criminals.

Continue reading Indicted death squad leader holds campaign meeting in Haiti

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Part One

Part Two

Part Three

The real untouchables

The use of child labour is a global issue and not related to any one country or continent.   It takes place in the West – Europe and North America, across Asia, Africa and the Middle East.   Here Ezili Danto counters claims of child slavery in Haiti and in particular the use of the term “slavery” to describe child domestic labour by US media reports which repeatedly focus on this issue.  She suggests the real slavery taking place in Haiti is that which is conducted by the USAid/NGO system which supports corporate America.

That SLAVERY – the tyranny of the tiny monopoly/mercenary families in Haiti and the USAID/NGO system that supports it for corporate America maintaining the dependency, debt, exclusion, apartheid, unfair wages, the fraud, corruption and false benevolence- is the reason Haitians continue to run to the high seas for refuge, preferring death than to stay enslaved to Haiti’s Oligarchy and NGOs as continued today by the US/UN occupation. (Capsized, 85 Haitians dead: Haiti’s Holocaust Continues – Asylum, Amnesty, Justice denied our kind; Haiti’s Holocaust and Middle Passage Continues; The Collar of Impunity: Sexual abuse of Haiti children by Priests, Charity Workers and UN Peacekeepers and Humanitarian Aid Workers raping, molesting and abusing Haitian children.)

Haiti Liberte

Remembering Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine and his family on this day. We also remember the millions of people whose loved ones and friends have disappeared, been kidnapped by brutal regimes and forces of repression.  We also remember President Aristide who in 2004 was forced into exile by the US and it’s allies.

Over the years, many tragic political events and terrible human rights violations have pushed Lavalas leaders and militants to the forefront of Haiti’s political life to defend democracy and to demand respect for civil and political rights of all Haitians.

A nationwide mobilization has been triggered by the exclusion of former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide’s Lavalas Family party from the partial senatorial elections in April and June 2009 and now the refusal of a new Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), chosen by President René Préval, to recognize the majority’s right to choose their representatives freely and democratically in the legislative elections scheduled for February and March 2010. This mobilization will only end when democracy is respected in Haiti and when Aristide, the Lavalas Family’s historic leader and national representative, is allowed to physically return to his country from exile in South Africa.

On December 16, 2009, 19 years after the Haitian people distinguished themselves by holding Haiti’s first free and democratic elections despite the powerful ruling class’s machinations, despite foreign domination of the nation, and despite corruption and intimidation of all kinds, the Lavalas masses turned out in the thousands to demonstrate.