12925: Lynn Garrison on Haiti's environment (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Racine125@aol.com

I don't want to seem to be picking on him, but I also don't know why it is that Mr. Garrison finds it necessary to characterize people who disagree with him as "morons" or "stupid".  In his recent epistle, he writes:

<<Only a complete moron would suggest that the environment, during the embargo period, was a tenth as dangerous as the one now experienced by Haitians in Haiti. Seems as though most of these stupid comments come from Haitians safely settled in Canada or the States.>>

Mr. Garrison, I am not going to call you a moron, or stupid, or a liar.  I am not going to suggest that you are being paid to lie, that you have smothered your conscience to death, that you are less than in your right senses, or insult you in any way.

I will state, however, that I have lived in Haiti since 1987.  The coup took place while I was in Haiti, and I remained in Haiti without a break (except for three weeks in the USA for a family gathering) until 1996.  I returned many times for extended visits, until I resumed my permanent stay in 1999.  I have been here ever since.

Unlike the climate of terror under the Cedras regime of 1991 - 1994, when the mutilated bodies of political activists, union organizers, and neighborhood leaders were strewn in the streets of Port-au-Prince, we now have relative peace.  Of course Port-au-Prince is a city, and cities have crime.  In fact, most "zenglendos" now are former attaches, former FRAPH!  They are habituated to the use of arms and inured to violence, we all know this.

There have been instances of political repression and violation of human rights under Aristide, no one can deny it, but the rate at which these things occur is in no way comparable to what was happening under Cedras!  No one with two functioning eyes is going to suggest that life for the average Haitian in Port-au-Prince now is as dangerous or as horribly tormented as it was then.

I live in Jacmel, which was at peace then and is at peace now.  But no one getting on a public bus for Port-au-Prince is in fear of the half-drunk, aggressive, trigger-happy Army "corporals" that manned the checkpoints on the road, no one forces us off the bus to search us for photos of Aristide (or even copies of Garrison's book) and threaten us with rape or torture!  Those days are over, thank God, and hopefully they will not come again.  If Mr. Garrison is in some way persuaded that he sees bodies full of bullet holes every day in the streets, I think he should call the radio stations and the newspapers and Reuter's and AP, and document these things that no one else sees.

Peace and love,

Bon Mambo Racine Sans Bout Sa Te La Daginen

"Se bon ki ra" - Good is rare
     Haitian proverb

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(Posting from Jacmel, Haiti)