6538: 6527: Re: Haiti now: a reply from Jean

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Martine Jean <alix3@hotmail.com>

This is a answer to knowles's response to Henrius.

you quoted Henrius saying that "Haiti's biggest problem is her proximity to 
the United States" and replied "I love the simplicity:  make the US go away, 
disappear, leave Haiti totally
alone, ignore Haiti  -  and voila!  Haiti will get well.

I understand you qualifying Henrius's statement as simple. You are an 
american and if I were one  I would not like to think that my country's 
policy has had such a negative impact on another country. However, Henrius's 
statement is not a simplification of US/Haiti relations as you would like to 
see it. Yes, Haiti has many problems but its proximity to the US is her 
biggest problem. As Haiti is struggling toward democracy, the US has done 
nothing else but thwart this effort by consistently supporting a reactionary 
and violent minority in the country. Without the support of the US, the 
minority in Haiti would not dare pursue or even outline their project of 
forming an "alternative or parallele" government to counteract the 
legitimate government of Aristide. Indeed, one can call the opposition in 
Haiti crazy but they are not as crazy as they seem. THey are acting this way 
because they know that they will receive help from the US and they will one 
way or another. Indeed, whether one wants it or not, the opposition in Haiti 
is a minority; their so called "silent majority" must be a dead or zombified 
majority for it can be seen nowhere.

You continued in your response: "I wonder why Puerto Rico is ok? Well, lots 
of help from the US and no CIA,
of course.
I wonder why Dominican Republic is beginning to move up  -  the US ignores
her and concentrates on managing Haiti?
And Mexico  -  clearly the US isn't involved there, so that's why they are
growing, moving up, even exchanging their PRI "ruling party" and electing,
god forbid, a businessman!


I won't answer you concerning Mexico. I'll wait till I get more info on 
what's happening there.
But I can tell you why Puerto Rico is ok. Puerto Rico has been a colony of 
the US for more than a century. you can call it an associate state if you 
want or a commonwealth. The truth is Puerto Rico is being ruled by the US 
openly and they don't even have the right to Vote in US federal elections. 
Puerto Rico is okay because there rules the same peace that ruled Haiti 
during the Duvalier Era: a peace of the "cemetery". It sounds peaceful and 
feels so if you want it to be so but it's not. You don't need the CIA to be 
involved in Puerto Rico because the Puerto Ricans have been taught that they 
are free and are not willing to break US domination there even though they 
are complaining about it.

The Dominican Republic may be moving up. But guess what, big US businesses 
are allowed to do whatever they want to do there as long as they throw some 
crumbs at the people and pay the ruling minority big money. The Dominican 
Republic will be okay as long as they don't revolt against US abuse and 
hidden control of their country.

And since you are so bent on giving examples why don't you explain to me why 
the Cuban Revolution happened and why the US is so against it. Cuba was 
invaded at the same time as Puerto Rico. The Cubans never accepted it and 
look where they are despite many effort. Why the embargo on Cuba? Is Cuba's 
situation just a coincidence and so is its proximity to the US? Why did 
Castro had to recur to the Soviet Union in a desperate effort to try to 
distance itself from the US at least ideologically?

I truly accept your sincere concern about Haiti but please before you start 
caring make a difference between what American policy makers say and what 
they do. I've decided long ago to make a difference between the American 
people and the American government because the people doesn't really know 
what their government is doing. If you do some simple research you'll 
discover that they do a lot more than they will ever concede of doing

Martine
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