US must STOP blocking Haitian relief : 80% of Haiti's population live OUTSIDE of Port au Prince: Haiti is not the Republic of Port au Prince where the internationals congregate. Haiti already has its own REBUILDING plans
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Democracy Now interview with
Danny Glover: Former Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide
"Mystified" at U.S. Resistance to His Return , Feb. 10, 2010 (mp3)
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Video - Press Conference:
If Obama can do it why can't Preval? (Text)
by Kevin Pina, HIP, Feb. 9, 2010
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As we examine this rush to rebuilt DESTROYED Haiti, let's
remember the earthquake destroyed 70% of Port au Prince but 90% of
Leoganes and Petit Goaves. All eyes are on Port au Prince in a way it
never was when Gonaive was destroyed TWICE, once in 2004 and then in
2008. Why? Because Port au Prince is where the major government
offices, the foreign embassies, Haiti universities and, especially the
Haitian Oligarchy and 45,000 US foreign nationals and other foreign
nationals congregate.
But, as the media drenches itself in
their "Haiti is destroyed, needs complete rebuilding" sensationalist
spiel. Let us remember Haiti is NOT buildings. Haiti's soul is its
PEOPLE, it's history, its culture of resistance and resilience.
Haitians are historically immune to adversities. Always have been. Nou
La! And we're still here.
Families
outside of Port au Prince ARE taking in their relatives from Port au
Prince. Out of 10 million, there are two million shattered sentient
beings in Port au Prince, but 8 million Haitian people outside of Port
au Prince are very much ALIVE and right at this very moment, rebuilding
theri families, re-uniting separated souls and ready to take in
whatever humanitarian help comes from compassionate people who want to
help them help themselves to recover and REBUILD a new Haiti. A Haiti
where people don't go hungry and foreign policy doesn't strum
dependency and destroy the people's voice in their own democracy.
Why
is everyone rushing to ignore these Haitians? They are competent, alive
and more motivated than any international saviors, than the UN, than
Paul Farmer, than Bill Clinton, than George Bush, than the Red Cross,
World Vision, World Food Aid Program, CARE International, et al. With
the little they have, they are already taking care of their own and
themselves, as usual.
In all these "marshall plans," all these
plans, plans, plans for rebuilding Port au Prince, WHERE are the
Haitians of Kafou, Site Soley, La Saline, Croix Des Bourquet, Leoganes,
Petit Goaves, Cap Haitian and the rest of Haiti who've been pushing to
change the paradigm for Haiti WITHOUT militarization, without foreign
ownership, without NGO charity dependency, without foreign meddling,
for decades after decades? Where is the Haiti who only wants solidarity
of its more powerful neighbors, not paternalism. Where is the
re-memberment of two centuries resistance to Western re-colonization
and becoming a US/France client state, no less?
Where is the
acknowlegement that the forcibly removed, democratically elected
president of Haiti , along with Haitians, from all the professions,
already HAVE put together a plan for a private/public partnership to
REBUILD Haiti, back when Haiti was free and that said information is
outlined, as well as, what Haiti's resources/riches are to finance this
rebuilding, in a book called "Investing In People: Lavalas White Book
under the direction of Jean-Betrand Aristide (Investir Dans L'Humain)? (See, Oil in Haiti, the economic reason for occupation .)
Four
million Haitians abroad should NOT be blocked because the United States
has unilaterally decided to use the occasion of the earthquake to take
over Haiti's ports, airports and stop commercial flights into Haiti for
its own purposes. This hinders these millions upon millions of Haitians
abroad from entering Haiti with resources, authentic and DIRECT help
for their families, their people, their homeland.
Those
displaced and those taking on relatives in their outback hometowns
ought to be assisted and empowered, not prevented from seeing their own
flesh and blood with more resources who want to go to Haiti and help
them without military guns in their faces, US draconian policies
preventing legal residents from leaving Haiti and especially without
the disrespect of occupation in Dessalines' land.
Haiti has no
major "security" issue and doesn't need 20,000 US soldiers. The
militarization of Haiti and emergency relief must end. Haiti sovereigny
and Haitian self-determination respected. The blockage by the US of
Haitians entering Haiti MUST stop. 80% of Haiti's populations live
OUTSIDE of Port au Prince. Haiti is not the Republic of Port au Prince
where the internationals congregate.
Here are articles to underline these points. See, With capital in ruins, northern Haiti struggles ; Danny Glover on DemocracyNow -Former Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide "Mystified" at U.S. Resistance to His Return ; and, If Obama can do it then why can't Haiti's Preval?; The Kidnapping of Haiti by John Pilger; and, "Haiti: Killing the Dream": Excerpt of Documentary on Centuries of Western Subversion of Haitian Sovereignty. Listen to excerpt of Democracy Now, Feb. 10, 2010 coverage.
"if Obama could reach across party lines to invite Clinton and Bush to work for Haiti during this crisis, then why can't Preval do the same by inviting Aristide to return? (If Obama can do it then why can't Haiti's Preval?);
" Before the earthquake, Port-au-Prince absorbed masses of impoverished Haitians who left the outlying provinces in search of better economic opportunities; it also attracted thousands of students and fortune seekers. Now, many of those same people are returning home en masse...Families are generous ... they share what they have...Even if the house is small, they always find a place to put someone affected by the catastrophe." (With capital in ruins, northern Haiti struggles.)
"...there's a stalemate right now as to why he can't return in some capacity. Wouldn't it be--wouldn't it be, I think, appropriate for him to be there at this particular moment, as the Haitians go through this suffering, but also to be--in some capacity, work with the reconstruction of Haiti, as well? You know, we know that at some point there has to be some unifying force. The government has been devastated by this. The government also only receives a small portion of the aid money that goes there. Less than a cent, that it goes there...
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