Don't Occupy Haiti - Occupy Wall Street

NYTimes @6:50pm:
"After allowing them onto the bridge, the police cut off and arrested dozens of Occupy Wall Street demonstrators."

NYTimes @7:19pm:
"In a tense showdown over the East River, police arrested hundreds of Occupy Wall Street demonstrators after they marched onto the bridge's Brooklyn-bound roadway."

People are hopeful again. How great it is to see and hear the determination in young people's voices and hearts again. Many have been feeling such bitter disillusionment with the Obama White House and its continuing perpetuation of "the mindset that got us into Iraq."

Its inspiring to witness the unity, determination and courage of the people occupying Wall Street for over two weeks now. Yesterday was a banner day even though the atmosphere got chilly when, unfortunately, when more than 700 protesters were entrapped and arrested by the NYPD for marching peacefully across the Brooklyn bridge.

Wow! It must be an eye-opener for some to witness the United State's "newspaper of record" resorting to editing its content to represent the views of the Oligarchs who pull their puppet strings. Those who are experienced in fighting for social justice are acquainted with the distortions, misinformation, and lies of the U.S. mainstream media; particularly of the NY Times.

This is what democracy looks like.

What wonderful show of solidarity that so many folks organized protests and occupations all over America in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Haitians plan to march across the Brooklyn bridge (again!)," and will join in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Don't Occupy Haiti! Occupy Wall Street! New York's Haitian community will march across the Brooklyn Bridge to "kole zepòl" (join shoulders) with the Occupy Wall Street demonstrators on Friday, Oct. 7. We will rally in Cadman Plaza at 4 p.m. and then cross the Bridge at 5 p.m. Initiated by Fanmi Lavalas (NY), International Support Haiti Network (ISHN) and KAKOLA among others. For more information, call 718.421.0162.

The great Uruguayan writer and journalist Eduardo Galeano, who wrote the classic, "The Open Veins of Latin America" is a strong supporter of the continuing Haitian struggle for freedom. He presented a speech on Tuesday September 27, 2011 at the National Library in Montevideo on a panel debate on “Haiti and Latin America.” His speech is entitled: "Haiti, Occupied Country."

It is worth repeating it once again, so that the deaf can hear:

Haiti was the founding country of the independence of [the] America[s] and the first one that defeated slavery in the world.

It deserves much more than the fame sprung from its misfortunes.

At present, the armies from several countries, including mine, are occupying Haiti.

How is this military invasion justified? By alleging that Haiti endangers the international security.

Nothing more.

Throughout the nineteenth century, Haiti’s example was a threat to the security of countries that still continued practicing slavery.

Galeano could have been referring to economic slavery, in light of the global economic crisis that has resulted from the actions of Wall Street and the banksters. Haiti, says Galeano, is not "known for its historical feats in the war against slavery and colonial oppression." The speech is a strong affirmation of Haiti's influential and positive historical role on the world stage before the imperialist interventions and occupations. He laments that so much of the coverage of Haiti is dominated by reports on disasters. Galeano notes the talent of Haiti's artists and their propensity for "transforming garbage into beauty."

Haitians know well the daily struggle to transcend a punishing poverty, physical misery, mental pain, anger and despair over not having a real democracy. Everyone in the world is waking up to this fact. We don't have a representative government. We feel abandoned and voiceless. This was the situation even before the earthquake calamity.

Haiti after the Earthquake Disaster

Haitian writer Edwidge Danticat expressed the fighting spirit of Haitians who fought the regime of Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier during the Duvalier regime in her new book, "Create Dangerously." She tells the story of "Marcel Numa and Louis Drouin were patriots who died so that other Haitians could live. They were also immigrants, like me. Yet, they had abandoned comfortable lives in the United States and sacrificed themselves for the homeland."

What will break the fear that grips the over 600,000 Haitians still living on the ground in leaky and foul tents and tarps in Port-au-Prince? Haitians must not succumb to the spiritual death of indifference, fatality and depression as some did during the sick Duvalier dictatorship.

Reportedly, during the dictatorship of Francois Duvalier, U.S. sent marines to stop an attempt to topple Duvalier by Cubans and Haitians of the diaspora. At the present time, the dictator's son, who is accused of "crimes against humanity" and corruption is back in Haiti. It is a blow to justice that this criminal has not been tried and convicted for his crimes. Martelly has advocated absolution for this man. He has welcomed the same Duvalierist elements who terrified the Haitian population to join his government and be his advisors.

The bloody dictatorship of the Duvaliers was a 30 year ordeal supported by the U.S. - "the most powerful nation in the world." The usual suspects, those who conspired for regime change in Haiti are continuing to torture the Haitian population -- U.S., France and Canada, along with their coalition of the UN-willing. For background on their intervention in 2004, read the Ottawa Initiative and Max Blumenthal's "The Other Regime Change.

Lead by the U.S. supported the fraudulent and exclusionary "selection" earlier this year of Michel "Sweet Mickey" Martelly. Martelly is a Compas performer and Duvalier supporter. The Fanmi Lavalas political party, Haiti's most popular party, has been barred from the last two elections. Martelly has connections to the brutal military coup/junta leader Raoul Cedras, a U.S. protege sent into dictator retirement with a golden U.S. taxpayer parachute. Martelly reportedly is nicknamed for a former military junta leader, Colonel Michel "Sweet Mickey" Francois. See Mother Jones story: More from the Exile Files - Despots of the Caribbean and Club Panama.

Too bad the U.S. is so intent on "calling the shots in Haiti," and is consistently opposed to what the people are in desperate need of: a decent roof over their heads, development, infrastructure (education, social justice, security, food security...), jobs, health, well-being, rebuilding and most importantly, a real democracy.

Why is Haiti, -- the so-called "poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere" used as a pawn in U.S. foreign policy? Why are opportunists like Bill Clinton and George Bush given "carte blanche" to polish up their "legacies" to the detriment of Haiti's majority population? Should we laugh or cry when we read that a company that Clinton is involved with is now selling cholera insurance? Are you kidding me?

It's really incredulous. This item comes from Ezili Dantò's listserve:

"Just when you think Clinton can't get any more grotesque in Haiti. This comes along. Clinton Foundation makes no investment in clean portable water and sanitation plants but in cholera insurance?

The epidemic is a business opportunity to increase insurance market share in Haiti? Our death means dollars to the fake humanitarians renting homes from the Oligarchy that have moved to Florida, Montreal and Paris while collecting high Haiti rents from the NGOs who've fundraised on our people's death and misery.

[Now] "Swiss Re and its Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) partners have introduced a new programme to provide Haiti’s female entrepreneurs with rapid insurance payments for income lost by their micro-businesses as a result of cholera."

Evidently, the uses of Haiti by the U.S. are first and foremost for the greed and profit of the multinational profiteers who practice "disaster capitalism" all over the world. Secondly, from what can be gleaned from the historical record and readily observed from the poisoning of Haiti's water system with cholera by the proxy UN occupying force, the uses of Haiti include support for those who seek to marginalize and "depopulate" Haiti (genocide). Thirdly, they wish to enforce imperialist neocolonial ideologies articulated by their right-wing "think tanks" such as The Heritage Foundation - an organization whose plan for the militarization of aid to Haiti was implemented by the Obama administration after the Haiti quake disaster.

Why such a consuming interest in controlling Haiti by the Heritage Foundation? What could these "U.S. policy makers" possibly want of a country that they've seen as impoverished and leaderless like Haiti? Given that the fifth largest, most self-contained and one of the most expensive U.S. embassies in the world was built in Haiti, one could ask the same question of the U.S. government.

By the way, no need to wonder who's "heritage" The Heritage Foundation and their facilitators in the Obama regime support. During Obama's big speech on jobs last month, he didn't see fit to mention that Detroit has an over 50% unemployment rate. Rep. John Conyers finds the omission reprehensible. Is it any wonder that Conyers got so ticked-off that he spoke out against Obama's economic policies and revealed that it was Obama who put Social Security cuts on the table in the fake partisan posturing during the debt ceiling debate. Prof. Eric Dyson has noted that Obama is "willing to sacrifice the interest of the African-Americans in deference to a conception of universalism because it won't offend white people." During the same interview, Dyson urges Obama to: "Go to Detroit... show you're down with the blackest city in America!" Prof. Cornel West and Tavis Smiley - on Obama: "Many of us are exploring other possibilities in the coming elections."

Obama had many supporters in the African diaspora during his campaign in 2008. He fooled a lot of people and maybe some in the African diaspora still support him. Why?

In reality, Obama has not done anything positive for Haiti, except for "overseeing" the further enslavement and occupation of Haiti. And clearly, appointing Bill Clinton and his Boo as head of Haiti relief must have been some kind of inside joke - see the investigative report on the shoddy shelters that Clinton built. And what are we to make of the other Clinton, Hillary and her arm-twisting to get her pick Martelly placed as a figurehead of the nation of Haiti?

Haiti is the scene of an international crime. Historically, Haiti has been the testing ground for neoliberal, imperialist, capitalist ideologies before they are perpetrated on the rest of the world by the agents of imperialism -- the IMF, the world bank/IDB, WTO, USAID, and the nation of NGOs.

Of course, the massacres, killings, rapes, child molestations and impunity perpetuated by the UN military forces are what is reserved for so-called developing countries by these proxy occupiers. They clearly understand that they will not be held fully responsible for any heinous crime they commit while in Haiti.

Haiti may as well be at war. Even though Haiti was not allegedly attacked by "box cutter wielding Muslims," Haiti lost more people than the U.S. lost in what's been called the worst act of terrorism committed on U.S. soil. There have been more Haitian "casualties of war" than there have been U.S. soldiers killed in both Iraq and Afghanistan. There is something very wrong when in 2010 more U.S. soldiers died from suicide than were killed in combat.

The conservative scientific journal The Lancet projects that 800,000 Haitians will eventually be infected with cholera and 11,000 will die. The UN cannot show just cause for why the Nepalese military who they carelessly stationed in Haiti are still there -- holed up in their barracks eating up the over 800 million budgeted for the UN occupation. The UN has their own water filtration systems inside their fortresses, which are more often than not ringed buttressed by walls and barbed wire. The UN has not thought to share these systems with the Haitian population they've infected with cholera.

It should be clear by now, from the revelations contained in the Haiti Wikileaks cables and other reports on the situation in Haiti by investigative journalist, researchers, scientists and educators, that the U.S. proxy occupation of Haiti by the UN agents of empire, MINUSTAH has absolutely nothing to do with upholding real democracy, the security of the people. The UN is in Haiti for the security of the foreigners, so it will not alter its mission and become some kind of "peacemaker" and "builder" of coalitions in solidarity with the Haitian people and in support of the national interests of Haiti, or its constitution.

Is it a wonder that Haitians want these criminals, occupiers, killers, rapists and child molesters to leave Haiti and go "stabilize" in their own countries, the sooner, the better?

We all know the majority of the world's oligarchs have no concern about the poor, especially the black and poor of this world. And for some racists, Haiti is as black, dirty and poor as a human being can get, outside of "sub-Saharan" Africa.

Look at the way the world's population showed such love and support for Haiti during the earthquake crisis! Or even how the world responds so generously and kindly during any human disaster, in the world. Dehumanization and exploitation of Haitians must stop.

What can we do, who value human life and who want the mean spirited, small minded culture, which seems to dominate the world to stop? After all, we are the majority. We are world. We are the 99%. We occupy the earth, so must our mindset! We must defeat the mean spirited imperialist who are of a colonialist greed-mongering mindset. They cannot be allowed to impose their sick predatory thinking on the rest of us.

Haiti deserves solidarity, not the demonization of its culture, its people, and disregard for its great role in world history. There must come a day when Haiti's greatness will be self-evident and they will just have to shut up and applaud "this great little nation!" That day will come when we all unite to put people above profit, and commit to uphold peace and freedom for all.

This week marked the 20th anniversary of the first U.S. backed coup against Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 1990. Haiti: Harvest of Hope.

May Haiti forever remain a "pest" to those who try to enslave her and may "Haitianism" spread to the four corners of the Earth. Thank Good Haiti stands for the triumph of good over evil.

Mesi Papa Desalin! - English

Background:

• Why it took 11 Months, instead of 3 Weeks to Show that Haiti's Cholera is Nepalese


• With Nothing To Stabilize, Minustah Soldiers Engage In Inappropriate Relationships And Pollute The Environment - A tale of noble and ignoble scientists, Harvard and the U.N


• History of U.S. Military, CIA Involvement in Haiti - Corporate Interests/ Covert Actions / Death Squads / Drug Connections / U.S. Involvement in Haiti Elections / Intel-Policy / Labor-CIA Connections / Source Documents


• WikiLeaked U.S. Cables Paint Portrait of Brutal, Ineffectual and Polluting UN Force


• The White Curse [Haiti] by Eduardo Galeano

How to Steal Haiti's Sovereignty and Independence

Left: Sylvester Le Rock - former Warden of Les Cayes Prison where the massacre of at least 10 prisoners occurred. Mr. Le Rock has been promoted and now oversees the National Penitentiary of Port-au-Prince. Right: Jean Roulin Celestin - Haiti's Prison Commissioner explains the apparent promotion of Mr. Le Rock this way: "a prison is a prison."

The Haitian National Police (HNP) are often an instrument of state sponsored terror, violence and oppression. They are used to crush dissent. However, they must be reeling with shock and surprise to find that they are now the subject of an "investigation" by the very entities which to date have been their allies and partners in crime. The New York Times, the UN, USAID, U.S. Embassy, the religious community and most NGOs (one exception: Partner's in Health did one expose on the human rights abuses of the IDB) have stood by and watched the HNP and Haitian justice system operate with impunity in jailing political dissidents, hunting down and killing members of Fanmi Lavalas (President Jean Bertrand Aristides' party and overwhelmingly the most popular Haitian political organization) and a whole barrage of other extra-judicial activities that violate human rights.

It was never a problem up to this point and time that most of Haiti's jails were filled with political dissidents or people who were "detainees," that is, who had never been charged with a crime or seen a judge. In fact, the Global Policy Forum notes that "Since early 2001, Washington had blocked important economic and humanitarian aid to the country. Earlier, it had reneged on police training and on funding for UN human rights and election monitors." Of course, those actions were taken in order to destabilize a Haitian government that the U.S. wanted removed, so they make allowances for the suffering that occurs while enforcing their foreign policy interests.

When will the New York Times investigate MINUSTAH for the massacres in Cite Soley and other violent incursions into the vulnerable shantytowns in Port-au-Prince and other extra-judicial murders they allegedly committed in the process of "securing the peace" and capturing those they term, "gang members" and "Chimeres?" In reality, MINUSTAH's actions were designed for the majority of the time to crush political dissent.

Maurice Geigher -- contractor for USAID. Explains how there were indications that people had been shot in their cells. The families of the dead prisoners were never notified of their death.

This sudden penchant and appetite for investigations into Haiti officials' crimes is surprising, given that the New York Times has refrained up until now from reporting the many acts of brutality committed by the HNP as the UN watched on -- particularly against political dissidents and peaceful protesters. This latest crime investigation follows a story about the disturbing actions of the Mayor of Petionville, Claire Lydie Parent -- who had a cemetery excavated, apparently without notifying the dead's surviving relatives.

It's very interesting that the New York Times, USAID, an American Priest and the UN have now gotten together to condemn the Haitian police and justice system for practicing violence and perpetuating human rights abuses. Do they possibly share culpability for these crimes? Especially those committed during the reign of the puppet regime of Gerard LaTortue?

The timing is questionable. While one can't entirely dismiss the NY Times "concern" for the Haitian populace's human rights, we still have to question their motives because their actions in the past are not matching up with their actions now. Not a peep about human rights violations from most of the U.S. media during the Duvalier dictatorship and the killing of over 50,000 Haitians. The deaths of over 5,000 after the first U.S. sponsored coup in 1991 didn't seem to make much of an impression either. After another U.S. planned, sponsored, financed coup in 2004, the New York Times called its investigation of the international crime that eventually saw over 8,000 dead and 35,000 raped, by the euphemistic title "Mixed U.S. Signals Helped Tilt Haiti Toward Chaos."

Investigative reporter Max Blumenthal recorded his criticism of the New York Times "exposé":

"which claimed to expose how the a taxpayer funded Washington non-profit with close ties to the Bush administration, the International Republican Institute, and its Haiti operative, Stanley Lucas, fomented a coup in Haiti that deposed its democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide. In fact, the story was remarkably similar to a story I wrote nearly two years ago for Salon.com. On January 3, 2005, a New York Times staffer named Ursula Andrews emailed me, asking for help with research. I was excited that the newspaper of record was finally picking up on the story, and complied with their request. When the Times published its story, it contained no citation of my work."

Is the U.S. government laying the groundwork for direct control of Haiti's institutions? This article by the New York Times could be a first salvo in anticipation of the barrage of criticism to be expected from such a move. They perhaps see the need to establish a chain of evidence to solidify their case. Human rights abuses in Haiti was of no particular concern for the U.S. up until now, particularly when their puppet Gerard LaTortue (unfortunate name) ran the show.

Read and listen to Andrew S. Natsios of Georgetown University and Mark L. Schneider of the International Crisis Group's testimonies to the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The statements from Natsios and Schneider were not surprising -- just the usual U.S. propaganda lines about Haiti, with no perspective on how Haiti was brought to this state by the interventions, occupation, trade policies and paternalistic actions of the U.S. government and their active arms in Haiti - USAID, UN and NGOs. No question, they had help from the Morally Repugnant Elite (MRE), but the strategy and planning was evidently done by the internationals. One surprise however, was Sean Penn going so far as saying that Haiti is not ready to be independent. Haiti, said Mr. Penn, should not be "prematurely" independent -- that would be "murder by another name."

In Mr. Natsios' testimony, he makes mention of the ouster of President Aristide, stating that Aristide during his time in office had, "..simply replaced one tyranny with another."

Mr. Natsios, did not however present evidence to back his unsubstantiated claim about President Aristide. He also did not find the U.S. to have any culpability for their sponsorship of the two coups that brought chaos and violence to Haiti.

Natsios does concede that "...US and UN Security Council Sanctions in the 1990s contributed to the end of the hope of industrialization and economic growth." He does however place the blame for Haiti's condition squarely on the shoulders of the governing class, "gang violence" and poverty :

"This tragedy was not simply a natural disaster; it was a man-made disaster stemming from a failed Haitian state characterized by widespread patrimonialism, corruption, and critically ineffective service delivery. Despite $5.3 billion in foreign aid invested by bilateral and multilateral donors from 1990 to 2005 (approximately $1.5 billion of which came from the U.S.), Haiti persists as one of the poorest and worst governed countries in the hemisphere, if not the world.

Much of this US government assistance has been humanitarian rather than nation building assistance, and has kept people alive through repeated political crisis [emphasis added]. The Government of Haiti has been characterized as autocratic and unstable. To ensure loyalty within a society that has been riddled with gang violence and plagued by abject poverty for decades, elites have created patronage networks to employ their supporters, provided selective public services to them, all funded by rent-seeking and limits on the creation of legitimate institutions which might challenge their monopoly control over the society."

All seem to be looking to the newly formed Interim Commission for Haiti Reconstruction to save Haiti from itself. The Commission cedes Haiti's independence and makes the Chair, Bill Clinton, the new Viceroy in charge of dispensing donor funds for Haiti's reconstruction.

Natsios mentions that "The composition of the Action Plan‘s proposed Interim Commission for Haitian Reconstruction has been called into question by Transparency International‘s Senior Consultant Roslyn Hees: ―the majority of the commission would be made up of international agencies and a minority would be made up of Haitian representatives. Even within the Haitian representation, there is no one from civil society, except a representative of Haitian unions, who cover a minuscule proportion of the Haitian workforce since most of the workforce is informal and not unionized."

Natsios dismisses the criticism with double speak: "Although it is essential that the Haitian government assume ownership in the agenda-building process, it is critical that the U.S. contributes only to a long-term development plan that is both inclusive and transformational."



Thank you New York Times for exposing this injustice to the prisoners of Les Cayes. Thoughts and prayers are with the surviving families members of these prisoners, who have suffered this devastating bereavement. Those who perpetuated this crime against humanity at Les Cayes Prison must be brought to justice and held accountable. However, the New York Times should understand the skepticism they incur regarding the intent behind their sudden concern over human rights abuses by officials in Haiti.

See the video at the New York Times website.

UPDATE 05.26.10
The Bellingham Herald reports that "President Rene Preval has asked the United Nations for help in forming an independent commission to investigate allegations that dozens of prisoners were shot by Haitian police during a jail riot in the southern city of Les Cayes a week after the Jan. 12 earthquake."