Bill Clinton: Haiti’s Neo-Colonial Overlord
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by Ashley Smith
Bill Clinton is no friend to Haiti. The former president, who inflicted great harm to the Haitian people while in office, now acts as a kind of regent, “promoting sweatshops, tourism, and export-oriented agriculture.” A primary actor in stripping Haiti of its sovereignty, Clinton “is putting Haiti up for sale to multinational capital.”
Bill Clinton: Haiti’s Neo-Colonial Overlord
by Ashley Smith
Ashley Smith is a featured speaker at a “Day of Outrage in Harlem” rally and march in support of the people of Haiti, on November 20. The theme of the protest is, “U.S. Out of Haiti – Clinton Out of Harlem.”
“Clinton has betrayed all his humanitarian promises and failed to collect even a fraction of the promised $10 billion for reconstruction.”
The corporate media portrays former President Bill Clinton as a great humanitarian friend of Haiti. The truth could not be more different. He has always supported policies in the interests of multinational corporations and the Haitian ruling class at the expense of the country’s workers, urban poor and peasantry.
After the 1991 coup that toppled Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide, Clinton as President did maintain relatively ineffective sanctions. But he violated his campaign promise and continued George Bush Sr.’s policy of jailing Haitian refugees in Guantanamo. He also pressured Aristide to adopt free market economic policies as the condition of restoring him to power in 1994.
Clinton succeeded in getting Aristide to moderate his program of social reform and drop tariffs on rice to the advantage of U.S. Agribusiness. He then compelled Aristide’s successor, Rene Preval, to further deregulate the economy successfully turning Haiti into the most free market economy in the Western Hemisphere, and consequently its poorest.
“Clinton pressured Aristide to adopt free market economic policies as the condition of restoring him to power in 1994.”
Confronted with this evidence, he recently apologized for impoverishing the lives of peasant farmers in Haiti. But as always with Clinton, his rhetoric could not be more different than his policies. After the second U.S.-backed coup against Aristide in 2004, Clinton has worked with former World Bank employee Paul Collier, multinational corporations and the Haitian elite to impose another free-market plan on Haiti. While U.N. troops have occupied Haiti since 2004, Clinton and Collier toured the country promoting sweatshops, tourism, and export-oriented agriculture.
After the devastating January 2010 earthquake in Port au Prince, Clinton became co-chair of Interim Haiti Recovery Commission. He is now the country’s neo-colonial overlord. He has betrayed all his humanitarian promises and failed to collect even a fraction of the promised $10 billion for reconstruction. And his reconstruction plan is the same free market plan he has been touting since 2004. He is putting Haiti up for sale to multinational capital.
The last thing Haiti needs is more “help” from Bill Clinton and the U.S. Instead, the U.S. and other imperial powers including the U.N. should get out of Haiti and pay reparations so that Haitians can rebuild their country in their own interests.
Ashley Smith can be reached at: ashley05401@yahoo.com. For information on the November 20 “Day of Outrage in Harlem,” contact Nellie Bailey at harlemtenants@gmail.com.
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Comments
Off topic a bit, but no
Off topic a bit, but no thumbs up to Ted Kennedy for "standing up" to Hillary's racist tactics. Kennedy would have done more to help black folks if he had vociferously fought for single payer health insurance, against job outsourcing, and against bank deregulation. Kennedy was an early champion of single payer in the 70s but continually slacked off and kowtowed to the insurance industry. Kennedy's support of Obama may have pissed off Hillary but it was just another white liberal token gesture as he failed to make any demands on Obama that would improve the lot of poor and working class blacks, browns, or whites.
We Should say that Ted Kennedy had Terminal Brain Cancer...
Just to be fair - during the 2008 primaries, the election, & by the time Obama took office - Ted Kennedy was dying from terminal brain cancer.
Which made Hillary's statement about hanging around to see if something might happen [to Obama] like what happened to RFK in 1968- all the more OUTRAGEOUS & INSULTING - not just to Obama [& Blacks] but to the Kennedy Family [& people in general]. Then she gives a half-assed non-apology_apology [to the Kennedys - not Obama] - claiming she mis-spoke. This FEMALE is a lawyer & politician- its her job to know what she says in & to the public. Like her hubby Slick Willie slyly sticking the knife in our backs - then publicly crying crocodile tears saying 'I feel your pain'. Don't nobody want to hear that CRAP.
While we're at it
let's throw in No Child Left Behind, one of the most worthless, counterproductive, and local school punishing legislative acts ever passed. Ted should have know something was up when the Rethugs joined in support of it, more wondrous "Bipartisanship" from the Dimocraps.
While we're at it
let's throw in No Child Left Behind, one of the most worthless, counterproductive, and local school punishing legislative acts ever passed. Ted should have know something was up when the Rethugs joined in support of it, more wondrous "Bipartisanship" from the Dimocraps.
Fact Challenged People get on my damn nerves
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/haiti_six_months_after_the_earthquak...
Haiti, Six Months After the Earthquake
Excerpt:
Haitians are angry, questioning where the billions of dollars donated in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake have gone. The Disaster Accountability Project found that of the 197 organizations that solicited money following the earthquake, only six had publicly available reports detailing their activities.
From the “international donor community,” the wealthier nations, more than $9 billion was pledged, but to date, only Brazil, Norway and Australia have paid in full. Most of the U.S. pledge of $1.15 billion is now being held up in Congress.
Patrick Elie, a longtime Haitian democracy activist and Haiti’s former secretary of state for public security, spoke with me, about land ownership and the earthquake’s enormous toll:
“Land tenure in Haiti is in total chaos. This is also the result of the behavior of the Haitian elites over centuries. They appropriated land, especially after independence and the end of slavery, which would have been common property. And now, there is a lot of discussion about who owns what piece of land.”
Elie said that in this time of emergency that gives the government the power of eminent domain, the key question is whose land will be seized—communal land that peasants have used for centuries, or the vast tracts of land owned by the elites.
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/01/17-6
Why the US Owes Haiti Billions – The Briefest History
by Bill Quigley
HA! Looks like the "Draft Hillary" Movement is underway (lol)
Bill Clinton is a "friend" of Haiti? Shit, Bill Clinton is not even a friend of the American working class. If there is ANY Democrat more responsible for the current financial crisis world wide than Bill Clinton, I'd like to hear it: repeal of Glass-Steagall giving the Wall St. sharks free reign to print money and engage in ponzi schemes, his "free trade" nightmares--NAFTA, CAFTA-- his abject failure to institute policies to put Americans back to work--policies that addresses our reversal in industrialization and skilled trades, his imprisonment of more Blacks with federalization of laws and refusal to account for power and crack cocaine sentencing disparities. And last but no ways least, taking the practice of triangulation (read acting Republican Lite and Not So Lite) to an art form. I got another wakeup call a year ago when my Federal Health Center counterparts told me GWB provided them more funding than did Bill Clinton.
Bill Clinton is more responsible for our current set of circumstances than arguably even GWB. Clinton and his neo-liberal policies and his DLC buddies like Emanuel have polluted the Democrat Party, the Democrat Party will probably spend as many years ridding itself of Clinton pollution as Boston did cleaning the Charles River. And in case you're wondering, Obama ain't shit either. And no I didn't vote for him.
"Draft Hillary for 2012" is well underway. What bothers me, what sickens me, what pisses me off is the Blacks and Whites who cling to the Clinton mythology. Clinton was the beneficiary of a another of American's wonderful bubbles, the dot.com bubble, which burst shortly after he left office. Without a strong economy, Clinton would have been nothing. And you people find nothing wrong with a politician, an ex-President no less, earning $30M dollars a couple years after leaving office for not doing one goddamn thing? You to stupid to understand a delayed kickback/payback? Don't tell me yall that stupid? Don't tell me that Clinton's wealth isn't the byproduct of abject corruption in our political system?
And Zionist Israel??? Hillary Clinton is the only person who has their head stuck up Israel's ass deeper than Obama and Joe Biden. This bitch was talking about bombing Iran like her white male counterpart John McCain. Get a life you Clintonistas and Obamabots. Nobody wants either of these assholes come 2012.
What about the Iran-Contra CIA, Bush Sr, Clinton links to Crack
EC: Speaking of Crack Cocaine. The Word is that the Iran-Contra hearings were a cover-up [like the Warren & 9-11 Commissions were Cover-ups]. So what was being Covered up? The CIA's / Gov't's role in the 1980s Crack Coke epidemic on- Ollie North's, Reagan / [Mr CIA] Bush Sr's watch [Note the late Gary Webb's 'Dark Alliance' ]. Remember [Mr- CIA / Skull{Duggery} & Bones / Bohemian Grove] Bush Sr was convicted drug lord Noriega's CIA PAY-Master!!! And the drug dealing Contras were a CIA OP!!! And where was much of the dope coming in to the US? The Word is it was at a covert airport in Mena AR on [then] AR Gov Slick Willie's [also a Bohemian Grover] Watch!!!
PS: I hadn't thought of it before till you mentioned it EC -BUT- why do people like Ole Slick Willie & his ilk get paid from $100 thousand to 1/2 $million just for speaking [IE: running off at the mouth] for an hour or two- after they leave office??? Its a perfect way to legitimize covert delayed kick-backs - for all of the shady under the table deals they made while in office!!!
hamadi
It is simply amazing that we still have people who cannot see the light of day when it comes to Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton is not a friend of Haiti. If the Clintons have been so generous with all the foundation money, why isn't it reflected in the lives of Haitian people who are suffocating in poverty and disease.
Most of the funds that are reaching Haiti are being misappropriated by High salaried administrators who line their pockets, while the Haitian people starve. Where were you Clinton defenders when Bill clinton sent thousands of Haitian refugees back to Haiti to face reprisals and death.
It is unbelievable that black people, especially, are still worshiping Bill Clinton as if he is some kind of God, and refuse to facc the truth about this wolf in sheep's clothing.
So why / how did 'Slick Willie' 'help' Aristide in the mid 1990s
Hamadi: Remember that when [Mr CIA] Bush Sr covertly backed [if not instigated] the first coup on Pres Aristide, it was a 'hot' button issue among certain Blacks- Jessie Jackson certainly talked about it. At the time candidate Bill [Slick Willie] Clinton made a campaign promise to stop Bush Sr's policy of Gitmotizing Haitian refugees fleeing retaliation -&- to stop using the US Coast Guard & Navy to intercept them on the hi-seas [IE: not in US territorial waters] & turning them back to Haiti. Of course he broke that promise [IE: lied again]. The one 'good' thing it he seemed he did was to back Pres Aristides restoration. BUT- I knew there was some crap in the game when he sent a guy named William Swing as special Haitian Envoy. Swing was the former Liberian Ambassador & had a track record of skull-duggery in Africa [IE: had CIA written all over it].
So what's the REAL 4-11 on Slick Willie helping to restore Pres Aristide. Note this quote from no less authority than Noam Chomsky who's been very critical the US' hidden imperialist actions in Haiti: "When Clinton restored Aristide- Clinton of course supported the military junta, another little hidden story...he strongly supported it in fact. He even allowed the Texaco Oil Co. to send oil to the junta in violation of presidential directives; Bush Sr. did so as well. Well, he finally allowed the president {Aristide} to return, but on condition that he accept the programs of Marc Bazin, the US candidate that he had defeated in the 1990 election. And that meant a harsh neoliberal program, no import barriers {IE: NAFTA, GATT, WTO, World Bank Neo-liberal so-called 'Free' Trade policies}. That means that Haiti has to import rice and other agricultural commodities from the US from US agribusiness, which is getting a huge part of its profits from state subsidies. So you get highly subsidized US agribusiness pouring commodities into Haiti; I mean, Haitian rice farmers are efficient but nobody can compete with that, so that accelerated the flight into the cities" [IE: led to Haiti going from being self-sufficient in basic food stuffs to being dependent on food imports, which led the recent food riots & over-crowding in Port-of-Prince, which resulted in the 2010 quake be far more devastating than it should have been].
So why did Aristide agree to this when he resisted it before the coup? According to another person knowledgeable on the topic - Slick Willie pressured [threatened] him into it- by telling Aristide that not only would he not be restored- BUT that the US [IE: Clinton's Admin = Slick Willie] would continue to let Aristide supporters [IE: up to 67% of Haitians] be SLAUGHTERED unless Aristide conceded to so-call neo-liberal trade policies [hard ball poly-tricks at work]!!! Now remember around that time the US was in up to its eyeballs in the Liberian Civil War [circa 1990 - 2003] that Slaughtered 150000 - 250000 [out of 2.5 million] Liberians - then there was 1994 Rwandan Slaughter [death toll: 800000 - 1000000]. So Pres Aristide was REAL CLEAR about what Ole Slick Willie was implying.
Thanks
For just a wonderful, recital of the facts. Again, the factually challenged get on my nerves. Will US citizens EVER select their leaders based upon their records and not their mythologies? Does our "education system" suck that bad? Or are we doomed to imbecility due to the pablum of US Mass Media?
It use to be, if we didn't hear it from Huntley, Brinkley,Reasoner and Cronkite it wasn't "news," now if we don't hear it from Colbert and Stewart it ain't "news." That's what I call regression analysis.
p.s. I ain't seen a smackdown like yours since the days we hardcore BAR supporters enjoyed smacking down the Obama Bots during the run for the presidency. Btw, they don't post much anywhere anymore.... in case yall didn't notice.
First it was Spam, now BAR is
First it was Spam, now BAR is being inundated with Clinton apologists. You Clintonistas need to stop being misinformed by mainstream media (this includes NPR and Jon Stewart) and read/watch more BAR, Ted Rall, Chris Floyd, Counterpunch, Dissident Voice, Wayne Madsen, and rt.com. You'll find that the Clintons, like every other US administration, have screwed over Haiti via trade policies that have decimated Haiti's agricultural industry, overthrowing/kidnapping/exiling democratically elected Haitian leaders, installing/supporting Haitian murderous, kleptocratic dictators, and foreign policies designed to enrich the military industrial complex.
I'm not going to spend time catching you all up to speed on the real history of Haiti's misery. Search the archives of BAR and the other above-mentioned indy media to learn the truth about Haiti - and the Clinton complicity in the mess.
The Real 411 on SLICK WILLIE THE US' WHITE / BLACK PRES & HAITI;
Yes Beverly- It seems as if most comments here are saying give Ole Slick Willie [the so-called 1st "Black" Pres] a break - he has good intentions for Haiti. But lets look at Ole Slick Willie's track record when it comes to Black & Brown People in the US & the World. Remember..: NAFTA [one of his major ‘bi-partisan’ achievements]- which he claimed it would lead to more jobs in both the US as well as Latin America & the Caribbean, & would lessen the immigration issue. But the result was that 'great sucking sound' of jobs leaving the US [out-sourced to Mexico, China, India, etc] that Ross Perot talked about [why would Corps pay US workers $8 - $25/hr when they can pay $0.25 - $2 /hr over-seas]. Also it led to dumping cheap US Agra-Biz products in Mexico & Haiti that destroyed much of their agricultural sector [IE {despite the FAKE War on Terror HYPE}: Self-Sufficiency in basic food stuffs = any nation's FORE-MOST Security Concern] & worsened the US / Mexican immigration & drug problems. Then 2-3 yrs ago the Wall St Banksters speculated on food markets driving up food prices leading to food riots in Haiti & Africa [as well as India, Pakistan], etc - as our people there starved.
What about Slick Willie's welfare reform [another one of his major‘bi-partisan’achievements], which forced so-called welfare Black mothers even those with small babies to work [so-called work-fare]- even though no provision was made for day-care. And generally not jobs w real opportunities but working part-time at places like Mac-Donald's for $4-$5/hr.
What about Rwanda - Ole Slick Willie did worse than do nothing to try to stop the slaughter- he actually prevented / hindered other nations, the UN, organizations, etc- from trying to doing something - so that his / the US' inaction wouldn't be so embarrassing, & gave 'cover' to those who abandoned Rwanda against their obligations [Note Samantha Power: Bystanders to Genocide- www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2001/09/bystanders-to-genocide/4571/7/ ]. Rwanda has led to the looting & devastation in the Congo which has led to 5million Congolese Bro & Sis dead in the past 15 yrs, w US & other Western [EU] Corp profiting from the looting of Congo's vast mineral wealth. The Word is that BILLARY is/are heavily invested in some of these Corps w so much African Blood on their 'investments'.
Old Slick Willie made Larry Summers [the same Summers who Obama had the Audacity {without Hope}to hire] assistant Treasury secretary under Rob Rubin - then Head of Treasury when Rubin went to Wall St; after Summers wrote a NOTORIOUS memo when he was the World Bank's Econ Chief, outlining the economic 'advantages' [for the West] in dumped toxic / radioactive US/Western Industries' Waste on African & 3rd World Peoples. The so-called Somali 'Pirates' [many were/are actually fishermen – just like many so-called ‘illegal’ alien / ‘drug-dealing’ Mexicans- were farmers actually growing food for Mexico before NAFTA started dumping on Mexico] have been complaining about this dumping as well as illegal fishing in Somalia's waters. The 2004 Tsunami actually washed some of the drums of toxic / radioactive waste ashore. Thus Summers’ notorious memo is policy that is actually in effect. When a Brazilian Bro & contemporary of Summers, wrote a rebuke of him in Righteous Indignation - that Brother got fired - but Summers got hired by Ole Slick Willie [Note: www.pcdf.org/1992/29korten.htm & www.jacksonprogressive.com/issues/summersmemo.html]. Then Rubin, Summers, Geithner, Greenspan, & some key Repugs [that's bi-partisanship at work for you] pushed deregulating the Wall-St Banksters [after de-regulation lead to the looting of the Savings & Loan Industry in the 1980s under Reagan / Bush Sr]. This led to the HI-Tech Bubble, the Enron Bubble, the Food Stuffs Bubble, the Housing Bubble, & finally the Great Recession that we're now facing - with Blacks & Browns catching twice the hell - as usual
But since we're talking about Haiti 2010 lets consider that Ole Slick Willie is the special US / UN rep to Haiti & Hillary is US Sec of State. So why is it that w $10billion of US commitments there is little if any thing to show for it? No major reconstruction or even rubble removal 10 months after the quake. Slick Willie's NAFTA policies effectively drove Haitians off the country-side into Port-of-Prince where their cheap labor could be more efficiently EXPLOITED by US Corps [Ole Slick Willie calls this development - some people {IE: Pres Aristide - note the next article here @ BAR}call it wage slavery] which led to the devastation being much worse than it would have been. And why the cholera out-break which could have been held in check or even eliminated w some basic sanitation & medical facilities? One must conclude that these phantom $billions either don't really exist, or have been looted [just as Wall St Banksters & Poly-tricksters have looted $multi-Trillions from the Treasury], or are being with-held for another purpose other than the benefit of the Haitian people.
So before we get all sentimental over the so-called 1st 'Black' Pres [Slick Willie] we better check his track record [for real - not the HYPE] when it comes to what he’s done to as well as forBlack People. And the record shows neither he, nor his political twin in Black face [Obama- who had the Audacity {without Hope} to appoint not just Slick Willie but even Bush Jr {who he like his daddy before him pulled a coup on Pres Aristide & Haiti} to lead the US' so-called 'humanitarian' {invasion}efforts in the wake of Haiti's quake], nor his life 'partner' [in crime] Hillary- can be trusted.
The one real symbolic thing that BILLARY & Obama could do to really help lift the spirits of the Haitian people, they have not done nor do I expect them to ever do- that is to call for lifting the Bushites' BAN on Pres Aristide & his political party. But I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for either BILLARY or Obama to do this. With 'friends' like these Haiti certainly can't survive having enemies.
That was an inside the park homerun
HA. You took a single from the Clintonistas and turned it into an inside the park home run.
Poor little Clintonistas, thought they'd come here and regurgitate the 2008 election. "Well, Billary would have been better than Obama." "Obama was unseasoned, the media created Obama." "Obama played the race card." Blah, Blah, Blah. Clintonistas as "right" as you may be on some fronts, though some arguments have legitimacy, WHO GIVES A SHIT!!! Billary would have been "tougher" than Obama all right, she would have sent EVEN MORE troops into Afghanistan AND probably attacked Iran by now. And you idiots think she would undue her hubby's mess or undermine her buddies Summers and Rubin? How stupid are you? Have you been dazzled by Billary's "Smart Power" diplomacy? Who's the bigger joke, you all or Billary?
Both Obama and Billary are enemies of the people. At the end of the day they are only different in tone not substance than the Neo-Cons and Globalists.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2224332720080422
II.
He not only refused to intervene, he actively sought to allow it to happen.
Here is a good article for you to read.http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200109/po…
In March of 1998, on a visit to Rwanda, President Clinton issued what would later be known as the "Clinton apology," which was actually a carefully hedged acknowledgment. He spoke to the crowd assembled on the tarmac at Kigali Airport: "We come here today partly in recognition of the fact that we in the United States and the world community did not do as much as we could have and should have done to try to limit what occurred" in Rwanda.
This implied that the United States had done a good deal but not quite enough. In reality the United States did much more than fail to send troops. It led a successful effort to remove most of the UN peacekeepers who were already in Rwanda. It aggressively worked to block the subsequent authorization of UN reinforcements. It refused to use its technology to jam radio broadcasts that were a crucial instrument in the coordination and perpetuation of the genocide. And even as, on average, 8,000 Rwandans were being butchered each day, U.S. officials shunned the term "genocide," for fear of being obliged to act. The United States in fact did virtually nothing "to try to limit what occurred." Indeed, staying out of Rwanda was an explicit U.S. policy objective."
p.s. If only Maxine Waters had the clout to cut as many insider deals as the Clintonistas. Gailbreath, shaking down the Kurds for $300 M, Slick Willie, $30 M and counting for "speeches," and I could go on and on.
About the 2008 Dems Pres Primary Obama vs Billary;
EC: I initially left this out because I didn't want to look like a big Obama [or Oprah] fan - which I'm not. BUT- Remember that Billary apparently did so much 'race-baiting' in 2008 that several members of the CBC told them to 'cool it' -&- The Word was that Billary's tactics so disgusted the late Edward Kennedy that he decided to vigorously endorse Obama in REBUKE of them. Then Hillary had the NERVE to say in June 2008 that she wasn't conceding to Obama because 'who knows something might happen - like what happened to Bobby Kennedy in June 1968'. Keith Oberman did a RIGHTEOUS REBUKE of her that she would have the GALL to imply on the 40th anniversary of the devastating back to back assassinations of MLK & RFK - that she wasn't throwing in the towel because- who knows maybe Obama might get shot [by some white racist]. And what about so many former white women Oprah fans who PRESUMED that she was just SUPPOSED to pick Hillary over Obama. When she endorsed Obama she faced a pretty mean backlash -&- accusations that she was playing the 'Race-Card' were made.
Remember how Ole Slick Willie PUNKED-OUT on the Sister Lani Guinier [like Obama Punked-Out on Van Jones -BUT- in 1993/94 there was no FOX-Noise or Glen Beck around] who he initially nominated for Assistant AG- when the Repugs / Rethugs stirred a bunch of Hyped-BS about nothing. Though she was supposed to have been a 'close friend' of Billary's, she was well qualified for the position. But just like Ole Slick Willie sat back w his thumb up his ass & watched Rwanda turn into a blood-bath, he sat back & let the Rethugs tear into his 'good friend' Ms Guinier over some hyped-up BS.
It pays to have a good memory because [selective] amnesia can be dangerous.
Lani Guinier, a precursor
Yeah, I was being "nice" to the Clintonistas by not raising the Billary Race Baiting. I recall the polling showed that Obama's numbers were comparatively week w/r/t the "working" class whites, which Billary seized upon in the SE states, attempting "divide and conquer" by referring to her White suporters there as "hardworking Americans." The Clintons were so desparate they didn't just resort to "racial dog whistling," they came straight out with some audacious comments. Bill basically said, "Obama was a media creation (some truth) and not ready for prime too (some truth there also), but he did it in a manner that was consistent in tone and context to "racial dog whistling." (i.e. Obama was an "affirmative action" candidate) The Clintons definitely tried to pry away the "working class Whites" also known as Reagan Democrats from Obama, and it largely did work.
Again, without Iowa, Obama wouldn't be president (I believe that is in part why he gave the medal last week to a kid from Iowa because the kid probably hasn't done anything hundreds of other soldiers did). The fact that a state with 97% White population, largely rural or agrarian, and "Midwestern," gave Obama a "seal of approval," was the central catalyst to his successful run for the Presidency. It was a testament to his "crossover" appeal. If Ohio were substituted for Iowa-- first in nation-- an Obama win there would have been attributed to large pockets of Black/urban populations, that argument/logic couldn't work in Iowa.
Back to Guinier; Clinton throwing her to the wolves was a precursor for more of his "Sista Souljah" eruptions and triangulations. Being a good ol boy from Arkansas, he knew what time it was. I mean, how many years did he live through and with the "Southern Strategy" perfected to a science by Rove's mentor, Lee Atwater?
Also Democracy
Also Democracy Now.
DemocracyNow.org is another news source that will report the true 411 on Haiti.
May I suggest you go after Oprah Winfrey?
Oprah Winfrey has proven to be one of the biggest embarrassments in these troubled times. While 4 million homeowners are losing their homes to foreclosure every year, and a substantial percentage of those 4 million homeowners are being unfairly evicted, Oprah Winfrey is using her own television show for her own personal farewell victory tour.
Oprah has recently been seen on her own show crying because Whoopi Goldberg doesn't like her, crying with Tyler Perry, (just before his movie is released, what a coincidence), crying, crying crying over how much Oprah has met to Tyler Perry.
Meanwhile, 10,000 homeowners get foreclosed upon every DAY in this country. And Oprah's best pal, Jamie Dimon, of Chase Bank, has had his own hand in the mess as well.
I consider your attack on Bill Clinton of the same type of racism that Barack Obama supporters claimed when people attacked his supporters in 2008.
If the message from 2008 was only criticize Barack Obama supporters who have the same ethnicity as oneself, then maybe you could be consistent now and take a moment and realize the colossal waste of resources Oprah Winfrey has wrought on mainstream america as she searches for every last personal validation she can inhale from the final season of her television show.
How many minutes does Oprah Winfrey spend on Haiti every day, every week, every month? How many minutes a day does Oprah Winfrey spend on the foreclosure problem in the United States every day, every week, every month?
Has Oprah Winfrey ever challenged Jamie Dimon of Chase Bank and his belligerent and arrogant attitude towards mainstream america? NO, she's too busy DOING BUSINESS with him.
http://www.parallelforeclosure.com
http://www.swarmthebanks.com
http://www.wallstreetchange.com
http://www.dailypuma.com
http://www.bloggersagainstchasebank.com
BAR is no fan of Winfrey.
BAR is no fan of Winfrey. You must be new to this site; BAR staff has called out the Big O on many occasions.
You are correct though in saying Winfrey should use her forum to publicize matters such as Haiti that get little attention from the mainstream press. Her viewers are your typical mis/dis/uninformed Americans and could definitely stand to be educated about what's going on out here. Some of them don't even believe anything unless it comes from the mouths of Oprah, CNN, or Fox.
This thing about Oprah is just a Distraction;
Beverly: This thing about- IE: why not critique Oprah's non-response about Haiti - is just a distraction [possibly indicating a hidden agenda].
Could rich influential Black's do more for Haiti - Absolutely - but too many of them haven't even stepped-up when it comes to Black Folks in the US - let alone Haiti &/or Africa. We could kick up a fuss that- Tiger Woods has too many [white] 'girl-friends' -or- that the Word is guys like Michael Jordan, Chuck Barkley, C-Webb, etc have blown tens & even hundreds of $thousands in a night in Vegas - which could have been used to help Black people in these guys' homes in NC, MS, MI, Detroit, & Chicago.
BUT- The fact remains it ain't Oprah's job to lead relief efforts in Haiti - but as former US Pres & Special UN/US Rep to Haiti, & as the current US Pres & Sec of State- IT IS Bill Clinton's, Obama's, & Hillary's jobs. And since they ain't getting the job done they need to be buked for it.
Bill (and Hillary) Clinton
Bill Clinton (and Hillary, for that matter) has done more to help Haiti over 35 years than any other public figure, political or otherwise. These are dedicated people, both of whom risked personal harm in the wake of the earthquake to assure the Haitian people that the U.S and the world would help and to bring assistance which both have done through their separate venues over the past 10 months since the earthquake.
Recent criticisms of them as well as of U.N. forces are unfair and unfounded. They have much more to do with local political issues than with facts on the ground. Poor countries like Haiti are always targets for unscrupulous, corrupt politicians. I lived in Haiti for a long time. For ten years I BOUGHT rice at the market out of sacks marked "Gift of the people of the United States." Jean Claude Duvalier absconded to Europe with millions - perhaps tens or hundreds of millions of aid dollars from U.S. taxpayers.
Not every politician running for president wants to help the Haitian people. Many would love to return to the days when American money flowed directly into private accounts in the Caribbean and Switzerland. Long before calling a good and dedicated advocate for Haiti on the carpet, energy on the street should be spent in vetting the current presidential candidates.
Bill Clinton has been super-vetted. Nothing he, his foundation, or his wife do escapes the most microscopic scrutiny. The Obama administration and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee guaranteed that before confirming Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State., Everything Bill Clinton does is annotated and examined regularly. What Haitian candidate can claim the same?
The Haitian people do have enemies. Bill Clinton is not one of them. He is a loyal friend. To find the enemies, look within.
Troublesome
Bill Clinton has worked on behalf of the Haitian people for almost as long as I can remember. He is the sole reason I was inspired to donate to the efforts to provide relief. This article seems to come from someone with a grudge, as it seems unreasonable to attack someone doing their very best for the people of that country. What's your grudge about....you're not still holding onto those phony charges of racism levelled at Bill Clinton back in 2008 are you?
Rather than attack Bill Clinton
Rather than attack Bill Clinton, you might be better served by staying on point about the flow of money into Haiti.
Bill Clinton has helped Haiti
Bill Clinton has done more than any single other person on the planet to help Haiti. His Foundation has donated millions to help the Haitian people. This article is simply a slap in the face to someone who has done nothing but help. It's not even based in reality. Amazing what some people will post in the guise of 'news'.
Bill Clinton is helping Haiti
If the media would have published the video Bill Clinton released last week and his press release Weds you would know he has been working hard on Haiti
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QbzAJHe4xU
http://clintonfoundation.org/news/news-media/press-release-president-clinton-announces-1-5-million-commitment-in-response-to-the-cholera-outbreak
Press Release???
Are you serious? That's all Clinton has been doing in Haiti, he and his step-Dad, George Bush, issuing press releases. Promising aid that is never been delivered, if the aid they promised were delivered the cholera epidemic would perhaps have been averted or minimized. The US is running a military operation in Haiti, not a relief operation.
http://thehaitianblogger.blogspot.com/2010/04/quake-haiti-through-distor...
http://willyloman.wordpress.com/2010/09/29/globalization-clinton-haiti-a...
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/01/18/world/main6109766.shtml
Wyclef Jean anyone? Now
Wyclef Jean anyone? Now there's some unscrupulous behavior for you!