Posted on 05/14/2007 8:45:47 AM PDT by GFritsch
The recent surge of Haitians taking to the seas to flee their destitute country resulted last week in a terrible calamity -- a capsized sailboat and 61 souls lost, some of them chopped up by sharks.
Then came even-worse stories from survivors, alleging a crime of indescribable inhumanity. Survivors said that a Turks and Caicos patrol boat had rammed their sailboat, towed it into deeper water and abandoned all aboard the crippled vessel to the sea and sharks.
Several investigations are under way by local authorities and the British government. What is needed, though, is a thorough, independent investigation by a disinterested party such as the Organization of American States. This sickening, gut-wrenching tragedy has caused many caring Americans to ask perplexing questions about why such things continue to happen and what, if anything, can be done to prevent them from recurring.
The answers aren't simple or easy, but this much is clear: The more that the United States and the international community can do to stabilize Haiti's politics and help to rebuild its shattered economy, the less likely it would be that desperate people will cast their fate and lives to the sea.
In a community that routinely welcomes Cubans who flee Fidel Castro's unbending treachery, the difference in how U.S. immigration policy treats Haitian and Cuban migrants increasingly is becoming a sore point. The reality, however, is that U.S. policy is different for Haitians. When they are interdicted, for example, Haitians have virtually no chance to make a claim for political asylum. If a Haitian interdicted at sea doesn't aggressively demand or shout asylum, he will be sent back. Last year, 1,198 Haitians were interdicted but not one of them was granted asylum.
More Haitians are leaving the island this year because conditions have deteriorated so badly. In April, the U.S. Coast Guard interdicted 704 Haitians, nearly as many as were intercepted all of last year. The last big surge came in 2004 when Haiti was beset with political turmoil that led to former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide resigning and leaving the country.
Political scars from those days haven't healed. In many respects, life for most people has gotten worse. Killer storms have left thousands homeless; kidnappings and gang violence are a scourge in the cities; and riots and pillage from years of upheaval have wrecked the economy.
Haiti needs basic infrastructure such as sewers, roads and electric power; and it needs improved public services for courts, police, healthcare and education. Most of all, though, Haitians need jobs.
On Thursday, Haitian President Rene Preval met with members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and later with Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. Mr. Preval asked for U.S. help in catching human smugglers and in fighting corruption. Mostly, though, he asked for economic help. One thing that Congress can do to bring quick help is to fund and implement an initiative that would allow Haiti to export some textiles to the United States duty-free. Rep. Kendrick Meek asked for support of the initiative in letters to international banks, the OAS and Congressional leaders. Rep. Ros-Lehtinen said she will ask President Bush to support the effort. Through such initiatives, Haiti can begin the long journey to economic well-being.
Those fleeing tyranny need to stick it out and fight! Adding this failed nation's population to our's, which is already bursting with non-contributing illegals from Mexico and South America, isn't the answer that America needs.
Our freedom is being usurped by degrading our population with castoffs from other nations.
Our Monroe Doctrine does not say that we are responsible for the financial well-being of those nations. And it seem to me that while those peoples have every reason to want to come here, they should be rebuilding their government at home, and then their economy.
Didn’t we go there recently to fix things?
another Clinton/democRAT failure
Just as easily could have been about Mexico.
Details of the peace excursion weren't published because nothing was accomplished.
Our Monroe Doctrine was supposed to cover dangerous situations like communist encroachment into this hemisphere.
Yes, another turd from the Clinton Administration left for us to deal with.
Nice racist flourish there.
Haitian immigrants aren't Haiti's "castoffs" - they are often among the best-educated and most-enterprising Haitians and they come to America hoping to find economic opportunities they don't have in their homeland.
Gunmen Dressed as Cops Kill Police Chief in Mexico...
Two Killed In Shooting On New Mexico-Mexico Border...
Zeta killers murder 5 soldiers in shootout.
Acapulco Police Chief Killed in Mexico Drug Feud
Kidnapped Newspaper Editor Found Dead
Police chief killed in Mexico amid wave of violenc...
Cartel hires Laredo teen as hit man
Mexican police find 17 bodies, suspect drug-relate...
Police beheading in Acapulco
Mexican Crime Reporter Kidnapped from Police Stati...
All this and more. Blog of the Gods
In 1994, US troops occupied Haiti, tossed out Raoul Cedras and installed Jean-Bertrand Aristide’s at the behest of our Congressional Black Circus and the Haitian people so they have what they want in their own country. If we gave Castro the boot from Cuba, then maybe we wouldn’t so readily accept Cuban refugees.
Haiti. The African country on our doorstep.
Well It isnt really an African country, Its just run like one. Its inhabited by ex-Africans, so I guess thats about the same thing.
By the way I didnt know we treated Cubans any better than Haitians. We have been turning around Cubans for a long time. We sure sent Elian back. Now Mexicans thats a different story. All they have to do is wade over. Maybe its a situation of the depth of the water or something.
Turks and Caicos are a British run Island group
Surely Brits werent on that patrol boat, leads one to wonder who was?
Yes, it's racist to deny the third world free access to our treasury.
Haitian immigrants aren't Haiti's "castoffs" - they are often among the best-educated and most-enterprising Haitians and they come to America hoping to find economic opportunities they don't have in their homeland.
Then test your theory by welcoming them to your neighborhood.
Before thinking that going into Haiti to liberate and Democratize it may be a good idea, Google “history of Haiti” and you will see that it has been in constant turmoil for about the last 400 hundred years.
This is not to say that the US could do some good there.
My "pity for the hardships in another country" lobe is worn right down to a nub. And my kneejerk reaction to being called "racist" only now results in a "Yeah, so what?" That horse has been beaten to death.
Haiti is caught in the vicious government cycle that plagues much of the third world:
First comes corruption by government officials. They betray the publich trust to line their and their cronies’ pockets (often in Swiss bank accounts).
The corruption becomes oppression when the police and legal system cease being tools to protect the citizens and become the primary means of maintaining and expanding wealth and power by those in charge.
The third phase involves a populist upheaval. A well organized group with a charismatic leader stirs the people into demonstrations against “the system”. This movement leads to chaos in the streets. The wealthy elite begin fleeing the country for safety reasons and the currency hits rock bottom.
Next, a military coup occurs and martial law is declared. Order is restored at the point of a gun. A new oppression begins, but this time, instead of being backed by a corrupt system, it is backed by the military.
Finally, the United States Marines occupy the country for a few years. Infrastructure is improved and elections are held. After a few years, the American troops leave, and the cycle repeats itself.
The US never occupied Haiti or tossed out Raoul Cedras.
Raoul Cedras left before US forces were deployed to Haiti and the US forces were deployed to assist the Haitian authorities, because many of the police deeply implicated in Cedras' military regime had simply fled their posts, leaving a security vacuum.
The US did not install Aristide, because the military government Cedras left behind had voluntarily agreed to abide by the results of the 1991 election that elected Aristide as President.
Ultimately, Aristide proved to be a liar and a betrayer of the democracy he had championed He would probably have finished his term had he not ordered the assassination of Amiot Metayer.
He had been elected in 1991 by promising the Haitian people that he would restore the rule of law and put an end to the extrajudicial killings practiced by the Duvalier and Avril regimes. The people who voted for him probably did not think he himself would be caught ordering extrajudicial killings twelve years later.
The biggest thing Haiti can do to solve their lot in life problem is to make the country attractive to foreign investment. The next biggest thing they can do is to aggressively prosecute corruption.
One other thing they can do is atempt to change their Language from Creole to either Spanish or English - no one (except perhaps French speakers) can understand what they are saying. (There are many of you who will say “how arrogant of you to even suggest that”). Too bad. I am merely stating a fact - however insensitive it may be. Fact.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.