windowsonhaiti.com

But Haiti suffers...

Another setback for Haitians, even those who are rejoicing at this very moment.

The United States, France, Canada (and secondarily, the Dominican Republic) handed Guy Philippe a magnificent birthday present. What did he do to deserve it? Perhaps our children our grandchildren will learn the exact details from the declassified files.

But we know the deal.

They could have done it last year, but why not rub our noses in 200 years of... of... of... whatever they might choose to call it. So today in 2004, some Haitians will find it in their hearts to celebrate with Colin Powell, Bush, their French and Canadian counterparts, a job magnificently orchestrated. Hip hip hooray! Be festive, guys. It will not last.

I have not hidden my dissatisfaction with the second administration of Jean-Bertrand Aristide. He too, contrib
uted to his downfall. Not only he did, but many of his loyalists as well. For not recognizing the truth or for dissimulating the truth when they knew it. The truth was that Aristide did not measure up to the requirements of the job. Very few men could, if any. We will either wait for the second or third coming of Christ, or we will decide to do the job together, because a single leader cannot resist the fury of an empire.

What do we do now, after Aristide? We may choose to react irrationally and curse till the end of time the forces that negated the electoral vote of the Haitian people, as though our persistent anger will break down walls and break our chains. Or we may choose to learn from our enemies, and not miss a step in our determination to regroup and reclaim our freedom and national sovereignty.

Rage, bitterness, enmity? Calm, determination, intelligence? Choose the set of weapons that you think will serve you best in the next battle. For... Long live the Haitian Revolution. The pe
ople of Haiti have just begun to fight for their place in the sun.

I have been trying to read and watch every news item I can to try and understand what is going on right now in Haiti. I am not Haitian but my husband is and we travelled to Haiti for the first time this summer where I met many of his family members. I absolutely loved being in Haiti and having the opportunity to get to know the people and my inlaws. I am so upset when I now see what is going on. I am so angry that my father-in-law has spent a lifetime being subjected to this nonsense. He told me a story of how his older brother was killed by Duvalier and that must have been 20 or 30 years ago and yet he, as with all Haitian people, continue to be subjected to this nonsense. This beautiful island with such a rich culture and history. I have spent this weekend crying. I don't know what else to say.