The Haiti story is old news - but as O'Keefe states, not considered safe for nescons to read, and so the rest of us don't get to see it either.

It is pretty distressing to experience our modern feeling of utter impotence in directing our so-called "Democratic" leadership in this as in so many other issues.

Hey Derrick, spend a day in Bel Air or Cite Soleil or Solindo (as I did recently) and you'll get a better idea of who MINUSTAH is after, along with the police, and any civilian who can get hold of a machete. Their targets may or not be hardcore Aristide supporters, but they have some seriously bad habits: like rape with metal-pierced phalluses (I've seen it), arson, murder, kidnappings, torture and all the rest. They're incredibly well armed, they're co-ordinated, they use women and children as human shields. How politically-motivated they may be is pretty irrelevant at this stage. But there's a whole lot of popular justice happening right now--I've seen the bodies, and I've seen tape of the vigilantism-- and I can assure you that the animosity in the slums is not directed at the blue helmets.

Interesting too, that despite all the so-called residual "support" for Aristide, there hasn't been a single pro-Aristide demo in weeks, and not much fresh graffiti. Even some of his strongest supporters concede that he's squandered much of his goodwill.

Haiti is a whole lot more complicated than the demogagues here pretend.

Yes, Clawman, Haiti, in common with most of Central and South America as well, is indeed "a whole lot more complicated" than most of us think.

Knowing why, however is not complicated at all. The immediate reason can be deduced from the role of the School of the Americas in our hemisphere. SEE < http://www.soaw.org/new/ > and Google for more.

The role of that organisation is well-rooted in the American psyche and is best expressed in the Monroe Doctrine, which has been expanded to validating the present US vision of it's role in the world. SEE Wikipedid:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifest_Destiny

Scylla, so in light of what's happening today (see latest killing of Canadian) what's your point? Cause and effect can go back to the first protozoa . . .

The descendants of the first protozoa still live, Clawman, and by the same mechanisms.

The specialty taught in the School of the Americas was/is "Destabilisation", as seen in Haiti today. The US considers easily-bought regimes such as Papa Doc's to be far preferable to such as Aristide's Left-leaning, populist administration.

The long-standing US fear is that it's Southern neighbours form alliances to counter it's continuous political and economic manipulations.

So Chile may be old history, for example, but Venezuela and Colombia are not, nor is Haiti.

And the Monroe Doctrine - like the protozoa - lives on, evolved perhaps, but still very much alive. Or are you a Political Creationist?

Scylla. okay I'll grant you all that. But here's the situation in Haiti today: there are elections coming, there are 7600 (non US) troops on the ground, as well as several hundred police from every continent on the globe, and a big part of their job is to restrain the highly corrupt and dangerous Haitian National Police. The authorities are moving heaven and earth to get as many of the 4.5 million eligible voters registered, there are more than 60 political parties registered, including moderate Lavalas, plus a growing number of presidential candidates.

So setting aside the Monroe Doctrine, and the School of the Americas for the moment, the biggest remaining obstacle to a free and fair election is an almost paralyzing fear NOT of Minustah, and less and less of the HNP, but of the incredibly well-armed gangs who are moving closer and closer to the jihadist strategies of terrorism, and who have directly caused large-scale evacuations of a number of slum neighborhoods because civilians are terrified to death of them, a fear that's also being played out in more and more incidents of "popular justice." . . . . We can go on and on forever about what brought this all about, and who is motivated by what, but the important thing now is to get people into the voting booths and keep them safe. For all his merits, Aristide is yesterday's man, and he's exhausted his credits and it's time to move on.

Wheels within wheels, Clawman, and who can sort it all out? The Ton Ton Macoute proved the efficacy of armed gangs in Haiti, and I've no doubt their present incarnation is with the help of plenty of arms donated by Dominican Republic businessmen who fear a genuine "people's republic" next door.

I genuinely share your concern for the people of Haiti, and feel considerable disgust for our politicians who in my view have created the whole mess, or at the very least have deliberately allowed it to happen.

So, what happens if a coalition of left-leaning parties tries to form, post-election? Do you think the US will allow that to happen, or, if it does, it will not destabilise it as it did with Aristides?

Sorry Clawman, if the above seems dismissive of your obvious concern for powerless people being beat up in a situation over which they have little or no control.

My problem is: How does one cope with these gut-wrenching stories without becoming desensitised to them in self-defense? Should we instead be looking for the underlying causes and trying to do something about them?

Theoretically, our politicians subscribe to the Christian system of ethics, which holds that all human life is sacred, and in pursuit of that, they preach Democracy.

How, then can they turn a blind eye to the outrageously criminal treatment of peoples by leadership in other countries? The standard answer to that is, of course, they do not want to "interfere" in the affairs of other nations.

However, in weaker countries, they're perfectly willing to put leadership in power or to depose it if it doesn't play economic ball. Today we see "economic reforms" imposed upon developed countries throughout the world using the threat of economic sanctions.

This willingness to interfere isn't reserved just for economics. The Dutch are being forced by the US (at arms length through the EU) to de-liberalise their drug laws, just as aid was withheld from countries that provide birth control clinics and condoms.

So, what's really at issue in Haiti? It's certainly not a "Free World" desire to see the ordinary Haitian given her/his freedoms, nor is it to see a genuine Democracy in place. Rather, it's just a desire to see another place made safe for business - whatever the other costs.

Dear HSBC mail list,
It is difficult to imagine that human rights conditions could worsen
in Haiti compared to what we already know. But what follows are two
reports on a shocking new development in Haiti, namely, the growing
use by the Haitian National Police of plain-clothed crimimal and anti-
social elements in the deadly witchhunt against supporters of the
Lavalas movement. The second of the two following reports is an
article that appeared in yesterday's Newsday, a major daily in the
New York City region.

These reports stiffen the resolve of Haiti Solidarity BC to do
everything in our power to bring to an end the coup regime and
foreign occupation.
======================================================================
5000 soccer fans in Haiti witness machete and hatchet massacre by
police and death squads
By Tom Luce, with investigators from AUMOHD
(Association of Universtity Students Committed to a Haiti with Rights)
(see next comment on story for the details )
=======================================================================
'Play for Peace' soccer match turns into massacre

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/ny-
wohait0828,0,1550130.story?coll=ny-world-big-pix
(please go to the website for this account of the terrorizing incident)

BY REED LINDSAY
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

August 28, 2005

5000 soccer fans in Haiti witness machete and hatchet massacre by
police and death squads
By Tom Luce, with investigators from AUMOHD (intro shortened)
Dredging up fearsome memories of past days, eyewitnesses in Port-Au-Prince portrayed a massacre-by-machete/hatchet rampage by red-shirted
killers, backed with Haitian National Police (PNH), of up to 50
victims on Aug. 21 at a soccer field in Gran Ravin-Martissant. This
summary, extra-legal execution follows similar type massacres in Bel
Air and Solino earlier this month.

This time, the execution happened in daylight, in front of 5000
soccer fans, a bold assault by Haitian police and their
civilian accomplices in the presence of troops from MINUSTAH. The "targets" in Saturday's
massacre, were all "bandits", "Lavalas" scum (Rat pa
caca).
Eyewitnesses described to human rights agents this
event. As fans were being entertained during one of the
breaks in the soccer game--highly attended because national league
players had joined the local teams--a group of police and men wearing
red tee shirts and head bands entered the playing field and took over
the microphone from the announcer. The people in the crowd at first
thought that this was a friendly show of security by the police. But
that idea was immediately dashed when the red shirt announcer stopped
the music being played by the DJ and then demanded everyone to lay on
the ground. A shot was fired into the air and people began a panicked
response. Some tried to run away, some tried scaling the walls to
escape and several of these were shot. Others tried running into the
adjoining rooms of the stadium and later were found hacked to death.

The red shirts, backed up by the police, began demanding specific
individuals lying on the ground if they were affiliated with
Aristide, asking for confirmation from others whether these people
were "bandits". Then, without mercy, these red shirts either hacked
their victims to death or hacked them and then had their victims shot
by the police. According to eyewitnesses and the family members of
the victims interviewed today, the victims of the executioners were
innocent people and were attacked only because they were allegedly
Lavalas supporters.
The red shirts were equipped with machetes and hatchets that were
distributed, according to witnesses, by the police at the Martissant
police station. These same civilians who appeared in red shirts and
head bands at the soccer game, armed with machetes, were recognized
by people in the area as the same people who at least a month
previously were thrown out of the area as trouble makers among whom
were some prison escapees and thieves.
Some of these executioners were named by witnesses: Georges Jean
Yves, Gérard, aka, Gwo l'Ombril (Big Belly Button), ...lifet aka
TÍte
Calé (Shaved Head), Ti Clody, Rudy, JoÎl, Eddy, Apoupann aka
Colonel,
Ronald Toussaint, Kiki , Rocky Rambo, and Cliska. The chief of police
of Martissant was also implicated in the operation by the witnesses
and, according to the witnesses, threatened to come after them
and "wipe them out the next day."
On Sunday, Aug. 21, the same red shirts, accompanied by the police,
invaded residential areas and burned more than four houses alleged to
be inhabited by Lavalas supporters. They also severely damaged an
electricity transformer in the area. They also damaged several other
houses.

President Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Pretoria, South Africa

Solidarity with Rev. Father Gérard Jean Juste

After more than a month in jail, the health of Rev. Fr. Gérard
Jean Juste is deteriorating. Once again I join my voice to the
voices of many calling for his release. His unlawful detention,
alongside the unlawful detention of thousands of political prisoners
in Haiti, demonstrates a clear determination to exclude Lavalas, or
the huge majority of Haitian people, from participating in free, fair
and democratic elections.

Again we must ask: In 1994, who could have expected free, fair and
democratic elections in South Africa with Nelson Mandela, Govan
Mbeki, Oliver Tambo and other leaders and members of the African
National Congress in jail, exile or in hiding?

In Haiti, in order to have elections and not a "selection", the
following steps must be taken:
1. The thousands of Lavalas who are in jail and in exile must be free
to return home.
2. The repression that has already killed over 10,000 people must end
immediately.
3. Then, there must be national dialogue.

Fr. Jean Juste too has echoed this call for dialogue and peace. He
must be freed. All the political prisoners must be freed.

Dialogue leading to peace through the restoration of constitutional
order – this is the will of the Haitian people. After 200 years
of independence it is clear that from this dialogue will emerge a new
Haiti.

August 31, 2005

Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. Maxine Waters (CA-35) released a statement in response to Ambassador James B. Foley's comments regarding the interim government of Haiti. The Congresswoman's statement follows: (edited)
I commend Ambassador (Amb.) J. B. Foley (F) for taking a courageous stand in support of justice and the rule of law in Haiti prior to his final departure as the US Amb. to Haiti. Amb. F said the interim government (IG) tarnished Haiti’s image by releasing convicted killer and death squad leader Louis-Jodel Chamblain (L-JC) from prison while continuing to detain former Prime Minister (PM) Yvon Neptune (YN).
Repeatedly, I have decried the incompetence of the IG, which continues to be supported by the Bush Admin. Kidnappings, murder and other crimes have become widespread since the IG came to power 1.5 yrs ago. Roads and infrastructure have fallen into disrepair, and public services have virtually disappeared. IG has done nothing to stem the increasing violence in Haiti, and it has done nothing to make millions of $ in promised international aid available to Haitians. Just about the only thing the IG has done is jail 100’s of political prisoners (pp).
YN is one of the pp. He was PM prior to the Feb/04 coup d'etat, and he is now the most prominent member of Lavalas (LA), the largest political party left in Haiti. The IG arrested him over 1 year ago without charges and continues to detain him without a trial. 28 Members of the US Congress (US-C) called for his release in letters sent to Pres. Bush May/04.
Another one of these pp is Father Gerard Jean-Juste (FGJ-J), a Catholic priest. Prior to his arrest Aug/05, FGJ-J operated a soup kitchen for hungry children, one of the few social services available in a country whose IG has abdicated its responsibilities. Amnesty International declared him a p. of conscience, and 29 Members of US-C signed a letter calling for his release. Other prominent pp include former Interior Minister Jocelerme Privert and Haitian singer Anne Auguste, both of whom have been jailed without a trial for over 15 months.
There is a growing consensus that there can’t be free and fair (ff) elections (E) under the present violent conditions. But, the IG is determined to hold E in Nov/05, despite rampant violence and the continuing imprisonment of LA party leaders. Under these circumstances, it is hard to believe that Haitians would ever accept the E results. Suspicion is already widespread that the IG’s real motive in keeping PM Neptune and FGJ-J behind bars is to prevent them from running for office.
The IG’s decision to release L-JC out of p must be because of the Nov/5 E. L-JC history of organizing violence against activists is enough to make any potential candidate afraid to run for office. Setting him free 3 months before the E could further endanger potential LA candidates and lead to incidents like the 1994 Raboteau massacre for which L-JC was later convicted.
We may never know why J. B. Foley left his post. We may hope he decided that he could not in good conscience continue to stand by while the IG imprisons potential candidates and allows violent criminals to control the countryside. Perhaps he grew tired of operating an embassy with a skeleton staff after other personnel returned to the US to escape the escalating violence.
What we do know is that there can never be ff E in Haiti as long as thugs and killers are free and innocent priests and politicians remain behind bars.

re:The recent visit of the Chinese president to Canada.
The protests of the pro-democracy(?) groups in Canada, along with Paul Martin's cocncern for human rights in China, ring hollow when you consider the involvement of our forces in bringing order(?) to Haiti. Our government was implicit, along with U.S. imperial designs, in the overthrow and deposition of a democratically elected Haitian government, as well as the continued support of gang-inspired violence in that country. We need to call for the re-implementation of the Aristide government, bring our forces home immediately and disengage ourselves from these atrocities,reversing to a policy of humanitarian aid, like we are always bragging about.