16247: Vishnusurf: Karshan's defense of Aristide government

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: VISHNUSURF@aol.com

being the palace foreign press liaison, perhaps mme. karshan would care to
comment on these insinuations.

also, concerning mme. karshan's recent letter to the AP, which has appeared
twice on this list, i would like to share the following thoughts:

There are many disturbing things about michelle karshan's letter, in my
humble opinion.

karshan seems to me to very have much underestimated the intelligence of the
average person who might have read the AP article in question. could any
reasonably intelligent person really view this horrible attack as a "random" act of
violence simply because a journalist referred to the attackers as a "gang",
as karshan claims?

furthermore, her reference to NCHR reports does nothing to support her
argument:
in citing NCHR reports, it appears that Karshan would have us believe that it
is sound to distinguish between

"former military men bent on violently overthrowing Haiti's government"

and

"the same anti-government group or groups responsible for several other acts
of armed violence in the Central Plateau over the course of many months
against government targets."

Nowhere does the palace foreign press liaison substantiate this distinction.


I also find the timing of karshan's desperate and truncated reference to NCHR
reports quite ironic and irresponsible, in that her letter, evidently written
on behalf of the Haitian gov't, is posted just hours following Ms. Parks's
clarification that in NCHR's view, "the vast majority of the violence being
perpetrated in Haiti is at the hands of the government."

Please duly note the adjective: "VAST" !!!

Karshan is keeping one side of the score (20 dead)… it must be asked in the
name of objectivity, how many have died "at the hands of the government"?  what
of the reported plot to assassinate Apaid?

The palace foreign press liaison also insinuates that Judith Roy was plotting
a coup, but she fails to address reliable reports alleging that mme roy has
been beaten in prison.  Even if found guilty, this would be a grave abuse of
Mme. Roy's human rights, as ms. Karshan surely would agree (I hope), being an
attorney.

Can a journalist really "dilute" a "situation" that has already occurred?
There is a problem of logic in the palace liaison's discussion here.

Furthermore, how convincing is the palace liaison in her citation of the
prime minister in his concern for the "foundation of Haitian democracy"?  I for
one am not at all compelled here.

Finally, reference to Kurzban must raise the eyebrows of  anyone on this list
who was privy to the enormous amount of money lavalas has been paying his
firm to represent the aristide gov't in the US.

I could go on, but that's it…

Seems to me that haiti's deepest problems are on the level of conscience… and
that is very much a transnational affair, as so well, albeit unwittingly,
here demonstrated by the palace liaison.