13531: Complete response of Pina to Simidor (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

[Corbett notes:  Sorry to Kevin Pina.  I had thought that the last
section from a reprint of the WSJ article.  It was just a short clip,
and then further response from Pina.  The whole is below.]

From: kevin pina <kpinbox@hotmail.com>


Simidor writes:

"Pina postulates in "13514: RE: Raymond Joseph's theory on refugees:"
The most compelling evidence in this direction was the statement made
by Rep. Carrie Meeks that the refugees are victims of "repression". . . .

Pina's attack on Carrie Meeks only shows his own bias...  She's not a Bush
agent, as Pina implies."


Pina responds:

There was no attack on Carrie Meeks character or implication that she is a
"Bush agent" in way or form. What was done was to call attention to the way
this was going to be manipulated into forcing members of the Congressional
Black Caucus to accept "persecution" as an emotional response and premise
for allowing the refugees political asylum. It was an attempt to shine light
on is the blatant manipulation of the refugees to further erode support for
Aristide and Lavalas in the United States by forcing liberals to accept the
premise of systematic political persecution. It also opens the Congressional
Black Caucus and others to attacks for past and current support of democracy
in Haiti as evidenced by the recent WSJ piece posted by Mr. Casimir:

From: Jean-Claude CASIMIR <jccasimir@hotmail.com>

The Wall Street Journal
(lead editorial, November 1, 2002)
__________________________________________________
The Black Caucus's Boat People

"Haiti has been run for eight years by Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who was
restored to power after a U.S.-led invasion deposed a military junta.
President Clinton ordered that invasion after months of lobbying led by
Black Caucus powers Charlie Rangel and John Conyers, among others.
None of this seems to have dulled Black Caucus enthusiasm for Mr.
Aristide.


Haitians,meanwhile, are fleeing a country whose government is supposedly an
enlightened democracy that has been routinely praised and supported by the
likes of Ms. Meek and the Congressional Black Caucus.

...Mr. Conyers attended Ms. Ocean's hearing but was apparently unmoved. He
limited his public comments to denouncing U.S. immigration policy. Ms. Meek
said this Wednesday that the refugees were fleeing
"persecution" but she never mentioned Mr. Aristide or Lavalas."


Actually the whole thing is quite brilliant. Why get your own hands dirty
pasting the mantle of political persecution on Arisitde and Lavalas when you
can get liberals and members of the Congressional Black Caucus to do it for
you. What more powerful message can there be than managing to corner
supporters of democracy and Lavalas in the United States into leading the
call for accepting political persecution as the basis for giving Haitian
refugees asylum. It's a classic example of the bait and switch.

Meanwhile, people are suffering tremendous economic hardship in Haiti today.
Prices have risen 30% just last week thanks to vicious rumors and lies
spread that the GOH planned on nationalizing US dollar accounts. More than
50 million US dollars were pulled out of the economy forcing the gourde to
plummet to new depths.  Most municipal governments in Haiti have not
recieved funds for the past six months and yet their courageous employees
continue to provide basic functions and services to the population without a
dime in their pockets. Of course, none of this is conveniently on current
radar screens as the issue of asylum for Haitian refugees, on the basis of
political persecution, obfiscates and overshadows the reality.

It would not be surprising if, in the near future, the Bush Administration
and/or Jeb Bush himself waited for the right moment to take full advantage
of this by reversing their policy on Haitian refugees. In the midst of the
victory celebrations and pats on the back few will have realized they helped
to put another nail in the coffin of popular democratic movements in Latin
America and the Caribbean.





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