13852: Harvey: Re: 13847: Re 13834: Simidor responds to Ewen (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: sean harvey <seanharvey@juno.com>

Mr. Simidor,

You quote Thomas Jefferson in your last post when attempting to define
democracy ("life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness"). But Jefferson
was willing to endure sustained political persecution and the temporary
erosion of civil liberties in the US in order to ensure that the orderly
and peaceful democratic transition of governments continued. When faced
with the Alien and Sedition Act of John Adams' presidency, during which
journalists were beaten, tarred and feathered and had their presses
burned down -- and during which time many of Jefferson's followers were
beaten and killed -- Jefferson sustained his criticism of the Adams
regime and the Federalist-dominated parliament, but went about defeating
Adams through democratic means. Ultimately Adams' anti-democratic,
thuggish behavior was his undoing, as the Federalists were eventually
unseated from power through the mechanisms put in place by the US
constitution, by US citizens disgusted with his behavior.

It's pretty obvious that Jefferson made the right decision -- the orderly
and peaceful transitions of governments would never have been so firmly
established had he chosen to unseat the second US president through civil
war, despite the dictatorial nature of the Adams regime.

And this tradition is what ensures US economic strength, power and
relative social stability today. I fear that if Aristide is removed
through non-democratic means -- despite what appear to be real flaws in
his character -- Haiti will have lost all momentum created by the
(US-negotiated) orderly transition of Aristide to Preval and the
subsequent (entirely voluntary) transition of Preval to Aristide. If
Aristide refuses to step down at the end of his term, that is another
thing entirely. But that hasn't happened yet.

That said, I admit to two major caveats which occur to me as I write
this:

(1) I am not currently living in Port-au-Prince and am not personally
subjected to intimidation and threats of violence from armed gangs of
unemployed partisans, which makes it easier for me to take the long view
on this issue; and

(2) It is more than ironic that we are speaking of Jefferson in such
iconic tones with regard to a discussion of Haiti, since Jefferson was
the primary apologist for slaveholding in the early US, was opposed to
relations with the newly free Republic of Haiti and was the chief icon of
the slaveholding white French planter classes in St Domingue before and
during the revolution.

Nevertheless, I think most of us agree that this is a critical moment for
Haiti. I think it is THE most critical moment of the past 20+ years. The
future is murky and confusing to say the least. The only light that can
be shone on the chaotic events of the present in such circumstances is
history. Is this the moment that the dream of a Haitian republic will
finally be realized for good? Or will Haiti go spinning back into its old
cycle of violent transitions and shuffling dictatorships?

Sean Harvey