Letters to the Editor, March 10, 2004

Aljazeerah Info Center needs your support

Readers are the only source of support for Al-Jazeerah

Send donations by Paypal or by check to: Al-Jazeerah Info Center, P.O. Box 724, Dalton, GA 30722-0724, USA.

Palestinian Folklore Exhibition

We would like to invite you to take a look at our proposal of the Palestinian
Folklore exhibition, we hope that we can organize this exhibition in your country
If you accept our proposal

http://www.najah.edu/english/Youth%20Prog/fine.htm

In case you would like to help us to organize the above mentioned proposal, contact us
to discuss it.

Alaa Yousef
Zajel Youth Exchange Program
Public Relations Department
An-Najah National University
Nablus, Palestine
www.najah.edu
Phone: ++ 970 9 2381113/7
Fax: ++ 970 9 2387982
Mobile: ++972 59 201 300
youthexchange@najah.edu

http://www.najah.edu/english/Youth%20Prog/Youth.asp

A Response from Mike Whitney to Michael Finch, concerning his comments (Al-Jazeerah Letters, March 9, 2004)

Mr. Finch is misinformed concerning a few key points. The opposition party ran no candidate against Aristide because they had no realistic chance of winning. 80% of Haiti's population lives beneath the poverty line and Aristide, coming from the slums, has always been enormously popular. True, his popularity had slipped dramatically because of the $500 million the Bush Administration was withholding, and because of the armed gangs he was responsible for, but his re-election by an overwhelming majority was never in doubt. Remember, 50% of Haiti's wealth is controlled by 2% of the population. That 2% has had a very difficult time in free elections (for obvious reasons).

The coup leaders were the same characters who led the original coup; thugs, drug trafficers and ex Haitian Military. Even the Bush Administration has not been so bold as to defend them or their abysmal human rights record. Aristide requested just a few dozen US servicemen to deter these criminals and was flatly refused.

Because the Bush Administration wanted to see the former oligarchy and the brutal military restored to position of power. Aristide had rejected some of the "structural adjustments" the IMF had required, causing him to fall from grace with Team Bush. Most third world countries understand that if you resist Washington's economic regimen, you'll pay a heavy price. In Aristide's case he refused to sell some of the publicly owned assets (like the cement plants) and the ax fell.

The US had a 200 man contingent of marines waiting for for Aristide's ouster, which they sent in immediately when they were sure he was gone.
Why not send them before and preserve the democratically elected leader?
Ironically, the US believed that Aristide was a coward and would leave when he saw the murderers closing in on him. They were wrong. That's what caused Colin Powell to panic and send in the Marines to drag him out at gunpoint. He knew it wouldn't look well if the US sat back and let Haiti's (elected) President get killed while the US looked on.

It came as a surprise to the people in the Bush Administration that someone would be willing to die for something he believed in. (I'm reminded of 9-11 when President Bush was rummaging around in Nebraska 3000 miles from the Twin Towers).

As for Mr Finch's last comment, "If the United States were not part of the UN, the entire world would understand exactly how irrelevant the UN is, and how completely helpless the UN would be without the military support and credibility provided by the United States." It's obvious that Mr Finch has the same unmitigated contempt for the UN as the Bush Administration, so why is he so offended by my suggestion that the US leave. I would think he would be delighted....and maybe the rest of the world would be as well.