26573: Leiderman: Re: 26571: Candidate in a Tailspin? (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Stuart M Leiderman <leidermn@cisunix.unh.edu>


Dear Readers:

Thank you for the long article from Port-au-Prince this morning about the 
Haitian-born businessman who protests the presidential ballot because his name 
is not on it.  I note that there is also no name attributed to the article the 
promotes the candidate.  I conclude that it is a piece of campaign propaganda 
and not actually a news-article.

For an attentive group of readers such as ours and a people such as Haitians 
who defend the rights of journalists who risk their lives to identify with and 
stand behind their writing, why should we post
this kinds of item without also posting the name of the person who created it? 
I know that on some occasions we accept articles that only give the name of a 
news service, such as "AP", etc., but that's because we can usually track it 
back to the hand that wrote it.  Is this the case with this article?  If so, 
please identify the writer.

Someday, maybe I'll meet the disappointed candidate and we might even find 
common ground.  But at the moment, I am tempted to say that the gentleman is, 
indeed, acting too much as a "Haitian-born businesman" (his own words) and not 
enough as a "Haitian-born citizen" (my words). He seems to be caught in the 
fringes of two shadows:  One shadow is his selective allegiance to two 
countries that are still at war with each other.  This leaves no friendly basis 
for reconciliation among
opportunistic citizens/citoyens.  The other shadow is Haitian national law that 
often resembles "Haitian personal law", swinging back and forth between rigid 
Constitution-thumping and floppy Constitution-bending.  This is like an 
adolescent caught between the demands of parents vs. peers.  There is an 
overwhelming desire to obey or satisfy everyone, but that only leads to 
patterns of deception, disapppointment, betrayal and bitterness.  The passage 
of time never completely heals those adolescent wounds; I think the weakest 
grow up to become law-breakers.

I acknowledge this predicament, but there will be no end of disappointed 
candidates until their supporters come out from the shadows and identify 
themselves.

Meanwhile, we should stand clear of their tailspins.

Thank you,

Stuart Leiderman