18287: Dailey: Aristide's Historic Announcement (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Peter Dailey <phdailey@msn.com>

Earlier this week Caricom leaders announced that President Aristide had
given his personal word that come February, 2006 he will retire from
politics, and that his wife would not be a candidate in the November, 2005
election. He also promised to immediately appoint a new government with a
neutral prime minister, and to disarm politically affiliated gangs and
reform the police. Jamaica's Prime Minister P.J. Patterson said that these
reforms would be implemented in the next 4-6 weeks. President Aristide
himself announced that "We are committed to support those measures outlined.
I vow to keep my word and to deliver my end of the bargain." Seeing as the
man gave his word, for Caricom to impose a one week deadline to release
political detaineees and imply that there would be sanctions if he failed to
live up to his agreement seemed to border on the contempuous.

No matter what one thinks of the man this was a historic announcement,
comparable to the 1974 resignation of Richard Nixon, the end of a 15 year
career as the dominant figure in Haitian politics, and a breakthrough in the
conflict that has paralyzed the Haitian Government since 1997.

I find it extremely curious that not only has no one hailed this
development, no one has even taken note of it or acknowledged that it
occurred. I would have frankly expected that Aristide supporters, for whom
this is not a matter of personalities, but of respecting the principle of
"one man, one vote" and the term of five years specified by the Haitian
Constitution, would have publicized these very real concessions as evidence
of the president's determination to keep Haiti on a democratic course.

Can it be that everyone, and I mean everyone, supporters and opponents
alike, takes it for granted that he is lying and has no intention of
honoring his commitments to Caricom? That Aristide means to chump off his
last remaining international ally for the sake of a month or so of breathing
room and is still hoping to win back the streets?

After watching his Captain Queeg-like performance on CNN last night I'm not
sure what to think. But since he truly wishes to bring an end to chimere
violence as was clear from the Anderson Cooper interview, but evidently
doesn't know how, I am willing to put my earlier misgivings to the side and
tell him the way to do this:

"Titid! The first step towards ending chimere violence is to stop paying
them. Next, call a meeting of your cabinet and advisors. When it is over ask
your marassa Jean Claude Jean Baptiste, Jocelerme Privert, Harry Clinton,
Agathe Delonne, Simson Libere, Barthelemy Vilbrun, Dismie Cesar, Patrick
Tisselin to remain and inform them that they are under house arrest for
murder. Direct the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux and activist Lovinsky
Pierre-Antoine to commence a prosecution for human rights abuses. Of course,
some of these people are going to claim that you've known all about what was
going on from the beginning and in many cases gave the orders. But I
wouldn't worry about this or about damage to your reputation
internationally: since Nuremburg courts have tended to reject the "just
following orders" defense, and as far as your reputation is concerned it
can't possibly get any lower. Some French guy wrote that Haiti "needed a
Mandela and instead got a Bokossa." Now, each of the group of friends I just
mentioned has their own little gang of hard guys, some in the Presidential
Security Unit (USP), or the General Security Unit of the National Palace, or
security staffs for Parliament, Public Works, Teleco, etc.- "Security
morning, noon and night, and for free mes cheries!" You've met all these
guys many times, had them up to the Palace, and sometimes they brought
chimere chiefs with them- the late Ronald Cadavre, the late Cubain, the late
Kolobri, just to mention the "lates." But no one expects you to remember all
these names. Tell you what though. If you or Mildred want to write to me
off-list I'll give you all the names you want. In fact, feel free to write.
I don't know who has been providing you with advice up until now but it has
been lousy, if you will excuse me for saying so. And I won't charge you $450
an hour like that Kurzban fellow- you might want to ask him for a breakdown
on his next billing.

But I'm going to give it to you straight. You know of course that when they
get all those guys together and they start to sing its going to sound like
the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They are going to say that there were regular
weekly meetings at Tabarre when you all discussed where the chimeres were
going to be sent and who was going to be targetted. Of course, no one will
believe them, but there will be problems. I'm sorry to have to tell you
this, but once you lose your diplomatic immunity I doubt you will be able to
stay in the U.S. for more than 48 hours, at least not in one place. You know
Mike Ratner and the Center for Constitutional Rights? Over the last twenty
years they have been responsible for landmark decisions construing something
called the Alien Tort Claims Act, which means that any individual who has
been tortured or shot, or the families of those killed in the Raboteau II or
other operations, who can make a colorable claim that you were responsible
is free to bring a multi-million dollar civil suit against you.
Unfortunately, no U.S. agency could grant you immunity, nor could Maxine
Waters or your other political connections do anything to stop it. Mike
Ratner. Some friend, right! Of course since you are innocent you would
undoubtedly be vindicated by the courts. But you would have to testify under
oath, both at trial and during pre-trial depositions, and answer hundreds of
inconvenient questions, not the least of which would be about your personal
finances. I doubt that even a legal giant like Kurzban would be able to help
you.

In the meantime, be cool. Frankly, you looked rather stressed on CNN. Do you
have a personal trainer at Tabarre? Evans Paul was hinting that a sojourn on
Taiwan might be part of your future, and if this is so you should think
about taking up Tai Chi! In the morning in Taipei while the mist is still
rising you and Mrs. Aristide and the girls will see literally hundreds of
Chinese men and women in the parks wearing sweatsuits and doing these
exercises in their measured and stately way. Once you take it up you'll feel
great, like you could take on a whole busload of chimeres. Oh, and if
Mildred will send me a reminder I'll have Mrs. Dailey e-mail her a recipe
for Dim Sum.

Keep it real!

Peter Dailey

_________________________________________________________________
Find great local high-speed Internet access value at the MSN High-Speed
Marketplace. http://click.atdmt.com/AVE/go/onm00200360ave/direct/01/